Innovative Education
Today’s teaching still means fighting conventions
The field of higher education tends to develop conservative attitudes when facing changes. Such conservatism tends to look at innovation as an escape, or even a form of resignation in the confrontation with society’s pressures and evolutions. To educate is an ongoing fight against conventions and habits, since nothing is more difficult that the questioning of one’s own convictions.
Personality and team spirit
France is lagging behind other countries in cooperative and project-led teaching method. At IONIS schools, such as ISG since its inception in 1967, or more recently at our technology institute and our other business schools, we continuously work on team and project management, to foster the “mission spirit” that ranks so high on companies’ expectation lists. Corporations constantly repeat that they win or lose as teams. Why should education so often ignore this business reality? A team project approach has never stood in the way of individual merit evaluation, but it certainly better serves and prepares the new generations for professional integration.
The virtuous circle between theory and practice
Putting emphasis on theory only has value if it can be put into practice. This requires time, resources and teams. In some of our schools, which favor a more innovative education approach, we have opted for the opposite model. Students first get to be confronted with reality, which quickly triggers a need, and therefore a wish to learn more of the indispensable theory. We don’t want to be different for the sake of rejecting official ranking and certification systems, for we do strive to be recognized and maintain our place amongst the best institutions. But we also seek to bring a difference through complementary approaches which can benefit our students and their families.
Leverage teaching
How can one think that the single mission of higher education is to transmit knowledge without caring how or to whom this knowledge is being imparted? The dissemination of knowledge is meant to improve individual competencies and shape personalities. Neglecting this interdependency would make for a restricted perspective on the mission of education.
A 360° approach
IONIS favors a multi-faceted approach to education, through numerous internal seminars and conferences and the multiplication of topics and fields, which students can choose freely, so as to facilitate a “self-training” capability. Students can thus explore new unknown and attractive fields. This approach fits recruiting companies’ needs for open-minded and curious recruits.