| | October 20178IN MY OPINIONDriving Experiential Learning in Schools through 3D PrintingBy Shantanu Kwatra - Founder, 3DexterEducation is something which remains when one has forgotten everything he learned in school - Mark TwainExperiential learning as a concept was introduced by David Kolb as a 4 step approach to understand, evaluate, experiment and reflect a particular problem and learn something new from the same. Basically, it means learning through diverse experiences. Experiential learning has famous in schools for quite some time now and various education systems in various countries have figured out diverse ways to use this particular theory to help students learn in a much more efficient manner and retain information for longer periods of time through a practical learning approach. On the other hand, 3D printing technology is revolutionizing various domains like, Architecture, Aerospace, Medical, Fashion, and Automobiles. 3D Printing is considered as the 4th Industrial revolution and is already changing the way we use objects, from tools, clothes and housing and even body parts.The use of 3D Printing, specifically in Education sector has recently seen growth where schools and colleges have started adopting these technologies for prototyping purposes and also bringing innovation in various forms at the core of classroom teaching. India has seen a recent growth where a lot of new Education startups like have come up offering 3D Printing curriculum for school and colleges synced with school's academic curriculum to provide experiential learning by incorporating numerous STEM topics and therefore making every day learning more interesting and enjoyable.Imagine a student who dreams to be an archeologist and wants to study the fossils of Triceratops kept in the National Museum of Los Angeles, but would never get a chance to experience and see how it looks and feels. However, using 3D printing he has the opportunity to create a surface 3D model of it and print the same to understand its structure and study it. Thus, encouraging his curiosity and helping him chase his dream.3D Printing in education can be introduced in various subjects. In Maths, students can understand complex 3D graphs and equations and how they actually mould the physical world. Science offers Shantanu is a Director of 3Dexter where he wants to make a difference in the current education sector by integrating technology with the existing classroom learning experience to enhance real-time learning. He has also worked with various social, nonprofit organizations to understand the current education scenario and on the other side have had the corporate experience of running a company and what it takes to build one. Shantanu Kwatra
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