Alevtyna Kudinova, CEO of the Academy of Marketing, London.
Case Study Method
as the highest level in Edutainment
I think many people have heard of edutainment and even scoffed at the formula "edutainment = education + entertainment", believing that "normal learning is not entertainment, so there is no need to invent anything".
However, Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac is often cited as an early example of educational entertainment, combining entertainment and educational content such as puzzles and rules of behavior. Or Walt Disney's Real Life Adventures, which also combines the useful with the fun... Today, there are numerous children's programmes, travel shows, computer games, etc.
Scepticism about the use of entertainment tools and content in the educational process is often based on the idea that participants will get used to the brightness and constant stimulation and not accept classical learning afterward. And, of course, the belief that learning should not be based on enjoyment. It is, after all, hard work.
But what if we could ease this difficulty by using modern technology and tools? The most difficult thing is to find a way to keep learning in the middle of the entertainment and to find a method that is appropriate to the learning objectives, age, and experience of the learners. And, of course, finding a professional who knows how to work with edutainment methods, because usually when people hear about combining learning with something entertaining, they think of fun games, something like a corporate event where the entertainment comes first, but as a bonus, there is an added benefit. In most cases, unfortunately, this is what happens.
The high professionalism of our tutors allows us to work at the highest level of the edutainment method, namely the case study method. A case study is a 10-15 page description of a real-life situation in which the protagonist has to make an important strategic decision. The task is to understand the problem, identify the strengths and weaknesses of all the characters in the case, and find the most effective solution. What is the difference between the classical teaching method and the case study method? Let's compare them:
A moderator or tutor should not only be knowledgeable in different areas of business, from finance to management, from marketing to global business but should also create an environment where each participant can open up and find a solution (the model of interaction between the moderator and the participants of the Case Study Club).
Try to moderate a discussion on one topic for 2-3 hours. I can predict the first barrier - everyone will give their opinion, everyone will be sure that they are right, and after 10-15 minutes there will be silence. The moderator should not only give feedback on people's ideas, but also steer the discussion towards the development of ideas and the acquisition of new knowledge and skills.
As a result, ideas are generated, "what if..." alternatives are calculated, and problems and solutions that were invisible in the usual analysis are revealed.
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