MSPS is the learning method followed by BIFA. Created by Felipe de la Cruz, Founder and Principal of BIFA, it stands for Mentored and Shared Practical Self-Learning.
After several years of official and unofficial training, he realized that the current and most usual process of learning (although, we should say 'teaching'), the master class, is based on ‘teaching’ rather than in ‘learning’. The master class method allows students to listen, take notes, make exercises and... is bored and unuseful because is commonly passive and too theoretical, full of information with no practice nor reflection. Currently, information is everywhere, available anytime, and changes. In addition, if professional life demands to know 'how to do', should not lessons deal more with 'how to do' and 'what to think' instead of memorizing?
Additionally, exams are the barrier that states who learned and who didn't. Thus, if you pass an exam, you demonstrate you 'have' the knowledge. Exams only reflect memory’s capacity, measure study effort before the exam, show ability to answer questions in a correct way or how lucky you were that day. Felipe affirms he passed several exams not because he had great knowledge in the subject but because in many cases he made some extra effort the days before or knew how to answer. He got medium to high scores at the exams but never was a 'model student'.
Through the experience, by the end of his degree studies, he drew three relevant conclusions:
- Most what we are taught in our studies is useful to pass exams, not to become real professionals.
- Considering we can learn by ourselves, we should invest our time in more interesting and applied activities.
- Experimenting, investigating and sharing is fundamental to acquire and strength knowledge.
MSPS method requires a different effort, with great demands, but also more delightful and funny, aimed to obtain a solid knowledge and experience, focused on what we have to do and how to do it.