The key to success in any field is to be passionate about our work. Passion can only come when one is self-motivated. Anyone can motivate self for doing anything if one has two key essential ingredients - Inspiration and Desperation.
Inspiration is the ability to provide one with positive stimulus to achieve what one aims for. Inspiration could mean elevating self to achieve the self-desirable. Inspiration could mean
working towarsd a better future.
Desperation, on the other hand could act as a stimulus to rise from a state of despair to a state of success. Desperation could work at improving upon the past.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Pedagogy Stricken Education System
Recently, I had a brush with reality where i happened to meet some educationists of our country who are made responsible for shaping the future of so many children of our country who go to the school in the hope of learning something that will transform their lives. It was quite a disappointing interaction with them where all the time they got stuck at the pedagogy aspect. It is high time that these so called 'experts' realise the potential of technology and help the needy reap benefits out of it. As long as there will be anti-technology people managing the teachers' training instutues and schools, technology cannot permate to those who actally can reap benefits by it. Their personal fear or phobia of failing to use technology is what drives and prompts these to behave like that. They may be using mobiles, washing machines, remotes and many other modes of technology tools but when it comes to technology/ teaching-learning, they show reluctance and helplessness to adopt it and also encourage others to use it. These are the people who are a real hindrance in the integration of technology in our education process.
The blackboard has evolved, the chalk has evolved, the classroom has evolved, then why not the teaching-learning aids. We have seen and adopted to the above mentioned evolution without any hassle and major resistance. Did we try to map every evolution that occured to our pedagogy. The answer is 'No'. The strategy has always been to introduce soem variations to adapt to any new technology, tool, aid, etc. If that is the case, then why crib and create a fuss over introducing technology in teaching-learning. Technology definitely brings in effectiveness and efficiency in whatever domain it is used in , so why can't we make our pedagogy principles flexible enough to adopt to these innovations and creations.
Lets not be unjust to our children who are the future of our nation. Let us open them to technology and help them explore, experiment and innovate. Let them shape the future of our country.
The blackboard has evolved, the chalk has evolved, the classroom has evolved, then why not the teaching-learning aids. We have seen and adopted to the above mentioned evolution without any hassle and major resistance. Did we try to map every evolution that occured to our pedagogy. The answer is 'No'. The strategy has always been to introduce soem variations to adapt to any new technology, tool, aid, etc. If that is the case, then why crib and create a fuss over introducing technology in teaching-learning. Technology definitely brings in effectiveness and efficiency in whatever domain it is used in , so why can't we make our pedagogy principles flexible enough to adopt to these innovations and creations.
Lets not be unjust to our children who are the future of our nation. Let us open them to technology and help them explore, experiment and innovate. Let them shape the future of our country.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Lets not live in Wonderland
Lets face the reality that the so called wonderland of technology that we have built in our schools is far away from utopia. This wonderland is a false land of promise that we have created to misguide ourselves. This wonderland is no more than a bunch of latest machines/ computers that we have assembled and connected ti bring in this feeling of euphoria. Lets face it that this euphoria is very short libed and is not doing any good to our education process. Neither the teachers nor the students would benefit in the long run. The wonderland cannot just rest on a bed of state-of-art technology. Lets open this wonderland to the ultimate crusaders of education i.e. teachers. How long would be keep teachers away from tools that could tranform their teaching-learning and make it more effective. Lets be just and to the needs of a teacher and give them all the tools and aids that could help them deliver better. A teacher comfortable with the latest trends in E.T. ( Educational Technology) can really do wonders provided we give them proper and timely exposure to these e-tools. The curriculum will ever remain comprehensive, the examination will ever put the same demands and expectations on the teachers. Let us help and motivate the teachers to take the first step towards e-empowerment and make the future of our children better and brighter. Lets transform this wonderland into a wonderful land of opportunities for teachers and enable them enhance the teaching-learning process.
Professionalising Education
We keep talking about professionalising our education but it is easier said than done. There are various aspects we need to look at when we think about making the education process more professional. Every stakeholder needs to play a part in the process, be it teacher, parent, student, society, etc. I would just like to share my view on some of the aspects. Professionalism cannot be brought about by merely raising the students' fees, increasing the salary structure of academic staff, adding better infrastructure, etc. Some of the issues that determine a professional approach towards education are :
Society's outlook towards teaching as a profession
Attitude of the teacher, in general
School's vision and approach
I had some experiences in my life during my interactions with school principals, teachers and other stakeholder which really changed my perception about teaching and education. Some of these experiences were really shocking for me and I just could not believe that they were coming from the horse's mouth i.e. teachers and principals.
Firsly, I talk about society's outlook towards teachers/ teaching.The society's perception about teaching is nothing more than just perceiving it as a job to be done from 8 A.M. - 2 P.M. and no extra work/ effort demanded. What we forget while forming our perception about teacher/ teaching is that our children's future are shaper by these teachers only and we cannot treat it as a substitute job to be taken up just to fulfill our personal or family needs.
Secondly, the teachers attitude need to change drastically. If the teachers will keep joining schools to do a 8 - 2 job, will shun adoption of newer ways of teaching-learning, will treat any new techniques/ tools as extra work, will keep talking about their salary structure, we will keep getting the same results using the same methods of teaching-learning. The things would not change as long as the teachers would keep concerned about themselves rather than about a child's learning needs and shaping their future. Let teachers not forget that we are not doing justice to our children in schools if we are not providing them ample food for thought. The demand of the situation is passionate teachers who feel for teaching and do not compromise under any situation/ circumstance.
Thirdly, as long as schools keep compromising on the teaching/ teacher quality, we cannot expect an enhanced teaching-learning process and a better future for our children. The school's rolw is not just to impart education uptil a partcular standard but also to prepare children for future. All this cannot happen if the school does not give a thought to quality of teaching/ teacher. The commercialisation of education is prompting the schools to charge exorbitantly from the students but to recruit unqualified people as teachers because they come at a very low salary. Most of the school's objective is just to recruit teachers to fill the position without giving a thought to the quality that gets delivered through these inequipped teachers. Let us not feed our students with half-baked knowledge and information.
It is indeed a 'vicious circle' where the role of all the three stakeholders mentioned above is equally crucial. Every stakeholder needs to support the effort of the other for transforming the teaching-learning. I can go on and on, relating more of my experiences but saving it for my next posts.
Society's outlook towards teaching as a profession
Attitude of the teacher, in general
School's vision and approach
I had some experiences in my life during my interactions with school principals, teachers and other stakeholder which really changed my perception about teaching and education. Some of these experiences were really shocking for me and I just could not believe that they were coming from the horse's mouth i.e. teachers and principals.
Firsly, I talk about society's outlook towards teachers/ teaching.The society's perception about teaching is nothing more than just perceiving it as a job to be done from 8 A.M. - 2 P.M. and no extra work/ effort demanded. What we forget while forming our perception about teacher/ teaching is that our children's future are shaper by these teachers only and we cannot treat it as a substitute job to be taken up just to fulfill our personal or family needs.
Secondly, the teachers attitude need to change drastically. If the teachers will keep joining schools to do a 8 - 2 job, will shun adoption of newer ways of teaching-learning, will treat any new techniques/ tools as extra work, will keep talking about their salary structure, we will keep getting the same results using the same methods of teaching-learning. The things would not change as long as the teachers would keep concerned about themselves rather than about a child's learning needs and shaping their future. Let teachers not forget that we are not doing justice to our children in schools if we are not providing them ample food for thought. The demand of the situation is passionate teachers who feel for teaching and do not compromise under any situation/ circumstance.
Thirdly, as long as schools keep compromising on the teaching/ teacher quality, we cannot expect an enhanced teaching-learning process and a better future for our children. The school's rolw is not just to impart education uptil a partcular standard but also to prepare children for future. All this cannot happen if the school does not give a thought to quality of teaching/ teacher. The commercialisation of education is prompting the schools to charge exorbitantly from the students but to recruit unqualified people as teachers because they come at a very low salary. Most of the school's objective is just to recruit teachers to fill the position without giving a thought to the quality that gets delivered through these inequipped teachers. Let us not feed our students with half-baked knowledge and information.
It is indeed a 'vicious circle' where the role of all the three stakeholders mentioned above is equally crucial. Every stakeholder needs to support the effort of the other for transforming the teaching-learning. I can go on and on, relating more of my experiences but saving it for my next posts.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Teaching = Passion + Enthusiasm
Teaching is considered to be a noble profession and I believe only fortunate ones get this opportunity to become a teacher and mould, transform so many lives for the better. Teaching is not only about knowledge or being vocal (maybe vociferous). There is much more to teaching. Good teaching does not come through by relating/ delivering subject knowledge to the students in a classroom setting. Good teaching has two key ingredients to it - passion and enthusiasm.
Passion would drive a good teacher to teach and relate things to students. The delivery process of the subject matter totally transforms once you put in your passion to it. A teacher is not expected to be just a subject expert but somebody who can really motivate the students as well and really elevate them to a level that teaching becomes a learning experience for the students.
The second key ingredient, Enthusiasm is what makes teaching, a learning experience for the teacher. The enthusiasm is what drives a good teacher to explore and innovate more and deliver more to students.
But passion and ebthusiasm does not come with age, experience, knowledge or degree. These qualities have to come from within. During my interaction with teachers I came across teachers, considered to be senior because of their teaching experience and knowledge but totalli impassionate about teaching. For them, teaching was just an "ought to do" thing and nothing more. That is really a sad tale to relate. As long as we will treat "teaching" as a job, we will keep churning teachers with "ought to teach" attitude.
Passion would drive a good teacher to teach and relate things to students. The delivery process of the subject matter totally transforms once you put in your passion to it. A teacher is not expected to be just a subject expert but somebody who can really motivate the students as well and really elevate them to a level that teaching becomes a learning experience for the students.
The second key ingredient, Enthusiasm is what makes teaching, a learning experience for the teacher. The enthusiasm is what drives a good teacher to explore and innovate more and deliver more to students.
But passion and ebthusiasm does not come with age, experience, knowledge or degree. These qualities have to come from within. During my interaction with teachers I came across teachers, considered to be senior because of their teaching experience and knowledge but totalli impassionate about teaching. For them, teaching was just an "ought to do" thing and nothing more. That is really a sad tale to relate. As long as we will treat "teaching" as a job, we will keep churning teachers with "ought to teach" attitude.
Redefining Teaching
"Teaching leads to Learning". This is how the system of education works in our schools. The teacher forms the nucleus of the process of educating the children. Since time immemorial, we have been using methods and tools to make the teaching-learning process. Our thrust/ focus is on improving the learning component in students.
Ever since the technology came into picture, schools and teachers have been trying their best to derive the maxiumum out of it. But, all these efforts get nullified, when we see that all that is getting done/ delivered in the name of technology is the training on the same set of softwares/ tools. Why we are trying to reinvent the wheel is a question to ponder ! Why should we train the teachers in the same set of office suite ( presentation tool) by different agencies. Why are some hell-bent on portraying a tool as de facto teaching tool. There's life for teachers beyond that presentation tool.
Let us not forget that the teacher is the main cog in the wheel of education. The need of the hour is to help/ assist them redefine the teaching-learning process. Let us enable them and empower them with enough technology capabilities that their creativity and innovation transforms the teaching-learning forever. Let the teachers also evolve with times. Let us open more horizons for them to explore and experiment. Let there be limitless boundaries for our teachers and give them the freedom they deserve.
Ever since the technology came into picture, schools and teachers have been trying their best to derive the maxiumum out of it. But, all these efforts get nullified, when we see that all that is getting done/ delivered in the name of technology is the training on the same set of softwares/ tools. Why we are trying to reinvent the wheel is a question to ponder ! Why should we train the teachers in the same set of office suite ( presentation tool) by different agencies. Why are some hell-bent on portraying a tool as de facto teaching tool. There's life for teachers beyond that presentation tool.
Let us not forget that the teacher is the main cog in the wheel of education. The need of the hour is to help/ assist them redefine the teaching-learning process. Let us enable them and empower them with enough technology capabilities that their creativity and innovation transforms the teaching-learning forever. Let the teachers also evolve with times. Let us open more horizons for them to explore and experiment. Let there be limitless boundaries for our teachers and give them the freedom they deserve.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
