Tuesday 16 March 2010
The expectation of the society from a teacher is really big. The society considers the profession of a teacher the most noble of all professions.
When the expectation is that great, it’s necessary on the part of the pre-service teachers to get well equipped in the art of teaching. Gaining enough knowledge in the discipline he has chosen alone is not enough. He should acquire an above average knowledge in other related disciplines also. After acquiring the disciplinary knowledge he should be provided an on the job training to ensure he is mastering in the art of effective dissemination of knowledge.
Competency in the art of teaching can be inculcated through powerful training methods. The academic approach to pre-service teachers should be powerful enough to attract academically talented students and should be able to help them in updating their knowledge bas on a continuous basis. A voracious reading habit of course, is good but not helpful in effectively utilizing the time little time at your disposal. A teacher should be a selective reader, he should be a fast reader and at the same time an effective reader. A reader who reads what he has to, is capable of retaining what he has to and who can effectively pass on the knowledge to an aspiring audience is considered to be an effective reader in the pedagogical parlance.
A teacher is supposed to have an above average awareness base on almost all the current topics in which the society is normally interested in. The profession of teacher is a really challenging one. Demonstrable social efficiency is the best criterion of measuring the capability of a teacher. The competency, I mean the skills and knowledge, a teacher should acquire is of paramount importance. So a teacher should be in constant touch with the various happenings, current socio-political institutions and events, and free from personal bias on the basis of his own convictions on religious or political topics.
To equip a pre-service teacher with the required skills and knowledge, the prescribed lessons of the curriculum alone will not be sufficient. Specially formulated training programmes on several relevant topics are unavoidable. There is nothing wrong in a science student learning the current economic recession or the inflation levels. There is nothing wrong in a student of commerce or economics learning about GM crops and issues about Bt Aubergine. Rather if you are in the profession of teaching it’s a must do proposition.
It simply means that the outcomes of a teacher education should be consistent with the realities of teaching. We cannot run away from the society, neither can a teacher fall short of the society’s expectation.
Commitment to the profession is matter of great importance. Involvement in the job you do too is so. An active approach to learning with direct experience with materials is necessary. By using skills of observing, reading, listening, speaking and writing the communication abilities of students to teachers and of teachers to students should be encouraged. The professional standards of teachers can thus be improved a lot. The society gets the benefit by producing better informed generations.
Outcome based education is yet to get acceptance in our region. Dispensing of the duties on the part of a teacher without giving proper attention to the outcome may not stay here for long.
If you want to conduct training sessions like this in your institutes or organisations please contact me.
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