Wednesday, 28 August 2013

The shift in our education system.................




My first reaction to the cartoon was, "How true!". But, it set me thinking. I went back in time to my school days.They were happy and carefree days . School was fun, but thinking of my teachers. Did my teachers or my school make any extra effort to promote creative thinking, identify talent or special needs or learning styles of a student? Sadly, most did not. Questioning a teacher, or any adult for that matter, was discouraged and frowned upon. I remember very few incidents from my childhood when a teacher went out of her way to help me or any other student for that matter, when we struggled with a subject. Most teachers came to the class, taught and left, irrespective of whether the students had understood or not. The bright ones did while others struggled and some lost interest. The onus and responsibility of learning lay with the students. The few teachers who actually went out of their way to help and guide us are remembered and respected even today.

Looking back in time, I can proudly say that most of us have done reasonably well in life. 

But the same is not true in today's schools as times have changed. Today's students live in a highly stimulating environment, with constant access and exposure to the internet, smart phones, games, television etc. In such a situation, they find the traditional methods of teaching and  learning extremely boring. Too many distractions and  lack of concentration produces mediocre learning. 

It thus becomes crucial that we, as educators, are able to promote talent, differentiate instruction according to their learning styles, provide them with a variety of choices for learning, promote their talent and give them innumerable opportunities for learning and growing to produce brain compatible learning.There is a paradigm shift in our education as we prepare our students for the 21st Century. We, as teachers need to develop skills like critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration etc as we strive to prepare them for an ever changing world.

Thus, the shift in the roles and responsibilities of a teacher and the education system, wherein the teachers now become more accountable for developing 21st century skills in their students.

2 comments:

  1. After reading your post, I can see one common thread - self-motivation and self-direction in the student is a key component of the education system. So I think that the teacher's responsibility does't stop at teaching about the subject but it needs to go beyond that to help students channel their energy in the right direction. A good teacher may try to explain a concept in different ways multiple times, but unless they can get behind that barrier that a reluctant erects, their efforts may be wasted.

    And therein lies the challenge - if the student is unwilling to put in any effort, be it invest time or work hard or practice, what can a teacher do to help such a student?

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  2. "Too many distractions and lack of concentration produces mediocre learning." Actually, they lead to learning, but very unfocused learning.

    Also, the difference in the above picture is that the parents have been disempowered and alienated from the schools. The schools need to do a better job re-empowering the parents and building those relationships. In return, they will find fantastic allies.

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