Enabling and Making of a Good Teacher Nisha Rajkumar Butoliya Ajim Premji University, Bengaluru
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Enabling and making of a good teacher Nisha Rajkumar Butoliya Ajim Premji University, Bengaluru Introduction Secondly, how does this understanding There is no dearth of views which help even the existing teachers or undermine the worth of teachers. Their student teachers who have joined the worth goes down as the stage at which B.Ed. or D.Ed.? What kind of message they teach gets lower. The highest do these kinds of claims give to the respect is given for the teacher teaching general public? In fact, these kinds of at the University and the lowest to the statements are extremely discouraging teacher who teaches Primary or Pre- for the teachers /teacher educators who primary classes, even when both carry are putting their efforts passionately into out similar complex endeavor of ‘teaching’. What about teachers who teaching. There are generally prevalent chose this profession as the last option, claims about teachers such as: Teachers and fallen in love with teaching, learning come to the teaching profession because and with children? If each one of us look they do not have any other option, at our own learning experience at teaching is the last option as a schools, we shall remember at least one profession for most students. Hence the (favourite) teacher who helped us to outcome is de-motivated underprepared move forward, work harder and believe teachers who hardly do good teaching. in ourselves. Is this true? Does this apply for only We need to understand that becoming a selection of a profession as a teacher? teacher is a complex process and teacher Think of students who have opted for education should play a big role in engineering or MBBS courses – What equipping the teachers with knowledge are the criteria for selection of these and disposition required for the professions? Is it personal drive or the profession. Evolving into a teacher is the decision is driven by market or parental outcome of varied factors such as the aspiration? quality of initial teacher preparation, the Even if it is a reality that teachers come career path, professional development to the profession as a last option. Firstly, opportunities, working conditions it is the responsibility of the teacher available, and community perception education to create the passion towards and so on. Given this context the crucial teaching and make them feel it as their question to ask is how can we enable first option. Don’t we think that it is the making of a good teacher? failure of teacher education that teachers In this paper few ideas on ‘making of remain so even after they complete teachers are discussed with on-the- teacher education? ground experiences. Dialogue as a means to bring Student-teachers of the pre-service teachers’ beliefs for critical teacher education or teachers in the in- examination service professional development are 1 www.scertsikkim.in / July 2019 learners as well and come with deep These principles have their basis in how rooted beliefs about learners, teachers we view children, childhood, process of and learning. To help them develop into teaching and learning. Learners would professional and humane teachers, it is take great interest in these subjects only crucial that their experiences, questions, if the discussion begins with where they views are brought to the discussion. It is are. This would also shift the focus from only when one relates with one’s passing the B.Ed. examination to previous understanding that one can learning to become a good teacher. learn better. There are some common This argument holds good even more in beliefs in the minds of our teacher case of practicing teachers because they students. For example – have experience of the on-the-ground - Our teachers taught it this way and situation. They have faced the we learnt it, so those methods and challenges and tried to resolve them in materials are appropriate. their own way. When they are given - We also learnt certain things because opportunities to examine their practices of the fear of the teacher or getting in the light of new knowledge, their own failed. Some amount of fear is practices become more robust. important while teaching and For instance: learning. A very committed teacher in a workshop - Teacher should know all the right said that because of ‘no detention answers then only he/she can gain policy’ children and parents have respect in the eyes of the children. become fearless. Children are not Unless there is an opportunity to engage studying at home. Another teacher said with these and other such beliefs/ we are not giving quality education. We assumptions / alternate concepts, there is are just producing like in a factory in a high chance of learners not being able bulk. to appreciate the principles such as – Clearly, they are concerned about the - Children are naturally inclined to children not learning and passing learn concepts / skills they are because of no detention policy. interested in. Look at the following conversation: - Children construct their own (F: Facilitator; P: Participant) understanding if there are meaningful F: Are you saying ‘Because there was tasks and they find purpose in what detention policy we were giving quality they are doing. education?’ - Teacher is also a learner, he/she P: No, I did not mean that. I meant, develops children’s understanding because there is no detention policy we through dialogue/ demonstrations and are not able to give quality education. not forcing ‘right answers’. F: OK. Why do we teach our children? P: to educate-for overall development. F: So, whether we detain or not, what as F: Why do we teach language? a language teacher, are we supposed to P: So that they are able to use that be doing? language. P: We have to teach in a manner that helps children learn the language. 2 www.scertsikkim.in / July 2019 F: Let us take the question of ‘no way teacher has dictated, they should detention’. not make any spelling mistake, they No detention policy needs to be seen in should answer in full sentence, they the light of formative assessment. should dance as they recite the rhyme, In the first month, you see that a child they all should recite the rhymes given has not learnt X -say does not recite the in the book and so on. poem. Think for a while-how many adults What would you do in the second really can do all the above? month? What would you do in the third P: Very few. month? F: Why are we so harsh on children? You will give opportunity to the child to Why are we in hurry while teaching the listen to the rhymes and recite. children? How does detention help? Ps: Nodded their heads. What kind of human beings we want to F: Look at the learning outcomes develop? Human beings who do things document developed by NCERT. In out of fear or love of doing things? class III, child should be able to recite By the end of this discussion, the poems, respond to stories in mother participants agreed that fear of failing tongue / English and so on. Are they so should not be the motive to learning. difficult that after spending three years If we look at this conversation, there are in school, children will not be able to other threads such as-what is the aim of achieve them? education? What are the aims of What do we test in Unit tests? Why is teaching language/s? How is language there a thrust that a child just after three acquired? How should language be months of schooling should be able to taught? Can also be explored further. write accurately in full sentences? Thus the ground issues faced by the P: But mam there are children who do teachers open up opportunities for not speak at all, whatever you do. discussion leading to examination of F: How many of us are speaking in this their own beliefs providing an workshop? We have shared right on the opportunity to shift or realign their day I that we all have to ask questions, beliefs. Unless the belief system of share thoughts. teachers gets addressed we don’t have Are we harsh on the people who are not fair chances of succeeding in preparing saying anything? Can we say that they committed teachers. do not understand at all? P: No. Extensive Work on developing F: Children should learn nouns and teacher knowledge verbs in first three months, they should It is a known fact that the school answer to a particular question in the experiences of most teachers neither nourish nor even give a taste of enquiry has implications for what kinds into the concepts and processes of experiences are required to be given to school subjects. The proofs of the teachers and student teachers so that mathematics are rote memorised, similar their classroom pedagogies become treatment is given to the chemical more informed. formulae and poems in languages. This 3 www.scertsikkim.in / July 2019 Lee Shulman (p. 8, 1987) lists the various categories of knowledge base of - the character of communities and the teachers. cultures - Content knowledge - Knowledge of educational ends, - General pedagogical knowledge, with purposes and values and their specific reference to those broad philosophical and historical grounds. principles and strategies of classroom Once the categories are understood, the management and organization that crucial task is to think about what kind appear to transcend subject matter of experiences - self-study material, - Curriculum knowledge, with projects, field visits, tasks that demands particular grasp of the materials and reaching out to communities, observe, programs that serve as ‘tools of the work with people belonging to different trade’ for teachers backgrounds, read (a variety of genres - Pedagogical content knowledge-that so that what one misses to directly special amalgam of content and observe can see through the eyes of pedagogy that is uniquely the writers) and write.