It is often said that the most effective teachers are those who are able to grow not only in the knowledge of their subject but in their understanding of life both in and out of the classroom. This is what I hope for many of you.
To put in simpler terms, for some teachers the classroom is a rut where exams, syllabus and endless requirements constantly drag you down as the years go by, but for others, the classroom can become a fascinating laboratory/ garden, in which they grow to understand their learners, their needs and this help them learn more about themselves as teachers and individuals who can make a difference in the world. These are the people who will go on to inspire the world.
What is your opinion on the above?
As usual, there is always two sides to the coin? Do you agree or do you see a flaw somewhere? Lets talk about this this week.
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To some of us teachers, learning and teaching are antonyms; when teaching is on, learning is no where to be seen, and that's too bad.they can never taste of the richness in this profession.
ReplyDeleteTeaching and learning should be travelling partners in this journey;while engaging in teaching, open our hearts to the learning of the target learners,everything pertaining to that environment, and pour in the best we can offer. That's a better policy. It brings health to that 'fascinating garden' we are cultivating. When 'these seeds' become strong and healthy trees, and bear much fruit in its due season one day, the teachers are the ones who taste the sweetness of the labour. I guess in these small ways, we contribute to a better world. (Wong Sau Fah, 17635)
hi....from my point of view, i do agree that a classroom is a fascinating laboratory/garden. from the students themselves, i learned about myself as a teacher which gives me ways and solutions to improve myself in order to cater to their needs.i believe that we learn everything from each other regardless of their age,gender,race and religion.but, as we all know, to get a happy ending is not easy to achieve if only one person doing all the work. therefore, the teachers themselves should start changing their views and attitudes about the classroom and start put their head together to find solutions to make the classroom a better place to receive knowledge.there is still light at the end of the tunnel.
ReplyDeleteHello there,
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting subject to discuss. Teaching can be fun for the teachers and learning also can be fun for learners. It all starts from the teacher. Let me share my experience teaching at Ulu Baram, a Penan school. English is a killer subject there. Some of the students are too poor in English language. So what i do, i don't care about the syllabus, my target is helping the students to learn and love English language. Forget about the pedagogy skills that you had learned in training college. It wouldn't help. Get close with the students, find their interest, understand their weakness from there we can help to 'bud' and 'grow' them. Go for different methods and approaches to teach the students. This helps me a lot in my 5 years teaching the students. It is all start from the heart. If there is a will there is a way.
Teaching and learning is part of our lives. Every people in this world either they are teacher or somebody else, would experience it and it supposed to be something that is interesting.When we find it interesting then we tend to like it and enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteClassroom is a very interesting place for us to teach and learn. As a teacher we not only come to class to teach but at the same time we would also learn something from the students and vice versa. I do agree that a classroom ias a fascinating laboratory/garden as long we know how to create one.Actually we are the one who decide what kind of learning environment in the classroom. Creativity and inovative would always become the key for designing a wonderful learning process.As Tasha mention that in term of age, gender race and religion is not stopping us to learn from each other as long our intention is there.
I do agree that classroom can become a fascinating lab/garden, because I had experienced it during my schooling. The exam part might be unavoidable, but the whole process of learning shouldn’t be as tense as the exam.
ReplyDeleteThough we are confined to the syllabus prepared by the ministry, but reflective teachers will always find a way to solve it. I don’t think this should constraint us to be creative and make the learning fun. Syllabus is only the guideline. Teachers should know their students better. Adopt & adapt any that necessarily. For instance, some topics like ‘People’; we can integrate it with other topics like ‘Occupation’, ‘Places’, ‘Personal Interest’ and so forth. When we integrate them, then we save time & variety of activity can be conducted. Don’t let the syllabus restraint us in making the t&l process fun & interesting. When I was a student I always feel that, ‘Learning should be memorable & meaningful’. So, why can’t we apply it to our students? ‘Think out of the box’ and this is what we always heard..
In my opinion, T &L should suit to its needs of individual situations and learners. Two different settings may differ tremendously in terms of the learners and situations. I taught in two different states, Sabah and Sarawak. In my experience, two states have diverse school cultures and different types of learners. Even two different classes of the same age vary in terms of various learning styles and preferences.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, I personally advocate being sensible, flexible and positive-thinking in the self of the ‘Teacher’. I have always believed that ‘Learner’ is influenced by the ‘Teacher’ no matter inside or outside the classroom…
'Teacher' should model ‘Learner’ with positive minds and actions, either it’s inside or outside the classroom.
My view of the classroom is actually a place for the teacher to challenge their ability, be it in teaching the particular subject, managing the classroom, interact with the students, and so forth. With the numbers of students that have various needs, mixed proficiencies, and numerous behaviours, this has undoubtedly provide a plateau for the teachers to get to know how far he/she can handle with such situation and to improve themselves to cater with the diverse needs. Handling those problems in the classroom does not need the particular teacher to become like a lion all the time, shouting here and there to silent a noisy class, just for the sake of getting the students’ attention towards the lesson as well as to gain the students’ ‘respect’, but the teacher need to use specific skills to control the class and obtaining the students’ interest towards the lesson. With the good management skills according to the level of the students (e.g. primary, lower secondary, higher secondary) the teacher will not only able to conduct the lesson efficiently, but also establishing the learning moment as the period that the students are mostly waiting for to gain the knowledge as well as to grow themselves as person who can learn and comprehend about themselves and surroundings. ----NOR AZMA MANAN 14749
ReplyDeleteI think teachers are always torn between the two worlds you mentioned above. They strive to reach a balance between these two worlds. Yet classroom are very colourful. Teachers can never predict what will happen in the class. But teachers who are passionate and dedicated in teaching do have a great influence on students. These teachers will mould students to become future leaders and contributers in our society. Think of Plato and Confucius. They have great students like Aristole and Mencius.And sometimes,it is teachers who learn from students too.
ReplyDeleteSoong G. P.
Good teachers need a balance of both content knowledge and real-world experience. Unmotivated teachers are those who stop seeing their students as human beings and start seeing them as clones of each other. This is the reason 'new' teachers have that glint of hope and anticipation in their eyes, thinking they can 'change the world' with their teaching, yet you see this excitement fading over the years, as they cease to realize the impact they have on the future of humanity. It sounds a bit far-fetched and even dramatic, but really it's just trying not to let our enthusiasm for teaching fade, and to not let our students pull us down with them.
ReplyDeleteEsther Voon S.H. 13993
I think syllabus and endless requirements are for direction of the education. Exam is to see where we got wrong in some ways and learn from mistakes. They are necessary. If these are taken away, there is no direction as educators. I do agree that the classroom can become a fascinating laboratory/ garden but it depends on what kind of perception and attitudes we look at it. As for me, teaching and learning is fun. We can discover what we have never learned before.
ReplyDelete13871
To quote:
ReplyDelete"It is often said that the most effective teachers are those who are able to grow not only in the knowledge of their subject but in their understanding of life both in and out of the classroom. This is what I hope for many of you.
To put in simpler terms, for some teachers the classroom is a rut where exams, syllabus and endless requirements constantly drag you down as the years go by, but for others, the classroom can become a fascinating laboratory/ garden, in which they grow to understand their learners, their needs and this help them learn more about themselves as teachers and individuals who can make a difference in the world. These are the people who will go on to inspire the world. "
It's an inspiring quote - to grow both in class and outside class, and to go on to inspire the world is even a glorious thing to do. Then again, I do not fully agree that one need to grow BOTH in class and ex-class and to go on and inspire the "world" to be considered as achieving the ultimate effective teacher. I consider an effective teacher from a student's perspective; a teacher need not to be popular or well loved to be considered inspiring - if a teacher could only inspire a student to do his/her best in the entire duration of his/her career of being a teacher, I consider that being an effective teacher. Long comment short - judgment of how "a teacher is effective" is as abstract as the statement of "either Krishna or God or Evolution that created the world that we live in today".
Also, I fail to understand how a teacher can be considered as effective only through a set of narrowly defined prerequisites; being an effective and a good teacher can span many dimensions and furthermore, how can one differentiate between a teacher and a non-teacher, or between a teacher and a mentor? A good teacher in Africa may be good in inspiring his students to use the hardships that they suffer to make the best out of themselves; while a good teacher in another part of the world is credited so in inspiring her students to not to give up on their lack of academic talent, but instead rely on what they know best to do their best in life. The common thing that all good teachers have, however all boil down to that one most important aspect - that he/she can inspire even the slightest positive change in his/her students or the surrounding communities. Growing up doesn't have to be within the classroom only and to be obvious to everybody (read: being famous and all), and that's my 2 cents worth for today.
Charles. C®
Actually, the teacher can change the classroom into a fascinating laboratory/ garden. It will be a a 'fruitful' lesson if is authentic and perhaps cross-discipline. in my opinion, these are the two important criteria which determine the participation of learners as well as teachers themselves in that lesson. besides, the teacher should keep on trying new teaching method and expanding their current knowledge as ti might be useful for the lesson especially the new batch; can match with the learners' needs as whatever that seems effective might not be the same for new learners. Tang Ping Wei(15399)
ReplyDeletei do agree with that....classroom is a very pleasant place for an individual who love to teach. there are two kind of teacher, the real teacher (teach for money but still giving the best for their students) and the fake one (money oriented,of course la..people work for money..teach when they want to teach)...these two types of teacher perceived classroom in a very different way. the real T maybe perceived the classroom as a beautiful garden in contrast to the fake T. but...in reality..the real T will change their views toward the classroom from a beautiful place to a place of horror as the time goes by...why? please look at the student's discipline issues (burn teachers' car, attacking teacher, bully, gangsterism)...who's to blame? teacher?parent?..then finger pointing at each other...lets make it simple...it is not an issue where the syllabus is too much for teachers ( i agree with Mielah on that thing about syllabus)but...to make a classroom as beautiful as garden of flower...all members (student,parent, society, school admin and teacher) need to cooperate among each other.
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I believe that effective teachers do not see the classroom and their students as they are. Instead, understanding the students will enable the teachers to better understand what is going on in the world, or at least in the society that they deal with. The students are like a big mirror to the teachers in which they can see what is actually happening not only in the classroom, but also outside. For example, in class of forty students, each of them has their own characteristics (dependent on their upbringings, their way of lives, their surroundings, etc), which at the same time represent the people in the society. Therefore, if the teachers are able to know the students well and to understand their needs, it is undeniably they will know the society better.
ReplyDeleteNik Zati - 14692
I believe that effective teachers do not see the classroom and their students as they are. Instead, understanding the students will enable the teachers to better understand what is going on in the world, or at least in the society that they deal with. The students are like a big mirror to the teachers in which they can see what is actually happening not only in the classroom, but also outside. For example, in class of forty students, each of them has their own characteristics (dependent on their upbringings, their way of lives, their surroundings, etc), which at the same time represent the people in the society. Therefore, if the teachers are able to know the students well and to understand their needs, it is undeniably they will know the society better.
ReplyDeleteNik Zati - 14692
In my opinion, I do agree that the most effective teachers are those who are able to grow not only in the knowledge of their subject but in their understanding of life both in and out of the classroom. Why? In my opinion, it is because they know what the real situation is and they know how to deal with real situation. These teachers are concerned with human relationship and I think they appreciate it. Furthermore, they love their job very much and willing to learn anything that related to their profession. For the second statement, I strongly agree with the teachers who make classroom as their fascinating laboratory/garden. Here, the teachers are really committed to their job and willing to do things that good for themselves and the most important thing is for their students. I strongly believe that these kinds of teachers can produce wonderful students too. The more we (as teachers) know our learners, the more we love them, the more we can teach them in a very meaningful way ;)
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ReplyDeleteAs a teacher,I have learned a lot from students i have taught over the years. It is fair to say that I have learned with them and I have learned to understand myself through them. The most beautiful expression i ever received from students was not how well i have taught him in certain subject but 'terima kasih cikgu kerana percaya saya murid yang baik walau orang lain semua kata saya samseng,saya tak mau jadi samseng,saya mau jadi budak baik'.
ReplyDeletehello!
ReplyDeleteHaving syllabus and exams are indeed necessary as the former provides teachers the minimum par for the teaching process and the later gives information on the students' performances in the related subject. Both are equally important in ensuring that attending the class is worthwhile. This however, should not stop the teachers from going beyond what is already prescribed if they feel that it is necessary and appropriate for the students especially when dealing with something that is related to real life/outside classroom issues. Having to follow the syllabus still gives teachers some spaces to be creative in delivering the lesson (which can help to transform classroom into a fascinating lab/garden) - this of course demands a great deal of dedication from the teacher.
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Classroom is where learning takes place when students learn the value of knowledge, socialising and discipline. Teacher not only plays a role to teach what syllabus instructed but teaches the value of learning from what are taught. Exams, assignments and activities is thing that we see on surface but real learning takes place when students are able to perform well and imply it in their real life experience. Teacher should try to make 'exam and assignments' sound sweet to not inferior them but to help and guide them to learn so that they won't be draught to perceive it as mind-torturing. Again, students' need have to be analysed to understand what they need from the lesson and how teacher going to deliver the lesson as learning should be meaningful, worthy and fun.
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I do agree with grace and others.. sooner or later we and the society will gain or taste the sweetness of the success of our learners if we the teacher knows the effective way to tackle their needs and problem in learning in classroom ,about life and human values… and for sure during the process of growing there are lots of challenging that we need to overcome and we also needs to be flexible …
ReplyDeleteI agree with the statement where classroom is seen as a rut for exams, syllabus and endless requirements. This brings to mind the memories of my school days. The school where I attended was quite exam-oriented. There was an inclination for teachers to produce a large number of all A’s brilliant students to raise the reputation of a school. To retain the ‘kiasu’ attitude, teachers were more likely to teach based on the requirements of the exams. They were more likely to provide us with useful reference books and endless tuition classes so as to pressure us to pass our exams with flying colours. To me, there is nothing wrong with exam-oriented education in schools because it serves as a necessary step in helping the students to learn precision. If we survive the tests, we are conceived of winners. Otherwise, we are viewed loser by the whole society, even by ourselves!
ReplyDeleteOf course, I understand that good teachers should keep on trying new teaching approaches and expand on their current knowledge. But in reality, do you think it happens? I consider a ‘so-called’ effective teacher from the parents and students’ viewpoints. Nowadays, teachers need not be dedicated and passionate to be considered good. As long as teachers are able to satisfy students academic needs (get them to be well-prepared for the exam) and parents’ expectation (help their children to excel academically), they are considered as good teachers. Although the implementation of this system might put the students in distress, it brings more benefit to them because this is what they will face in their real lives. They need a paper of qualification in order to survive in this competitive society. With no qualifications, they are nowhere to go! (this is just my opinion, correct me if I’m wrong)
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I agree with the statement where classroom is seen as a rut for exams, syllabus and endless requirements. This brings to mind the memories of my school days. The school where I attended was quite exam-oriented. There was an inclination for teachers to produce a large number of all A’s brilliant students to raise the reputation of a school. To retain the ‘kiasu’ attitude, teachers were more likely to teach based on the requirements of the exams. They were more likely to provide us with useful reference books and endless tuition classes so as to pressure us to pass our exams with flying colours. To me, there is nothing wrong with exam-oriented education in schools because it serves as a necessary step in helping the students to learn precision. If we survive the tests, we are conceived of winners. Otherwise, we are viewed loser by the whole society, even by ourselves!
ReplyDeleteOf course, I understand that good teachers should keep on trying new teaching approaches and expand on their current knowledge. But in reality, do you think it happens? I consider a ‘so-called’ effective teacher from the parents and students’ viewpoints. Nowadays, teachers need not be dedicated and passionate to be considered good. As long as teachers are able to satisfy students academic needs (get them to be well-prepared for the exam) and parents’ expectation (help their children to excel academically), they are considered as good teachers. Although the implementation of this system might put the students in distress, it brings more benefit to them because this is what they will face in their real lives. They need a paper of qualification in order to survive in this competitive society. With no qualifications, they are nowhere to go! (this is just my opinion, correct me if I’m wrong)
As mentioned by others, our education system is exam-oriented in which the concern is on the academic performance rather than meaningful teaching and learning. Many educators teach for the sake of passing on the skills of how to answer well in the examinations to the students as compared to the understanding of the contents within their students.
ReplyDeleteAlmost all the teachers I have encountered fall into this category except an English teacher I met when I was in lower six. He was very different from the formers. He emphasised on meaningful lifelong learning. He tried to expose us to the real world English. Instead of teaching us traditional grammar and asking us to complete the exercises in the workbook, he brought magazines and newspaper to class for us to read. He also encouraged us to participate in the quizzes or contests available in those reading materials.
Well, it is indeed a good attempt to change the system. But, I was so used to the learning style of doing the exercises and checking for correctness. Hence, I found his way of teaching useless and is a waste of time as I could not see immediate output. Nevertheless, I do not mean that we cannot make it a try. It is just that a lot of time and effort are needed before one can see its effects. Teachers should be able to integrate both traditional and new methods of teaching to cater the needs of students in the examination as well as life.
Irene N.
As mentioned by others, our education system is exam-oriented in which the concern is on the academic performance rather than meaningful teaching and learning. Many educators teach for the sake of passing on the skills of how to answer well in the examinations to the students as compared to the understanding of the contents within their students.
ReplyDeleteAlmost all the teachers I have encountered fall into this category except an English teacher I met when I was in lower six. He was very different from the formers. He emphasised on meaningful lifelong learning. He tried to expose us to the real world English. Instead of teaching us traditional grammar and asking us to complete the exercises in the workbook, he brought magazines and newspaper to class for us to read. He also encouraged us to participate in the quizzes or contests available in those reading materials.
Well, it is indeed a good attempt to change the system. But, I was so used to the learning style of doing the exercises and checking for correctness. Hence, I found his way of teaching useless and is a waste of time as I could not see immediate output. Nevertheless, I do not mean that we cannot make it a try. It is just that a lot of time and effort are needed before one can see its effects. Teachers should be able to integrate both traditional and new methods of teaching to cater the needs of students in the examination as well as life.
Irene N.
I do agree with others that classroom is an interesting place to learn. I think that we should have less focus on having a classroom which is heavily based on syllabus end endless requirements which at the end of the day, what we have learn cannot be applied in our real life. Thus,it is the best thing if the teacher can understand what is happening inside and outside the classroom. It would be able to help set up interactive classroom which can help the learners to learn something from the lessons regardless of their level in English especially. It is meaningless if the teacher can come out with something that is very interesting but the students do not able to understand very well due to their poor ability in the language used. So, focus should be made on the basic needs of the learners and help them to make changes and improve themselves in many ways. Therefore, even though their learning phase is slow, it would be better rather than learning nothing.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that classroom can become a fascinating laboratory/garden but I’m sure that it is not only in the classroom where the teachers can understand their learners and their needs. No matter where you are, learning can occur as long as the teachers are willing to teach and have a passion towards the teaching profession. Thereby, the teachers can start “gardening” by knowing the “soil” (place) and the “plant” (students) that they want to grow. Here, the approach or strategy used by the teachers plays an important roles whereby the teachers have to plan carefully, so that, the garden will grow fruitfully. For me, the curriculum syllabus is just a guideline for the teachers to focus in their teaching.
ReplyDeleteTouching on “thinking out of the box” mentioned by Mielah, I think it may not work for the primary level students because I’m afraid that when they told to “think out of the box”, they will think really really out of the topic...I simplify it thinking nonsense. However, it probably works for the upper level students who I think are mature enough to relate what they learnt in the class to the current situation.
classroom my or may not be the good laboratory/garden for learning. as all knowing, malaysia's education more focus on the exam oriented. thus, teacher need to teach the specific things which is will be covered in the exam only. i believed that, not all teacher want to do so but they have to as to fulfill the requirement of the school and the hope of the parents that want to see their children pass the exam and as well as get an A for every subject. for me, it is not the teacher's fault if the classroom is not 'live' enough during the teaching and learning process but influenced by the circumstance on that time as what i'm saying before.
ReplyDeleteLike the others, I do agree that classroom can be interesting place and it's also a challenging place for both the teachers and students too. Everyone is unique and has ones own learning style. Teachers have to analyse their needs and understand that each one of them bring different knowledge and experiences with them into the class. Teachers have to teach the students all the knowledge inside and outside the class as one day the students will have to face the real world out there. They have the right to know and understand the actual things that happened in real life and be able to cope with the situation.
ReplyDeleteHi... this topic highly fascinate me! well, i think, being a teacher we should have all the sincerity to teach, then we'll feel satisfied and H.A.P.P.Y. Not only us, i think the students too. sincerity is just the, how to say? the driving factor that moves you, your motivation to teach. i don't know for others, i hope i don't sound idealistic, but that's what i think. and before even i enter uni and take edu course, i have the dream that if i become the educator in the future, i want to make my students grow not only in academics but to help them grow in many other aspects in their lives and be somebody.i think that would become the real satisfaction of the teacher and their success.even if i'm not a teacher, i always have that in my mind. everyone is a teacher in their live- e.g. being a mother or father one day, we are also a teacher to our children. i want to make a difference in the world thru my students eventhough people may think how small it is.And i agree that teacher and students learn from each other, and the UNDERSTANDING that ties them together. Wow, so many to say, but space won't allow and words sometimes cannot describe it. So i just want to quote something from st Francis of Assisi (i'm not preaching okay.hehe...) but i just love this (it's sweet and inspiring) cuz as teachers we can reflect on this and it help us understand others better especially our students.
ReplyDelete".....not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love"
and
"For it is in giving that we receive"
THANK YOU ^_^
To me, becoming a teacher is a life time job. Once you are a teacher, people will remember you as a teacher. But how many teachers really understand the meaning of becoming the provider of knowledge and builders of the future generation? For them, becoming a teacher means they had earn themselves a total security for life (retirement fund, bonus, pay raise etc.), going to work 7 in the morning back at 1 p.m. They only care about finishing the syllabuses and exams. Their job in school is like a babysitter; baby sits the students from 7a.m. to 1 p.m. and called it a day. They tend to neglect the students needs and knowing the fact that the syllabus might be outdated, still they continue to use it in order to save themselves the fuss of modifying or substitute it with new knowledge, because by the end of the month they know that will still receive the same amount of money in comparison to those enthusiastic teachers having the trouble to come out with new materials for teaching and meeting the needs of the students.
ReplyDeleteWith these type of teachers in school, surely we will choose to home school our own children at home (if we have the option). They don’t cultivate our children with knowledge and they don’t understand the needs of the children. So, there is no point of sending the students to a school with just the shell of it without the content.
So, let’s ask ourselves the reason behind becoming a teacher. Do we really have the passions for it or just for the sack of becoming government servants to enjoy all the benefits?
Cynthia 13920
Well, looks like you have all said more than what I can ever say in this matter. Great job class.
ReplyDeleteNow, to bring the discussion back to ESP,“... ideal teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross, then having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own.”– Nikos Kazantzakis. Try to focus your discussions to ESP because that will help us analyse the problem, right, resource issue further.
Then again let me not be a wet blanket. There is plenty of sense in what all of you are saying and that is inspirational. Teachers must have the fire in them. They need to spread warmth, brighten others, inspire others to feel as they do.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson said "... the great teacher is not the man who supplies the most facts, but the one in whose presence we become different people." Hopefully, you will go on to change the world by 2020.
Well, it seems so ideal here that we are saying the teachers must both have the content knowledge and the experiences on real world, yet, i really doubt the statements as I don’t really see many teachers are practicing it out there (correct me if I’m wrong). I would say not even half of them are doing so. For me, it’s because these teachers are not those who have wanted to become teachers at the beginning. The purpose of them entering educational field is because it is a secured job that comes with a pay-check at the end of the month. If we’re to turn the classrooms to a beautiful-lovely-friendly-garden, then, we, as future teachers need to create the enthusiasm in teaching! I do agree with what mentioned by Helen, teachers will need to understand students 1st before the teaching is carried out. As my mum also tells me, “teaching is a profession that might not be respected by a lot of people, yet, it is the most important road to lead our next generations to the next path of the world”. Well, I would say, teachers are much more than teaching, guiding, facilitating and nurturing.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that there are two sides of the coin. One side represents the one who aims to be an educator; whereas the other side represents the one who enroll in the education field because of its privilege.
ReplyDeleteNormally, these new born teachers will tend to introduce new methods and they have endless passion towards the students. However, as the time pass by, their passion and the creativity will decrease. Teachers are bond to the rules and regulations set by the Ministry of Education and the school board. They can’t do much in this field. Not many of us are willing to take the challenge and risk of going against the traditional system that is commonly accepted by public. They are afraid of losing their job. Hence, most of the teachers will end up following the rut for years until they retire. The character of the teacher portrayed in the Japanese movie ‘GTO’ is irrelevant in our society as we are not prepared to accept changes in our teachers. Therefore, most of the teachers go into the classroom and finish the syllabus of the day. Then, expect the students to score well in the examination. If the students score badly, that’s mean they are not hardworking enough. Teachers have done their part; it’s the students who are responsible for their own learning. That is the phenomena in our classroom nowadays. It’s a norm that is accepted by everyone.
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In my opinion, dealing with diversity of students in a classroom enriches teacher’s experience and understanding on how she/he views the world. I believe, students are more likely to look up for well-informed teacher as they need someone who has the knowledge (not only in subject area but also in real-life matters) to provide opportunities for them to learn. Thus, teacher should take the opportunity and challenge his/her ability to learn and understand a new thing or anything related to their students (e.g. interest, attitude, cultural background, etc) and use the information to teach their students. In this sense, they learn from each other. Perhaps, students will view their teacher as a role model as they also want to be like their well-informed teacher. Well, people who have knowledge can change/rule the world…
ReplyDeleteA classroom can be a lab/ garden as the students are from wide range of background where we as the teacher can also learn from them besides the syllabus to be teach. Understanding the students and design the lesson to their needs would be added into the class besides rushing to complete the syllabus. The experience of teaching Sunday school revealed to me that the complicated bible stories can be taught to them in a fun and interesting way. That made them understand the bible stories easily rather than just listen to the teachers talking such as asking them act it out, using games to help them memorize the bible scripture, etc. All these activities managed to attract their interest and attention during the lesson. The syllabus also managed to complete in time. Besides that, the Sunday school teachers also decorate the classroom according to the theme of the week so that the students will feel fresh every time they enter the classroom. Therefore, effective teachers can place their classroom as a fascinated lab/garden to meet the learners' needs despite the needs to finish the syllabus with time constraints and examinations. Knowledge in the content and prepare the students for real world can also be done through fun activities besides teachers talk and students listen.
ReplyDeleteYes, a classroom can be a garden, a place where fun and learning takes place both the teachers and the students. However, in reality it is not happening in our school. Teachers are not having fun, and not because they hate teaching, or they do not try to make it fun, but simply because they have no choice. They have to satisfy the need of the society (Government, schools, parents, students, community), which is to breed as much “Gred A” armies. Therefore, having “fun and learn” in the classroom is not their priority but having as much students with A’s is. One teacher said to me, “Kalau results turun dan tak banyak dapat A, mesti pengetua marah...prestasi pun mendatar...” Their weeks are always the same, repeat and repeat...until they get bored. That is why most teachers took less pride in their teaching. As long as they do their part and satisfy everyone’s needs, that is enough. In my opinion, change need to be done, not from the teachers but from the system itself. From there, eventually everything will change. Then only a classroom can be a garden (or Disneyland :D) hehe...
ReplyDeleteI do agree that classroom is a very fascinating and interesting place to be and of course to learn. Teachers especially can do a lot of things in class in order to make the learning environment becoming like a garden. However, due to some restrictions (which I feel hinder teachers from experimenting with classroom activities), such as time constraint, syllabus to catch, examination topics to teach, and so many other stresses that come from various parties like the school administration, the ministry, the parents and even our society, make it hard for teachers. All these constraints plus the students' English language competency somehow leads to a boring and uninteresting lesson for students. Even though we always say that English is fun, but due to some restrictions, this dream may be always a dream if nothing is to be done to mend it. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteClassroom indeed is one the places where teachers can help students with their learning development. However, teacher shouldn’t be the only one who decides on how to change their classroom into a conducive classroom. Students should get involve in deciding what they want their classroom to be or look like. A classroom is not just a place for students to have their formal teaching and learning processes but it is a place for them to develop their social and emotional growth, too. Thus, it should be conducive and provide encouragement where the students are not afraid to speak out or interact
ReplyDeleteThe real teaching is challenging and often not possible without the passion as teachers tend to lose their heart on what is truly meant by being an educator. It is not as simple as transmitting knowledge in mathematics, history, writing and reading but it’s about teaching children – the future generation that could possibly make a difference to the world, and nurture them in all aspects. Every classroom is apparently different with unique learners, and teachers can choose the way they want to be: opt for the shortcut and conform to their self-fulfilling prophecy or see learners with individual needs and discover the joy and satisfaction in teaching as caring implies fidelity. The impact a teacher may have on another’s life by his / her actions or lack of action is tremendous. When we see our learners as individual persons, it reflects the incompleteness in us as there are more rooms to be explored, fascinations to be discovered and possibilities to be made.
ReplyDeleteAngeline Hii 13728