By Aiborlang Nongsiej
Albert Thyrniang’s article ‘My Categories of Teachers’ (ST Sep 8, 2021), is relevant to the present educational system. Teachers are the second parents to the children. But it is unfortunate that the state government pays no attention to their demands and wellbeing. In fact, during the recent autumn session of the State Legislative Assembly, the Education Minister was not present in the house during the question hour. Hence if the education department fails in its duty of providing quality education in the state one day Shillong will lose its title as ‘educational hub of Northeast India’.
Education is a powerful means of bringing up the society in various fields. The standard of life of any society depends very much on education. However, with the passage of time education has become monotonous and boring. It is high time for the teachers and the Education Department to develop and train teachers with new techniques and skills in order to provide a fruitful and joyful learning for the students. As an educator, the writer had seen in several places where classrooms are no longer joyful learning spaces. Instead they have become monotonous and boring for the students. Students are forced to sit inside the classroom without learning anything. Perhaps, this is what makes students take extra tuition classes, for they understand nothing inside the classroom. Older generations hardly went for tuition. Why is tuition so common to the new generation? Is it because the teachers are interested in tuition rather than in the classroom? Is it that the students depend on tuition rather than learning in the classroom? Or is it that the classroom has become boring and monotonous?
Personally, I don’t know why private tuition has become so common today. Perhaps students need a more personal learning space which tuitions provide. It is high time to develop new teaching techniques in order to create joyful and active learning in the classroom. The traditional method of teaching in which the teacher is at the center of the classroom, lecturing away for a whole 45 minutes with no space for interaction is boring and monotonous for the new generation. There must be space to draw out the student’s pre-knowledge on the lesson. When the teacher is at the center of the classroom the students are only to listen. Hence the cognitive domain is not fully activated since they don’t use all their thinking faculties as there is no active participation in the classroom. Hence if students talk, sleep or are distracted during the class the teacher must introspect as to why students do so. It is not just for the teachers to scold or punish the students without introspecting on their teaching method. Perhaps, there is something wrong in our teaching approach that makes the students distracted or sleep away during the classes. It is the teachers’ duty to manage the classroom creatively in order for students to have joyful and better learning. The following are some of the probable methods that can help teachers and students to achieve joyful and fruitful classroom teaching- learning:
a. Using Constructivist Method: This is one the best methods in approaching students in the classroom. It is a student-centered classroom rather than teacher-centered. In other words, the students are at the center of the classroom and not the teacher. The method consists of five steps known as five ‘Es’, Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate. In this method the teacher acts as the facilitator and students participate actively with their pre-knowledge experience of the lesson. Each person is born with certain intelligences and skills and each student will already have something in mind. It is the duty of the teacher to bring out those pre-learned ideas from students. The term ‘education’ itself comes from the Latin word ‘Educare’ meaning ‘to bring out’. Hence teachers must put priority on the students’ pre-knowledge and help them to understand the lesson connected to their pre-knowledge experience. The method helps students take active part during the class while the teacher is only a guide.
b. Bringing creativity to the classroom. Teachers should prepare the class well. It is unfortunate to see many teachers still unprepared before entering the classroom. The traditional way of entering the classroom with just a book in hand is a killjoy for students. Every lesson provides interesting and joyful learning, if the teachers are smart and creative. Making students involved in the lesson with their pre-knowledge experience by dramatizing the lesson is part of creative teaching. Using available learning aids connected to the lesson and helping students to understand the lesson through those materials is a good teaching method. The classroom is boring and monotonous because of the lack of creativity in classroom management by teachers concerned. Creativity in teaching is imperative to create interest in the subject and improve retention.
c. Develop the skills of teaching with love: Teaching is an art and a gift to certain individuals. However, if the individual loves his/her profession they can progress and excel in their teaching career. It is often painful to see an individual teaching for decades but never developing the skills for teaching. There are cases where majority of the students fail in a particular subject but the teacher concerned never introspects on his/her own teaching methods but blames the students instead. Loving the profession and continuing to excel with new methods and skills in teaching is a must for an effective teaching career. Every teacher must develop new teaching techniques that can generate interest in students.
d. Avoid sitting while teaching: This writer has seen teachers who sit and teach. In such a situation the teachers are not really connected to students while teaching. Interaction and close contact with students are integral for classroom teaching-learning. There are several schools where chairs are not provided for the teacher in order to have effective and close contact learning with the students. To sit and teach is not a good teaching method. It is advisable that teachers walk around and stand while teaching in the classroom so that they command attention.
e. Understand the uniqueness of each student: Every person is unique and born with different intelligences and capacities. Teachers must understand this uniqueness. There are slow learners, average and fast learners and teachers should keep in mind each category of students while teaching. There have been several cases where poor learners are victims of the classroom learning process. Therefore, understanding the uniqueness of each student in the classroom is important.
f. Making use of training: Albert Thyrniang had pointed out that many trained teachers are not making use of the teaching methods learnt during their B.Ed training. How many teachers prepare their daily lesson plans? For many individuals the methods of teaching ends with the completion of the B.Ed training. It is unfortunate if such situations continue to exist in our educational system. Thus, teachers must use their training to prove teaching-learning outcomes.