Dear
comrades,
TEACHERS IN A CREATIVE WORLD
What
does it mean? We leave in a society that pays considerably more to educate the
children of the affluent, who already have numerous advantages than those of
the working class and poor. The beginning and experienced teachers should be
committed to the idea that the way we teach can make a significant difference
in the learning and lives of our students. Work for your students and not
against them. We often refuse to give up on public education and our students
which are part of our social responsibility. There are no simple solutions to
changing education and no magic formulae for teaching young people to change
their mindsets. Teaching is a hard work and involves constant learning by
educators. Successful teaching requires an understanding of our students, a
vision for their future, and a strategy for connecting students with ‘that
vision’.
As
teachers, we should use our own experience to understand theories of thinkers
and current scholars such as: John Dewey, Paulo Freire, Maxine Greene, Bill Van
Patten, Jessica Williams, Lydia White, Robert Dekeyser etc. and insights gained
from educational research to help the next generation of teachers to become
ready for the classroom. New teachers always worry whether they will know
enough to teach and whether they will be able to control students. Perhaps,
they will not agree with what I think is important. But let me share with them
some of the things I learned and value.
· Lessons that relate to
students interests: involve them in activities that are appropriate to their
academic performance level, this will stimulate their curiosity and engage them
as active learners.
·
Students who feel that their
teachers care about them as human beings and are willing to respond to their
needs and concerns do better in class.
·
Learning is social. Students
do better academically as they develop a sense of relationship with each other
and their teachers, and as they take responsibility for what happens in their
classroom.
·
Change never happens
instantaneously. Why should children behave differently from other people?
Being an effective teacher means engaging in a long-term struggle to convince
students that your goals for the class make sense and are worth examining.
·
As a teacher you cannot
change everything in the world, in your school, or even in your class. But we
also know that as you become a better teacher you will be able to make an
impact on more people.
·
“Finger pointing” does not
help. Politicians blame unions. Universities blame high schools. High schools blame
secondary schools. Secondary schools blame primary schools. Primary schools
blame parents. Parents blame schools and teachers and the educational system.
Instead of focusing on accusing each other for what has not worked, we need to
discover and implement ideas and practices that will make a difference.
Abdullahi kaigama
The Federal Polytechnic,
Damaturu, Yobe state.
A Postgraduate Student,
Univertsiti Putra Malaysia (M.A. Applied Linguistics)
