Changing Roles Of Teachers In The Present Society
By Swaleha Sindhi & Adfer Shah
13 October, 2013
Countercurrents.org
Introduction
The young today are facing a world in which communication and information revolution has led to changes in all spheres: scientific, technological, political, economic, social and cultural. To be able to prepare our young people face the future with confidence purpose and responsibility, the crucial role of teachers cannot be overemphasized. New demands are often placed on the schools in addition to the existing ones, to be equipped with current knowledge and modern methods of acquiring new knowledge. The most modern concept that has popped up in the schools of U.S. is flipped class rooms, where students watch teachers lectures at home and do what otherwisre called homework in class. teachers record lessons which studetns watch on their smart phones, home laptops or at lunch breaks in the school libraires. In class they do projects excersies or lab work in small groups while the teachers are Just the facilitators. In no time this will be also a trend in most of the Indian schools too. In India online education is booming where one can learn any subject in free and massive online courses are available. While online courses can make high quality online education available to anyone for the price of an internet connection they also have potential to displace humans, with all that implies for teachers and students. Like everything disruptive online education is also highly controversial but the flipped classroom strategy might be famous and get approval of all. Such flipped classrooms can be achieved only when teachers are committed, motivated, and are willing to perform for the benefit of the learners, community and the society.
Policy Perspectives
Every country develops its system of education to express and promote its unique socio-cultural identity and also to meet the challenges of time". These words of the National Policy on Education (NPE) 1986 subsequently revised in 1992, give direction to Indian Education. The policy further emphasizes that “the Government of India will also review, every five years; the progress made and recommend guidelines for further development”. In the light of the aforesaid statements, the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), came out with a Curriculum Framework for Quality Teacher Education.
Role of Teachers
The changes that took place in schools have changed the roles of teachers, too. In the past teachers used to be the major source of knowledge, the leader and educator of their students' school life. Nowadays, teachers provide information and show their students how to tackle them. Although they are still considered to be a kind of leader in the class, they can be thought of as facilitators in the learning process. If we focus on the teaching process, we still realize that there are a great number of changes in this field as well, and all of them have an influence on the role of teachers. Curriculum design is a task teachers have to be prepared for, although the present generation of teachers has been growing into making up syllabi for years. Another difference between the past and present tasks of teachers is represented by the technical background they need to be able to use and handle effectively (computer, photocopier, power point, projectors, etc.) Instead of teaching chalk face, they need to be an information technology expert, a technician or/and a photocopy master. One of the biggest challenges for teachers is that their role in the school management has also changed. The school needs them as individuals, who can make decisions and cope with the stress of the changing world of schools. At the same time teachers need to be able to work in teams, co-operate with colleagues and parents. A teacher has to generate that energy in oneself and handle it in one's work of educating children. A teacher has not only to instruct but also to inspire the students.
Issues
While the process of learning is expected to evolve with the changing times, teachers in the government schools of India are stuck with the archaic methods. It is sad that many teachers still do not know how to use the teaching-learning materials. Interestingly, most of the students in these schools are asked to “read loudly” the chapters discussed on the previous day. Teachers reportedly ask students to mark the answers to the questions of back exercises in the book itself.
Many dedicated and brilliant school teachers are serving in various schools of the state. They limit their lives in the remote isolated village having no road connectivity and short of all modern amenities. Because of these teachers, our society survives and is progressing. However, we can’t deny the fact that with passing of time such dedicated, determined and sincere teachers are diminishing. Worst features of dilution of quality teachers are that many of school teachers in our country are unable to speak and write single correct English sentences.
Solutions
It would be worth experimenting with modular approach of teaching combined with interventions of realistic nature by way of field trips, visit to museums, zoo, educational excursions, visit to mountains, forests, intermediary interventions with real life situations and through audio-video devices, wherever possible. Teaching in teacher training institutions be directed towards empowering prospective teachers to enable to use their experiences in actual work places for enhancing growth and development of young children. There is to be a planned amalgam of theory and practice in a way that these two constitute a continuum of experiences. The teaching of theoretical components, in addition to what has been elaborated above, will combine various methods and approaches like lecturing, tutorials, seminars, term-papers, discussion groups, gaming, role planning, etc. The practical work of the prospective teachers will centre around evolving and devising programmes and activities for physical, psychomotor, cognitive, emotional and other aspects of development.
(Ms.Swaleha Sindhi is Assistant Professor in the M.S.Univeristy of Baroda & Adfer Shah a Delhi based Sociologist belongs to SNWCS, Jamia Milia Islamia New Delhi. Reach at ms.swalehasindhi@rediffmail.com & adfersyed@gmail.com)
