As Oman celebrated Teacher’s Day on February 24, it is an appropriate moment to consider the ways in which teachers’ roles are changing in the current world of vast and swift changes.
Traditionally, teachers have been seen to be givers of knowledge and wisdom. As Malcolm X once said, “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today”. The job of the teacher, for long, was to impart content, make children better citizens and inculcate enduring values.
This job description has expanded somewhat. No longer are teachers seen to be carriers of worldly wisdom. Learners are getting that from other sources, mainly bite sized reels on social media.
In many ways, teachers’ roles have already changed substantially. Students look up to teachers for more than knowledge transfer. They are valued for their guidance and motivation as well.
This is why teachers need to be innovative in their classroom approaches. While traditional teaching methods may not be adequate for today’s learners, using more creative methods such as interactive learning, problem solving and project based learning will all lend to rich teaching and learning experiences which are suitable for the 21st century learner.
Interactive learning is an active form of learning which uses hands-on approach of ‘learning by doing’.
It encourages collaboration and other soft skills like time management and group behaviour. Problem solving is another useful way of learning as students apply a concept, an idea or a formula to a real world situation. There is ample evidence which shows that information is better retained when it is actually being used in a real world scenario rather than when it is lying in the pages of a book.
Similarly, project based learning uses existing and new knowledge to a given task. This could include creating a short film or podcast, a mural on a class wall or websites for specific tasks. This kind of project activates student interest, raises awareness and even creates real world opportunities. Students can include such projects in their portfolios.
All of this requires the active engagement of teachers. It is no longer sufficient to dig out old classroom material and recycle them each year.
Even if teachers do not change, students definitely do. They come already equipped with information and data.
What they need is training on how to use the information they already have, or can retrieve in seconds from a digital platform.
The role of teachers today is to inspire, set goals, and be role models that students look up to. This requires continuous development and renewed interest in the values of teaching.
Teachers have the most difficult material to work with – young minds that are easily moldable. Setting a high standard of learning and becoming an inspiration could be the noblest goal for a teacher.
Perhaps the most satisfying moment for a teacher is when young students say that they want to be like them. That is the ultimate tribute a teacher can get.
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