How the role of a teacher has changed

Gone are the days when students sat quietly in a classroom and received information passively. Gone are the days when teachers stood in the front of the class, lecturing their students, secure in the knowledge that apart from text books, they were the only receptacles of information.

Over the past decade, teachers have adapted to the demands of the new-age learner commendably. The onslaught of ICT has left the teaching fraternity with few options. With students seeming to have the knack of activating their tech-savvy gene at will, and information being available at the click of a mouse, the role of the teacher, and the approach to teaching, has evolved. Even Darwin would have raised an eyebrow at the speed of this evolution. If educationists were to identify the Big Three responsible for re-sculpting the face of education, they would be: Information technology, teacher accountability and taking teaching and learning beyond the classroom.

Information technology:

The internet has shortened the gap between teaching and learning like never before. Teachers are acutely aware of their students’ access to information and hence adapt to their new role as enablers rather than lecturers, organisers rather than instructors, guides rather than data dumpers. Smart boards are extensively used. In the middle of a history class, for example, it is not uncommon to see World War 2 planes whizzing past when an educational clip is played. Pupils are encouraged to bring laptops to schools and technology has made learning more hands-on. Of course, allowing them to have laptops, ipads, etc, poses other issues but that’s a separate discussion.

Teacher accountability:

Today, teachers are more accountable. There can no longer be the one-size-fits-all style of teaching in the classroom. All teachers need to have a plan as they are asked upon to differentiate on the basis of different learning styles of students. Their methodology has to take into consideration visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners as well. Activities are designed to allow students to work in pairs, and in groups, thus enabling peer mentoring. This sometimes results in the class disintegrating into chaos and schools combat it by arranging professional development sessions conducted by colleagues who are adept at classroom management.

Teachers have now recognised the significance of having students explain concepts to each other rather than having to do all the teaching themselves. They are eager to equip themselves with the understanding of dyslexia, dyscalculia and other such special educational needs and in some cases, even work closely with the special needs department to develop individual educational programs. They make allowances for slow learners and are empathic when some students take ‘their own sweet time’. While most teachers enjoy this, they get bogged down by the sheer volume of documentation that goes hand-in-glove with accountability.

Learning beyond the classroom:

I still remember the excitement of my biology classes in grade 9. Mrs. Kale rarely referred to the text book and was forever taking us out of class – to the pond behind the science block to look at algae, or to the principal’s garden to look at the sori on the undersurface of fern fronds, or to scrape the moss off the bark of trees after the monsoons.

She encouraged us to plan experiments to prove or disprove our theories, made us devise ways of examining which boarding house students used maximum water and electricity. Invariably, the Spence House students bore the brunt for being ‘wasters’. There was never a dull moment in Mrs. Kale’s biology class. She was one of a kind.

Today’s teachers fashion their classes much like Mrs. Kale. Teaching has spread beyond the classroom. Application of knowledge to real life is an important factor and homework is no longer restricted to ‘practice’ sums or rote learning. Higher-order thinking is a buzz-term among students and they love being challenged and indulging in reductio ad absurdum!

Expectations can be a good thing... and bad. It’s good that teachers are playing the Aristotelian role of friend, philosopher and guide, nurturing students’ ambitions, allaying their fears, comforting them and motivating them to walk tall and feel good about themselves. The burning question is, who will provide similar succour for teachers?

(Nargish Khambatta is vice principal, Dubai Modern High School. This is the first of her columns for July).