Friday February 27, 2009

Teachers must be ready to adapt

HAVING read the claim, “Teachers going mad teaching subjects in English” (The Star, Feb 26), and having observed what transpired in schools today, I must say the urgent need now is to build up a resilient teaching force for the schools.

The claim by the state assemblyman in Perak that teachers are going crazy because they have to learn to teach is ridiculous. To call for the abandonment of a good policy just because someone has to work harder and learn new things is a sign endorsing a decay in our resilience.

Of all people, teachers should never complain they have to learn new things to better themselves. If teachers need to learn new tricks in the trade, so be it. That’s how we can develop a resilient workforce to cater for the challenging needs of society and, in this case, in schools.

If the state assemblyman is suggesting that teachers should be spared from learning a new trick, then effectively, he is proposing that teachers should stop learning the moment they become teachers. What about learning to cope with difficult students, learning to counsel different cases of learning disability?

If that should be the case, then the Education Ministry should stop all in-service training for teachers because they are becoming zombie-like when they are expected to learn while doing their teaching. Is that the root cause of our students withering at the slightest pressure?

The fact is that teachers need to be able to adapt to new demands. We need to see new approaches to teaching to make it effective and relevant to the present need of students.

Today, we talk about accelerated learning to help students learn better. Earlier, we talked about constructiveness, multiple intelligence, mastery learning and learning styles of learners, and teachers must continually upgrade themselves to make themselves effective.

As such, I appeal to those who want to speak up for teachers to firstly understand the real need for our teachers today as real models of learning.

When the Government provides a special allowance for the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English, it is an incentive for teachers to pick up the language and the skills – a monetary incentive of 10% of the salary for non-graduates or 5% for graduates, which easily comes to about RM200.

If teachers are models of learning, this allowance should be used to upgrade themselves. It is enough for them to engage a personal tutor to help accelerate their competency in English.

But sad to say, the money has gone into buying branded handbags, upgrading mobile phones or even paying the instalment for their new cars.

I have heard Education Ministry officials suggesting to teachers to use the money for tuition to improve their competency in the language, but such advice has all fallen on deaf years.

Hence the argument that teachers are not competent remains even after six years and the rot to the resilience of our teaching force is accelerated.

TENG,

Batu Pahat.

News Poll

Latest Jobs from Star-Jobs

Latest from StarProperty