The Ministry of Education is of the view that Teachers Educations is essential. Teachers must be masters of their content area in order to achieve the best results and give the best to their students. As professionals we cannot simply choose to be called professional because we have a Bachelors . We must make a conscious decision to take action and attend the many workshops and seminars being offered by the MOE. We complained that the workshops are for the new members to the service, that it took up too much school time and we lost time with our students. they have solved these problems by now offering them during the vacation period and yet we see it as an impingement on our time. Are we really concerned with learning what is new, the best practice?
Teacher training is essential in order to become experts in our areas. we must become Masters of our subject matter to be effective teachers. As (Wellglinski, 2000) has stated, teachers content knowledge is an important factor in student achievement. It is disheartening when there are teachers within the system who choose not to be educated. They are afraid of the restructuring of the system that now looks at ICT as integral in being a professional within the classroom. They hold the belief that they are already competent, they are on the way out, why bother to go through so much trouble. Some even express anxiety and fear that their lack of expertise will be embarrassing and undermine their classroom authority.
However one must take into consideration that the MOE does not compensate the teacher who make the effort to acquire additional qualifications, only those in administrative posts are meagerly offered a pittance. Which professional then wants to do the extra work? Should the MOE take legal action? What is there to sustain those who are already taking action? These are questions that face the teacher in search of professionalism.
The MOE is certainly on a drive to promote 'teacher professionalism'. There are many courses and the newest one ICT seems to be most present on the minds of teachers. The MOE has given the impression that this course is compulsory and there will be a test of some kind for those who did not take the opportunity to upgrade their qualifications.
ReplyDeleteWhile there are those teachers who refuse to upgrade themselves I must say that I was impressed by the members of staff where I teach. Maybe the good response was due in part to the fact that our school was a centre and two of our own teachers were the instructors. In light of this, maybe in future the MOE can source persons who are still within the teaching profession and with whom even the novice can feel comfortable with.
The irony of all of this though, is the fact that the MOE does little to ensure that the schools are properly outfitted with the necessary equipment for teachers to utilize their new found knowledge. Instead we remain in classrooms where seating is inadequate for both students and teachers and where the electrical outlets are missing or not working.
I hope that the initiative takes into account all these factors in the future. There is no point in training teachers and then not affording them the wherewithal to practise what they learnt.
I must say that this is not an excuse for not perusing personal development. Even though the Ministry of Education has failed to provide the basic technological infrastructure teachers still have a personal responsibility to develop themselves. Our children do not wait until they have a computer system in their home to begin to use technology. Instead we see them in the internet cafe's surfing the net, sending emails and playing video games. It is the teacher's responsibility to make sure that he or she stays relevant in the context in which the child is growing and emerging. Technology should therefore be embraced by all otherwise some people may as well resort to travelling around the country on a donkey cart.
ReplyDeleteIn my humble opinion, a true professional is a person who is responsible and shows dedication to the work process. One of the duties of a teacher is to impart knowledge, values, attitudes and skills so that students will become productive members of society. In fulfilling this obligation, we have to demonstrate responsibility by updating our knowledge and skills so that the needs of the learners are met. Moreover, a dedicated teacher has to be flexible in his thinking and approaches so that students are well prepared to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. Change is inevitable and as educators we have to be prepared to make adjustments when necessary. Resistance to change is a recipe for disaster in this scenario!
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