Teachers are like locksmiths

Teachers are like locksmiths – they open students’ minds. The mind of a student is like a door with a lock, which, when open, enables them to access the unlimited ocean of knowledge. Rote learning and rigid methods make these locks to stick. It becomes difficult for teachers to ignite their students’ interest in what is being taught.  Therefore, the challenge lies for a teacher figure out which key to use to open these locks. It is not enough for a teacher to teach the same thing to all her students in the same way. This is because she has a unique style of instruction, which will cater to only certain type of students. This is just like one key might help open certain locks, but not all. A teacher, therefore, needs to know the unique qualities of each of her students. She, then, needs to customise her approach so that the mind of each of her students gets unlocked.

Thus, instead of the chalk-and-talk method, teachers must involve their students in activities that engage intelligence, like mind maps, graphics, graphic organisers, projects, visuals and so on. They can even activate interest by delegating responsibilities that match students’ innate tendencies. For example, they can assign monitoring roles to those with leadership qualities.

If a teacher can get that knack – to open and delve into each student’s mind and to make each pupil learn – then she will have in her hand the equivalent of a master key – the kind used in a hotel that can open the doors to all the rooms!