It’s Not Just the Students Who Need to Learn

Teachers are the heart of the education system, and any revolution in the education system has to start with a focus on them. The 2017-18 NCERT report on the Digital Literacy among Teacher Trainees at the Secondary Level says that less than 50% of teacher trainees are comfortable with using digital applications for teaching–learning purposes, and this figure is even less for existing/senior teachers. If this is the reality, how can they be expected to prepare today’s learners for the future? 

Teaching, like most professions, requires constant updation of knowledge to stay abreast of the various discoveries and changes in the field.  This is why teacher training on a periodic basis is extremely important. It ensures that teachers are well-informed about their respective subjects and impart up-to-date information to the students.

‘Teacher training’, the phrase brings to mind a group of teachers in a school being lectured by a trainer who was hitherto unknown to them, and the teachers trying to remember every bit of information, while simultaneously worrying about how they will catch up with their routine work with the students.

However, in this age of technological advancements, teacher training need not be so complicated any more. Teachers can sign up for and take specialised professional development courses from the comfort of their homes, and customise it according to their level of experience and the grades they are teaching.

Anand Ramaswami’s (VP, Academics) insightful article on the various options available online for teacher training, such as MOOCs, is one of the highlights of this edition. These courses can be pursued individually by teachers and provide them with a wide range of choices in terms of the diversity of subjects offered.

Teacher training is not just limited to brushing up on bookish knowledge, but also involves training on how to handle children the right way, and to be friendly and empathetic towards them. After all, teachers are a huge influence on children, and besides the different subjects, they also need to teach the children to be good, kind, and sensible human beings who get along well with others.

In this edition, we have discussed the various limitations of existing teacher-training systems and how both the public and private sectors are trying to mitigate those gaps. Other topics of discussion include design thinking, virtual labs, new education policies in other countries and so on, which can help educators facilitate a better future in teaching and learning.