Bloggers T: Blog post – 17 October
Teaching is not a profession that is for everyone. It not only takes knowledge and skill, but also patience and other qualities that not every individual possess. Being a teacher requires a passion that you are born with - a flame inside of you to be willing to learn AND to teach what you know.
From an objective perspective, the teaching profession entails teaching a student theory about a specific field of study - for example Accounting or Life Sciences, depending on the specialization of the teacher.
Individuals in the profession will agree with the statement that being a teacher is about more than just teaching knowledge. In some cases you are a role model, a parental-figure, a confidant, etc. Each learner is someone special, someone different and you should treat them accordingly. Thus, being a teacher is considered one of the most emotionally draining, but also enriching professions of all.
Teaching “in the old days” took place in any format. Under a tree, in a classroom or any location possible. A wiser person stood in front and taught the learners/pupils a lesson. Today teaching occurs a bit differently.
Due to the ever-expanding field of education in the 21st Century, we use technology to teach. Although in certain areas they still use “old school” methods, globally it has become an unwritten law to use modern ways to teach. Teachers make use of video’s, Microsoft Office (Powerpoint, Word and Excel), Computers and projectors, and many more. This is due to the fact that a lot of additional information can be acquired by the use of computers (i.e. the internet) to expand the content of the curriculum as well as makes it easier to present the subject content more successfully.
New technology does create some challenges in education. Teachers and the school curricula will have to acquire and process the abundant information available in today's society. Technological recognition is needed for learners’ professional development as the new generations are more proficient in new technology than some of the teachers.
Schools have to redesign their methods of teaching by utilising new technology. The use of technology in the classroom will become extremely important as it will be required for shaping professional and ongoing development for future aspirations.
By either learning from each other or by means of development programs, there is a need for ongoing professional development. This is especially true in the case of education as no two classes are ever the same. The curriculum is constantly changing and now technology is also changing the way we approach teaching and learning.
Ongoing professional development keeps teachers up-to-date on new research on how children learn, emerging technological tools for the classroom, new curriculum resources, changes in culture and more. The best professional development is therefore ongoing, experiential, collaborative, and connected to and derived from working with students and understanding their culture.
Assessment: Ideas and Content = 4, Writing Style = 2, Community and Collaboration = 1, TOTAL = 7.
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