New generation teachers

M.K. Bhan
The days are gone when children were forced to believe in the fairy tales and fictions. Teachers were the only source of education and accepting unquestionably whatever was being presented before them. These traditions and customs are still continuing and breaking any thread of this educational hierarchy is understood as a sinful act and crime. New Generation Teachers are providing helping hands to inquisitive minds so that they can emerge themselves out of the cocoon to experience new changes and challenges in this fast growing global market of education. Thanks to technological revolution for bringing transparency in all spheres of education leaving behind, the aspects of morality for man to resolve.
Today generation is born with technology and their necessity of life are mobiles, laptops, i-pads etc. without which they feel handicapped. They love the web with its assortments of hyperlinks rather than to sit in class-room session and spending their crucial years in labs and libraries being run in an old and outdated fashion. The old school model of passive learning facts and reciting them out of context is no longer sufficient to prepare students to survive in today’s world. Here, emerges the role of a Teacher- ‘New Generation Teacher’, not only for providing first aid to students experiencing depressive pressures and fears but also assisting them until the crisis are resolved. He fully understands how to impart a lesson in a class having children with different moods, energy levels, attention span and learning abilities.
New Generation Teachers tries to build connections for evaluating the performance and personality of the generation under their care and observation. They use their discretion and perception to gauge the levels of readiness of the learners for team work, problem solving researching, time management, information analysis, utilizing high tech. tools followed by the suitable course of action in terms of pedagogy. They set the tone and convey expectations needed to ensure meaningful engagement with the course curriculum, nature of study and clarity in communicating desired learning outcomes in context to its relevance for the intended learners.
India boasts to have one of the world’s largest education systems, but learning level among students in the country is one of the lowest among all countries. New Generation Teachers quite often do not have a sure fire solution to the frustrations or dilemmas of the learners, but they always keep ready the options before the approach of any problem or situation in different and innovative way. Every New Generation Teacher always keeps some time daily for reflections and thinking. He keeps himself ready to test limits, challenges and assumptions to gain insight into their own thinking process. The need of the hour is to create a learning culture so that the schools become the learning centers of excellence and teachers as thinking learners enhancing the quality of thinking.    Technology in the hands of New Generation Teachers is like a powerhouse of possibilities enabling students to find their life purpose, open up the career doors and help transforming their learning experiences.  As we all call for equipping the future citizens of the world with personal/social responsibility, critical thinking, reasoning ability, creativity and empowering them to become lifelong learners, but in this process we forget the important linking word ‘Who’, of course the teacher born with the old beliefs and practices or the New Generation Teacher- a torch bearer of inclusive and progressive education adopted to social media and internet.  Recent research shows that the students whose teachers explore new possibilities in teaching and learning, use technology in the classroom for meeting their different learning needs and styles tend to score better than the students whose teachers drag on old and beaten tracks of education.
In present scenario of knowledge explosion, we need to improvise the skills of organizing information and prioritize actions to meet the needs of the children with different learning skills, varying backgrounds and experiences. The role of New Generation Teachers is to assess and develop the dominating intelligence of his/her learners according Multiple Intelligence Theory for solving highly complex problems. Latest educational tools like e-learning and Project Work makes students highly responsive for their own learning and schools more responsible replacing the most familiar traditional instructor led classroom environment. It is highly effective and rewarding learning practice in tune with the capabilities, skills and spirit of the 21st century. Thus educators of today have the task to learn new skills and discover activities like Fun Brain Math Chimp or Smart Kit, Online Quizzes, i-pads, educational apps., use of Skype to interact and webinars for connecting, gathering information,  writing and posting blogs.
Since the teaching is a dynamic process, constant reflection and up-gradation is necessity in order to be truly functional, deliver results and remain relevant in the existing real educational world. A lot of responsibility has come on the shoulders of the New Generation Teachers to change the educational institutions into virtual campus, bringing world class education to the doorstep of learners through the use of free online questionnaire, e-learning, e-text books, audio visuals, videos, images, animation and much more via electronic media. They have to conduct regular audit of their teaching practices to know what approach works best and which pedagogy does not produce the expected results in the educational scenario they are working in. The biggest challenges that surfaces for new generation teacher is the classroom management as they are unprepared to deal with classroom behavioral problem, curricular freedom, unruly students, Lack of guidance and resources for the lesson and unit planning. Time Management Issues and ever felt need to literally beat the clock and using the basic tool of Google-Calendar, Drop-box and Ever-note help in organizing the data to save some time and ease Communication with new learners and parents.
In present education environment the changes taking place in learners as well as in the classrooms are challenging and one is not sure about the steps to be taken to achieve learning goals. Therefore, preparedness and the use of web is the hallmark of the New Generation Teachers for connecting curriculum with new culture of learning and delivering a good learning experience. Since the present day learners are so adept at technology, it is equally important for teachers to intersperse their lessons with multimedia teaching methodology and handling educational aids skillfully along with adequate knowledge of technological knowhow. They can’t work in isolation rather they have to work as a team and develop confidence among new learners to innovate, compete and share the first hand experience and knowledge.
Children are accustomed to new technology and always eager to learn new skills and discover activities. As a facilitator, new generation teacher has to show right track to the learners and take them exactly to the place where they have chosen to go. Learners of the present day age are parent centric and want to achieve what their parent want and dream. Today both parent as well as learners are educated and can confront the teacher for any learning gaps or educational deficiencies.  In this novel arena, teachers are thrown challenges by the fast paced learners armed with all technological knowhow. Therefore, it becomes necessary on the part of the existing teachers to remain ahead of their learners in knowledge, learning and presenting the information. School administrators’ role is equally important in recognizing that new teachers need scaffold assistance for bringing energy and enthusiasm to their classrooms.
Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it is about learning how to dance in the rain. Similarly, sailing in the ocean of education has never been an easy cup of tea to sip for the passionate learners. They have always been challenged to face thundering waves of the roaring oceans, watching changes of footprints on the sands of time. Accepting technological changes for changing the world of education, being kind and having respect for others are some pre-requisites for the new generation teachers for safeguarding the next generation’s inheritance, your children’s legacy!
(The author is Principal Shemford Futuristic School Wanpoh (Anantnag) Kashmir).
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com

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