TEJASVI ASTITVA
MULTI-LINGUAL MULTI-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH JOURNAL
ISSN NO. 2581-9070 ONLINE

RE- DEFINING EDUCATORS IN COVID PERIOD : SMT. RANI KRISHNA VIJAY

 

RE- DEFINING EDUCATORS IN COVID PERIOD

 

To introduce

Teacher is one who teaches or instructs, one whose business or occupation is to instruct others: an instructor, a tutor                     

                                                                                                                                  Webster Dictionary

Today world is in the midst of covid-19 crisis and it is changing the global outlook and now it is the need of the hour to change our education according to the satisfaction of young students. Instruction is no longer sitting dutifully, listening and recording what they hear but it has to offer rewarding unique learning experience. The educator has to be change from mere knowledge holder, who is imparting knowledge in the usual chalk and talk method to resilient and adaptive enough to equip the next generations to enter work. So the environment cannot now confine to the four walls of a classroom but it is opening its way to the entire life experience from the whole world and now it is in the form of bits and bytes. Hence the school has to provide massive revolutions in knowledge, information technology and public demand for better learning.

REDEFINING THE ROLE OF TEACHERS IN THE COVID PERIOD

Learning consortiums and coalitions are taking shape with diverse stakeholders including governments, publishers, education professionals, and technology solution providers to utilize e-learning software platforms as a temporary solution to the crisis.

The main roles of the teachers in this covid period are

  1. Educating students in an interconnected world

Technology-enabled learning environments allow learners to access and participate in specialized virtual classes and gain experience needed to become exceptional in their learning by interconnecting the world.

  1. Teaching life skills needed for the future

Teachers have to facilitate the core life skills such as self awareness, empathy, critical thinking, creative thinking, decision making, problem solving, effective communication, intrpeersonal relationship, coping with stress and coping with emotions etc,

  1. Unlocking technology to deliver education

Schools and universities are currently tapping into the digital revolution and adopting new technologies to help students to reach their full potential, adapt quickly enough to the current disruption by the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation compelled them to do the needful to adopt a technology-based approach to delivering a lecture to their students.

  1. New Relationships and Practices

Teacher have to understand each student with their individual differences such as their unique needs, learning style, social and cultural background, attitude, interests, abilities etc. Students have to be prepared and permitted to intervene at any time and in any way to make sure learning occur. In this way, as an educational guide, facilitator, co-learner etc a new relationship can takes place between teachers and students for the concept of instruction by providing project-based, participatory, educational adventures. The curriculum must relate to their lives, learning activities should engage their natural curiosity, and assessments must measure real accomplishments and be an integral part of learning.

5.      New Tools and Environments

There is a multitude of print and electronic sources which help the children to learn how to use their abilities to think critically, solve problems, make informed judgments, and create knowledge that benefits both the students and society. Team teaching, discovery learning methods etc can be applied for increasing strengths, interests, skills, and abilities to the greatest effect.

Technology is enabling the students to communicate and collaborate with their peers on platforms such as WhatsApp groups. Students in rural areas without access to the internet or computer are learning through educational TV & radio programs. Some Students are also collaborating on group projects using technology-based tools such as google docs. The walls of the school rooms are not any longer a barrier as technology enables new ways of learning, communicating, and dealing collaboratively.

6.      New Professional Responsibilities

A person with the accurate and specific ability, intuition, education, experience, skills, knowledge and qualifications to teach a specific subject or number of subjects is known as a teacher.

https://www.definitions.net/definition/teacher

Teachers are working with colleagues, family members, politicians, academics, community members, and employers etc to set clear and obtainable standards for the knowledge, skills, and values. They are researching on how to make effective of the various dynamics of learning and participating in day-to-day decision making in schools, working side-by-side to set priorities, and dealing with organizational problems that affect their students’ learning. The teacher’s role is shifting to the “guide on the side” as students take more responsibility for their own learning using technology to gather relevant information. Most schools are already posting lessons and homework and major projects online.

How a teacher can become an integral part of the online classroom?

1.      Personalized Learning

Through the online classes, the educators can make classrooms more interactive by reducing distraction and improve student retention significantly. These outcomes have been proven in a number of surveys.

2.      New Forms of learning

New forms of technology are providing new forms of education than from conventional teacher centered model. They have practical forms and it is synthesizing practical solutions. Teachers help their colleagues by sharing instructional resources. These might include Web sites, instructional materials, readings, or other resources to use with students. They might also share such professional resources as articles, books, lesson or unit plans, and assessment tools.

3.      Experiential learning supported by AR/VR

Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality in education is receiving a lot of attention and the learning aids are simulating a real-life environment impossible in a conventional classroom.

  1. Virtual tours can be arranged to students

Virtual tours can be administered to students for a sophisticated, engaging and well-accepted means of delivering quality education. With just a laptop in hand, it has become possible to get an enhanced classroom-like experience with peers and faculty.

  1. Beyond textual learning

While delivering on curriculum, teachers should drive application based, creative and innovative thinking. They should encourage students to move beyond textual learning and explore the practical implications of what they read in their books.

6.      Learning Facilitator

Facilitating professional learning opportunities among staff members is another role for teacher leaders. When teachers learn with and from one another, they can focus on what most directly improves student learning. Their professional learning becomes more relevant, focused on teachers’ classroom work, and aligned to fill gaps in student learning. Such communities of learning can break the norms of isolation present in many schools. Such collaborative project-based approach ensures that it develops:

  • Higher order thinking skills
  • Effective communication skills
  • Knowledge of technology that students need and the increased globalized environment.

7.      Mentor

Experienced teachers should act as mentors to the new teachers by providing information about instruction, curriculum, procedure, practices, and politics. Being a mentor takes a great deal of time and expertise and makes a significant contribution to the development of a new professional. They have to act as a mentor to the students in the digital classroom to reveal the problems faced by students during the covid period as they are now in the four walls of home.

  1. Catalyst for Change

Teachers can also be catalysts for change, and have to feel secure in their own work and have a strong commitment to continual improvement. They have to pose questions to generate analysis of student learning.

9.      Learner

Among the most important roles teachers is to assume himself as a learner. It needs continual improvement, demonstrate lifelong learning, and use what they learn to help all students to achieve. Faculty meetings become a forum for a teacher to learn from one another.

10.  Roles for All

Teachers exhibit leadership in multiple, formal with designated responsibilities. The variety of roles ensures that teachers can find ways to lead that fit their talents and interests. Regardless of the roles they assume, tachers shape the culture of their schools, improve student learning, and influence practice among their peers.

CONCLUSION

Digital platforms provide a holistic way of teaching and learning that meets the needs of technical digital students. Even though there are so many constraints in teaching learning process, it has provided a platform to collaborate with various experts from different sectors, choices and technological resources. An educator’s most important responsibility is to search out and construct meaningful educational experiences that allow students to solve real-world problems and show they have learned the big ideas, powerful skills, and habits of mind and heart that meet agreed-on educational standards. Here the teachers have to rethink their standards, curriculum planning and even the way of imparting knowledge to the generation in this pandemic period. Through the proper planning and support of the experts in the field we can use the online medic in an effective manner. For the same, in short, teachers have to reinvent themselves and their occupation to better serve schools and students.

References

https://www.education.gov.gy/web/index.php/teachers/tips-for-teaching/item/1603-roles-of-a-teacher-in-the-classroom

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept07/vol65/num01/Ten-Roles-for-Teacher-Leaders.aspx

https://www.educationworld.in/redefining-the-role-of-a-school-in-the-new-milieu/

https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/featurephilia/story/education-trends-2020-what-will-redefine-the-education-sector-1653675-2020-03-08

https://robomaniax.in/2020/05/09/covid-19-how-technology-is-redefining-the-future-of-education/

https://www.edutopia.org/redefining-role-teacher

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/4-ways-covid-19-education-future-generations/

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