Teaching is an evolving skill, as education is a never-ending process. Today, teachers need to keep upskilling themselves to cope with the ever-changing landscape. Therefore, educational institutes must invest in their teachers’ professional development and training, as it not only helps their personal development but also impacts the students.
Apart from teaching a specific subject, the teacher also trains students in knowledge acquisition, skill development and cognition. In school, a teacher facilitates a child’s early development and, in higher education, a students professional development. To do this with the proper knowledge and skill, a teacher must be up-to-date with education dynamics and recent developments in the field. Therefore, regular training sessions on modern strategies and pedagogies is crucial, especially with the entry of digital tools in the classroom. Unless the teachers are aware of and know how to use these aids, they will not be able to help students learn.
Another important aspect is communication. A good communicator is an effective teacher and enables students to comprehend better. Other issues involve knowledge of innovative teaching methodologies, interactive assessments and the use of differentiation in the classroom to create a positive learning environment.
Benefits
With education being an evolving field, awareness of the changes is crucial to be an effective teacher because this offers better learning outcomes for students. Such educators can create better curricula, course material, and lesson plans as they are more in sync with the students’ learning needs.
Professional development courses also allows teachers to learn organisational and planning skills, which will help them handle administrative tasks better and devote more time to students. Staying up-to-date with the developments helps them answer queries in a more knowledgeable manner. Keeping abreast of technological developments not only allows them to handle digital classroom tools but also keep pace with the students who are technologically adept.
That is why it is important for educational institutions to support professional development of their teachers. There are many ways this can be facilitated. One is to create opportunities for faculty to attend workshops or training programmes in their field. Another is to enable the teachers to present their research or work at seminars and conferences and to discuss issues and solutions. Sponsoring their teachers to attend courses, mentorship programmes or arranging interactions with other institutes are other means.
The writer is Chancellor, KL Deemed-to-be University
