How to mould amazing citizens of the future
Former schoolteacher Yvonne Kgame, editor of School TV, spoke to the Teacher about classroom success
“A good teacher has the necessary knowledge, skills and values, and is well equipped to lead, teach and model best practice to her learners.”
Kgame, who taught science and English at Kagiso Senior Secondary School in Krugersdorp, says a good teacher needs to be courageous and always believe in him/herself. “A good teacher believes in the profession, his/her career and most of all in the learners’ potential to be amazing future citizens.”
Kgame says no teacher is complete without showing care and empathy for her learners.
An educator, she adds, has to be committed and consistent. “A teacher charged with energy and driven with inspiration to teach for reasons beyond money and status stays committed to his/her humble calling.”
How does one become a good teacher?
“Teachers have an innate inspiration and passion to make a difference in the educational lives of learners. Teachers need effective time-management skills, to be able to integrate resource material into the curriculum, use prescribed books, be an effective communicator, identify learner needs and values, among other measures.”
Kgame says patience, a sense of humour and persistence, openness, enthusiasm, an inquiring mind of a continuing learner and self-awareness are essential qualities for success in the classroom.
“I agree with Pablo Casals that every second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that never was before and never will be again.
“And what do we teach our children in school? We teach then that Paris is the capital of France. We should say to each of them: ‘Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In millions of years that have passed, there has never been another child like you’.”
Kgame says the best method of teaching is one that empowers learners, motivates and helps them achieve set learning and teaching goals. “The customary method of teaching and learning which emphasises content and memorising facts of the syllabus for the purpose of passing an exam is a demoralising and futile exercise. Mediation empowers learners to develop a deeper understanding of what is being learned by getting them to use what they already know to help them understand things that they are learning about.”
Kgame says in a classroom where learners play an active and responsible part on their learning, teachers and learners work together in partnership. “Negotiation of learning between teacher and learners is more likely to result in learning experiences which cater for the particular needs, interest, abilities of the learners, and to result in clear, attainable outcomes. Teachers and learners can work together with a sense of direction and confidence which results from an understanding of the learning activities,” she said.
Kgame added that negotiation, for example, in language classroom depends on various factors, including the personality of the teacher, the cultural background of the learners and the teacher, the maturity of the learners, and their experience in making decisions. “There can be differing degrees of negotiation in a classroom, ranging from incidental negotiation, in the context of a learning environment which is largely teacher-directed, to negotiation which filters through into all aspects of the learning situation.”
Teachers, Kgame said, should treat learners as individuals with their own needs, feelings, thoughts and interests, as well as provide them with opportunities to participate in a wide range of activities. In addition, they should expose learners to data which is comprehensible and relevant to their own needs and interests and help learners to focus deliberately on various forms, skills and learning strategies in order to support the process of learning. Teachers need to provide learners with appropriate feedback about their progress; with opportunities to manage their own learning; and assess them continuously.
In turn, learners are motivated by a feeling of being able to apply knowledge, skills and values, a sense of achievement based on the learner’s own perception, opportunities for independent learning, exposure to new experiences, reflection of familiar environments, provision of a rich mixture of thought-provoking activities, formal work, problem-solving activities and fun exercises.
– The Teacher/M&G Media, Johannesburg, September 2001.