Arthur C. Clarke said, 'When you've got interest, you have education'. But, if you have interest, can you educate yourself without the guidance of a teacher?
Sugata Mitra thinks that children are quite capable of educating themselves, given the right tools, without the aid of teachers, and he proves it by his hole-in-the-wall experiments. Watch him on this video talking about these experiments. Most interesting indeed.
I have to disagree. Whatever field or subject a child learns, there must be a TEACHER to at least guide him/her. Learning without a teacher might lead to the wrong concept. Sorry...
ReplyDeleteNo need to be sorry, Dess. It's all a bit of tongue-in-cheek, really, but the truth of the matter is that the way we teach has to evolve with the times. Kids now don't lead the lives we led when we were their age, so the way they are taught has to reflect these changes.
ReplyDeleteWhat are obsolete, if I may so, are teachers who refuse to accept changes, those who refuse to see the benefits of the digital world, such as mobile phones and social networks, those who refuse to incorporate ICT in their classroom, and then claim that their students have no interest in education.
Agree to a certain extend. True..that there is a vast change in the teaching and learning proses. Teachers must adapt to the change. The problem is that the new batches of teachers nowadays tend to neglect the human part of the learning and teaching proses. For example, students tend to "cut and paste" their homework or doing "folios" in certain subjects eg Geography and History. In fact this batch of teachers themselves are the "cut and paste" generation.. i hope you know what I mean.. But for Science and Maths subjects, there is no short cut to the learning proses. Either you learn the right concept or you are out... That's what I think....
ReplyDeleteInteresting point ,Chiew and Dess. I'm trying not to become obsolete.
ReplyDeleteI think teachers have to accept the challenge. There's a whole world outside our classrooms to learn and explore.
As Dess says they need guidance, but if we leave our place as a person who KNOWS EVERYTHING, and sit beside them...we'll transform them from empty boxes-to-full to critical whole life learners.
Hugs from Argentina
Yes, Dess, teachers have to be on the lookout for the cut & paste students, naturally. Just as Arthur Clarke says, 'If a teacher can be replaced by a machine, he should.' So, teachers have to constantly look for new ways to engage the students to think, to create, to be original.
ReplyDelete*Susana, thanks for your comment. I would think if a teacher is reading this blog and are, at least, having a look at the activities, he is 'saved'. ;)
It's those who don't that we have to convince, don't you think?
*TIC, thanks for the link - I'll check it out.