Contemporary educational frameworks require the blend of the wisdom of conventional teaching with trendy technological understanding.

The strength of education is in the process whereby the teacher or the learner may or may not be in the vision of the other, in today’s world. The energy of passionate teaching and learning generated by “togetherness” of interaction, perception and fairness continues to make all the difference.

With strong fundamentals laid down by the flexible teacher, students are more prepared for the quantum leap in realising goals.

Passion

Passion focuses on the process and is undeterred by outcome. Teaching experience isn’t necessarily reflected only by duration of teaching, but also by the intensity of a teacher’s drive.

Experienced teachers support the energy when students lead and engage with the learning process, interjecting only if needed.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) furnish students with up-to-date info. Speaking skills can be practised through video conferencing and speech recognition software, but hard copy reads and face-to face peer dialogues enrich oratory passion and delivery style.

Post-COVID-19, the teacher may teach online or face- to-face or do a bit of both. When teaching, the teacher not only sees the real world, she visualises the virtual universe and facilitates both learning methods powerfully.

She clarifies concepts to an audience already possessing ‘intelligence’ of facts or rote learning by browsing the net. The teacher empowers the learning because she insists on core understanding of concepts by analysis, integration and creation, dismissing a shopping list of fragmented information!

“You’ve a task now to appreciate knowledge and apply it to solve the problem at hand. Break it down to manageable parts and store concepts, not in a cloud, but in your lithe minds!” she tells students, looking into their eyes, if she can. She’s happy to see the smile on their faces directly or virtually because for her, such interactions sustain the energy in her profession with enduring results.

The experienced teacher understands that assessments were never intended to cause anxiety or uproot motivation, but were meant to build on, for further development, from what students have come to realise and perceive.

Perceptions

Students of diverse backgrounds have different perceptions of technology and type of teachers. It takes a seasoned teacher, passionate about results, to sense subtle perceptions and to audit them for the benefit of teaching and learning.

For example, some students perceive YouTube Usage in Rural English Language (ESL) Classroom as suitable (International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2020).

Addressing important barriers in Orang Asli education, a study emphasises the usefulness of indigenous teachers in education for various insightful reasons (Pertanika Journal of Social Science and Humanities, 2018).

Prejudices

Technology encourages intercultural awareness.

At the outset, technology portrays impartiality and being free from bias but human data fed into it can be potentially skewed. However, an experienced teacher, through self-reflective practice can consciously reduce bias and unconscious attitudes or stereotypes. He or she works them out by determined awareness and self-assessment audits.

Students’ opinion always matter and their feedback, when embraced by mature and objective acceptance rather than by numerically computed values, are important to continued improvement and lifelong learning.

The teacher consciously reduces prejudice, is passionate about teaching and sensitive about the perceptions of students. He or she can never be replaced because today’s exceptional teaching duties are handled through unique human flexibility of knowledge and expertise.

-- BERNAMA

Dr Prameela Kannan Kutty is Professor of Paediatrics at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia.