Do we need an Educational revolution? Education, do we need a rethink, a new approach, a revolution?

Education, do we need a rethink, a new approach, a revolution?
Changing the mindset of educators and administrators.

Is today’s educational mindset keeping up with the demands of our ever-changing world? Are Governments and those whom control the private education sector doing justice to the future needs of our youth, those who are destined to be our impending leaders, or are they more bent on maintaining the status quo for the sake of ease of operation? Do we need to rethink our approach to how we prepare our future generations, our future leaders, those who will one day decide the policies, the laws that determine how we live, or, should we maintain the present state of affairs?

For far too long, in many countries, we have had the wrong attitude when it comes to teaching. It is believed, by many, that the teacher is the sole source of intelligence within the classroom and that students are mere societal commodities to control, and program as we see fit. Regardless of their age, students are the silent, intelligent majority, an under-appreciated and under-utilized commodity when it comes to the contribution of input into how the teaching of our classes need be conducted.

In our perpetual societal development, do we relegate the concept of educational innovation and transformation into a basket labelled “Too hard”, “Out of sight, out of mind”, or maybe “ We will have to think about that sometime in the future”, or, do we inspect, evaluate and modify our present approach to education?

Do we need, “An Educational Revolution”?

There is a time old belief that teachers teach, and students listen and learn, but, in today’s world, our students need to learn skills that are far different to those that were required in their parents and grandparents days. Today’s students will enter a world where one day they will be required to work autonomously, and the next day, to be a commensurate contributing member of a team. How will they ever be prepared for these challenges if we do not initiate the learning process in the classroom?

It is for this reason that today, for an English class to be successful, it must have certain characteristics;

1. Today’s classes must be student focused.

Unlike days gone by, professionals today need to be able to perform to a high standard in all situations, and this requires them being educated, and prepared in a way where they are given a voice, in a way where they are able to freely use their intelligence to evaluate, plan and create. For us to be able to prepare future professionals, with the skills that are essential for success, It requires a dramatic shift in educational attitude from the failed, age old modes that should be relegated to the history books, to that where the students collective mindsets take control of a specific percentages of their daily learning process opposed to simply sitting, listening and completing activities. To deny students the right to use their abilities, their freedom to think, the freedom to make decisions, the opportunity to create or to use their intelligence in the classroom is too heavy a burden for today’s youth to carry if they are to have a successful future. Teachers need to create activities for your classes where they push their students to be the best that they can be, where they open their minds and utilize their imagination and where they test them beyond the norm through the extensive use of activities where students must think, plan and create. Every day, push your students to be the best that they can be.

2. Create a collaborative environment

There is an old expression “No man is an island”, and today, more than at any other period in history, this is relevant for the greater proportion of the population in almost every country. Today, both government and the private sector demand so much more from their staff than they ever have expected before, and one of the skills most sought after is the ability for cohesive team building. Today, as teachers, we need to teach our students from the youngest age the skills required for them to get along with their peers, to be able to work together in a cooperative manner and to relish the feeling of success through teamwork. Students sitting in lines, quietly completing worksheets, or activities in a book no longer washes, it is counter-productive and will undoubtedly produce negative results. Get them up, get them moving, get them thinking, get them creating, but most of all, get them growing intellectually.

3. Students need to learn through authentic context.

I have a saying, “We don’t live in books, and life is more than just 5 sentences”. Ultimately, for a certain percentage of our students, English will form an essential part of their lives when at some time in the future, they will have the opportunity to live, work or study in an English speaking country. This is the scenario upon which the teaching of English is based, it is the objective to which we aim for each and every day of our professional lives as we plan, and teach our classes. But, for this to become a reality, our teaching must go beyond the mere completion of worksheets or pages in a book, it must include activities where students are able to incorporate English into their daily lives. Teachers need to create a wide variety of activities where students are able to relate the English that they are learning into activities that are attached to specific aspects of their daily lives. We need to teach English in a way where students are able to visualize the language in their minds by being able to associate it with their own lives. Through the implementation of methodology based upon activities that focus on the students’ lives, teachers will be able to accomplish this goal, and ultimately, heighten a student’s ability to escalate their English skills through enhanced skills of comprehension.

4. A teacher’s attitude and their relationship with their students.

Right throughout history, teachers have been a very important factor in a student’s life. When they have problems at home, they are their preferred alternate ear, when they are bullied, they are their protectors, when they seek advice, they are their impartial counselors. They are the smile they seek when they are sad, the hug when they need reassurance and the unbiased opinion when their parent “Just don’t understand what it’s like to be young”. For a teacher to fulfill this most important of roles, certain characteristics are required.

(a) Teachers must always smile. There is an old expression, “When you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with you” A smile is addictive and can dramatically change the environment in a classroom. Teachers should never lose the smile from their face, no matter what.

(b) Teachers must always have a positive attitude. Sometimes, for students, a teacher can be the unique positive attribute in their lives, someone who through their reinforcing words, can resolve many of the major issues that they are facing.

(c) A teacher gives encouragement. Unlike adults who have gained confidence and wisdom through experiences, most students, whilst appearing to be confident on the outside, actually face enormous uncertainties on an almost daily basis. Good teachers support their students through positive reinforcement, encouragement and advice.

5. A teacher must put themselves into the shoes of their students. If you are 40 years old, and you are teaching 14 year olds, then you must think like a 14 year old, adopt a style of methodology that they will enjoy and do everything that you can to meet their expectations. Remember, you are teaching them, not yourself, and that they are the ones who should be happy and satisfied with their class, not you. Too many teachers fail because they only teach activities that they enjoy doing, rather than activities that suit their students.

6. Our students are our greatest teachers. Talk, Listen & Respect. Allow then to give input. Even though we believe that we know exactly what we are doing every day, and that what we do is perfect, teachers are neither perfect nor infallible. I have always listened to my students, asked them to design activities, asked them for input on how they would like to learn and I even schedule peer-teaching activities on a regular basis. By listening to students ideas, and actually seeing how they teach their peers opened my eyes to their expectations, their ideas, and ultimately made me a better teacher.

7. Create an environment of success in your classroom that creates both student enthusiasm and personal pride as you watch their achievements. Open the door of your classroom, metaphorically pick up everything negative and throw it outside. Create an environment of encouragement, of positivity, of success. Congratulate every student for their achievements, equally, no matter how they fared. If their scores are low, give them a “Well done, every day you are getting better” and tell them that you are proud of them, and their efforts. For many students, high achievements are impossible to attain for a variety of reasons, and these students often live with continual negativity from their parents, family, friends and peers who wrongly believe that by dishing out negative comments, they can magically motivate them to try harder and achieve more. A teacher can counteract this negativity through the creation of a positive, supportive and reinforcing environment. We cannot all be Einstein, be we all deserve respect, and acknowledgement for our hard work and efforts.

8. We must motivate our students to want to learn English. One of the primary problems facing English teachers today is that students do not know why they are learning English and that if they study hard, and achieve a high level, that one day they could use this language to take advantage of opportunities to live, work or study in other countries. Even Governments, and private education providers, who either pay rudimentary lip-service to the importance of English, or who out rightly dismiss it and its importance, relegating it to the status of a secondary subject, have no idea as to the multitude of opportunities that English can bring into the lives of students. Teachers need to educate both themselves, and their students to the importance of English, to how it will help them professionally, how it will open the door to international opportunities and how these opportunities will enhance their future lives. We teachers must motivate our students so as they embrace English and take advantage of every opportunity that it will present for them in their future lives.

So, do we need an educational revolution? Do we need a new mindset? Are things actually changing, and if they are, is it fast enough to meet the expectations that todays globalized world will place upon our future generations? Well, the answer to that question will depend upon who you are as a teacher, your country, where you are teaching and the mindset of those in positions of authority who hold sway over you, and your unending desire to be a successful teacher. The most important thing though is that we, as teachers, are motivated, and prepared to meet the needs of todays students, and their future needs, and that we motivate our students to the importance of English so that they embrase the subject in order to take advantage of the multitude of opportunitiies that will present themselves in the future.

Do we need an educational revolution? Why dont you be your own mini-revolution, and each day, wage war in your own classroom.

Good Luck

David White
Managing Director English For You Language Institute Trujillo Peru.
Headmaster American School (Bilingual ib school) Trujillo Peru
International conference presenter
International academic consultant.
dwenglishforyou@outlook.com