Until recently, many teachers only got one word of feedback a year: "satisfactory." And with no feedback, no coaching, there's just no way to improve. Bill Gates suggests that even great teachers can get better with smart feedback -- and lays out a program from his foundation to bring it to every classroom.
Teaching one child at a time
Educating the poor is more than just a numbers game, says Shukla Bose. She tells the story of her groundbreaking Parikrma Humanity Foundation, which brings hope to India's slums by looking past the daunting statistics and focusing on treating each child as an individual.
Need for plan to restore dignity to teaching
Need for plan to restore dignity to teaching - The Times of India
Those who study to be teachers get inadequate preparation for it in the BEd and DEd courses. We begin by setting a low bar for entrance to these institutions. To appear for the BEd entrance exam, candidates need to have only 50% marks in their university degree. In contrast, Finland, South Korea and Singapore recruit teachers from the top third of the graduating class in high school. These countries use a combined strategy encompassing compensation, prestige and labour-market responsiveness at the national level to attract high-quality talent.
Contrary to popular perception, teaching in India is now a relatively well-paying profession. The ratio of average teacher salaries to the national per capita income was at 3:1 before the 6th Pay Commission in 2006 revised salaries upwards. Now the ratio of a teacher's salary to the national per capita income is 5:1. In contrast, this ratio stands between 1 and 2 in OECD countries, and closer home, it is 1 in Bangladesh and 2 in Pakistan.
What, then, can we do to restore dignity to the profession and make it a career choice worth aspiring for?
Read on...
Those who study to be teachers get inadequate preparation for it in the BEd and DEd courses. We begin by setting a low bar for entrance to these institutions. To appear for the BEd entrance exam, candidates need to have only 50% marks in their university degree. In contrast, Finland, South Korea and Singapore recruit teachers from the top third of the graduating class in high school. These countries use a combined strategy encompassing compensation, prestige and labour-market responsiveness at the national level to attract high-quality talent.
Contrary to popular perception, teaching in India is now a relatively well-paying profession. The ratio of average teacher salaries to the national per capita income was at 3:1 before the 6th Pay Commission in 2006 revised salaries upwards. Now the ratio of a teacher's salary to the national per capita income is 5:1. In contrast, this ratio stands between 1 and 2 in OECD countries, and closer home, it is 1 in Bangladesh and 2 in Pakistan.
What, then, can we do to restore dignity to the profession and make it a career choice worth aspiring for?
Read on...
Gratitude, not money, drives teachers: Survey
HAPPY TEACHERS MAKE A BETTER WORLD!
HT, NEW DELHI: Students across the country may be planning to do something special for their mentors on Teacher’s Day on September 5, but a majority of teachers feel that the level of gratitude has gone down over the last decade or so.
According to a survey, the relationship between teacher and students is changing especially with the advent of technology.
According to 72% of the teachers surveyed, students acknowledged them for their success but 61% felt that the level of gratitude had declined over the last 10 years.
In Delhi, the decline seems sharper as 71% teachers felt students did not show them the same level of gratitude in NCT of Delhi against the national average of 61%. Only 58% teachers in Delhi felt students thanked them for their successes as opposed to the National average of 72%.
According to the survey conducted by Pearson, 76% teachers said they consider gratitude from students as the best form of recognition, even more than financial incentives (60%) or recognition from their management (62%).
The recognition, according to teachers, goes down as students get into colleges. The study covered 3,262 teachers from across the country of which 60% were from higher educational institutes.
Declining student interest was also a big factor that was worrying the teachers, the survey found out. It is, in fact, the biggest challenge facing teachers with 77% mentors rating it as their main worry.
“Learning, however, requires inspiration and direction and the teachers have to provide this direction. We need to see how teachers view the learning process and change with changing times. Teachers now need to have a higher objective for the learning process using the discipline,” said Lata Vaidyanathan, principal, Modern School, Barakhamba.
Teachers consider subject level knowledge the parameter on which they should be recognized (91% teachers). This was followed by innovation in teaching techniques (87%) and professional skills (86%).
HT, NEW DELHI: Students across the country may be planning to do something special for their mentors on Teacher’s Day on September 5, but a majority of teachers feel that the level of gratitude has gone down over the last decade or so.
According to a survey, the relationship between teacher and students is changing especially with the advent of technology.
According to 72% of the teachers surveyed, students acknowledged them for their success but 61% felt that the level of gratitude had declined over the last 10 years.
In Delhi, the decline seems sharper as 71% teachers felt students did not show them the same level of gratitude in NCT of Delhi against the national average of 61%. Only 58% teachers in Delhi felt students thanked them for their successes as opposed to the National average of 72%.
According to the survey conducted by Pearson, 76% teachers said they consider gratitude from students as the best form of recognition, even more than financial incentives (60%) or recognition from their management (62%).
The recognition, according to teachers, goes down as students get into colleges. The study covered 3,262 teachers from across the country of which 60% were from higher educational institutes.
Declining student interest was also a big factor that was worrying the teachers, the survey found out. It is, in fact, the biggest challenge facing teachers with 77% mentors rating it as their main worry.
“Learning, however, requires inspiration and direction and the teachers have to provide this direction. We need to see how teachers view the learning process and change with changing times. Teachers now need to have a higher objective for the learning process using the discipline,” said Lata Vaidyanathan, principal, Modern School, Barakhamba.
Teachers consider subject level knowledge the parameter on which they should be recognized (91% teachers). This was followed by innovation in teaching techniques (87%) and professional skills (86%).
International Teacher Development Institute
The iTDi Principles
Anything I can do, we can do better.
Whatever the problem, community is the answer.
Community has certainly been our answer. As we’ve worked to make iTDi a reality, our community has grown and helped us gain a better understanding of what these two principles mean in practice. As we open our doors to the world, it seems appropriate to share with you what we have come to believe about education and professional development and we now call the iTDi Principles.
1. Every teacher matters
The iTDi community is full of teachers studying side by side from all around the world. They come from every conceivable teaching context, with a full range of resources, support, and compensation. We’re all on a similar journey of development and we all have something of value to share with others. All teachers deserve equal respect.
2. We can always become better teachers
It doesn’t matter what your first language is or what qualifications you currently have. In other words, it doesn’t matter where you come from; it matters where you want to go. There is always something new that we can learn.
3. We learn better together
Teachers are perfectly capable of directing their own professional development. We have also learned, though, that there is real power in learning together. It can be more effective, it provides just the right amount of pressure to get more things done, and it can be entirely more enjoyable than working alone. When we succeed at learning together, we become even better with our successes.
4. Every teacher deserves access to professional development
Teachers who want to become better teachers should have the opportunity to do so. Teachers can’t always afford the time or money to travel to conferences or to enroll in degree or certificate courses. Professional development must be of the highest quality, accessible from remote locations, and affordable to all.
5. We are all learners
Although members of the iTDi faculty have years of experience in various areas of expertise, we are also ongoing learners. We expect to learn from the teachers who join our courses. You have unique insights and experiences to share, and your contribution to our community is invaluable. Every voice matters. We are all on the same journey as teachers and learners.
Anything I can do, we can do better.
Whatever the problem, community is the answer.
Community has certainly been our answer. As we’ve worked to make iTDi a reality, our community has grown and helped us gain a better understanding of what these two principles mean in practice. As we open our doors to the world, it seems appropriate to share with you what we have come to believe about education and professional development and we now call the iTDi Principles.
1. Every teacher matters
The iTDi community is full of teachers studying side by side from all around the world. They come from every conceivable teaching context, with a full range of resources, support, and compensation. We’re all on a similar journey of development and we all have something of value to share with others. All teachers deserve equal respect.
2. We can always become better teachers
It doesn’t matter what your first language is or what qualifications you currently have. In other words, it doesn’t matter where you come from; it matters where you want to go. There is always something new that we can learn.
3. We learn better together
Teachers are perfectly capable of directing their own professional development. We have also learned, though, that there is real power in learning together. It can be more effective, it provides just the right amount of pressure to get more things done, and it can be entirely more enjoyable than working alone. When we succeed at learning together, we become even better with our successes.
4. Every teacher deserves access to professional development
Teachers who want to become better teachers should have the opportunity to do so. Teachers can’t always afford the time or money to travel to conferences or to enroll in degree or certificate courses. Professional development must be of the highest quality, accessible from remote locations, and affordable to all.
5. We are all learners
Although members of the iTDi faculty have years of experience in various areas of expertise, we are also ongoing learners. We expect to learn from the teachers who join our courses. You have unique insights and experiences to share, and your contribution to our community is invaluable. Every voice matters. We are all on the same journey as teachers and learners.
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