New Vision for Education

A common question teachers/folk ask is how do you respond when students give incorrect answers during a lesson/discussion without discouraging them. A common suggestion is to people suggest is along the lines of  'That's a good answer, anybody else?'. Now, that is obviously not a very good way of helping your learners grow. Although we don't want to discourage our students, above all else, you should never lie to them that they are right/correct when they are not. They lose trust in our guidance. One thing to not do is say nothing. You have to give students some form of feedback, otherwise there's no point in asking questions or holding class discussions. There are ways you can be honest and as well as encouraging; ways that don't involve shutting them down but also not making them feel they are correct when they clearly are not. 1. First things first, have a goal in mind for the questions you ask in class. Is it to check understanding, is it to probe further on...

As teachers & educators if we had our way, we would like to have the best teaching and learning resources and all the time we need to get our work done. However, this is clearly not usually the case, especially in poorer countries where high quality teaching and learning resources are not so readily available.  However, to be the best teacher you can be be, you are still charged with the responsibility of finding creative ways you can carry out your teaching to provide the best learning outcomes for your students. We all know that strategies such as putting copious notes on the board for students to copy or just talking at them does very little to help them develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to become fully developed and functioning individuals in society. There are several ways to keep the minds of your learners engaged in the learning process rather than sitting passively listening and taking notes throughout your lessons. Here are five (5) activities that ...

In the training field, we always have at least two elephants in the room; ' Why do I need to get trained, again? " and ' Who are you to teach me? '. Training takes away from time your participants would have spent on other important/urgent matters. Your adult learners may have been in many similar trainings. They would also ask themselves, why should they listen to you. These are important things to consider if we are aiming towards the best trainers we can be. Remember your role as trainer and understand the adult learner: When organizations hire us as trainers, they have a problem to solve or an opportunity they hope to exploit through the trainings we conduct. If your training doesn't result in a change in outcomes, then one would say you are an unsuccessful trainer, and rightfully so. Today, my work is mostly with university graduates entering Sierra Leone's workforce; the dynamic remains the same; 'Why do I need to be schooled again?' and 'Why ...

In 2017, The International Task Force of Teachers in its 10th Policy Dialogue Forum declared Teaching as a clinical-based practice profession - learn more  here . Teacher training is one of the most comprehensive forms of vocational training you can come across. Beyond basic teaching methodology and developing subject expertise, teachers are trained in a diverse array of subjects including sociology, psychology, community development, administration, measurement and evaluation etc. This makes sense when you consider that teachers are tasked with the responsibility of educating a country's people. When teachers use the cane, for me it shows a lack of professional sophistication and them walking away from standard educational theory and good practice used by their counterparts in all successful parts of the world. In over nine (9) years actively working in education across all levels, I am firmly coming to believe that the culture of using the cane in schools is too lazy for the kind...