nd instructions seemingly spoils the learning-spirit of students and at times they tend to hate the entire business of ‘overly directed learning’. Leaving them alone helps. It encourages self-reflections, self-learning and most importantly breaks the monotony.
COVID-19 pandemic forced teaching and learning to go online in a big way. Teachers and students both embarked upon a journey into several unchartered territories of online world. It all started with difficulties and subtle sense of negation. Then started the phase of explorations, experimentations and adaptation. Finally, as it got extended further, there started a third phase wherein both teachers and students admitted their love for online teaching and learning. This empirical story of exploration through the three phases of negation, adaptation and falling in love with the online teaching and learning reveals perfect demonstration of ‘Stockholm Syndrome’.
Feedback is a magic wand which can open several gates of learning for students. However, the efficacy of feedback as a tool of learning would largely depend upon the manner in which feedback is given as well as the time when feedback is executed. As a faculty we must also learn the art and science of taking and giving feedback, of course both formal and informal.
Passion and purpose are central to building an academic culture and they are also interchangeably depending upon each other. Without passion, no purpose can travel a long way, while without purpose, passion alone cannot produce desired results. If we continuously work on these 4 precepts, it is possible to build an academic culture which delivers, thrives and resonate with students and faculty in equal measures.
Indeed, there are bad days in our teaching experience, but, we also have several wow-moments in our teaching. A day to reckon with and a day to remember forever, for many things we did in creating such a wonderful experience in the classroom. Appreciative inquiry allows focusing on positive and happy experiences towards building better teaching plans and of course our future as an effective teacher.
The hallmark to lead our new generation of students in right direction is to strongly demonstrate what precisely we expect them to do. Students get energised and motivated to do more when they see teachers amply demonstrating qualities, in words and in action, which they really wanted students to develop. This is especially highly applicable when it comes to our ‘first generation learner’.
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan’s life has a magical intertwining for
what it means being a teacher. The KRA (key result areas) centric approach to teaching will ensure ‘instrumental values’ for students. However, it is just one side of the deliverables. Learning experience of a student becomes a transformational journey, when the teacher choses to ‘go beyond the KRA’ and embrace duty and service as the credo. It is only through this approach and attitude that the ‘intrinsic value’ of education can be delivered. It is indeed a win-win situation, both for teachers and students.
Role of a teacher as mentor is indubitable; however, it needs to be re-enforced emphatically to achieve greater good. Learning the art of mentoring can go a long way in enhancing outcome.
A lot has been written and said about gurus on the occasion of Guru Purnima* day. From teaching-learning perspective in higher education, what would a guru like the shishya to be? Three blessings from guru would make a student what it would take them to be and also improve the teaching-learning in higher education.
The Learning Corridor 