Teachers in transforming education

Dr Md Mahmudul Hassan :
Transformation in learning and teaching methods is very important in the development and progression of education. It, in fact, refers to transformation in education refers to systematic changes in the traditional educational mode which is reflected in teachers’ creativity and students’ participation in learning. The transformation that we have witnessed in education over the ages, especially post-Covid-19 situation, its pattern and strategy have taken place from structured to online mode where teachers’ skills and experience have become dominant.
The educational institutes all over the world had been closed for a long period due to Covid-19 and people were depressed and also panicked. The future education was heading towards an uncertain destination. As there was no physical class during the pandemic, so teachers completely transformed their teaching methods. Students were under house arrest and teachers were out of classrooms, but yet education stopped never or took a break. Rather, due to the dedicated efforts of the teachers and their sacrifices, the education system continued with new techniques. This is the transformation process in teaching strategy.
Due to indomitable brave action and overall support of teachers during Corona time, today the idea has been established that we do not need to worry about the educational loss in any future calamity. Whatever the method of education, we will always need the services of teachers.
In Corona pandemic, our education has fallen into crisis and millions of children have been deprived of their right to education. We have to pay a lot for this. Rethinking our education to address critical educational inequities, we must ensure all children of acquiring basic skills including digi-tech as imperative. Our respected teachers have also done this great task of change and transformation. But the sad fact is that many teachers today are not properly trained. They are undervalued and underpaid. Teachers also need to be respected and remunerated to bring about change and transformation in education. In order to revolutionize education, the concerned authorities should be more generous and open-hearted in terms of skills, recognition, respect and remuneration of teachers.
There are four transformations of education identified with the aim of creating a positive teaching-learning process from the perspective of students, which are more effective in national and international decision-making. They are:
(a) Performance: Performance or performance is the way in which the teacher teaches the students in terms of his experience and practical conditions. To succeed in education, the first priority of any reform effort is to build strong institutions for delivery and receipt of education, strengthen the performance of the education system, and ensure learning outcomes.
(b) Innovation: Adapting to the teaching style, the teacher adopts new techniques for students, so innovation or innovation transformation. Developing new and creative methods to achieve the right results by addressing any educational challenges that may arise in the future of a successful education system. Incorporation of innovation in education through application of modern technology is very important.
(c) Inclusion (Inclusive): Ensuring the same curriculum for all students is inclusion or inclusive transformation. Successful education systems must reach all, including the most disadvantaged and marginalized students. Discursive transformational approaches cannot close the learning gap in schools unless educators take additional steps to include and support students who are most at risk of learning. The poor, the discriminated against, the girl child and those facing deprivation must all be included.
(d) Finance: Investing more money to ensure good and inclusive education is economic transformation. A successful education system requires more and better investment. This investment is crucial to ensure that every child has access to free quality education from pre-primary to secondary level and to provide scholarships in higher education, the implementation of which depends on positive action by local and national organizations. In this case, demonstration of investment and reform commitment supported by the partnership and leadership of international organizations can be considered.
This transformation is not possible without the ethical cooperation of teachers to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. SDG-4 states that transforming education is not only a moral imperative, it can also be a country’s best economic investment, leading to revenue in education, future savings and better growth.
So no matter how many strategies and steps are taken to transform education, our teaching community is at the root of everything. We see that focusing on the education of all children requires teachers to first think of innovative ways to reduce educational disparities, moving the education system toward learning progress rather than curriculum completion. Education stakeholders and donors must also support governments in this regard to effectively and efficiently improve learning outcomes through various training and mentoring mechanisms.
For students who are behind or slow learners, teachers are finding innovative ways to focus on them as well, to ensure that all students can adopt outcome-based teaching strategies. Innovations in education have to be introduced as a collaborative effort by the teacher to achieve adequate acceptance and support. Moreover, it is these teachers who collaborate in innovation to ensure the customization and scalability of all education programs by defining the planning, investment and implementation phases of education stakeholders.
In this post-COVID era, just as the way students learn has changed, so have our teachers’ teaching strategies. Under the influence of modern technology of the fourth industrial revolution, radical changes and revolutionary changes have come in the education system. Science discovers new technologies and propels education into a new chapter of transformation. The amazing innovations introduced in education by artificial intelligence, machine learning, internet of thinking and robotics have changed the way we teach and learn. Thus, the innovative techniques that teachers have discovered in the transformative teaching-learning process have created an opportunity to focus more on the education of all marginalized students. So, let us all socially respect teachers in overall education management and arrange to collect innovative teaching materials, then the transformation of education at all levels will be fruitful and the quality of education in the country will improve.

(The writer is Principal, Daffodil International School, Dhaka).