Schools as centers of active learning<\/p>\n
Simon Marcus Gower, Executive Principal High\/Scope, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Children of today can often form quite a conundrum. Full of
\nenergy and expectations for life they may prove quite a handful
\nbut at the same time they can have short attention spans and
\nbecome easily bored if what they are exposed to is not
\nstimulating. The child of today may have 1001 distractions and
\nattractions to stimulate them and, unfortunately, reduce their
\npowers of concentration.<\/p>\n
Caught up in amongst all of this conundrum- and contradictory-
\nlike activity are parents and educators. Of course, there is
\nnothing new here; parents and educators have for eons struggled
\nwith the challenge of guiding and educating children. But perhaps
\nthe challenge of guidance and education is steadily increasing,
\nas our world becomes evermore complex and even perplexing.<\/p>\n
However, though the challenge facing parents and educators
\nalike is considerable, our understanding of the problems to be
\nmet is also increasing and assisting us. For example, many
\nteachers would be familiar with the experience of having children
\nattending their classes that are sleepy and seem too weary to get
\nthings done in the class. But, thanks to research, it is possible
\nfor us understand this and perhaps plan classes to accommodate
\nthe scientific reality of what is happening.<\/p>\n
Researchers in the United States have established that growing
\nchildren need more sleep than adults. We are probably all
\nfamiliar with the notion that a good night of sleep should last
\nfor about eight hours. Less common knowledge is the fact,
\ndetermined through research, that a growing child needs around
\ntwo hours more sleep than a adult does.<\/p>\n
Clearly this indicates that in a typical day it is quite
\nlikely that a child attending school is going to be sleepy.
\nMelatonin, the hormone that controls sleep, is much more active
\nin a growing child. For children then the motto of \"early to bed,
\nearly to rise\" seems appropriate and even more so in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
In the context of attending schools in Indonesia an early
\nstart is a pre-requisite, with schools in this country typically
\nstarting their day at around 7 a.m.<\/p>\n
The child that wants to stay up a little later to watch a
\nlittle more television or play a little more on a computer is
\ninevitably going to be the sleepy child at school the next day.
\nIn such a situation it is clearly incumbent on the parents to set
\nthe ground rules for school night activities so that the child
\nhas the best possible outlook and application to the next day's
\nactivities.<\/p>\n
But that word and notion of \"activities\" is an essential
\ningredient of a child's school life. Activity in the school is
\nneeded to encourage the child to become an active learner. For
\ntoo long schools have existed on the premise that the children
\nmay simply be looked upon as passive attendees. This is an
\noutdated and really rather useless concept for schools and
\nschooling in the twenty-first century.<\/p>\n
If children are to enjoy a successful, life forming and life
\nenhancing experience in school it is essential that they be given
\nopportunities to actively learn. This means that children, in
\nbecoming students at a school, need to be looked upon as active
\nparticipants in their own education.<\/p>\n
The school, the teachers, the other children within the school
\nand even the child's parents are all partners in this process of
\neducation. All can help facilitate the opportunities for active,
\ncooperative and participant based learning to take place.<\/p>\n
The teacher's role in this scenario is, then, one that
\nrequires that the teacher be close to the children that he or she
\nis responsible for. The teacher cannot be aloof, detached and
\neven dismissive of the children within the classroom. The teacher
\nneeds to be the spark that lights the fires of interest within
\nthe students' minds. Inevitably, then, this requires that the
\nteacher is able to listen to and understand the hopes and
\nexpectations of the students.<\/p>\n
The teacher must be able to, as much as is reasonably
\npossible, enter into the mindset of the students to be able to
\ndetermine what will stimulate them, what will spark their
\ninterest and what will set-up the foundations for active learning
\nwithin the classroom.<\/p>\n
This does not require that the teacher becomes the students'
\nbest friend or constant companion or baby-sitter. The teacher
\nmust still hold the respect and honor of the students but be able
\nto listen well and share in the students' concerns and interests.
\nIt would be a mistake, but one easily made, for teachers to feel
\nthat they must have the love and affection of their students. It
\nis fine to be a friend but a successful teacher does not always
\nrequire love from his or her students.<\/p>\n
It is most appropriate that a teacher achieves a position of
\nbeing well liked and respected. Under this kind of condition the
\nteacher is best able to stimulate active learning across the
\nentire classroom of students. Where notions of love and affection
\nhave been allowed to seep in, it is quite likely that the teacher
\nwill no longer be as fair and democratic, as he or she should be
\nwith attention across the room full of people.<\/p>\n
The teacher needs to be there for all of the students,
\nencouraging all of them to actively share in the learning
\nprocess. Favoritism will undermine the chances of shared,
\ncooperative and full participation learning taking place. Like
\nmany things in life, it is quite likely that the teacher's role
\nin guiding students towards the best qualities in learning will
\nbe one in which if the work is done well, little notice or
\nattention will be paid. But at the same time, if the work is not
\nproving successful, it will come to the attention of
\ncomplainants. This is a familiar experience across many facets of
\nhuman endeavor.<\/p>\n
Evidently, though, the challenge to teachers is great. This
\nmakes it all the more necessary that teachers possess the right
\nmix of creativity and physical and mental activity to accommodate
\nthe significant educational challenges to be met. A school needs
\nto be a hive of activity. The needs of the school, then, should
\nbe matched with the needs of the teachers. The teachers should
\nalso need activity, creativity, flexibility and full commitment
\nto actively learning themselves.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/schools-as-centers-of-active-learning-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}