Implication
of my philosophy for teachers as agents of change
Based on my philosophy, for teachers to be an agent of change there are certain requirements or standards that they must live up to. First of all, an educated teacher is someone who recognizes the era we are living in and be willing to adjust/adapt accordingly. What I mean is that teachers should know that they must leave behind the ancient practice where they used to be considered as experts in regards to teaching and learning and embrace the fact that now they must assume new roles as today’s educators in order for change to occur within the education system.
So what are agents of change? They are someone who causes or leads to change. Change, basically causes something to be different or it transform it totally. As it relates to teachers as agents of change, they are expected to move the expert-teachers principles where the teacher is the source of knowledge to the principles leading to life-long learning in which students construct their own knowledge.
For a teacher to be an agent of change he/she should play the role of a teacher-facilitator which I looked at in my philosophy where he/she conducts classes using concepts that can encourage or stimulate students to be active participants. By concepts I mean where the teacher has to be the guide on the side rather than a sage on the stage, create a favorable environment and other concept such as pair/group work, role play and project work which will facilitate meaningful and fun learning experiences.
Being a teacher-facilitator is not an easy role. It takes a lot from teachers especially those who have been exposed to ancient approaches who will now have to learn new approaches/techniques/strategies to carry out this role and at the same time be able to create change. However, if one looks at this issue in another perspective one will realize that it takes a teacher as an agent of change to be a teacher-facilitator because once the teacher is carried out his/her role as a facilitator then change has to occur within the teaching and learning process. In essence, there is positive implication of my philosophy and the role of teachers as agents of change since they are intertwined.
Secondly, a teacher whose carries out the role of an ethical/moral being is one according to my philosophy who is a role model. All professional suppose to live accordingly to ethical or moral standard. However, this can cause big problems within the profession because ethics and moral varies based on the individual. What can be seen as immoral act for me might not be necessary immoral for another person. Therefore when it comes to teachers as role model and ethical beings, there can be serious implications. They can be judged by their actions as being unethical, they may have to compromise many aspects of their lives such as their life style, their beliefs on morality etc., they will have to measure constantly each step of their actions in order to ensure that they are setting up good examples for students to follow. This, can have negative effect on teachers as it will add more pressure to them because not only they will have to live up to the required competency as a 21st century teacher but also to the ethical standard.
Author: Jempsline Massenat Bataille (2014)
Based on my philosophy, for teachers to be an agent of change there are certain requirements or standards that they must live up to. First of all, an educated teacher is someone who recognizes the era we are living in and be willing to adjust/adapt accordingly. What I mean is that teachers should know that they must leave behind the ancient practice where they used to be considered as experts in regards to teaching and learning and embrace the fact that now they must assume new roles as today’s educators in order for change to occur within the education system.
So what are agents of change? They are someone who causes or leads to change. Change, basically causes something to be different or it transform it totally. As it relates to teachers as agents of change, they are expected to move the expert-teachers principles where the teacher is the source of knowledge to the principles leading to life-long learning in which students construct their own knowledge.
For a teacher to be an agent of change he/she should play the role of a teacher-facilitator which I looked at in my philosophy where he/she conducts classes using concepts that can encourage or stimulate students to be active participants. By concepts I mean where the teacher has to be the guide on the side rather than a sage on the stage, create a favorable environment and other concept such as pair/group work, role play and project work which will facilitate meaningful and fun learning experiences.
Being a teacher-facilitator is not an easy role. It takes a lot from teachers especially those who have been exposed to ancient approaches who will now have to learn new approaches/techniques/strategies to carry out this role and at the same time be able to create change. However, if one looks at this issue in another perspective one will realize that it takes a teacher as an agent of change to be a teacher-facilitator because once the teacher is carried out his/her role as a facilitator then change has to occur within the teaching and learning process. In essence, there is positive implication of my philosophy and the role of teachers as agents of change since they are intertwined.
Secondly, a teacher whose carries out the role of an ethical/moral being is one according to my philosophy who is a role model. All professional suppose to live accordingly to ethical or moral standard. However, this can cause big problems within the profession because ethics and moral varies based on the individual. What can be seen as immoral act for me might not be necessary immoral for another person. Therefore when it comes to teachers as role model and ethical beings, there can be serious implications. They can be judged by their actions as being unethical, they may have to compromise many aspects of their lives such as their life style, their beliefs on morality etc., they will have to measure constantly each step of their actions in order to ensure that they are setting up good examples for students to follow. This, can have negative effect on teachers as it will add more pressure to them because not only they will have to live up to the required competency as a 21st century teacher but also to the ethical standard.
Author: Jempsline Massenat Bataille (2014)