The making of the new teachers!

A new school year is always an exciting time! For the members of The New Teacher, June 2012 is an exceptionally exciting new school year. Having spent the last two months in an intensive programme learning about and experiencing what it means to be an effective and reflective teacher, the benefits of active learning, and how young people really do learn, they are ready to take on their classrooms by storm.

Some with decades of experience, others fresh out of college, the members of The New Teacher learned through readings, discussions, group activities, individual projects and videos what it means to be an effective educator in today's schools.

Concentrating on the parts of the brain, all the uses and purposes of Bloom's revised taxonomy and how the Indian education system reached its current state, among countless other topics, this batch of New Teachers, learned, laughed and even sang their way into a cohesive and dedicated group.

On the closing day of the workshops, one participant mentioned how “I won't use the term 'slow learner', now that I know what it can really mean.” Another, citing the diamond lesson plan explained,  “now I know how important planning is to teaching” and another remembered “all the ways students can be involved while learning.”

As the weeks ahead unfold into classroom teaching, these brave and determined teachers will be implementing all that they've learned in the workshop sessions. And, as they turn the traditional teaching-learning rules upside-down and backwards, all of us at The Teacher Foundation will be cheering them on, helping them articulate clear “ABC” objectives, planing for group work and reminding them to think about the students. And the importance of patience, energy and a good sense of humor.

Cheers to The New Teachers!

Posted by Julia Bach, TTF Bangalore