There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration when one tries to answer the question: how can we raise the standard of our local education?
The main factors, however, remain the teacher and the learner/student. The learner/student must understand the subject and the teacher must teach in such a way that the content reaches the learner/student’s heart. These exercises are meant for those teachers, who can humbly admit that there is always room for improvement. This is an attempt to provide additional teaching skills. These skills are not taught at teacher training institutions, but they form the basis of my course: THE SECRET TO EXTRA-ORDINARY TEACHING. This is not just a mere theory. A theory can prove itself to be useless, if put into practice. This is a feedback, born out of real classroom experience and any teacher willing to try will begin to notice changes in her/his lessons. For new readers, I invite you to Google the previous articles.
The previous article suggested that Business Study teachers should study the life journey of Dr Frans “Oupa” Indongo and Dr Erastus “Chicco” Shapumba. That will have a tremendous impact on the learners/students, because (a) the subject becomes alive as the learners/students realise that you are not just talking in abstract theories and, (b) there might be one or two learners/students who will be inspired to emulate their steps, and finally, (c) it is always wise to take local examples…Bill Gates is just too far away for our learners/students.
Today’s article is all about gentleness during exams. What might be going through the mind of a Grade 12 learner? Let us take a look inside the mind of our learner/students right now. Their minds are filled with the content of their textbooks. The content of their textbooks is floating around in their brain and it does not take root within them, because it is mostly memorised information. Memorised means, that it is not analysed, thought through, or understood. There is that repetitive voice in their minds that keeps on saying: I must know this for the exams! I am going to be asked this and that during exams…God, please help me remember all of this! This is the tragedy of education nowadays. Learners/students really believe that the purpose of going to school is to pass exams. The question here is: what happens to the memorised information after the exams? Eighty percent of it will be forgotten. This means that school did not fulfill its real mandate: to equip the young person with the basic understanding of the world, so that he/she can become a productive member of society.
It is important that the teacher understands that right now, the learners/students just wants to pass. However, the teacher must remind the learners/students that exams are only there to test their understanding of the subjects. Therefore, the main focus should be on understanding the subject, not on memorising it. If the teacher remains gentle and patient, he/she will be able to convey this message to the students.
Exercise
Listen to the questions of your learners/students with a gentle ear. Remain gentle in your reply. Understand that they are nervous right now. Keep reminding them that it is better to understand than to memorise.
*Shapumba Ya Shapumba is the founder of Natural Learning Education Consultancy. He teaches how to obtain a+ in any subject (students) and the secret to extraordinary teaching (teachers). For booking: shapumbashapumba@yahoo.com or 0812786925