In conversation with Dr. Sunita Gandhi, Founder, Global Classroom Private Limited (GCPL) & Global Education & Training Institute (GETI)
- What new skills are required by a teacher to cope with the younger generation?
Our education system needs leaders trained in non-cognitive skills, assuming they are already thriving at sustaining attention, improving logical reasoning, and taking care of the other cognitive skills. Our classrooms have shifted online reducing the attention span of young children making it critical for teachers to make a shift in their methods by including applications, techniques, and technology to promote skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, socio-emotional, and self-control.
- How to ensure teaching skills go beyond academic content delivery for students?
In order to enhance the classroom relationship, teachers could use different strategies to build confidence and improve communication with the students. This could happen with the help of techniques such as acknowledging participation & rewarding; giving & taking feedback on learning & teaching, respectively; and introducing informal meeting space to initiate conversations.
- What does research show is the best practice on education from around the globe?
There is not one superior way of teaching that meets all the standards, however, the one I personally find the most powerful is ipsative practice. In the education industry, ipsative assessment is one where a child’s only competition is himself/herself. This kind of approach makes it easier to measure progress and development as a teacher can take their past assessment as a basis for their current and future performances. It also establishes a healthy competitive environment.
- Well being of the teacher. Who cares for them?
Only a successfully thriving educational institution would take care of its teachers. The pandemic caught most of the teachers off-guard who had to make themselves tech-friendly, however difficult it was. Also, with the forces causing paradigm shifts in the classrooms, teachers have to prepare themselves with the most current job skills and institutions could play a huge role in ensuring their in-service training is up-to-date. Other than that, their mental health must also be kept.
- How do we replace the conventional style of teaching with modern methods?
We could do so by introducing creative ways techniques and strategies. The modern education system requires technology and tech-expert teachers to be able to impart knowledge with the help of project-based learning; co-operative learning; introducing games and puzzles to intrigue minds; problem-based learning; and other ways to contribute to their competency-based learning.
- What is the future of training modules for teachers and who provides best teacher training in India?
Our organization Global Education and Training Institute (GETI) is already making trainingprograms for in-service and pre-service teachers for years. The idea of changing the existing teachertraining format has helped many become better at their jobs. Schoolsare gladly accepting virtual classrooms and it is inevitable fair to assume it to be the future.So to help teachersovercome the fear of technology or ensure children are exposed to cognitive as well non-cognitive skills in an asynchronous teaching format, GETI uses its teacher training program to develop theirprofessional skills using new age methods and approaches.
