You can’t go on teaching like this!

Teachers:

• Are you standing in front of the class most of the times sharing your knowledge?
• Do you still think knowledge is power?
• Do you think the South African CAPS curriculum approach, material and textbooks are workable, good or even great?

Then the content of this is aimed at you, whether you believe it or not. Why?

Because you are teaching for the previous age or epoch. Your methods are outdated and you don’t use new approaches to teaching. Let’s hope in the meantime your manger or your manager’s manager does not find out they remunerate you for skills that reached it’s ‘sell by date’. 

Traditional teaching defines as teaching as ‘transferring knowledge’ to learners. This definition exceeded its ‘best before’ date because the realities of the future call for a fresh definition of learning.

We need innovative teaching approached to prepare college and school leavers who can study further and get exceptional jobs.

Some more questions:

• Is it because college and school leavers are prepared for mediocre traditional jobs that universities and broadminded employers are not impressed with the learning standards? 
• Is it because school managers live in the past that schools cannot prepare learners for the future? 

What happens currently?

Two issues are currently addressed to solve the problem.

First they review the curriculum. Despite reviewing the school curriculum three times in 20 years and putting learners through 12 years of schooling, school leavers are not prepared for society in general and for the workplace in particular.

The problem is not about the curriculum i.e. subject content, it is about teaching better.

Secondly, they focus on school management. This seems to bear fruit, but the education standards are still appalling.

Decision makers need to realize that teachers should become teachers for the conceptual age and subsequently start driving the process. This places a specific responsibility on institutions training teachers as this implies that they train teachers for the industrial/information age. Or where else do teachers obtain their current skills? 

What led to the end of the ‘shelf life’ of traditional teaching?

The world outside teaching moved from the agriculture age through the industrial age to the information age and now into the conceptual age. Teaching is still focused on empowering learners for the industrial and information age. 

How can I say this?

The information age is amongst other, recognized by education systems which aims to equip learners with knowledge. Teachers believe learning is about assimilation of information and subsequently tell learners: ‘Knowledge is power’. This age was steered by workplaces which remunerated workers according to what they knew and can do in a set environment.

Traditionalists teach workers to be bound to acquire pre-set insight and problem-solving skills needed for predicable and re-occurring workplace problems. This, while the world of work is ever changing.

In countries with good education systems, knowledge workers became readily available commodities. Countries with less good education systems still lack skilled workers. Where does South Africa fit into? What are our needs?

The conceptual age

This age call for workers who can add value to the workplace by seeking solutions for future challenges.

Such workers must have drill down inquiring minds, be strong on ideation, have strategic imaginations and skilled to continuously de-learn and re-learn concepts.

Their conceptualization of problems, challenges ideas and solutions should be swift and flexible to survive in a world where change is the only constant factor. 

The characteristics of teaching in the information age

When people design curricula they think in terms of information. They ask questions like: What information is most important for learners to know?

When teachers design lessons they think in terms of information. They ask questions like: What are the best ways to transmit that information to the learners? How can the content be simplified and digested best to make it understandable and learnable? This focus is limiting and distorting the purpose education. 

The system impairs people to become better thinkers and problem-solvers in new contexts. The system needs to move beyond the information-centric approach.

Reasons why institutions stick to old habits?

Teaching is still focused on empowering learners
for the industrial and information age.

Schools are deeply rooted in 19^th and 20^th century practices based on old-fashioned and outmoded industrial-oriented teaching approaches.

Transformation is hampered by pedagogical traditions, administrative stubbornness and academic politics.

These serious failure to evolve results in rejection anything new. Yes, they play it “safe”.

Another reason is probably pure conservatism by decision-makers who was promoted through the ranks having the view that nothing is wrong, so nothing need to be fixed.

The characteristics of teaching for the conceptual age

Educationists realized learning is not about transmission of information. They understand they cannot simply pour information into the heads of learners. Teachers teaching for the conceptual age understand learning is an active process where learners have to construct their own understandings of the world around them through active exploration, experimentation, discussions and reflection. In short: learners should not get ideas; they should devise them.

Employers expect workers to demonstrate ‘thinking skills’. Teachers who understand the concept of constructive learning see thinking skills as mental muscles which can be exercised to become fit. For them mental muscles refer to is the human capacity to think in conscious ways to achieve certain purposes. 

Thinking skills include abilities such as remembering, communication, questioning, creating new concepts, planning, reasoning, imagining, solving problems, making decisions and judgments, translating thoughts into words, etc.

The definitions of learning to take cognizance of

The inappropriate definition of a successful learner within the information age is a person who could swiftly understand what is being explained by a teacher or described in books. Then being able to apply the information, analyze it, then synthesize it and when needed evaluate it. (Bloom)

A successful learner within the conceptual age is a person who can employ the ‘knowledge’ as per Bloom’s taxonomy using mind tools to create fresh concepts which are fit for new contexts.

Instead of defining teaching as internalizing information/solutions/etc. from the external world, the conceptual age the definitions of learning for the conceptual age is: constructing internal concepts and providing them to the external world as solutions.

Learning is about concept creation, developing procedures, adaptive reasoning with the view to reposition from a disposition.

People’s thinking tools manifest in insight, alternative ways of solving problems, working with probabilities, new visions, creativity, inventiveness, ingenuity, originality and imagination.

Instead of being pattern sniffers, learners should be pattern creators. 

The nutshell solution (PLEASE NOTE: THERE IS MUCH MORE TO IT)

1.       As background look at the following YouTube clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U)

2.       Refrain from translating the curriculum into lessons i.e. simplify textbook content and offer it to learners. Rather develop challenging learning activities which enable them to derive to answers themselves.

3.       Do not ask a question to the class and move from one learner to the nest to get the correct answer (no learning will take place). Rather ask a question to an individual, follow the answer up with another learner and bounce it back to the first learner (learning will take place).

4.       Organize learners in discussion and work groups give them assignments (be in close proximity to guide – do not provide answers and solutions) and expect feedback. Use the feedback as platform for further deliberations.

5.       Let learners explain how they arrived at answers. Discuss their thinking not their answers. They will eventually arrive at the correct answer themselves.

Written by: Dr Cas Olivier

Bullying in Schools

Bullying in schools is sadly a common problem and there is no school who does not struggle with it on some level at some point.

Children need to understand that bullying is only a “pretty” word for abuse and the South African Laws are changing regarding rights of the abused.  Bullying comes in many forms and we see less physical bullying and more cyber and social bullying happening in our schools.  With children all having cellphones, and having access to all types of social media it has become a playground for bullies to say what they want, as they feel protected behind a screen, and feel they can say things they would not normally have the guts to say to someone’s face.

Social bullying, excluding someone from a group or targeting someone as a group, has also been a new trend. Children feel “stronger” as group, supporting each other. 

We need to first understand why bullies bully. The bully is someone who has VERY low self esteem but wears a mask to show the world he/she is untouchable. It is this insecurity which allows the bully to feel more powerful when a group supports him/her.  Anger and frustration about something happening at home, or being bullied themselves before, might also be the reason for now targeting others and feeling a false sense of power.  This feeling often fades within seconds, while the victim could be scarred for life.

The seriousness of bullying does not seem to be understood within some schools.  More children cut, and even consider suicide, than ever before due to feeling a sense of hopelessness, being a constant victim of bullies. 

How do we stop this vicious cycle? 

Bullies need to be challenged on a regular basis to find the source of their anger and why they want to victimise others.  A zero tolerance to bullying should be implemented at all schools and at home. Almost 50% of children complain to us that they are the victims of sibling bullying. 

With so many divorced parents and step-siblings having to share homes, there are often battles having to be fought at home and the frustration is carried to school, where they want to take their power back by victimising someone else. Children feeling their parent are not standing up for them against a step brother or sister develops anger and frustration, and so the cycle begins.

Liesl is a motivational and inspirational speaker and
also visit schools to show that we are not alone in this
world and we are all having a difficult time with this
thing called "life."

What can one do to stop bullying? 

Rule one is stand up for others.  Never watch someone being bullied without making an attempt to stop it.  Some day someone might have to stand up for you.

Bullying is a symptom and we need to treat the cause. The cause can be treated with more positive than negative input. By each person giving compliments instead of breaking someone down.  We live in a very negative world and only when we make an effort to change it with small steps will we see the problem of abuse filtering out.

To those who are being bullied. ALWAYS understand that the bullying is not about you. It is about the bully who has issues. Never take it personal.  It does not always take the pain away but the pain might be less as we tend to take things so personal. 

A very simple story I use in talks is the following.  A few days ago a huge pink pig started chasing me down the road and it traumatised me.  I decided never to deal with it, just pretend it never happened.  Yesterday I found myself telling a child in our school with a pink top she looks SO ugly and why would she even think she is beautiful wearing pink? Well the thing is, there is nothing wrong with the girl, or her pink top, I am the one who still has issues about pink and haven’t dealt with it.  Now I am trying to make it other people’s problem and I have just turned myself into a bully in the process.

Moral of the story, deal with your own stuff, focus on your own life and be the best you can be! If we all did that, this world would be a much better place.

Written by: Liesl Schoonraad