Patna maths wizard Anand Kumar’s Super-30 initiative, that helps poor students crack IIT-JEE exams, has been selected as one of Asia’s best for 2010 by Time magazine. Kumar believes that it is the job of teachers to create an environment where students can excel. Members of the academic fraternity Speak Up
Interactive engagement helps students grasp the subject better
I completely agree that guiding students to excellence depends on how teachers involve and engage their students. Teaching in creative fields requires a completely different approach than in engineering or other technically-oriented fields. For leading students to excellence in photography, writing, acting or any other creative field, teachers must open the student’s eyes to the different perspectives of the art he / she is learning.
Teachers should create the right environment that will excite the student’s curiosity. Teaching in an interactive way and allowing students to participate and debate helps them grasp the subject better. A teacher is responsible for ingraining the concepts into the minds of students.
A teacher can build a rapport with his students, if he is aware of their talents, skills and capabilities. If you want to help students excel in academics, I would say don’t teach them, but illuminate them on the subject, and make it interesting. Let the students familiarise themselves with the subject, as their participation is very important.
—Jayram Mani, course mentor, DES, Fergusson Academy of Creative Sciences
Teachers should be understanding, have in-depth knowledge of subject
Nowadays in education sector, one sees a rise in quantity, but decline in quality. Teachers are no more involved in enhancing their quality of teaching. I do agree that there are a few good teachers, but nearly 85% of them don’t know their job. In fact, we must stress on starting a ‘teach the teacher’ programme across the country, which can be initiated by the ministry of human resources development and the University Grants Commission (UGC).
If we talk about education, then quality teaching is missing at the higher-level. To guide students to academic excellence, teachers should be more understanding and have an in-depth knowledge of the subject. Self-study is very important to improve on teaching. Teachers are in a better position to guide students, if their teaching is research-oriented.
—Vijay Dev, former principal, SP College
Teachers should keep upgrading their knowledge from time to time
Teaching plays a special role in the development of a student, if a teacher has confidence in a student’s capabilities and makes sure that he / she does it. This way a magical transformation can happen. The students are already intelligent, what the faculty has to do is encourage them. Students also value and realise their teachers’ efforts. You generally find students bunking or missing classes in arts, science and commerce streams because what is taught has become obsolete.
Today, there is so much going on and students are also well informed. Teachers must have more dialogue with students, and for that they have to keep upgrading their knowledge. In return students must also value and appreciate the efforts put in by their teachers.
—Indira Parikh, founder-president, FLAME
Students bunk classes because they do not find lectures inspiring
I agree that teachers play an important role in creating an environment where students can grow and excel. Teaching requires a lot of involvement.
In the field of education, teaching is everything and it certainly is more than a college building, money or other infrastructure. Involvement and commitment is very important, but unfortunately nowadays teachers are not involved or committed to what they do.
Students miss or bunk lectures only because they don’t find the lectures inspiring. With 25 years of experience in this profession, I know that students will not bunk classes and never miss a lecture, if your teaching is influencing and inspiring.
—R Raj Rao, author and professor of English, University of Pune
Today’s teachers are more informed, but they lack commitment
In the 21st century, modern education has several aspects to it. Apart from teachers, students are also influenced by the quality of the curriculum, textbooks, school campus and other infrastructure.
Though a teacher’s role is pivotal, all the other factors also have an impact on students’ performance. For every failure you cannot blame the teachers. Education is about all round development of a child. I find today’s teachers more aware, informed and energetic, but what they lack is commitment. Their lack of commitment could be because of monotonous work or limited opportunity for upward mobility. Ideally, we say that teaching is a noble profession, but that is not what is being practised.
—Prasad Joshi, associate professor, Adarsh B.Ed. College
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