"Optimanage.com"

On "Teaching"

By Adel J. Helou

"Teaching" is one of the most prominent, important, critical and useful activities of the human race. Teaching (and training) allows the transmission and propagation of knowledge from one generation to the next; it ensures maintaining knowledge and permits the survival, development and progress of our race.

Teaching may be defined as "the ability to transmit acquired knowledge (information and skills) to other individuals and groups in a manner that would facilitate understanding the subject matter, appreciate the topic, know its value, know how to use that knowledge and commit this knowledge to memory to be able to remember this material, recall it when needed and use this knowledge correctly and appropriately".

The above demonstrates the importance of the role of teachers in society. Moreover, it indicates that preparing teachers is very valuable to the development of a community. Throughout history teachers were highly regarded. The better teachers were sought after and chosen to teach and advise kings, rulers and their families. In modern times the best teachers are chosen to teach in prestigious schools and universities, to produce well educated students that can realize their own goals in life and serve their communities.

Teaching is a vocation - a person’s wish to transmit knowledge to others. Teaching is also a skill that can be learned by willing individuals. The making of a teacher needs an individual with high moral values, integrity and honesty. The teacher is expected to be a role model for his/her students. The teacher is a live example that students would emulate and imitate.

In addition to a good character and personality, a teacher must have a good command of the language used in teaching. A teacher should use correct grammar and the right words and expressions in class. This will elevate the students’ sense of language and will help them improve their level when using the language.

A good teacher understands the students and their needs. He/she understands the psychology of the students in every age-group. The teacher knows how to reach students to transmit knowledge to them. In order to succeed in teaching it is important for a teacher to have very good command of the subject matter presented to students. A teacher should have good presentation skills. These skills will help the teacher to stand with confidence in front of a class while presenting the topics of the lesson as well as answering questions. One of the aspects of presenting information is the ability to organize information in an orderly manner. Knowing the subject matter and organizing that information will help a teacher explain the topics well. In turn, students will assimilate the information easily and effectively.

A teacher’s first task will be to understand the nature of learning. In simple terms, learning is cumulative and needs time to take place. Learning is also acquired in steps – one piece of information after another (1). See the figures below (figures – 1,2 & 3).

Understanding the process of learning will assist a teacher in preparing the material to be presented during a lesson or a session which may be referred to as teaching/learning period or contact time.

When preparing a topic for students, the teacher would:

1) Study the subject matter very well.

2) Simplify the material to be presented.

3) Organize this material.

4) Present the subject matter in an orderly, logical and sequential manner.

5) Present the material at hand slowly (how slow depends on the age group in the class and the complexity of the material presented) to give students time to assimilate and appreciate it.

6) Raise or ask questions and make sure to answer them during the teaching session.

7) Answer all the questions raised by the students.

8) Show students how to approach issues (methods of approach); be it problems in mathematics (including word problems), physics, chemistry, engineering or technology problems. The same applies for the humanities (literature, logic, philosophy, sociology, history) and management or economics. Needless to say, this also applies to all other fields of knowledge not listed above.

9) Teach students how to apply critical thinking.

Ideally, the goal of every good teacher is to receive into his classroom a group of students that does not know anything about the subject matter that he teaches, and sends out of this classroom a group of students that knows all there is to know about that subject-matter which was presented in that particular session. As idealistic as that may sound it can be achieved, provided a teacher can; organize, simplify the knowledge presented and set it in an orderly and sequential fashion.

As demonstrated, preparing high quality and effective teachers is ensuring the creation of a successful, developing and progressing society.

References:
(1) On "Learning", Adel J. Helou, Viewpoint, optimanage.com, 2nd Quarter 2019.

Adel J Helou: is a Business and Life Management Coach. He has more than 15 years of experience in production and operations management. The Author has international professional experience in the Middle East markets. He holds a B.Sc. degree in Chemistry and Physics and an M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering. Mr. Helou has pages on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram: facebook.com/AdelJosephHelouManagementCoach/
linkedin.com/in/adeljosephheloumanagementcoach/
Instagram.com/adel.helou
twitter.com/helou_adel
Read about his Management Coaching and the articles he writes, by visiting the electronic magazine (E-Zine): optimanage.com.
The E-Zine has a fb page: facebook.com/optimanagedotcom/.
A.J. Helou can be contacted by e-mail: a.j.helou@optimanage.com (e-mail)

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