Technology will never replace great teachers, but technology in the hands of great teachers can be transformational: George Couros
Teaching quality in an education system becomes the foundation and roadmap for the development of young people and the country at large. If the quality of education declines, the productivity of the country also declines. Whatever the type of educational institutions running in the country, they must emphasize improving the quality of education they intend to provide. Nowadays, it can be noticed that many educational institutions are becoming commercial and mainly focusing on getting grades, certifications, rankings, and recognitions. Less importance is observed towards teaching quality and learning efficiency of students.
Teaching quality is the key to developing the competencies of students for their survival in the market. To ensure high-quality teaching, it is necessary to provide sufficient resources and build an efficient teaching environment to a large extent. However, today, teachers are loaded with more non-academic responsibilities than academic ones. This is a challenging aspect to be considered by educational institutes and regulators of EIs (Educational Institutions) to create a high-quality teaching environment. Quality education is the competency of an education system that makes learners capable of surviving in their personal and career lives.
Teaching quality cannot be measured by the qualifications or credentials possessed by a teacher, but it is actually measured in terms of his performance in the classroom environment. The teaching strategy adopted by a teacher is an indicator of his quality and can also be measured in terms of student achievement. Further, the speed of a teacher can be measured by the speed of the slowest learner in his classroom environment. Teacher quality and pedagogical strategy play a very important role in higher education, helping students succeed in real life.
Teaching quality is described in three segments: logical (defining, demonstrating, modelling, explaining, correcting), psychological (caring, motivating, punishing, planning, evaluating), and moral (honesty, courage, tolerance, compassion, respect, fairness). Teaching quality helps students improve their performance by learning concepts with a focus on understanding and memorizing the course content. Teaching quality makes a teacher extraordinary, enhancing the educational experience and providing a global platform for students. The quality culture of an institution needs to change teaching excellence from time to time to improve understanding and teaching excellence. Quality teaching is needed to give value to learners, overcome communication barriers, and close the gap in classroom teaching due to the pandemic situation. Quality education helps overcome a lack of self-interest and self-motivation, the impact of social media and video games, bad habits, and television programs.
In the technological era, the use of technology in classroom teaching makes study more interesting and provides more quality knowledge to the learner. To effectively use technology, a teacher must know how to incorporate it into her course, giving students a wide range of knowledge. Additional responsibilities such as admissions and administrative work cause more stress for faculty, impacting the delivery of quality teaching. Occupational stress affects the quality time of a teacher and negatively impacts quality teaching. At present, teachers are not only knowledge facilitators but also play different roles in higher education. Administrative work, admissions, and many other duties and responsibilities are imposed on teachers. Apart from delivering and demonstrating lectures, teachers are responsible for preparing test papers, providing project orientation to students, guiding seminars and presentations, submitting attendance reports, updating syllabi, handling examination committee responsibilities, joining certificate courses, and conducting research in their areas of specialization.
Quality teaching is necessarily student-centred; its primary aim is student learning. Thus, attention should be given not simply to the teacher’s pedagogical skills but also to the learning environment that must address students’ personal needs. Students should know why they are working, relate to other students, and receive help if needed. Adequate support to staff and students (financial support, social and academic support, support to minority students, counselling services, etc.) also improves learning outcomes. Learning communities – groups of students and/or teachers who learn collaboratively and build knowledge through intellectual interaction – enhance student learning by increasing students’ and teachers’ satisfaction.
Technological progress is one of the inevitable aspects of the current era of globalization. The progress of a nation is marked by good and efficient technology mastery for the community. Globalization has a close relationship with education. As education plays an important role in shaping society, globalization must be connected with education, having a deep impact on it. The globalization of world economies leads to increased emphasis on the internationalization of subjects included in school courses. It also creates opportunities for new partnerships in research and teaching with agencies and institutions worldwide. The advancement of technology is not only in the industrial and information sectors but also in education. One important element in education, directly benefiting from technological advancement, is students and teachers. The quality of education is greatly determined by the quality and role of the teacher in the learning system, including intra-curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities. The demand for professional teachers is crucial for improving the quality of education and student achievement.
Quality teachers significantly influence students’ motivation and perception in their learning activities because the teacher figure is a role model for students. The words and actions of a teacher serve as a source of inspiration for students. In the digital era, the teacher’s role is vital in guiding students to use technology wisely. Students, facing technological advances, need proper guidance to utilize technology effectively without damaging their character. The teacher’s role in preparing students to face the digital era involves strengthening character education, and ensuring students use technology wisely to support their learning process. This character education should be well-planned and measured. Investigating the model of the teacher’s role in the character education of students heading into the Age of Disruption and Abundant Technology is essential.
Conclusion
Education is a crucial tool that shapes individuals to perform expected roles in society. Many factors contribute to this shaping, including a learner’s characteristics, family contributions, and a high-quality teaching/learning process at various levels, particularly schooling. The role of the teacher is significant in making the teaching and learning process effective. It is imperative for a teacher to help and guide students in identifying and developing their scholastic abilities, motivating them. Students idealize their teachers, who have a great effect on shaping, creating, supporting, and establishing students’ learning, both academically and socially.
Fulfilling students’ expectations is very challenging for teachers, particularly when they are not supposed to indulge only in teaching. In the education system, the performance of teachers is one of the important factors determining school efficiency and learning outcomes. Teacher performance is the most critical input in education. Teachers are perhaps the most crucial component of any education system. The quality of their teaching depends not only on their qualifications, training, experience, and aptitude towards the profession but also on the situation and management structures within which they perform their role.
The writer is a teacher and can be reached at ma***********@***il.com