Teachers are regarded to be rendering a significant contribution in promoting quality and efficiency within the system of education. They are the individuals, who not only impart knowledge and information to the students in terms of academic concepts, but also inculcate the traits of morality, ethics, truthfulness and honesty among them. Apart from acquisition of academic knowledge and information, these traits are also essential to enable individuals to sustain their living conditions in an appropriate manner. The strategies that are implemented by the teachers to improve quality have been stated as follows:
Quality Awareness – The ability of the teachers to improve quality awareness is focusing upon their teaching methods. The primary job of the teachers is to ensure that they put into operation the teaching-learning methods in a satisfactory manner. This would help students to acquire efficient understanding of the concepts. The teachers are required to conduct an analysis of the methods used and implement alternative methods. To create an increased quality awareness among teachers and help them improve their teaching methodology and skills, it is vital to put into practice, self-evaluation methods. The teachers need to self-evaluate their own teaching methods. This would help them in identifying the flaws and inconsistencies and bring about improvements. One concept that is used on frequent basis is school-based evaluation. It is the process, by which teachers discuss their own school as a group of professionals, in a manner to bring about improvements in the quality of education (Fredriksson, 2004).
Professional Freedom – The professional freedom of the teacher is regarded to be of utmost significance in bringing about improvements in the quality of education. The professional freedom is primarily associated with making decisions in terms of the methods, used to create an optimal learning situation. It is also considered crucial in enabling the teachers to implement teaching methods that are independent of any political, economic, ideological or religious influence. The teachers need to be creative and resourceful in the implementation of their job duties. How the teaching-learning methods are utilized within the classroom should not be prescribed by persons outside the classrooms. This does not mean that teachers cannot take any ideas and suggestions from other individuals. But they need to ensure that they make use of different models, approaches and innovative methods in their teaching-learning methods and instructional strategies (Fredriksson, 2004).
Professional Ethics – Teaching jobs are difficult. The teachers need to cope with number of problems and challenges in their teaching. In educational institutions at all levels, they need to ensure that they make provision of equal rights and opportunities to all students. There should not be any discrimination on the basis of factors such as, caste, creed, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age and socio-economic background. In schools and higher educational institutions, apart from teaching, teachers are vested with number of job responsibilities. They are required to remain updated in terms of modern and innovative methods and strategies. For this purpose, they need to conduct research on regular basis and establish communication terms with other individuals. One of the important aspects is, teachers need to ensure that students are treated with respect and courtesy. They should avoid any kind of harsh treatment and deal with students with kindness and consideration. Apart from students, they need to ensure that they depict professional ethics while dealing with other members of the educational institutions as well.
Organizing Student Learning Opportunities – The teachers need to organize student learning opportunities. These are referred to the opportunities that would augment student learning. The students should be encouraged to participate in activities and functions and they should not merely acquire knowledge by listening to class lectures. The various student learning opportunities are, their participation in activities, tasks and other functions. For instance, in educational institutions, when seminars and workshops are organized, then students are encouraged to give presentations or speeches regarding various topics. Hence, this enables them to not only augment academic knowledge but also develop effective communication skills. When organizing student learning opportunities, teachers are the ones, who use their own discretion. But in some cases, they do take into consideration, ideas and suggestions that are provided by students. The opportunities should be beneficial to the students and help them achieve academic goals.
Managing Student Learning Progression – In educational institutions at all levels, students are different in terms of learning abilities. Some students are able to acquire an understanding of academic concepts rapidly, whereas, others take time in understanding. When the students are able to depict good academic performance, then teachers feel satisfied and form the viewpoint that their teaching-learning methods are productive. On the other hand, when students experience set-backs, then teachers normally feel concerned not only regarding the academic performance of students, but also regarding the teaching-learning methods. Therefore, managing student learning progression is one of the valuable strategies that would help the teachers to improve quality of the system of education and students in acquiring a better understanding of academic concepts and achieve academic goals. The teachers need to put into operation effective evaluation methods. They need to give regular class and homework assignments to the students, ask questions in terms of lessons, at the beginning of every class lecture and organize tests at the end of each lesson plan. These strategies would be assisting to the teachers in understanding how the students are progressing.
Developing Student Commitment to Working and Learning – To improve the quality of education, the teachers need to ensure that students are committed to working and learning. Research has indicated that in some cases, students do not depict interest in acquisition of education. Lack of commitment and interest even compel them to drop out, even before their educational skills are honed. Therefore, it the job responsibility of the teachers to put into practice the measures that would increase commitment on the part of the students. One of the most effectual measures is, giving them rewards. The rewards that are given to the students depends upon the level of education. Some of the examples of rewards are, good remarks, gift items, trophies, certificates and so forth. Apart from giving rewards, teachers are required to develop effective communication and facilitate the recognition of the significance of education among students.
Working in Teams – In educational institutions to achieve academic goals and objectives, one needs to work in collaboration and integration with others. Developing effective terms and relationships with others is regarded to be of utmost significance in performing ones job duties in a well-organized manner and achieving educational goals. The strategy of teamwork, not only applies to the teachers, but also to the students. At all levels of education, from pre-schools to universities, teachers encourage students to form effective communication skills and work in teams. When they are working on group projects, then they need to collaborate with each other. When teachers work in teams, then normally they exchange ideas and perspectives primarily in terms of their job requirements and how to implement them in a proficient manner. Furthermore, they seek assistance from each other to provide solutions to any problems or challenges that they may experience. Working in teams is crucial to carry out ones job duties with adeptness and dexterity.
Participation in School Curriculum and Organization Development – Participation in school curriculum and organization development are crucial job responsibilities of teachers. When they obtain employment opportunities, then these are the two aspects, which they primarily focus upon. They are required to generate awareness and develop information in terms of school curriculum and instructional methods and development of the organization. In order to augment their understanding and participate in these areas, they are required to put into operation various measures. These are, conducting research on regular basis, establishing effective communication terms with other individuals, these include, principals, directors, students, community members, members of other institutions and parents, upgrade information in terms of various aspects, encourage their participation in various tasks and activities and possess effective decision making skills. With the adequate implementation of these factors, they are able to bring about developments in school curriculum as well as development of the educational institutions.
Promoting Parent and Community Commitment – The teachers as well as principals and directors of the educational institutions are encouraged to form effective communication processes with parents and community members in terms of various aspects. The major ones include, learning and development of students, implementation of effective instructional methods and bringing about developments in the overall system of education. The primary emphasis is put upon students. When students, particularly experience learning disabilities and do not generate good academic outcomes, then teachers normally organize discussion meetings with parents. They need to acquire information in terms of how much time does a student devote towards studies at home or whether their parents teach them or they have recruited private tutors for them and so forth. The teachers give ideas and suggestions to the parents in terms of methods and approaches that would enhance the academic outcomes of the students. Hence, promoting parent and community commitment is one of the effectual strategies for leading to growth and progression of students.
Using New Technologies in Daily Functioning – In order to enhance the quality of education, it is essential to put into practice, modern and innovative methods. Technology is regarded as most important in not only the field of education, but in other fields as well. There are number of benefits of technologies and through its operative usage, individuals are able to perform the tasks and activities in a manageable and less time consuming manner. Through the use of internet, individuals are able to acquire knowledge and enhance their understanding in terms of various areas, subjects and concepts. In some cases, teachers are not well-equipped with usage of technologies. Hence, to augment their understanding, they get enrolled into training centres. At the initial stage, the individuals in some cases do not feel comfortable in making use of technologies. But with thorough practice and making use of them on daily basis, they are able to acquire proficiency. The use of technologies in the implementation of not only teaching-learning methods, but also administrative, managerial, and clerical functions would render a significant contribution in bringing about improvements in quality and efficiency of education.
Bringing change to education is a mighty challenge. No matter how effective an educational strategy proves to be, there are numerous obstacles that stand in the way of its widespread adoption in classrooms. In addition to convincing policymakers and educational leaders that video games can serve as powerful educational tools, many educators are unsure of how to integrate games into their curriculum, whether they’re teaching in primary schools, secondary schools or universities. While game-based learning invariably yields educational benefits, some strategies are better than others. Here are two effective approaches to game-based learning that we strongly recommend. Assign the game as homework, then discuss in class Assigning the games as homework is a great option for a number of reasons. First, many educators don’t have the equipment available on-site for the students to play the game in class. Second, it allows students to play at their own pace, taking as much time as they need to complete the game. While students who play the game on their own undoubtedly learn in the process, they often complete the game with questions about how their success relates to the content they are learning in class. In a math-based game, for instance, there is often a disconnect between the visual aspect of equations that the student has mastered through the game and the abstract equations they are solving on paper in the classroom. The disconnect is why an in-class discussion after students have mastered the game is so important. We’ve found that when teachers engage students in a discussion about how different parts of the game relate to what they’re learning from their textbooks or class lectures, students achieve major breakthroughs in their understanding of the subject and become much more enthusiastic about pursuing it further. Put students in pairs Getting students to work in pairs or in very small groups can prove to be a particularly powerful approach to game-based learning that yields educational benefits beyond learning the subject matter at hand. Not only do the students collectively learn as they progress through the game, but they begin teaching each other the content and in many cases debating or negotiating with each other about the content and strategy. It opens up a natural dialogue that is distinct from traditional group learning settings. Peer-to-peer learning allows students to build off one another’s strengths. In many cases, one student will have great familiarity with the content while another will be more comfortable navigating the gameplay. By collaborating, each will gain a better sense of an angle of the game that they might not have picked up on their own. The power of peer-to-peer learning wanes, however, if the group grows too large. With groups of more than two or three students, the conversation quickly becomes crowded and disorganized. In response, what usually happens is one or two dominant students will take over the process and others will end up playing a passive role, thereby impacting their learning. .