Teaching the new millennium

With the intrusion of technology in our world be it business, media, or education; the way we perform has changed. Technology has perforated to the level of booking taxis, ordering food, buying clothes, furniture, or even virtually touring the world. No wonder the term ‘global village’ has become so common in our vocabulary.

The ways of education have been transformed from what you had been taught a few years ago in leaps and bound. Technology has changed the way you teach the students and the way they learn it. There is an application for any subject that the student is interested in. Knowledge is becoming redundant in this age of the internet. Everything and anything is available with the click of a mouse. Hence, gone are the days when teachers could postpone a students question until the next class; this requires more preparedness and the expansion of horizon for the teachers. Since your old school beliefs of education are being challenged;  the gap between you and the student has widened. Not only this, there is also the problem of generation gap to add to it.

As teaching is becoming  more challenging for you, keeping a few things in mind can help you stay afloat:

Meaningful conversations:

The technologically wired generation is cut off from the real world and it is very crucial to bring them to terms with what is happening around them, sensitize them about issues that matter to the collective society. Meaningful conversations help students remain grounded.

Avoid Performance pressure:

Avoid negative thoughts. It is normal for a person to not know everything under the sun. The role of a teacher is to impart as much knowledge as they can and as much as they have. Do not become burdened by over expectations from your own self. Apart from being a teacher, you are a human being who is still learning. Avoid feeling powerless and learn from them what they know better.

Make them curious:

Learn what interests your class. Feel the pulse of the students and customize the pedagogy according to their needs. The main idea is to engage them i.e, do workshops, schedule interaction timings, one to one sessions, classes to foster creativity by applying what they learned in real life scenarios, etc.

Apart from these show them positive regard for whatever they have created, added value to. Motivate them intrinsically letting them work on subjects that interest them and show them what they can achieve by doing what they do well. Set goals and show the roadmap to reach there.