After attending a Cluster KP FGD session on 27 Aug 2010 in which the discussion topics were learning & development of teachers and work life balance. Basically, what I have gathered and learned from the session are:
- Teachers need to learn and develop in order to grow and improve their teaching skills so as to engage the new profile of students who are more IT savvy, inquisitive and vocal.
- Now, teachers are not only here to teach and impart knowledge to their students but to facilitate their learning.
- Learning and development is important for the growth of a teacher in order for the teacher to be effective and skillful.
- Learning and development can be attained only if the teacher is able to find balance in his/her life and work.
- All the schemes like part-time scheme, childcare leave, etc., have been put in place by MOE, Singapore, in order to support teachers in achieving work life balance.
- It is important for School Leaders and Middle Managers to build relationships with their supervisees so as to understand their needs and hence able to give support to them in helping them with balancing their family and work.
- No matter what structures have been put in place or support that have been made available to achieve work life balance, at the end of the day, it is still the choices that we make that matter the most. We need to know our priority and make the correct choices.
- We must have the responsibility to say that as we work together, we need to find the happiness, appreciation & recognition.
- When we have a healthy and happy family, then will we be able to find satisfaction and happiness in our work. This is true vice versa, that is, to be satisfied and happy with work, we will also find happiness and harmony in our family.
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1 comment:
Glad to read that you are putting these thoughts together.
You have put it rightly in your 1st point that we need to learn to be more effective teachers in response to the changing profiles of our learners.
What is also critical is for teachers to be able to role model learning.
Learning is highly contextualised.
We have grown up learning in an environment that no longer exist, and yet we are struggling to fight the changes so as to replicate what we know as "classroom", "School" and "Education". Our methods of learning may no longer be effective in this new world order.
We need to learn within the context of the present learners who are born into the world that is highly connected, online 24-7. You have rightly pointed out that we need to "facilitate their learning", and we can do so only if we know how to learn effectively in this connected digital world.
It's back to school for teachers :)
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