2 What needs to change?

Two schoolchildren sitting at a desk
Figure 1

Giving all students access to a high-quality school education is the central aim of global and national education policies. As you have seen, there is an emerging consensus that quality in education is achieved through promoting:

  • learner–centred practices that give value to each learner’s prior knowledge and experiences
  • school structures that enable student participation.

Realising this change depends on the quality of teachers; this in turn depends on teacher education. Research shows that teacher educators play a crucial role in developing skilled teachers (Musset, 2010:3).

What changes might you initiate in your own practice as a teacher educator and with teachers that you work with? In Activity 1.3 you consider changes needed in classrooms in your area.

Activity 1.3: Your vision for change

Timing: Allow approximately 40 minutes

  1. [Reading matter icon] In your study notebook, write three or four bullet points to describe what you would change in classrooms in your area in order to support your vision for teaching and learning. The following questions may help you:

    • Think about the classrooms you have visited recently. Have all the students been actively engaged in learning? How could you tell?
    • What would you like to see teachers doing more often or less often?
    • What would you like to see students doing more often?

  2. Look at the examples below of classroom changes suggested by teachers and teacher educators at a recent workshop in India. Categorise them using the following headings:

    • Teachers valuing all children
    • Teachers guiding learning
    • Teachers as resourceful, skillful professionals
    • Teachers enabling dialogue
    • Teachers promoting active engagement
    Described image
    Figure 2
    Show description|Hide description

    An image of a variety of sticky notes that describe a series of classroom changes. They read as follows:

    • Teachers have the confidence to go beyond the textbook
    • Classroom should be interactive, e.g. students talking about their work
    • Teacher has higher expectations of themselves
    • Equality of treatment of boys and girls and different social classes
    • Teachers have higher expectations of all students
    • Classroom should be free from fear
    • Teacher feeds back to students from evaluation/assessment
    • Children need to do more practical activities in classrooms
    • Average and below-average children should be given more opportunities to learn
    • Teachers listening more to children
    • Teacher should be a good listener
    • Teachers to become facilitators, helping children construct knowledge
    • Peer group learning should be promoted
    • Children should be active participants, not passive
    • More questions from the students rather than the teachers
    • Learning that provokes thinking and reasoning
    • More practice in class
    • Connect classroom teaching to the real world
    • Teachers have skills to meet the children’s needs and help their change
    • Teacher needs to be in the background for children’s active learning
    • Grouping of students to enable discussion
    • Changing teachers’ mindsets away from traditional practices
    • Child can open up and share their knowledge.
    Figure 2
  3. [Reading matter icon] Note down which statements you agree with and which you think are most important. What category represents the most significant change for teachers in your area?
  4. Select your top three ideas for change. Discuss your ideas with a colleague or peer and explain why you think these are your highest priority. What ideas or priorities does your colleague have? How do they compare with your own?

1 A global vision for teaching and learning?

3 Open Educational Resources