On October 5, the world celebrates World Teachers’ Day. The day should be an opportunity for all of us to consider what makes a great teacher. Considering my own experience, I would say the one who can convey the concepts swimmingly in classroom.
I never liked math, and that is not my fault. Perhaps, I never had the blessing of having a teacher who could instill mathematical concepts in my mind effortlessly. In school days, I had teachers who considered themselves masters of content. They would distinguish themselves as the best mathematicians in the world, and, of course, they knew everything about mathematics like the back of their hand.
But this talent of theirs did not help me learn algebraic equations, or algorithms, or countless other things. I am certain that the primary goal for teachers should be to know their subject matter since a major part of the achievement gap between high achievers and low performers exists due to poor teaching quality. If all teachers were of the same calibre, there would be no students tagged as slow learners or poor in studies.
I read somewhere that instructors must have three qualities: intellectual competence, which means problem-solving ability, social competence, and moral competence. Teachers, in particular, need social competency, which is “the capacity to relate to other people” and bring out the best in them.
Being a father, I can state with confidence that when a child enters a school, they are full of suspicion, feelings, and curiosity. By and by, school kills their curiosity and drags them through rote learning, copy-down work, and dull and drab homework. A lack of motivation is what kills a passion of learning among students as they progress in schools and colleges. According to studies, as students progress from primary school to middle school to high school, their enthusiasm for learning declines. Passing examinations becomes another name of study. When they enter universities, students think simply understanding the subject is sufficient. No. University education is all about research.
No doubt, we cannot rule out assessment and evaluation-the formal names of testing, examination. But we have failed to devise a consistent way to quantify the success or failure of learners.
The other day, I was invited to a university as a guest speaker. I chose to speak on basics of journalism. Though there are several principles of journalism, to me, the most important ones are verification and objectivity. Journalists need to remember when they are gathering sources, meaning they are talking to the important people in a story, they need to keep in mind these two very important rules. For example, if there was a vehicle accident, a journalist would need to speak with witnesses. These folks are known as “eyewitnesses.” The journalist is gathering sources while speaking with these folks. Another example is when a journalist needs additional information for a story and goes to a library or does research online. This is also a source gathering activity.
Okay, now we know what principles are and what gathering sources entails. Let’s speak about some of the key concepts that a writer should keep in mind when gathering sources: verification and neutrality. The first crucial principle is known as verification. This is when journalists ensure that the information they get is correct or accurate. How do they know if their sources are reliable? Let’s have a look at these two concepts.
To be accurate, you must always have the proper information, such as names, dates, and locations. When a journalist acquires sources by interviewing witnesses or studying documents, they must always ensure that they write down the proper information so that it is accurate when used in their piece. How can journalists ensure that the information they get is accurate and genuine by verifying a source? It isn’t always easy, but they can think about these topics.
Is the source primary, that is, is it unique? Consider the earlier discussed vehicle accident: an eyewitness is a primary source, but someone who simply learned about the event is not. Is the source a subject matter expert? A road safety specialist or an automotive engineer would be a helpful source of information in the event of a car accident. Objectivity is the second principle. This entails relaying the facts without bias toward one side or the other. However, objectivity is a tough concept to define.
A journalist must consider the weight of evidence, which means gathering a large number of sources. And if the majority of sources say one thing and only a few say the other, they should give more weight to the majority perspective. A journalist should not give equal time or weight to an opinion based on facts that are clearly not true. I tried to teach something to students. I took help to prepare these notes from an online course.
