Thursday 5 September 2013

Learning Reflection on Session 1 #OCL4Ed



 Teaching has been co existing along with human beings since long. It is, to my point of view, both a vocation and a profession. I firmly believe that one should have some inborn qualities to be a good teacher. In this sense, teaching can be treated as a vocation. However, specific training will help in building up a more adapted teacher, who uses the available resources efficiently, with an aim to deliver accurately and efficiently.

A broad definition which may be given to describe this process is: the imparting of knowledge to someone or a group of people. The main reason why we teach is to impart knowledge. So, as a teacher, one should make sure that the knowledge is being properly imparted, in other words, the objectives set are being met. Along with the changing generations of learners, the mindset and attitude of learners are also changing. In this sense, it becomes the responsibility of the teacher to render his/her delivery more adaptable to the new generation of learners.

Reflecting on Stephen Downes’ video, I totally agree to the idea that teaching is effective when all the partners involved in the process are allowed to share and react freely. This may be fostered through modern educational resources such as educational software, e-learning platforms and online forums wherein students are given opportunities to interact virtually. By adopting these resources, teachers’ roles are to monitor the progress of students in posting the required tasks and act as facilitators, by giving indications and not by spoon feeding.

Desmond Tutu’s video on freedom in education highlights the milestones achieved by the University of the Western Cape (UWC) on freedom in education. I firmly think that new resources which are made available in the educational field such as educational software and open resources for education are the new ways to create.  These resources are indeed changing the world for the better.

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