Aimless teachers

Well-defined learning objectives serve as a backbone for a successful teaching session. More often than not, one comes across a teacher who is teaching without any definite aim. It has been noted that some teachers are in a hurry to complete the course/syllabus well before the stipulated time period given in the academic calendar. Instead of having interactive sessions, such teachers avoid involving the learners in the learning process. This one-way traffic wreaks havoc with the academic progress and performance of the learners. It reminds one of the famous novel 'Hard Times' by Charles Dickens in which the incumbent teacher deems his pupils as empty vessels to be filled with dry facts.

Most of the time, teachers themselves keep talking in the class and little room is given to students for their input. Such teachers believe that imparting loads of information and knowledge to the students is the ultimate function of teaching. They do not bother finding out whether the content taught to the students is digested by them or not. Consequently, rote learning is rampant in our educational institutes. This is why students lack the necessary problem-solving skills, and tend to rote and cram whatever is taught in the class. Such type of teaching is tantamount to a rudderless ship. At the end of the day, such teachers complain that students remain unresponsive. The worsening situation calls for launching a Continuous Professional Development programme for teachers across the country so that our teachers may understand how to engage students actively.

Muhammad Fayyaz Nawrha

Mianwali