Reflection 4: The Changing Role of Teachers
The Changing Role of Teachers: Adapting to the Evolving Learning Environments
Author: Marsgann Patrick B. Paras
Despite the current situation of today’s pandemic, it has been an extraordinary time in terms of learning. We know that these situations will not stop learning. That's why we need to adapt more things to learn. The role of teachers is evolving, becoming in many ways more heavy when learning took place only in person.
Educators and educational systems around the world are reevaluating the information, skills, and dispositions students require to succeed in today's complicated and fast changing world.
The member states of both the United Nations (UN) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), through the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2018, prioritized education for global citizenship and global competence in a remarkable moment of global consensus.
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The Current Demands of Education
The focus of this has been the development of standard performance, by testing for greater control, and a broadening of subjects offered. In relation to this, questions have been raised about the causes of poor performance and discussions have centered on learning conditions and the learning environment.
Environmental psychologists have also been consulted. The physical school environment can be considered a school’s “third teacher,” after other children in the class and teachers themselves. Therefore, formal and other architectural concerns of school design should be subordinate to educational demands.
On Producing Globally Competent Teachers
When you hear the term "globally competent teacher," what comes to mind? Your mind might conjure up an international traveler who brings their students to China or Europe and routinely discusses foreign politics with their BBC-obsessed classmates.
Teaching for global competency may appear to be something only elite or specialist schools do, or something we should worry about until after we've acquired the fundamental abilities of literacy, mathematics, and so on. That isn't the case at all. Every teacher can – and should – educate for global competence, given what pupils require to flourish in our increasingly interconnected world.
Today's schools must ensure that students learn how to interact with people from many cultures and take action on issues that have both local and global implications. Additionally, students' global awareness can be developed concurrently with mathematics and literacy training. It shouldn't be limited to a small number of pupils or specialized schools. All students have a right to learn global competency.
Education as a Dynamic Process: What do teachers need to cope up with?
We are already anticipating a large number of new teachers. And, as our globe becomes more interconnected, new teachers are being asked to meet and support the development of globally-minded students—but are they ready?
Many contemporary discussions in education circles have focused on teacher training institutes and the teaching profession, including numerous talks over licensure and certification. This prompted us to speak with educators and their students about what global competency means to them and if the credentialing process for new teachers reflects the realities of today's classrooms.
Here are the things that teachers need to cope up with, especially the demands in education are getting more complicated since we are aiming to produce globally competent teachers:
Understanding one's own cultural identity and how it affects personal attitudes and classroom behavior;
Being aware of and incorporating global dimensions into the subjects that one teaches;
Getting students interested in learning about the world and their place in it;
When considering local, national, and human challenges, real-life global examples, information, and resources are used;
Valuing and modeling cultural sensitivity among culturally and linguistically diverse learners, families, and colleagues;
Creating conditions that promote healthy cross-cultural exchange;
Social responsibility as a model in local and global situations;
Assisting students in determining the best course of action to improve local and global conditions;
Assessing learners' global capability and giving opportunities for advancement based on their developmental stages;
Raising awareness on global education and social responsibility.
The Foundations for Globally Competent Teaching (You Might Already Have)
These are the qualities that teachers must possess in order to help students develop global citizenship:
Empathy and the Appreciation of Diverse Points of View
As globalization forces us to engage with individuals from all walks of life, we must be open to consider various perspectives and sometimes reassess our own. "Progress is impossible without change, and people who cannot change their views cannot change anything," remarked George Bernard Shaw.
To fully sympathize with another person, we must be able to understand their point of view. You're already on your way to being a globally competent teacher if you grasp how your personal views and experiences impact your perspective on the world. You'll go much further if you're willing to consider the viewpoints of those who disagree with your convictions.
Commitment to Global Equity Promotion
Educating children to be global citizens entails assisting them in comprehending the important concerns that our present and future leaders confront, such as global hunger, poverty, and conflict; climate change; and unequal access to education, medical care, jobs, human rights protections, and clean water.
Teachers must first demonstrate their personal dedication to a better world in order to instill in students the motivation to address these issues. They must identify the challenges to equity that exist both locally and worldwide, and participate in efforts to overcome these obstacles.
Advanced internationally competent teachers' ultimate goal is to motivate learners to take action on these challenges. However, if you devote your time or money to charitable organizations, or if you just try to lessen your environmental effect (by reusing/recycling, limiting meat consumption, conserving water or electricity, for example), you are well on your way to becoming a globally competent teacher. You show students how they, too, can make a difference by taking action on global concerns, no matter how young they are.
The Teaching Profession: On Becoming Globally Competent
Teachers' global competence is a set of important knowledge, critical dispositions, and behaviors that aid in the development of learners' global competence. A globally competent teacher understands the world, critical global issues, their local impact, and learners' cultural backgrounds; demonstrates intercultural sensitivity and acceptance of difference; incorporates this knowledge and sensitivity into classroom practice; and develops the skills to foster these dispositions, knowledge, and performances in students.
The educator acts as a role model for socially responsible behavior and provides chances for students to participate in socially responsible behavior. Are you ready to answer the call?
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