Re-Imagining New Futures for Professional Practice - Report Example

Re-imagining new futures for my professional practice Name: Institution Re-imagining new futures for my professional practice Introduction Teaching remains a noble profession across the world. Teachers prepare learners wholly. Teaching enables a teacher to impart knowledge, and apply skills so to meet the educational needs of the society. Moreover, a teacher provides learners with extensive education opportunities to realize the objectives of the curriculum. For the past Five years, I have been a high school teacher in one of the best schools in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, I have taught two technical colleges. In my profession, I have realized that education plays an important role in the country's economy. There are also tremendous changes in the sector including the emergence of new technologies. This essay will explore the re-imagining of new futures in my professional practice. An overview of Saudi Arabia education system The Saudi Arabia education system is categorized into various levels. Saudi Arabia secondary education is categorized into general secondary education and spiritual secondary education. General secondary education takes three years and has learners between the ages 15-18 years. In year one, learners have a shared syllabus while year two and year three curriculum has two classes the science and legendary. A learner who scores 60% in all subjects is allowed to take science subjects while who fails to attain the mark can only take literary classes. The curriculum covers geography, biology, Arabic, religious studies, home economics, mathematics, chemistry, physical education and English. On completion, learners who excel are awarded with a certificate (Prensky2012). Spiritual secondary education also takes three years and admits students between 15 and 18 years. The curriculum has general culture, religious studies, English, Arabic literature, Arabic language, geography and history. Upon the completion of three years, learners are awarded with the religious Institute Secondary Education Certificate, and they can proceed to higher institutions to learn social sciences and humanities (Transue 2013). The technical secondary education teaches technical/vocational, agricultural, and commercial. Learners are required to have intermediate school certificate for them to be admitted. The technical curriculum has machine mechanics, architectural drawing, metal mechanics, television and radio repair and electricity. Students also undertake chemistry, Arabic, mathematics English, religious studies, physics, and physical education. The agriculture curriculum has animal husbandry, applied chemistry, applied biology, agronomy, applied physics, animal husbandry, religious studies, horticulture, farm management, plant nutrition and marketing (Manea 2011). For the past decades, Saudi Arabia higher education have undergone tremendous growth. the diversified system has expanded to include 23 state universities, 18 primary teachers for males, 80 teachers training institute for females, 12 technical colleges, 33, private colleges and universities and 37 institutes and colleges for health. In 2005, the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Education started a scholarship program called King Abdulla. The objective of the scholarship was not only to fulfill the short of faculty members in Saudi Arabia but also meet the requirements of job market. Presently, there are more than 70,000 Saudi Arabia students across the world undertaking bachelors, masters and doctorate programs in various fields. Most of the sponsored students are in Australia, America, Canada, and United Kingdom (Manea 2011). It is evident that there would be tremendous change in the Saudi Arabia higher education in the future. Re-imagining the future Future thinking involves utilizing a systematic approach in considering the long-term goals. In the recent years, different methods have been used under different names, using different techniques. The techniques help in examining the present through the eyes of the future and providing ideas and insights that do not result from thinking about future in a linear manner. One of the commonly used techniques is the scenario technique. This is because the technique draws together and makes sense of the complexity and diversity of various factors that may shape the future of education. The goal of scenario building is not to develop an accurate prediction of the future of education but to initiate discussion and forward planning. According to Transue (2013), scenarios are like sketches, map or short about future of an issue. The purpose of the scenario is not only to attract imagination but also the purpose by highlighting different aspects of possible futures of education in Saudi Arabia. I applied this approach. Views on the future of education ICT has a significant role in the future of education, and there is an association between preferable scenario/futures and ICT. Moreover, ICT remains the key solution for all educational problems and a tool for attaining educational problem in the emerging world. The future of education is positive and radical, and there are various changes linked to it. The main themes are autonomy and flexibility, which focuses on personalization of education. In future, for learning to take place, students will not be required to be in classroom (Manea 2011). This is because network worked communities such as universities and schools will not only linked together but also share ideas, web-based resources, and merge existing working spaces. Students and teachers will communicate electronically the same way they do in face-to-face communication. Nonetheless, students will still have to go to school to learn to experience real life interaction within the classroom, but in future, various digital resources will accompany them. They will live their lives based on virtual reality, and by the end of 2020, there will be chips carrying individual information. The chips will be implanted under their skins, and at as an interface between carbon based and silicon-based worlds that students will be living in. Effects of education on teaching profession Because of the constant changes in the education sector, teachers require regular in-service training programs so to acquire modern skills. The mention is essential, as human resource and education are important for country's economic growth. Efficient professional growth assist teachers and instructors across the globe to understand learners needs hence adapt the right teaching technique. The Saudi Arabia government has realized the importance of investing in education of its citizens so to boost economic growth (Manea 2011). For example, according to the 8th development plan of Saudi Arabia, which was developed by the ministry of economy and planning, Information communication technology is not only an effective tool for attain the futurist vision of education, but is also a contributing factor to its success. The future of education in Saudi Arabia has ICT integrated on to it. In the Saudi Arabia government training plans, the future vision of information and communication in Saudi Arabia include using education system as a point of reference to teach ICT as a subject in all levels, establish ICT centers, and integrate online learning in all the schools. Saudi Arabia Kingdom should be viewed as an information society that produces both knowledge and information. Therefore, it is capable of benefitting from the information flow to increase productivity, improve proficiency, and enhance the quality of products and services (Lee 2013). Additionally, the Saudi Arabia government has designed an effective and complex strategic education development plan to improve the quality of education. The programs focus on training lecturers and teachers on the emerging technologies. For example, the Watani project was mainly designed to assist teachers and lecturers to handle all the challenges associated with ICT and education. The emerging ICT will help lecturers and teachers to improve training and learning process of the learners. Another government-initiated project in Saudi Arabia is the Tatweer project. The project's objective is to work together with the Curriculum Development institution to develop quality curriculum for teaching and learning purposes. Lastly, there is the Jehazi project that is designed to help train lecturers and teachers in Saudi Arabia to adapt technology for teaching purposes so to improve the quality of teaching and learning (UNESCO. 2008). In future, the great focus will be on individualization of education characterized by greater complexity. This is because future learners will be determined in their intelligent and emotional development. Additionally, they become more sophisticated in interpretation and analysis skills. However, according to Halsey, Lauder, Brown and Stuart (1997) teachers have moral influence and will always play an important role in the future school. This is because it is not easy to develop a technology that will replace the dialogue between a teacher and a student. Hence, even though the role of a teacher can be replaced easily by technology, the moral role remains difficult to replace. This is because students benefit mostly from feeling, seeing as well as experiencing the enthusiasm put by the teacher and regards him/her as a role model. My Professional Plans in the next five years My professional growth in the next five years is divided into three major phases. The first one is to be a lecturer in one of the top universities in Saudi Arabia. However to achieve this, I have to adapt to the changes in the education sector. I have also to appreciate the importance of ICT in education and how it improves the quality of teaching and learning, and specifically within the higher education sector. However other proficiencies are important, and these include communication, inter-personal and in-depth research proficiencies. Current Strength I have individual and professional strengths that will assist me in realizing my dreams. These include dedication towards my work and good education and communication skills. Additionally, I am passionate of my area of specialization. Moreover, I have good technological, teamwork and good communication skills that can help me tackle emerging technologies in the education sector. Lastly, I am highly creative individual, with self-discipline and upload professional work ethics. Weaknesses Despite, my strengths I also have few weaknesses that I have to work on so to realize my professional dreams. First, I cannot manage time effectively. Therefore, it will be important for me to work on my time management skills. Moreover, I lose my confidence when faced with a new situation. This is an important personal aspect that I will have to work on. Achieving the set goals In every goal set, there are usually some obstacles in the way. In my professional development journey, I have a number of challenges that might hinder me from realizing. Some of the obstacles are lack of sufficient funds, time, and a mentor. However, I have vowed to remain focused and work towards my goals. Therefore, I have identified various resources that will help me, and these include Taking a leave from my workplace so to concentrate on my studies and improve my academic performance. I consider enrolling for online classes so to reduce expenses associated with travelling to campus to attend class. This will also save my time. The last strategy is to defer my lectures and engage in full-time employment so to save enough money for my studies. Assumptions Learners always experience various problems during learning process, and there have been various theories developed to address the issues. It is important to point out that learners have different understanding levels. Some learners grasp concepts faster than others do while others get confused when new concepts are introduced. Learning can only take place if the environment is friendly (Helyer and Lee 2012). Therefore, it is important for teachers to ensure that they build trust between them and the learners. It is also important for teachers to ensure that they conduct teaching and promote learning by integrating the understanding of the learners with individual mind-set and thoughts. Educational Institutions Any society that wants to develop has to invest in education so to develop economically and curb poverty. Saudi Arabia takes education and learning seriously, and there are various institutions to address the demand of education. Presently, Saudi Arabia is trying to modernize its education to meet the international standards. There are about six institutions of higher learning, 12 teacher-training institutions, and more than 14,000 education institutions. The country further has technical training centers, special schools, and literary schools. Utilization of Resources Saudi Arabia Kingdom uses all the available resources effectively to ensure that citizens enjoy various services in all sectors including education, transport, and health among others. The nation has adapted modern technology to enhance quality of the services. For example, the ministry of education has adapted various programs to train teachers and lecturers so to improve the process of teaching and learning. The government works in collaboration with other partners to keep up with the rapid changes in the education sector and emerging technologies. Expectations For every nation, the goal of education is produce graduate who are skilled and competent and can help in realizing the country's development goals. Therefore, quality of education is significant for country's economic, political and social growth. For the Saudi Arabia people, there have high expectation for education system that will give them a competitive edge in the international level. Therefore, they expect to enjoy quality education at all levels of education. Implications and challenges in facilitating learning Learning and training starts in the classroom. University education/college training prepares students for the job market. It skills and knowledge gained promotes growth and development in the country. However, the university/college education is faced by different challenges. First, the funding from the government is not only sufficient but also not equally distributed. Additionally, the higher education sector has failed to conduct effective scientifical and technological research. Moreover, the labor market is incapable of absorbing fresh graduates because they lack the necessary skills and experience to meet the market demands. Therefore, if the mentioned trends continue, graduates will not have any significance to the country economy. This will be a drawback to the achievements of the education sector (Muhammad 2001). Conclusion Teachers play an important role in the education system. However, with the emergence of ICT in the sector, my role as a teacher is likely to be affected too. According to Kell, Vialle, Konza and Vogyl (2008), the role of the teacher must change in the future due to various reasons. First, ICT will make the teaching resources such as use of chalkboards and overhead projectors obsolete. In five years time, there will be other means for example, networked resources that will make the role of a teacher within the classroom to change. Additionally, adaption of ICT in the education sector will make some performance evaluation and assessment forms to be redundant. For example, teachers can use computer based testing. This type of testing will provide the teacher with instant information on students' performance. Moreover, the teachers can easily compare the scores so to indicate the learning process of the student and also link accuracy and performance to response speed. It is also important for the role of the teacher to change so to adapt to the constant changes in the education sector. About the mention, as a teacher I should not just act as a medium of knowledge transmitters, but I should step forward and change from being just a lecturer and become enablers and organizers of learner and encourage collaborative working and critical thinking. This is because the mentioned aspects form the major themes in the future of education. As a teacher, I should also change my teaching methods to align with the characteristics of the minds of learners. Moreover, not all the information should be presented in a linear format but in a hypertext format. Lastly, teachers need to not only understand but also appreciate the justifications and reasons for the change in all their roles so to advance in their professions (Connell et al 2007). ICT will change the authoritative role of teachers. Therefore, my role as a teacher is likely to change from that of being a centralized authority to authoritative role. References Connell, R., Campbell, C., Vickers, M., Welch, A., Foley, D. and Bagnall, N. 2007, Education, change and society, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Halsey, A. H., Lauder, H., Brown, P. and Stuart Wells, A. 1997, Education: culture, economy and society, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Helyer, R. & Lee, D. 2012, ‘The twenty-first century multiple generation workforce: overlaps and differences but also challenges and benefits’, Education + Training, vol. 54, no. 7, pp. 565-578. Kell, P., Vialle, W., Konza, D. and Vogyl, G. (eds) 2008, Learning and the learner: exploring learning for new times, University of Wollongong, Wollongong. Lee, W-O. 2013, ‘The conceptual framework of the 21st century competencies’, Keynote paper presented to the Education and 21st Century Competencies Symposium, Ministry of Education, Oman, 22-24 September. Manea, M. A. 2011. Requirements of upgrading higher education institutions to develop human resources in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: a future perspective. The Ministry of Education: Riyadh. Muhammad, H. 2001. International economic challenges facing learners and teachers. New York: Prentice hall. Prensky, M.R. 2012, ‘The true 21st century literacy is programming’, in from digital natives to digital wisdom: hopeful essays for 21st century learning, Corwin, Thousand Oaks, pp. 192-200. Transue, B.M. 2013, ‘Connectivism and information literacy: moving from learning theory to pedagogical practice’, Public Services Quarterly, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 185-195. UNESCO. 2008. Higher Education in the Twenty-first Century. World conference on Higher Education: Paris, France. Read More