Teaching Materials for Secondary School Teachers - Essay Example

Knowledge and Skills Enrichment in Understanding Teaching Materials for Secondary School Teachers I. Introduction Education is one of the most important processes in the society and the development of a person. Well educated citizen can greatly contribute to the welfare of the nation. In relation to the said notion, it is then important for every nation and every school to strive for quality education. To be able to help students to achieve a productive future that ultimately can help the nation, schools should not provide mediocre learning. This can be attributed to the fact that educational system should aim for high quality in the education methods and techniques that are used and utilized. Quality education can be considered as a necessity since the search for employment to be able to survive in the present society can be considered as one of the most competitive process. It is then important primarily to define quality education. Specifically, quality education is a term that is based on the four principles of education. Quality can be equivalent to the standard that makes students more than capable to be able to present themselves in the real world. The basic foundation principles include the concepts of learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together with others, and learning to be. The provision of quality education can be considered as one of the basic rights of a person falling next to the basic needs (Sims and Sims, 1995). Quality education is culturally appropriate and locally relevant where the economic, environmental and social contexts of a particular area are taken into consideration in the formulation of the curriculum. It develops knowledge, perspectives, values, attitudes and life skills. Quality education provides the means to transform existing societies to more sustainable societies (Lee, 1963; Sims and Sims, 1995). Based on the definition of quality education it can be considered that there is a great need to be able to have an in depth study on the factors that can contribute to the achievement of quality education. This can be attributed to the essentiality of the role that education holds. To be able to present the said issue clearly, it is important to determine the elements that contribute to the objectives of quality education specifically in secondary level. In relation to the said issues regarding education, the main focus of the study is the presentation of the importance of one of the essential factors of educational process which is the educators and the capabilities to facilitate the process of learning. II. Essential Notions in Education In the aim to achieve quality education in the secondary level, there are different notions that are needed to be considered. One is the teaching methods and principles which can be considered as the main content in teaching. The said component can commonly be observed through the analysis of the composition of the curriculum in an educational institution (Lee, 1963). Another important component is the educators that can be considered as the main personalities that serve as keys to the attainment of the type of education that is aspired for. The ability of the educators extends from the capacity to present and achieve a learning process on the different aspects of a learner's personality. To be able to achieve the objectives of learning the learning techniques and styles of an educator is essential. This can be attributed to the fact that the educator facilitates the leaning process (Sims and Sims, 1995). One important factor of the learning process also is the learner. Basically, the abilities, attitudes and predispositions of learner also make the facilitation of the learning process possible. Abilities can be considered as the natural capabilities of the learners and students that are needed to be enhanced and developed in the process of learning. Determination of such abilities is essential although the said measure vary for every student. Another is the attitude and behavior of the student towards learning. In addition the behavior of the learner towards his surroundings is also included. This is important on the basis of the fact that the character of a person can determine the type of decision that can be made and the method that can be used as a result of the things learned (Sims and Sims, 1995). Success then in the achievement of the educational system and the learning process does not rely on any of the methods and strategies of teaching available solely. Success greatly depends on the combination of all these factors plus the effectiveness of the teachers in educating the students. Schools can mold the students into persons of education and character (Sims and Sims, 1995). In addition, the interaction of these factors is also important in the reaching and learning process. Thus, the commencement of the educational process one thing can surmise. It is the capabilities of the educator and the teaching method s and techniques that are used. The possession of such capabilities can be translated to effectiveness as a teacher. This effectiveness results from adequate teacher training that can gain teaching competence and techniques to better understand the teaching materials or resources that they will be utilizing in conducting their lessons (Sims and Sims, 1995). III. The Educators and the Teaching Trends in Secondary Education Upon the recognition of the importance of the educators in the learning process, the issues in the achievement of quality education through the performance and capabilities of the educators are the main issues. In the aim to achieve an effective educational system, several educational techniques are available for teachers to use so they may deliver their lessons more effectively. The effectiveness of these techniques must be able to tap the different facets of the personality of a person. The cognitive aspect can be considered as the main concept builder. The affective aspect can be considered as the aspect for character development. Other aspects are also vital for recognition of the individual differences of the students for better learning. These are some of the issues that are needed to be taken into consideration by he educator to be able to determine the methods to be used in teaching, the basic knowledge of the techniques to be used and the characterization of the learners (Lee, 1963; Sims and Sims, 1995; Stigler and Hiebert, 1999). Although the said notions can be considered vital to the educational and learning process, there is a simple yet indispensable aspect in the role of the teachers and the educators. It is the understanding of the lessons that are needed to be imparted to the learners. It is a common fault that in terms of the educational system, an assumption that the teachers know everything can be limiting to their capability. It is important to consider that teachers and educators need to be continuously educated to be able to have the optimum capabilities to impart knowledge to the students (Lee, 1963; Sims and Sims, 1995; Stigler and Hiebert, 1999). In every lessons taught, the educator that facilitate learning is needed to be in control of the discussion and the learning experience. To be able to achieve it, teachers are needed to have full and clear understanding of the concepts that they are teaching to be able to send messages across to students and to succeed in instilling a clear understanding of the subject or topic to the students. Competence and sufficiency in knowledge are the key factors. Although, expertise is not an immediate requirement, knowledge and understanding of the subjects to be taught can be considered a must. IV. The Enrichment of Knowledge and Skills of Educators In the aim to be able to achieve the quality education, the methods of maintaining the competence and skills of the educator can be considered as the main reason for the enrichment techniques that are perceived and undertaken by the educational authorities. One more reason for the need for continuous study and training of the educators is the fact that the teaching profession is a dynamic field, thus, new knowledge and principles are continuously developed and are needed to be imbibed. There are different ways to be able to achieve the optimum teaching capability through knowledge and skills to be able to cope to the needs of the educational system. One method focused on the implementation and teaching of new teaching methods and strategies. This is in like to the continuous update of the educational system. Adaptation to new innovations is an important method to be updated specially in terms of the acquisition of new skills and knowledge. Stagnation of knowledge of the educator can be considered as a hindrance to the achievement of quality education (Unruh and Alexander, 1974). In effect, those who strive to maintain their competence as teachers by striving to continuously learn will in effect, transfer their knowledge to the students more efficiently. In relation to training, increase in time allotment for the educators training is required for continuous development. Studies however showed that American parents believe that teachers need regular training but they are not agreeable with time taken away from the classroom to spend on professional development (Childress, 1996; Sebastian and Schirmer, 1999). It is important to consider that training and development are essential to the performance of the educator. Another issue is the fact that some teachers are teaching more than one subject matter. This can be considered as a factor for the decrease in the quality of education. This can be attributed to the fact that the teachers fail to concentrate to one subject area. Specificity of teaching fields is required. Teachers may be adept in a specific subject matter while others may be skilled, though not experts in more than one field. To resolve such issue, it is important to train the educator in a specific field and practice in the said subject matter too (Lee, 1963; Sims and Sims, 1995; Stigler and Hiebert, 1999). These are the possible methods that can be considered to be able to improve even at some point the quality of education. But there are hindrances such as government policies related to education. The issue on finding ways to improve teaching in secondary schools has been placed on the sideline by the policymakers. The current approach being used is the distribution of reform documents and requiring teachers to implement the documented recommendations. This approach however does not work because teachers do not have the chance to interact with other teachers from other schools to share their knowledge and experiences and increase awareness on what constitutes effective teaching. Development of professional knowledge and giving teachers the opportunity to learn more about teaching is the key to a progressive development of the profession (Lee, 1963; Sims and Sims, 1995; Stigler and Hiebert, 1999). Unlike for example the teachers in Japan, American teachers have no means to contribute to the improvement of teaching methods and they do not have opportunities for improving or developing their skills (Stigler and Hiebert). In relation to the presented methods of improving the capabilities of the educators as a technique to improve the quality of education, it can be considered that the educators should be treated as a component of the educational system that require maintenance to be able to perform in the optimum condition. Conclusion Based on the study undertaken and the concepts presented, the capability, performance and knowledge of the educators can be considered as one of the most important element in the achievement of quality education. Due to the problem of continuously decreasing quality of the educational system, the resolution and quest for ways of improvement is being undertaken. The methods that were presented are vital to the improvement of the educational system. In addition the other components such as the students and the teaching methods which are the other essential elements in education process are also needed to be given attention. Works Cited Childress, Michael T., et al. Exploring the Frontier of the Future: How Kentucky will Live, Learn and Work. Frankfort: KY Long-term Policy Research Center, 1996. Lee, James Michael. Principles and Methods of Secondary Education. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1963. Marshak, David. Improving Teaching in the High School Block Period. Lanham: Scarecrow Education , 2000. MINTZ, SUSAN L. "Secondary Education - History of." State University. 12 Sep 2007 . Sims, Serbrenia J. and Ronald R. Sims. The Importance of Learning Styles: Understanding the Implications for Learning, Course Design, and Education. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995. Stigler, James W. and James Hiebert. The Teaching Gap: Best Ideas from the World's Teachers for Improving Education in the Classroom. NY: The Free Press, 1999. TIROZZI, GERALD N. "Secondary Education: Currect Trends." State University. 12 Sep 2007 . Unruh, Glenys G. and William M. Alexander. Innovations in Secondary Education. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1974. Read More