Helping Teachers Teach Better — The Teacher’s Day Gift They Would Appreciate

Sunil Sathyavolu
Sep 5, 2018 · 4 min read

How often do you see a Maruti 800 in a Formula 1 Race? I see it often! Not in the F1 race track though, I see it all the time in schools! The Maruti 800 I see are the older, traditional teaching methods we still practice, on modern students. While there are commendable instances of teachers doing a phenomenal job in upskilling or reskilling, the fact that many students still have to opt for supplemental content, alternative learning methods, or private tuitions, goes on to show that there’s a lot more work to be done in teaching. Just as we dine out when we don’t get the desired food at home, students too, look out for alternate learning methods when the teacher or school, fail to cater to their learning needs.

Identifying learning preference

Until 1960’s most of the learners were by default, textual learners, as the exposure towards audio, visual and kinesthetic learning was very minimal. But with the advancement of technology and increase in exposure, students started to see the several options they have for learning, and thus their learning preferences started to change.

Student education is not about content company 1 vs content company 2. Education must assess and understand the learning preferences of different students, how it can be facilitated to them in academics, and gradually upskill teachers to ensure that the school remains a central part of learning and teaching.

Measuring Teacher effectiveness

It is disappointing that teachers generally do not have any idea of learning that happens outside their classrooms. Students who learn from subscribed supplemental content, end up getting bored in the classroom. Learning is scattered all over, and teachers who are supposed to be the primary source of imparting knowledge are privy to it all.

There is an innate need to track every student’s overall learning at one place. This is not just for the teachers to know what a student is up to in his learning journey, but also to help them understand which topics and concepts a student finds difficulty coping with, and relies on supplemental content for the same. Teachers also get to decide the additional resources a child looks out for, apart from the teaching in school, and accordingly upskill themselves, to cater to individual learning needs. An approach like this won’t just help measure teacher effectiveness, but also enable schools to have an effective and efficient performance evaluation tool.

Time spent on non-teaching activities

Over 42% of each teacher’s teaching time, is spent on non-teaching activities. These activities are generally non-value-added, and do not relate to teaching. These may be their route academic activities such as preparing question papers, lesson plans, or correcting answer sheets.

While there is no need of reinventing the wheel unless there is a change in the model and size, there shouldn’t be duplication of efforts or repeated activities. Why then, should teachers repeat several academic activities every year, while the syllabus remains the same? Can we think of a simple automation?

Parent contribution in teacher’s success

How many parents are willing to accept the truth? How comfortable is a teacher, to open up a crucial conversation with parents? Can a parent ask questions related to concepts, pedagogies and learnings, and not just about marks?

A Student’s success is not the teacher’s responsibility alone, parents too, play an equally important role.

Unfortunately, most parents limit to looking at their child’s eligibility, and not further beyond, to see their capability too. By asking the right questions at the right time, you don’t just be a responsible, participative parent but also end up helping teachers do their job efficiently.

Long term vision

We cannot turn ordinary teachers into experts overnight, but we sure can have a digital strategy in place, to profile each teacher on various aspects, jot down a measurable, achievable, and sustainable professional development plan, to help them focus on their work, and assist their professional development. Yes, it is digital strategy that teachers need, with a long-term plan, and not just the mundane deadlines of completing assessments, assignments, or time table. An intelligent education management platform that brings all stakeholders together, would add more insight into teaching and learning, thus increasing teacher effectiveness and helping students make bigger achievements.

Millions of cards and wishes are exchanged every Teacher’s Day, but I strongly believe every day is Teachers Day, and they deserve to be rewarded and appreciated for choosing to educate us. Let’s gift them tools, strategies, innovation, and digital assistance, that can help simplify their job, increase their contribution in nation building, and optimize their effort and time. Now that’s truly a much needed, noteworthy gift we may give to the teaching profession.

Happy Teachers Day!

Sunil Sathyavolu

Written by

Corporate dropout turned Entrepreneur. Always excited about meeting new people. Ever ready to contribute to betterment of society. True Hyderabadi.