Dear All
Time flies!!!! we are just finishing week 7. I have learned a lot and I think I will continue learning.
During this week I have been thinking about how I could make my students more autonomous learners.
After reading the articles proposed for this topic I truly believe that the best way to create autonomous learners is by being autonomous teachers. If it is my way of thinking in autonomous learning how can I be an autonomous teacher????.
The answer is not simple, it is much more complicate because it is not always simple to be autonomous as teachers. Some of us (if not most of us) have to complete objectives, lesson plans, a class book, a certain of number of hours for teaching. These institution's requirements are generally developed by the authorities and the "group of experts", the ones who master the curriculum and syllabus design, but who generally ore far from the real situation of the classroom.
Dear Gabriela! I think that it's great that you think how to become an autonomous teacher-this is already the first step to do it! Even we have requirements from our Government; nobody demands to work on lesson plan by sharing ideas with other teachers, by discussing pedagogical issues with our colleagues in the school, by thinking about new way of teaching. But we do it! It tells that we can be autonomous also with requirements that administration have to us. We can do it! We have to start from a small initiative that in one day will be a huge enough. The best, Natalia
ResponderEliminarHi Gabriela,
ResponderEliminarI totally agree with Natalya! I think we can be creative, motivate our students and make them (and us) more and more autonomous under any circumstances. Will is power! ;-)
Celeste
Hi Gabriela,
ResponderEliminarunfortunately, the same thing happens in my country, those who establish the standards to be reached in school, seem far away of the reality. What is supposed to be accomplished within school doesn't find applicability in real life. I have learnt so far that I have to prepare students for life as well so I strive to mingle the requests with students' real needs after they have graduated.
All the best, Laura- Cristiana
Dear Gabriela,
ResponderEliminarYour idea of becoming an autonomous teacher to help students gain more independence and take more responsibility of their own learning is a good suggestion. I also agree with the comments made by Laura-Cristiana that sometimes people who pass education laws do not know the real situation of our classrooms, so it is the teacher who has to adapt activities, material, and resources to achieve real learning goals.
Regards,
Wilma.
Being an autonomous teacher is much more difficult. In India, especially the university where I teach, there is no connection between syllabus and teaching, materials and evaluation. So neither the teacher nor the students can be autonomous. The teacher has to feed the students and the students in the examinations have to prove that they are fed up. This is ridiculous. I do not know if there is any way out.
ResponderEliminarPradheep