9. In the Smithy of Learning

[Originally published in  ELT Chat of  www.Free_esl.com on  Teacher’s Day 05 September 2007 ]

Greetings on Teacher’s Day (05 September, 2007)

There  are three immediate factors that concerns  the teacher:

 1. The Learner

 2. The Classroom

 3. The Subject / language  being taught.

* Teaching is essentially finding a way to deal with 1,2 & 3. 

And to do this, “ A teacher has to be like a candle who lights others in

consuming itself… and great teachers  do it!!!

The ‘smithy’ refers to classroom… and English Language

      Classroom     practices ought  to focus on the following:

* Understanding  how children construct their own knowledge

* Insisting on active engagement of learners for construction

    of knowledge

*  Giving  emphasis to experiences in learning

* Focusing on a variety of situations and multiplicity of methods

     for creating diverse experiences

*  Enabling  a better teacher-child relationship.