Introduction
Nowadays education is constantly changing with hours. Every student and teacher is competing with the race of the new technologies that offer so many new benefits but challenges as well. You can browse thousands of resources online, such as writing services where you can find topics like, for instance, writemypapers.org review. But where should we start from? And with whom? Today we should not only educate the students but the teachers, too. For they are in front of novel technological resources and new methods for educating. That is why we need to teach them as well. And that can be done in various ways. Here we will share the main points of that process.
#1. Show, Do Not Tell
As with everything, showing is always better. We should aim to show teachers the way technologies are used, the way the new methods are implemented in the classroom, as well as how to combine them with their knowledge and the traditional way to teach.
For example, that can be done by creating podcasts that show how other teachers are using the methods that one is trying to implement. Eg. If you want to teach someone how to operate with multimedia, present them with a video podcast of how that is done.
#2. Go Online
If you are presenting new technology, aimed at teachers, go online with it. Make a Facebook, Instagram, and other social media accounts. There you can publish short demos, information, updates, as well as things that can be useful for teachers in their journey in the tech world.
Advise teachers to ‘like’ the page and that way they will get to see your actualizations on time.
By being online, you can also share your story, your motives, what you aim to achieve with your technology.
If you are in a school board and are trying to teach technology or new educational methods to teachers, you can use social media as well so as to show others how this can be implemented.
Also, whether you are leading a specific program, or just want to help more teachers learn new methods or technologies, you can make your own blog. There you can post publications that present helpful tips and tricks, you can post videos or information from third parties that are related to your goal of distributing wide-spread knowledge about the new practices.
#3. Provide Training
A simple day of learning a new skill, whether it be methodical, or technological, cannot give all the necessary data for the successful implementation of the desired practice. Sometimes schools make the mistake of providing only a “brushing” over the material in the day before the students arrive. And that is not the best way to work.
Actually, teachers should have access to technologies and methodical materials at all times so that they can use them whenever needed. It is best to implement a systematic approach to the new technique with training programs and various modules from people who are already proficient in achieving the results one wants.
#4. What to Focus On
When implementing new techniques, one needs to focus on specific details that will drive the success rate upwards.
First, make the topic job-related. It is one thing to teach people how to operate with a certain method or a technology, yet, a completely different thing is doing what will be required on a situational basis. Focus on the things that the teachers will need to know in the classroom, on how can they take steps to improve their methods and techniques, on how to operate with a, say, software program during class.
Choose the technologies that will be appropriate and see how effective they can be in the process of teaching. Provide the necessary equipment and tools at hand.
Second, do not try to achieve proficiency. That will come with practice. At first, people need to know just enough to be comfortable with the method you are trying to implement.
For helping students with technology teachers do not need to be perfect at using it but should know enough that they will understand and guide the students. With this approach, teachers can also learn through trial and error or lean on to help guides.
Also, teachers will not need every hardware and software equipment there is out there. What they will need, though, are the materials required for the method you want them to employ. Thus, do not fill the classroom with unnecessary stuff but rather try to find the balance.
Third, make the changes at the time they are required. For instance, a mentor may be present in class and guide the teacher on how to perform the activities necessary or provide feedback on what is correct and what is not. Do not allow for too much time to pass between teaching the method and requiring its implementation. That way a lot of things will be already forgotten, and you are simply throwing resources away.
Do think about the teachers’ personal preferences as well. Each of them, just like the students, learns in a different way, has preferred methods and practices, has their own way of viewing things. Thus, you need to take that into account while you are thinking about their needs with respect to the methods you are presenting.
#5. At the End – Just Try It Out
Even with the best practices and teachings, no method is completely mastered without being tried on by the learner themselves. This corresponds both to students and teachers. Thus, when you are trying to implement a new methodic or technology in the classroom, allow the teachers who will be operating with it to try it out and give you feedback on it. Offer them the chance to see for themselves what works best and what can be improved.
That way they will understand the methods better, they will see how they can put them into practice, and may even have feedback from the students on how is the new implementation going.
Remember that teachers may tweak and twist the methods a bit while teaching for they will be aligning them with their own practices. That is not wrong and should not be discouraged but, rather, encouraged.
Conclusion
There are plenty of ways to put into practice new methods and technologies in the classrooms. But people always need to remember that teachers also need to learn how to practice them and how to help the students. Thus, it is always important to think about educating the educators on how to put together new teaching methods.
You can present the implementations in various ways but you should always take into account the needs of the teachers and students while you are doing so, for only then you can expect a great result, beneficial for both sides. Remember to get feedback for that is a cornerstone of the whole practice of moving forward into the future with technologies, methods, and teaching practices.
We hope that we have given you a brief but good understanding of how such improvements can be made and nowadays the whole world is showing us why are they needed.
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