TReaching ®

Teachers Come from Machines
and Other Professions

    There is a growing wave of enthusiasm about incorporating more and more technology into the classroom. There are a whole bunch of devices which aid a student’s thinking and memory. Computers can help us plan, record, organize, create, and present material faster and more presentably than we can do without them. Then there is the outbreak of MP3 recorders and ipods. There is a movement afoot to bring these technologies into the classroom to replace traditional teaching methods. Some “pro-techs” would like to eliminate teacher lecturing, distribution of printed text, and note-taking. Instead, they advocate directing students to online sources to collect information firsthand and for adults to hand students collections of information on CD’s or flash drives instead of on paper. The pro-techs envision classrooms with children, each equipped with a laptop, clustered in small groups. They will search for and harvest information, organize it, and store it appropriately. In their groups, they will use the information to solve assigned problems. No need for a teacher to distribute and introduce the information. Less teaching. More interaction with technology. Teachers become facilitators.

    There is some good and some bad in all of this. Using technology to aid learning is clearly positive. Teaching children to research and collect information which they can do on their own in preparation or as follow-up to a lesson is definitely worthwhile. But, human teachers provide something no computer can. That is being human. People learn information and skills best when they are handed over to them by a warm, sensitive, and proficient person, otherwise known as a teacher. Nothing beats human-led demonstration. Yes, children can use technology extensively to work wonders with information, but teachers cannot be replaced by machines when it comes to explaining that which is hard to understand or to share life experiences related to the material.

    This is contrasted with teachers who teach the book. They come to class with the same book that their students do and read the book in class with their students, adding a comment here and there. This is a waste of human potential. Children can pre-read the material. After the class pre-reads the text, the teacher can field questions about the reading and clarify points. Secondly, the teacher can complement the reading material with real-life information which brings the material to life. Sharing personal experiences is always a winner. We were not surprised at the disappointment one of our students expressed recently. He has just changed schools and now appreciates his former teacher. “I can’t believe that my new teacher can just sit in class and read the book to us. My teacher last year broke everything down and showed us how everything works. I will never criticize her again.” Technology can complement teachers; it should not replace them. Technology cannot do the special things that teachers can.

Human teachers provide something no computer can.

    Issue number two which we would like to relate to teacher shortage is the trend for outside professionals to enter the field of education. Some districts have started training programs for professionals with a passion. These are individuals who are good at what they do and would love to teach their craft to someone else. Many of these converted teachers have reached retirement age in their respective fields. They have seasoned experience in their area of expertise and would like to share their wisdom and skills with younger folk. Engineers are teaching high school math, political researchers are teaching social studies, musicians are teaching performing arts. These are not people who are looking for money. They know that teaching is not a high-paying field. The key word above was “passion”. They have valuable professional life experience to teach...with a passion. They are also willing to pay for a year or more of education courses to prepare themselves. At the same time that we like this approach to breeding new teachers, logic dictates that administrators still need to be selective. Not all engineers make great math teachers. Communication skills, not just math knowledge, are required.

    Yes, the ideal classroom is one equipped with the best of technology. In that classroom the use of technology is balanced with human teaching by an individual with a passion for what he does. You can polish the metal of any machine, but nothing outshines a competent teacher. We would like our children to appreciate technology and to be teachers. They must learn to teach themselves and to teach others, be they friends, adults, or their own children one day. Striking the right balance in the classroom sets the proper example for our children. In this way we are “helping children to help themselves”.