Practice Preaching during Practice Teaching

In terms of educational reforms, Kerala has proved to be a trend setter!. The introduction of the activity-based-curriculum in the early days of the 21st century and the ‘Constructivist’ paradigm in which learning and teaching takes  place have been  a regular subject for discussion by elite educationists. The  recent launch of Critical Pedagogy and an Issue-based curriculum, its proponents believe, can completely transform the society in God’s Own Country. And with such stimulating ideas, an army of Resource Persons trained by ‘experts’ are forcing down a not so easy digestible  transactional strategy  down the throats of unwary  teachers  during Cluster Meetings!

The urge to transform society is so deeply engrained in the minds of these progressive  Resource Persons that they  take it their onus to transform harmless Pre-service  trainees who arrive in  schools in June and July where  these Resource Persons are employed.

Last year, the  attempt to transform the  trainees by these ‘enlightened Resource Persons’  began with a  barrage of criticism on the Lesson Plan prepared by the trainee. Then followed an  intellectual and  emotional harassment. They were even directed to change their teaching strategy and follow the one which  the  ‘gurus’ of the Resource Persons dictated during  training sessions. The trainees were bluntly told that the Teacher Educators who sent them to the school for Practice Teaching  are ignoramuses and have no idea about the  New Pedagogy!!

As a teacher educator, I have only one way of reassuring my trainees. Well let barking dogs bark. If only the Resource Persons with their Pseudo-enlightenment realized that the New curriculum prescribed for schools are now being studied only by a dwindling population! Ever since the turn of the 21st century on an average, eighty thousand students are migrating from schools following the  State Syllabus to CBSE schools for  parents and the public are confused at curricular reforms! The division fall in Government run schools is  also a reflection of this.

 I also remind my trainees that the they are not being trained during the BEd course to teach  only in schools  following the State government syllabus! They are also expected to teach one day in schools following CBSE, NCERT and even the Cambridge syllabus followed in  International schools. I even reassure them by telling them that they need not  be  unnecessarily perturbed  when some elements attempt their ‘Practice Preaching’ while you attempt our Practice Teaching…Remember a don’t worry … take is easy policy… is essential for  survival especially during  Practice Teaching .

 This, let me confess, worked wonders for my trainees last year in Calicut, I have no doubt it will work for  trainees of other  colleges  too in God’s Own Country this June and July!