Blog#10: Innovation in Teaching and Learning: do teachers have to learn?

Teaching and learning processes are interdependent. Not only do students have to learn but teachers must also learn to teach (Feiman-Nemser, 2008). So, what do teachers need to learn?

In my opinion, teachers have to learn several things: new knowledge, teaching methods, ways to deal with problems happening in the classrooms, etc.

Firstly, teachers have to ensure that they acquire sufficient and updated knowledge on the lesson topics. Once they can master lesson topics, they will be able to figure out the best ways to facilitate their students in acquiring such knowledge. The lesson topic may be fixed but the knowledge associated with it would be updated regularly. If teachers do not frequently spend time researching their lesson topic, their knowledge may become outdated. Additionally, knowledge of different lesson topics within a discipline may support each other. Therefore teachers should not only focus on acquiring specific knowledge on their particular lesson topics, they should also acquire new knowledge of the overall discipline that they teach (Bennett, 2002).

Secondly, there are different ways to organize a lesson, which are referred to as teaching methods. Research studies on teaching methods are regularly conducted, and improved insight and methodology is often proposed. This can provide useful theories of teaching methodology for teachers. Thus, to update new teaching methods, teachers should regularly study the new teaching methodology literature.

For example, last year, I conducted a study in Jordan and found that a number of teachers there did not know about collaborative inquiry as an innovative teaching method. However, this method was mentioned substantially in the literature (Bell, Urhahne, Schanze, & Ploetzner, 2010). If teachers do not learn new teaching methods, they cannot apply these in their classrooms because their knowledge, skills, and training are out of date.

On the other hand, beside self-study, teachers can also learn new teaching methods from their peers or from workshops and seminars that are organized by professional associations, NGOs, etc. Through the participation with such associations, teachers can also share their teaching methods and experiences with their peers.

Thirdly, in the teaching process, teachers may face several pedagogical issues. For example, some students may be very lazy and tend to create opposition with teachers in the classroom, others may not respect their classmates and do not want to work in groups, etc. Some may be shy and keep a low profile in the classrooms. Teacher training seldom informs one on how to address such issues effectively. Teachers have to learn from their experiences, others’ experiences, and students' reactions to figure out the best approach to such problems. They may not address such problems effectively when they start teaching but they can adjust their approaches and have greater success as they gain on-the-job experience. Thus, they should and can learn from their mistakes.

Innovation in teaching and learning is a long-term process rather than a short-term practice. Teachers cannot generate new ideas when they do not have a strong theoretical background, teaching experience, and methodology. When they learn new things, they can generate other new ideas from their knowledge, skills, and values that fit within their particular context. Therefore, the promotion of intellectual stimulation for teachers is critical in contributing towards their innovation in teaching and learning.

References :

Bell, T., Urhahne, D., Schanze, S., & Ploetzner, R. (2010). Collaborative inquiry learning: Models, tools, and challenges. International journal of science education, 32(3), 349-377.

Bennett, N. (2002). Knowledge bases for learning to teach. In Learning to teach (pp. 15-31). Routledge.

Feiman-Nemser, S. (2008). Teacher learning: How do teachers learn to teach. In Handbook of research on teacher education: Enduring questions in changing contexts (pp. 697-705).