The
pandemic has made self-learning modules a necessity, if people are to get
educated. And it’s undeniable that the “basic necessities club” has a new
member now, i.e., the internet. So will this internet be able to replace a real
teacher? Well, as much as the collaboration of self-learning modules and
internet helps us educate the most remote areas of the world, self-learning
modules can’t play “substitute” for interpersonal relationships since they deliver
learning content in the form of discrete ‘atoms’, in the words of educator
Philip Kerr, which eventually come together to create ‘learning’. Using a more familiar
example, we may be able to engineer a zygote in a test tube in a lab but we
still need a human female to perform surrogate. Likewise, as much as all of us
can agree that education is a necessity to replace empty minds with open ones
and that it is wise to use all methods possible to fulfil the purpose even if
it entails not having a real teacher, we can’t deny the fact that the life experiences
and knowledge a real teacher brings is irreplaceable.
This
brings us to the reality that teaching is not all about itemizing facts and
figures of a certain topic. Attesting to this, research has shown that teaching
is not all about finding the “right answers” or teaching them to the students.
Rather, it is about inquiry and learning through which both the students and
the teachers ameliorate into better individuals, thus fostering social learning.
Therefore, the holistic development of a student requires more than just the
banter of teaching. It requires solid mentorship enriched by the happiness,
pain and sufferings of learned and experienced individuals dedicated to the
deed. Moreover, it can’t be denied that, often, we learn and model a
personalities and outlooks and alignment with the people around us, be it our
teachers, parents, friends or acquaintances. Additionally, though self-learning
modules lack prejudice, bias and stereotypes, it’s not like one can share their
thoughts and concerns with it and expect genuine understanding in return. This
in itself indicates that real people have a strong influence on the building of
the foundation of an individual.
Building
the foundation of an individual does not exactly end with enriching ones intellectual
quotient. This can be illustrated by the mere fact that an intelligent person
may turn murderer due to the lack of emotional intelligence while the opposite
is seldom true. This is where the role of a real teacher comes in. A teacher has
the ‘real-time’ sensitivity to understand the emotional state of each individual
student and offer an ear to listen or a shoulder to lean on, providing comfort
and proper guidance. This entails breaking down the barriers of employing the
conventional quantitative methods and epistemologies embedded in the academic
culture operating from an outsider’s perspective and making informed decisions
in regard to the student. In alignment with this argument, a teacher often uses
qualitative knowledge seen through an insider’s lens through methods like journaling,
direct observation, keeping field notes, conducting interviews, collecting
artifacts, etc. which are more appropriate for the complex process of teaching
and learning as it is not practically possible for a self-learning module lacking
empathy.
2
out of 3 students say that their teachers are their role models. But have you
ever heard someone say the same about a self-learning module? Probably, not.
So, why is that? Well, the answer is rather simple. It’s because guiding
students to become proper human beings and inspiring them to excel in their
life by setting goals and achieving them are not exactly the forte of a self-learning
module. Attesting to this, We Are Teachers, an online media brand for educators,
have found that almost 79 percent of students say that their teachers
encouraged them to follow their dreams. Furthermore, feedback can touch the
heart of a fellow human being only when it is customized for each person and
has the warmth of goodwill. Such personal and warm feedback can help encourage
independence and increase confidence as confirmed by more than 80 percent of
the students who took part in the research conducted by We Are Teachers.
Confidence
stems from compassion. A compassionate teacher positively influences their
student even if things may seem grim for them. This is evidently different from
the mere graphics found at the end of a self-learning module congratulating a
student on successfully completing their studies. Graphical appreciation,
though boosts confidence, isn’t as effective as verbal and expressive
appreciation from teachers which stimulates the student’s brain much more than
the former by unshackling the student from toxic emotions. Thus, teachers
become a support system for their students forming a bond between them founded
on trust and affection which cannot be formed by a self-learning module. But this
doesn’t mean that technology should be taken away from the lives of the students.
It means that teachers need to make use of technology as an efficient assistant
while incorporating their humour, soft-skills coaching and behavioral
assessments and make memories which are sure to adorn their students’ faces
with a smile. Such gifts of happiness can only be presented by a real teacher.
