K A Solaman

K A Solaman as on 28-7-2011

How To Be the Best Teacher

Teaching may sound like an easy task but it is as daunting as any job. Having taught for several years, I have tried a bit of everything of how it is to be a teacher.

There are different strokes for different folks. That is true. For the many students and their levels that I have taught, I found special kids to be the most challenging of all. However, each student is different. There are even talented kids who could be more difficult. Coming from different backgrounds, and culture, a child’s personality is formed into something unique and complex. It is a great challenge for the teachers then to uncover the child’s strengths provided by these circumstances.

So, how do we become the best teacher there is? No, this is not a popularity contest. This is about performing on the job and giving justice to your profession. As we struggle to trudge along that path, we find ourselves building guide posts so that the next time we stumble into a crossroad so similar, we know which road to take. By building these posts, we do not aim to be recognized, but simply to satisfy ourselves. Seeing our products – our students – excel and succeed or simply hand over a comment of thanks is more than enough satisfaction for us.

This is an article devoted to teachers like me – beginners and pros alike – who are on their way to self-discovery, to greatness and to understanding the real essence of being who we are today.

The following points would be guide posts I have stood in my seven years of teaching. These posts remind me to become the teacher I wished I had once upon a time.

1) Make your class rules and goals clear.

Do this at the beginning of the year. By pointing out which you expect them to do and not do, you run into less trouble of encountering these situations in the future. My class rules, however, are not so strict. These include a U-shape seating arrangement where I can see everyone, and a 'talk to me' policy once a week; I need to hear a student talk in the form of recitation or question. It is also a must that students talk to me in Malayalam since that is what I teach. Right before the major exams are conducted, I also ask students which lessons they are confident about. I tally the majority and set up free classes at the end of the week where anybody who feels they need to hear it one more time can attend.

2) Understand what you are teaching.

Teaching is not just going in front and mimicking the book. My first rule is to never teach what I do not know or understand, or I will be in danger of misinforming my students. You also avoid running into risks like answering questions you are not sure how to reply to. I also try to explain concepts in my own words and let students do the same. Also, it is easier to check if they understand the lesson or not.

3) Get savvy with the Internet.

If you are not, now is the time! A modern teacher should be knowledgeable about using computers and the Internet. You are missing out on a lot of information that could help you improve your teaching if you are not. I get most of my articles from the web. I get interactive activities from various sites to implement in my classes, which they enjoy very much.

4) Listen to students when they talk.

Be it a complaint, an answer to a recitation, an impolite question about the subject topic or something not related to the subject matter, just listen! These are ways that students communicate with you and an opportunity to find out more about them. I never tell a student that he/she’s got the wrong answer. And I never get irritated when they say they don’t understand my lesson. I see all of these as a room for improvement for both of us. Students also seem more open to you when you do this. If a student and a teacher have a comfortable relationship, more learning takes place.

5) Do not insult students.

I had been insulted by my teachers many times when I was in school and all of these instances have never helped me become a better individual. Instead, I developed a fear of humiliation. I had good use of this experience though -- I never try insulting students. A quick, sharp look is so much better than discriminating words. You would be amazed how a smile could even obligate children to focus. These and other strategies which are not demeaning are good ways to demand discipline. Also, you are not held responsible for instilling a low self-esteem in them. Reverse psychology works best especially with problem kids. You should try it. It worked well for me!

6)Evaluate your class’ strengths and weaknesses.

Assess your class by their performance and determine the gray areas that you need to tap into once in a while. My students are particularly having a difficult time in grammar and once a week, I make sure I have tiny, short lessons meant for it. A whole straight week of grammar could be boring. So, I try to stretch it into pieces. I make interactive activities to help them absorb it. There are many helpful materials online that you can use. You just need to find them.

7) Make great tests.

To define a test in my manner of understanding would be difficult. It would probably take another How To article to discuss it fully. But to characterize a great test would be easy! It should not only prompt students to recall details such as names, dates and processes, but also it should move them to discriminate possible answers. This exercises their ability to analyze.

While some would say that giving an essay question is being lazy, if the question is carefully concocted, it would actually be a good occasion for the student to organize his thoughts and write! As a teacher, I am often unpredictable. I give objective tests and essays. In so doing, I have seen how my students improved in their writing and way of thinking. I am also fond of injecting recitation into my strategies. Students fear it at first, but as time goes by, they have learnt to deal with this fear and turn it into something constructive. Later, I see more hands raised up in the air when I throw them a question, and even more guts to ask me questions when I am discussing.

Also, never duplicate exams. This happens mostly when a teacher is teaching the same subject to several sections. By doing this, we are encouraging our students to cheat!

8) Recognize talents and efforts.

It is very easy to recognize talents of children who are gifted. Also, the school gives them honors for being smart every end of each semester. But the real hard work and what we as teachers must be concerned about is to really recognize talents in problem kids. My strategy is to always notice troublesome kids. I believe that smart students would perform anyway even if you leave them alone. So, I put much effort into children needing my attention. You would be surprised at how much talent and skills they have. And provided they are recognized, they will start to listen to you more.

Recognition could be in the form of talking with them once in awhile.
I talk to these kids everyday. I give them roles and leadership obligations once in awhile and I do not take no for answer! I always see them trying, hoping not to disappoint me. I make sure that I communicate to them the trust I have for them and that they can do what I am passing on to them. Mind you, I have seen several kids improve on this strategy alone. And when tasks are done, I give benefits when they deserve it.

9) Take careful note of students' progress and let them know about it.

Before I return a major exam’s test papers, I always jot something below addressed to the student. It’s like “Dear Pete, you did wonderfully in Test 1. I knew you could do it! But maybe you should study more so you could answer essay questions better! Maybe, just listen more to me during class because that’s where you find most of the answers!” My children become very excited when I give them back the test papers. They know I would always have my ‘love note’ for them. Yes, it takes more time that it should, but the results are worth it!

10) Talk with parents.

For sure, a teacher cannot successfully teach a child without a parent’s cooperation. It is therefore important to establish a good relationship with your student’s parents. You could do so in PTA meetings. Or simply give them a call if their child performs well in school and not just because they misbehaved. I have come to learn this very important aspect of teaching children when I started to teach special kids. These children develop knowledge by routine and experience. A child only spends a few hours in school, thus, without a parent’s help, the kids will never learn.

- K A Solaman

Dr K S Sibi Ph D

Dr K S Sibi. He has been awarded Ph D in Physics by the University of Kerala in May 2011. Dr Sibi was a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Electron Microscopy, NIIST(CSIR), Thiruvananthapuram. Presently he is working as Assistant Professor, Govt College of Engineering,Thiruvananthapuram

Best teacher -National Award 2011 Winner- Smt M Vijayamma

Best teacher -National Award 2011 Winner- Smt M Vijayamma with her family members

Best teacher -National Award 2011 Winner- Smt M Vijayamma

Best teacher -National Award 2011 Winner- Smt M Vijayamma, with Sri M A Baby, former Minister of Education, Kerala. Smt Vijayamma is presently working as HM, Govt School, Konattussery, Cherthala, Alappuzha Dt.

മഹാത്മാ ഗാന്ധി സര്‍വകലശാല വക ജനിക്കും മുമ്പേ ജാതകം

No Ac1/S/4711/Faculty/2005, M G University notification, Dated 9-2-2010
Amendment to the Mahatma Gandhi University Statutes, 1997

ഇത് കോട്ടയം മഹാത്മാ ഗാന്ധി സര്‍വകലശാലയുടെ ഒരു ഉത്തരവ് . ഇത് പ്രകാരം സര്‍വകലശാലയുടെ കീഴില്‍ അഫീലിയറ്റു ചെയ്തിട്ടുള്ള ഐടെഡ്‌ കോളേജുകളില്‍ അധ്യാപക നിയമനത്തിന് മിനിമം പ്രായം 23. സര്‍ക്കാരു കണക്കില്‍ 22 മതി. 9-2 -2010 -ല്‍ ഇറക്കിയ ഉത്തരവിന് 1 -1 -2006 മുതല്‍ മുന്‍കാല പ്രാബല്യവും ഉണ്ട്.

കുട്ടി ജനിക്കും മുമ്പേ ജാതകം എങ്ങനെ എഴുതാമെന്നു ഈ അമേണ്ട്മെന്റ്റ് നമുക്ക് കാട്ടിത്തരുന്നു.
ജുഡീഷ്യല്‍ റീവ്യൂവില്‍ നിലനില്‍ക്കുന്നതല്ല ഈ ഓര്‍ഡര്‍ എന്ന് ഹയെര്‍ എജുക്കേഷന്‍ സെക്രട്ടറി ഉത്തരവ് നല്‍കിയിട്ടുപോലും നിയമനം കിട്ടിയ ആള്‍ കോടതിയില്‍ പോട്ടെ എന്നാ നിലപാടിലാണ് സര്‍വകലശാല.

- കെ എ സോളമന്‍

Redefining hydrogen bond-The Unique bond

What’s in a bond? Everything, if it’s the amazing hydrogen bond which raises water’s boiling point high enough for a cuppa or binds the DNA into a double helix. Interestingly, the bond has been redefined and a new explanation of why hydrogen atoms build or break bridges with other atoms that has been arrived at could open up new avenues in production of drugs and fabrication of material among other things. Researchers are also looking forward to many more spin-offs with advances in this technology.

The changed definition of the hydrogen bond stems from research and analysis carried out by a team led by Prof Elangannan Arunan of the Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science and has been accepted by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). It will soon make its way into the Gold Book, the encyclopaedia of chemical nomenclature.

The Indian team's path breaking acheivement, which coincides with the International Year of Chemistry being observed by the United Nations General Assembly and the centenary of Marie Curie winning the Nobel prize for Chemistry in 1911, signals an end to the controversy over hydrogen bonding which was debated for decades after it was spelt out by Nobel laureate Linus Pauling in 1931. A number of previous efforts by task forces across the world were rejected because they either lacked experimental evidence or could not answer questions raised by the community of chemistists. “I had to pour over several research papers and scores of records on earlier definitions to be able to answer this controversial question. But at this point, it’s difficult to predict the upshot of our definition,” says Prof Arunan.

The breakthrough came at the end of five years of research which included building a microwave spectrometer to decipher why hydrogen builds bridges with other atoms or breaks them. “When we started our work, some were pessimistic that we would not be able to give a new definition because we had to refer to a 100 year-old history and scores of papers on the hydrogen bond,” recalls the professsor. Previously, the definition suggested that hydrogen bonds were ‘electrostatic interactions’ and that the hydrogen atoms bore a slightly positive charge that was attracted by a slightly negatively-charged bonding partner. The new definition, however, allows for an element of covalent bonding, where electrons are formally shared between the atoms.

Deccan Chronicle Dated July 13, 2011

മഹാത്മാഗാന്ധി സര്‍വകലാശാല ചുവപ്പുനാടയുടെ പിടിയില്‍ !

കോട്ടയത്തെ മഹാത്മാഗാന്ധി സര്‍വകലാശാല ചുവപ്പു നാടയുടെ കലശലായ പിടുത്തത്തില്‍ ആണെന്ന് കരുതണം. വിദേശത്ത് എഞ്ചിനീയറിംഗ് കോളേജ് സ്ഥാപിക്കാനുള്ള തത്രപ്പാടില്‍ ഇവിടെ കാര്യങ്ങള്‍ അല്പം മന്ദഗതിയിലാണ്. ഇങ്ങനെ പറയാനുള്ള കാരണം, ഈ സര്‍വകാല ശാലയുടെ കീഴിലുള്ള അഫിലീഎട്ടെദ് കോളേ ജുകളില്‍ നടത്തിയ നിയമനങ്ങള്‍ ഒന്നും തന്നെ സര്‍വകലാശാല അങ്ഗികരിച്ചു കൊടുക്കുന്നില്ല. " ലക്ഷങ്ങള്‍ കൊടുത്തല്ലേ കേറുന്നത് പിന്നെ ഒന്നോ രണ്ടോ ലക്ഷങ്ങള്‍ ഞങ്ങള്‍ക്ക് കൂടി തന്നലെന്ത്? '' , എന്നൊക്കെ ഉദ്യോഗസ്ഥര്‍ ചോദിച്ചതായി തെളിയിക്കാന്‍ ഇമ്മിണി പ്രയാസമുണ്ട്.

ഏറണാകുളം സെന്റ്‌ തെരേസാസ് കോളേജില്‍ കഴിഞ്ഞ സെപ്റെമ്ബറില്‍ നടത്തിയ നിയമനങ്ങള്‍ ഇതുവരെ അങ്ഗീകരിച്ചു കൊടുത്തില്ല. എനിക്ക് എത്രയും പ്രിയപ്പെട്ട ഒരു കുട്ടിയുടെ നിയമനം തടഞ്ഞു വെക്കാന്‍ സര്‍വകലാശാല കണ്ടു പിടിച്ച കാരണം കുട്ടിക്ക് പ്രായപൂര്‍ത്തി ആയില്ലെന്നതാണ്. പ്രായപൂര്‍ത്തി ആകാത്ത പെണ്‍കുട്ടികളുടെ കാര്യത്തില്‍ ചാനലുകള്‍ക്കും, നാട്ടു കാര്‍ക്കും സര്‍ക്കാരിനും ഉള്ള ഉത്കന്ഠ സര്‍വകലാശാലയെയും പിടി കൂടിയിരിക്കുന്നു!

സര്‍വകലാശാല നിയമം പ്രകാരം അസിസ്റ്റന്റ്‌ പ്രൊഫസര്‍ ആയി നിയമനം ലഭിക്കാന്‍ 18 വയസ്സ് മതി. 2009 -ല്‍ നിയമനം ലഭിച്ചപ്പോള്‍ കുട്ടിക്ക് 22 കഴിഞ്ഞിരുന്നു, പക്ഷെ 23 ആയിരുന്നില്ല. 2010 - ല്‍ സര്‍വകലാശാലക്ക് ഒരു നിയമ ഭേദഗതി ഉണ്ടത്രേ, മിനിമം പ്രായം വേണ്ടത് 23 എന്ന് . സര്‍ക്കാര്‍ കോളേജുകളില്‍ മിനിമം വയസ്സ് 22 മതി എന്ന് നിര്കര്ഷിക്കുംപോളാണ് സര്‍വകലാശാല 23 വയസ്സ് വേണമെന്ന ന്യായം പറഞ്ഞു അന്ഗീകാരത്തിനുള്ള അപേക്ഷ നിരസിച്ചത്‌. മാത്രവുമല്ല , നിയമനുസരണമായി 2009 -ല്‍ നിയമനം നടത്തിയ മാനേജ്‌മന്റ്‌ 2010 -ല്‍ സര്‍വകലാശാല വക ഇറങ്ങാനിരിക്കുന്ന ഉത്തരവിനെ കുറിച്ച് എന്ത് കൊണ്ട് ആലോചിച്ചില്ല എന്നാ വാദവും നിരത്തുന്നു. നിയമനം നടത്തുന്ന മാനേജുമെന്റും നിയമനം തേടുന്ന ഉദ്യോഗാര്‍ഥി കളുംആദ്യം കാണേണ്ടത് ജോത്സ്യന്‍ മാരെയാണ് - സര്‍വകലാശാലയിലെ ചില ഉദ്യോഗസ്ഥര്‍ കരുതുന്നു .

ഡിഗ്രിയും പോസ്റ്റ്‌ ഗ്രാജുഎഷനും ഒന്നാം റാങ്കോടെ പാസ്സയിടുള്ള കുട്ടി സി എസ്‌ ഐ ആര്‍ ഫെല്ലോഷിപ്പോട് കൂടിയുള്ള ഒരു വര്‍ഷത്തെ ഗവേഷണ പരിചയവും ഉപേക്ഷിച്ചാണ് കോളേജില്‍ ചേര്‍ന്നത്‌. കോളജധ്യപികയുടെ ജോലി ലഭിച്ചതിനാല്‍ സ്റ്റേറ്റ് ബാങ്ക് ഓഫ് ഇന്ത്യയില്‍ ലഭിച്ച അസിസ്റ്റന്റ്‌ മാനേജര്‍ ജോലിയും ഉപേക്ഷിച്ചു .ഗേറ്റ് പരീക്ഷയില്‍ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്ന ഉയര്‍ന്ന സ്കോറും പ്രയോജനപ്പെടുത്താന്‍ കഴിഞ്ഞില്ല. ഇപ്പോള്‍ കുട്ടി കണ്ണീരിലാണ്. പെണ്കുട്ടികുളുടെ കണ്ണീര്‍ ഒരു തുള്ളി പോലുംവീഴാന്‍ യാതൊരു കാരണവശാലും അനുവദിച്ചു കൂടെന്നു പത്രത്തില്‍ വരി എഴുതുന്ന വൈസ് ചന്സേല്ലര്‍ക്ക് കുട്ടിയും പിതാവും അപേക്ഷകള്‍ അയച്ചിട്ടും പ്രയോജനമുണ്ടായില്ല.

അതിവേഗം തീര്‍പ്പാക്കാന്‍ ബെഹു. മുഖ്യമന്ത്രിക്ക് കുട്ടിയുടെ പിതാവ് അയച്ച ഈ-മെയില്‍ അപേക്ഷ വൈറസ്‌ ആക്രമണത്തില്‍ നഷ്ടപ്പെട്ട മട്ടാണ്. എങ്കിലും അതിവേഗം ബഹുദൂരം എന്ന് വിശ്വസിക്കുന്ന മുഖ്യമന്ത്രിയും വിദ്യാഭ്യാസ മന്ത്രിയും മഹാത്മാ ഗാന്ധി സര്‍വകലാശാല യിലെ കാര്യങ്ങള്‍ കൂടി അല്പം വേഗത്തില്‍ ആക്കാന്‍ നിര്ദേശിക്കണം . പ്രൈവറ്റ് കോളേജുകളിലെ അധ്യാപക നിയമനങ്ങള്‍ സമയബന്ധിതമായി അംഗീകരിച്ചു കൊടുക്കാന്‍ നടപടി സ്വീകരിക്കണം. . അധ്യാപക നിയമന പ്രായപരിധിക്കു സര്‍ക്കാരിന് ഒരു നിയമം , സര്‍ക്കാരിന്റെ തന്നെ ശമ്പളം നല്‍കുന്ന പ്രൈവറ്റ് കോളേജുകള്‍ക്ക് വേറൊരു നിയമം -ഇതെങ്ങിനെ അംഗീകരിക്കാന്‍ കഴിയും ? പ്രായ പരിധിക്കു മുന്‍കാല പ്രബല്ല്യം എന്ന തുഗ്ളക്ക് നിയമത്തിന്റെ ഉറവിടവും അന്യോഷിക്കപെടണം

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