Modern and effective Teacher Training.

#. Introduction:

It is very rightly said by Albert Einstein that “Once you stop learning, you start dying”. World is changing so rapidlyand this change touches almost every aspects; education system is not different. So in this progressive world one must keep learning and update themselves along with the pace of change. Education is the backbone of our society. Technology is changing lightning fast; human psychology is also changing more than expectation. So we cannot follow the same teaching methods, tools, techniques and skills; we must change the education process too.

#. Objective of this Write-up:

The objective of this paper is to discuss the past and modern education system specially from India’s point of view. Important areas where the teachers can upgrade themselves so that they can provide a quality and updated education to the students will be discussed. Almost all the technological advancement will be covered in this paper. Students’ psychological changes, socio-economic changes will get its importance in this paper and accordingly, the update to be done in Teacher Training Programme will be detailed. A special reference will be given to the state of Tripura.

If we see the modern education concept there is a vast difference with past process.

#. Past Education Concept:

sEducation always got a special priority in Indian society. In ancient India, every child used to go to Gurukul to stay and study dedicatedly. Spirituality was the part of day to day activity including education.

In 20th Century study was not similar to Gurukultype. It was specially school oriented Education. Discipline used to get importance during this period. Belief was there that physical punishment helps to create bright students. Book was the main source of knowledge during this period. In this period a lot of focus was given to build Educational infrastructure.

#. Modern Education Concept:

At the end of 20th Century massive changes started to happen in industry, society, education etc due to the commercial introduction of Computer. Computer upgraded so enormously that today’s mobile is much better than that time’s gigantic size computer. This has impacted the education field hugely. Nowadays children start playing with gadgets from their childhood itself. With this, there are changes in education from Nursery level to the higher education level. The same trend of building more and more educational institution is still going on. Upgrade of infrastructure of existing institutes is also a priority. Contents are being updated as per the modern world. Use of computer, innovative aids and other technology are getting its due respect everywhere. Accordingly, there are a lot of changes in Teacher education too. But there could have lot more changes to cope up with the turmoil of social upgrade.

In the below portion we will discuss about the changes that is happened/happening in the society and additional changes to be done in present Teacher training.

#1. Computer, Smart Mobile, Telecommunication and Internet:

Technology is improving regularly due to the continuous research in the field of Hardware, Software and Operating System. You think of anything, it can be done. Technology is being developed for every field. Medical, Construction, Banking or Education everywhere technology is being used. Nowadays even the people who have no educational background are utilizing the technology.

We would say, the biggest innovation in the field of Technology in recent time is THE INTERNET. With the blessing of Internet we have already got several innovative solutions like Virtual Class, Cloud computing, Video on Demand, Video calling, IPTV, Search Engine, online courses, online examination, online blogging, news, job portals, ecommerce, social network, E-Banking, online tendering, email, live chat, interactive study Applications, ebook, audio book and many more. Internet has made the world connected. With all these facilities of Internet, it has become the ocean of knowledge. You name any subject, study material, video content etc are available in this ocean. Not only that, the extent of using internet and Information Technology is so wide that soon mixture of robotics and internet will help doctors to successfully operate any types of major surgeries.

The importance of technology in education field is great. It is a systematic process by which students can get a quality of education, get ample information of any topic. Today’s generation use modern technical equipments from an early age. So it is the right time for teacher’s to modernize themselves in this field.

#. Search Engine:

Knowing how to find out the right information from Internet is also a skill. Modern Search engines like google.com have become faster than ever and got so many facilities. Teachers should be trained with the searching skill.

#. Virtual Class Room:

Telecommunication Enterprises have the motto to reach each and every stretch of the country with high speed internet connection using Fiber optic or 3G or 4G or 5G. Fiber to every Home will be a reality soon which will change the way we were using Fiber. 5G development is almost finished; manufacturers are busy to finalize the technology and develop the final commercial Hardware/Software. TVs are becoming smarter day by day; Smart TVs are replacing the traditional TVs.

With the combination of TV, Microphone, Web-cam, speaker, Video/audio conference software and high speed Internet connection, Virtual class is already a reality in today’s world. Teacher can be anywhere in the world, but the class can be taken place in a real time environment and interactive. With the easy access to the high speed internet and High-definition 3D Television and more innovation in TV industry, Virtual class room will be so much like real class that students will not feel the difference at all. The days are not far when we will shake hand with a person on video conference and feel like we really had a hand shake.

#. Smart class:

Smart Class is a reality in many institutes nowadays where students are taught with the help of Video, Audio and presentation contents using projector or Television. Students do study using tablets and access contents using internet. All the subjects can be loaded in the tablet so that students can access easily and they don’t have to move with heavy weight books. Digital libraries are being created using own server system or cloud storage for easy access using internet.

#. Online Contents:

Research documents, ebook, audio book, video lectures, presentations, descriptive pictures, courses etc are available free or on demand. Courses like courser, Udemyetc have become very popular. Many applications are available to learn skills. Video lectures are also easily available from experts.

A person may pursue a degree and be specialized in any particular field. After completing B.Ed. or TET examination a teacher gets a tag of ‘A Qualified Teacher’. But does that really provide courage to face Technology savvy Modern generation? That’s why it is high time to give focus and pay more attention towards computer teaching in teacher training. Though the study in information technology is part of Teacher Training, theoretical knowledge is not enough and more focus should be there towards practical knowledge.They need to know about basic computer hardware, software, various applications, online examination paper making, answer key preparation, how to give/take online test and how to access the computer in more tactful way etc. This way we can create better quality teachers from whom our new generation would like to listen and learn.

#2. Using Teaching Aids:

We all know that using teaching aids in class plays an important role in enhancing the learning process. Teaching aids make learning process easy and effective. Teachers must try to use modern audio-visual techniques such as speaker, screens and multimedia that attract students a lot. It also helps and satisfies the teachers who want to teach the students effectively.

With the advancement of Technology, models are also becoming hi-tech. For example: in Medical field there are 3D visual models where you can see each and every part of human body in detail. So, instead of seeing only skull and pictures, we can see the human body in such a detailed manner that no other medium could fulfil this need.

For Geography teaching, we can take the help of google-earth type of application where we can explore the earth up to the ground level.

#3. Mechanical Advancement:

Along with the aids mentioned in above paragraph, there are improvements in mechanical equipment also specially in the field of science, physical education etc. To explain a bit about the same we will take the help of physical education field.

Below are some games and sports equipment where the mechanical changes have taken place:

Athletic Footwear:

Nowadays athletes are using specialized footwear. Nail design in athletic running shoes are also changed.Specially designed footwear keeps athletes healthy as well as allows them to perform their high level performance. After years of testing and experiment, sports scientists have got success to find the perfect light-weight shoes with better grip. For example: Usain Bolt uses shoes made ofsyntheticmicrofibers and smooth spike.

Modern Vaulting poles are manufacturer with Fiberglass and graphite. This gives more swings and help to lift the body higher.

Football gloves are a marvel of modern technology. And for this they enable amazing benefit, they increase the level of performance at high level.

Helmets are hugely improved.

Tennis Rackets in earlier days used to be made out of wood, and then the manufacturers started introducing metal frames of steel and aluminium, later turning to an array of materials from titanium to graphite shells with plastic foam cores. Modern-day tennis rackets also feature larger "sweet spots" that minimize vibration.

Javelin Throw is one of the field events in Track and Field. This sport of javelin throw was first introduced to the Olympic in 1906.In that time the original javelin design had the centre of mass at the centre of the javelin. But in this design javelin can only be lifted by the air if angled appropriately and it travels further and fall slowly. Because of this it lands flat on the ground, resulting in ‘No Throw’; so IAAF mechanically redesigned the javelin. In the redesign the centre of mass moved 40 mm forward. The tip of the javelin was also modified to be blunt and less aerodynamic. These changes mean the javelin travels a shorter distance and descends at a steeper angle, helping the javelin stick into the ground. With these changes the performance is also improved vastly.

(http://www.google.co.in/amp/s/engineeringsport.co.uk/2012/09/21/the-shory-of-the javelin-bringing-it-back-down-to-earth/amp/)

#4. Language:

Language is no doubt an important tool in the process of teaching and learning. We should say, it is the most important tool in teaching profession. Whatever knowledge we have and whatever aids are available, without the strength of expressing one’s view, no teacher can teach well to their students. The language must be correct, audible and rightly pronounced. There is no doubt that we must give respect to our mother tongue or local language. But side by side Teachers must learn other important languages such as English and Hindi. In this age of globalization, people may need to teach anywhere in the country and even in the world. In our present education system English has got its priority. But knowing the grammar and remembering several words will not help to express well. One must be trained to speak out fluently and express the feeling efficiently.

Teacher is one of the most important resources all over the world. If a country can produce high quality teacher, they can teach even outside of the country. This will help our teachers to show their uniqueness. Some of the most important languages are Mandarin, French and Spanish. Few institutionshave already put some of these languages in their curriculum. Now it is the turn for rest of the educational institutes to follow this trend.

#5. Socio-economic and human psychological changes:

Our economy is improving day by day, roads are being built each day, railway connectivity is increasing in a regular basis, all schools are being changed from mud/bamboo wall to brick wall, people are making brick house, mortality rate is improving, literacy rate is increasing, number of children per family is decreasing, child death is decreasing, food quality of people is becoming better, vehicles numbers are increasing, mobile penetration is in rise, access to internet is available for almost all people. In summary, our social economic status is improving and people can afford better technology, food, education etc. Moreover, with the increase in customer numbers Technology is becoming cheaper day by day and more and more people have started accessing the same.

In this connected world, people are not limited to only the locality where they stay. They can see the life style of whole world through TV and internet. People are travelling more and getting knowledge from outside of their locality. All these things help modern generation to have psychological changes. There thinking is not same like their previous generation. Generation gap is becoming so vast. They think global and act global. So, our teaching style should also be changed accordingly to match their thinking so that they will feel the attraction towards the study.

#. Summary:

Teacher is the most important profession for the progress of our society. We must implement changes in the teacher education to be able to withstand the pace at which the world is advancing. Having basic practical knowledge of computer and Internet is very important. Knowing the hi-tech aids/models, mechanical equipment and having knowledge about where this advancement can take us in future is essential. We must keep in mind the impact of social economic changes and students’ psychological changes in this modern age. Not only in teacher education, there should have enough provision in each institute to organize orientation and refresher courses for their teachers time to time to overcome any lacuna.

#. Reference:

1. Singh, A., Bains, J., Gill, J. S. and Brar, R.S. (2015), Essentials of Physical Education. Kalyani Publication, Kolkata

2. http://www.google.co.in/amp/s/engineeringsport.co.uk/2012/09/21/the-shory-of-the-javelin-bringing-it-back-down-to-earth/amp/

3. Newspapers.