Environmental Science Modern and Effective Teacher

 Chapter -11

Environmental Science Modern and Effective Teacher

Introduction 

• “We are, however, convinced that the most important factor in the contemplated educational reconstruction is the teacher-his personal qualities, his educational qualifications, his professional training and the place that he occupies in the school as well as in the community. The reputation of a school! And its influence on the life of the community invariably depends on the kind of teachers working in it.

• Since ancient times, the teacher’s role in the teaching-learning process has been pivotal, because the teacher is that person who influences the personality of the child at a large extent. So, he himself should have some desirable qualities of physical, moral and executive. The importance of the teacher has enhanced even after that, the role and importance of the teacher has not declined because for the concerned subject that he teaches. So, up to a great extent, the success or failure of commerce education depends on the Environment teacher.

• Stated-Of all the different tractors which influence the quality of education and its contribution to national development, the quality, competence and characters of teachers are undoubtedly the most significant, nothing recruits to the teaching profession, providing them with the best possible preparation and creating satisfactory conditions of work in which they can be fully effective. In view of the rapid expansion of educational facilities expected during the next three plans, and specially in view of the urgent need to raise standards to the highest level and to keep them continually improving, these problems have now acquired unprecedented importance and urgency. The efficiency of the teaching profession and its contribution to national development in general and educational importance in particular will depend largely on its social status and morale. This will, in its turn, depend upon two Inter-related factors: economic status and civic rights of teachers, and their professional competence, characters and sense of dedication.”

Sir John Adam

• “In case the teacher wants to be a man-maker then it is essential that he should possess specific qualities of character, intellect, and personality.”

Dr. Radha Krishnan

• “The teacher’s place in society is of vital importance. He acts as the pivot for the transmission of intellectual traditions and technical skill, from generation to generation he helps to keep the lamp of civilization burning.”

Binning and Binning

• “Teaching is a progressive occupation, and the teacher must ever be a student.”

Henry Adams 

• “A parent gives life, but a parent gives no more. A murderer takes life, and his deeds stop there. A teacher affects eternity, he can never tell where his influence stops.”

Prof. Humanyun Kabir

• “Teachers are literally the arbiters of a nation’s destiny.” The above-mentioned definitions show that a teacher of commerce or other subject cannot do justice to his teaching profession unless he is also efficient and experienced in inculcating the interest of subject in the students. 

QUALITIES OF A ENVIRONMENT TEACHER

A.S. Barr (1958), mentioned the following characteristics of successful teacher (as quoted by N.R. Saxena): 

 Good cultural background

1. Substantial knowledge of the subject taught.
2. Substantial knowledge of professional practices and techniques.
3. Substantial knowledge of human development and learning.
4. Skill in the use of language-spoken and written.
5. Skill in human relationship
6. Skill in research and educational problem solving.    
7. Effective work habits.
8. Interest in professional growth.
9. Interest in school and community
10. Interest in professional cooperation.
11. Interest in teaching
12. Interest in the subject matter
13. Interest in the pupils

In America, Dr. F.L. Clapp (1913) suggested 10 qualities for being a good teacher such as: 

1. Address
2. Personal Appearance
3. Optimism
4. Reserve
5. Enthusiasm
6. Fairness of mind
7. Sincerity   
8. Sympathy
9. Vitality
10. Scholarship

Bagle and Keith (U.S.A.) suggested 3 more traits along with above mentioned ten traits of a good teacher.

• Tact
• Capacity for leadership
• Good Voice

The 15th Annual Gallup Pool of the Public Attitude towards the Public Schools in the U.S.A. in 1983 mentioned the following qualities of a teacher (as quoted by M.H. Siddiqui):

1. Ability to communicate, to be firm and fair
2. Patience
3. Ability to discipline-to be firm and fair      
4. 4. High Moral character
5. Friendliness
6.  Good Personality
7. Sense of Humor
8. Dedicated to teaching profession
9. Enthusiasm
10.  Ability to inspire and motivate students
11.  Intelligence and
12. Caring about students.

In New York, Education Department mentioned the following traits of a teacher:

• T—Thoughtfu
• G—Gregarious
• R—Reliability
• O—Open mindedness
• A—Abilities in Leadership
• O—Originality
• I—Integrity
• D—Discernment
• T—Tidiness/Tact
• A—Ability to do creditable college work
• E—Enthusiasm
• A—Adaptability
• C—Cooperativeness
• H—Health
• E—Effectiveness
• R—Resourcefulness
• S—Sense of Humor
• O—Objectivity
• F—Fluency
• From above mentioned traits of teacher, we can show the significance of each letter of the word ‘Environment teacher’ in the following way:
• C—Champion of Commerce subject
• O—Orator
• M—Manner, Mastery over the subject
• M—Marks-man in child psychology
• E—Expositor
• R—Recitative
• C—Conscience
• E—Euphony in Language use
• T—Tact, thoughtful
• E—Effectiveness
• A—Alertness
• C—Co-operativeness with students
• H—Health (Physical and Mental)
• E—Enthusiasm
• R—Reliability, Resourcefulness

CLASSIFICATION OF AN EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENT TEACHER

• The quality and effectiveness is very necessary for a subject teacher. The effectiveness is defined in different manners by so many educationists. In my option the quality and effectiveness of subject teachers is also affected by their background and providing of teaching aids as well as the environment of teaching and learning situation. But after all we should not forget that there are some common skills for teaching, and it is required for any subject teacher whatever their: background. Some important are given below: 

1. Individual Qualities
2. Interest in Commerce
3. Patience and Self Confidence
4. Good Health
5. Resourcefulness
6. Pleasing Personality of Teacher
7.  Humorous Temperament
8. Professional Qualities
9. Educational Qualification
10. Knowledge of Subject
11. 11. Knowledge of Psychology
12. Ability of Self-Expression
13. Knowledge of different Teaching Methods
14. Studious and Scientific Attitude
15. Knowledge of different Teaching Aids
16.  Interest in the Research Work    
17. Social Qualities
18. Quality of leadership
19.  Democratic Attitude
20.  Justice Loving
21.  Faith in the World Citizenship
22. Honesty and Impartiality
23. Friendly and Sympathetic
24.  Individual Qualities    

• Interest in Commerce: An Environment teacher must have zeal and zest in his teaching subject commerce and should have full mastery over subject matter. Otherwise he would feel that he has been assigned a very boring job

• Patience and Self-Confidence:As we know that commerce is not an easy subject, so a Environment teacher should have full confidence and patience while teaching Book-keeping, Income Tax or Accountancy etc. These both traits of Environment teacher help him to a large extent in solving the problems of students effectively.

• Good Health: As a proverb says ‘A healthy mind lives in a healthy body.’ It suits up to a great extent with Environment teacher can teach efficiently with long hours. Here Good health denotes both mental and physical health.

• Resourcefulness: ‘Teacher of Commerce’ should be creative and imaginative in arranging the different available teaching means according to needs of the class. If there is no availability of any teaching mean in the school, he can borrow the teaching means, such as Typewriter, Duplicator, Xerox machine etc. from the community or the guardian of the students.

• Pleasing Personality of Teacher: The Environment teacher should have a pleasing personality. Healthy physique, proper clothes and impressive way of talking with others, are included in the pleasing personality.

• Humorous Temperament: Jolly mood of the teacher keeps the students active and his humorous temperament creates the suitable environment in the classroom.

Professional Qualities

•  Educational Qualifications: An Environment teacher must have some basic essential academic qualification for teaching commerce to a particular class. Along with some basic academic qualifications, he should have some professional qualifications for teaching purposes, i.e., B.Ed, or M.Ed. etc. A teacher who wants to teach commerce at +2 level, should possess the B.Ed. Degree.

• Knowledge of Subject:Environment teacher should have thorough knowledge of commerce and should have good mastery so well that his students may get convinced of his teacher’s mastery over subject easily. It is necessary for being a successful teacher

• Knowledge of Psychology: Environment teacher should have the knowledge of psychology because it helps the teacher in understanding the child psychology, individual differences, stages of mental and physical growth etc.

• Ability of Self Expression: For being a good teacher, the teacher should have the ability of self-expression according to the class standard and mental level of the students. He should express his views in lucid language. He should not be too slow, nor unnecessarily high and shrill while teaching the students. In between his teaching, he should take the help of blackboard to elucidate the content/topic. The teacher should use following methods:

1. Laboratory method
2.  Project method
3.  Problem method
4.  Analytic and Synthetic method
5. Socialized Recitation method
6.  Discussion method
7.  Supervised study method
8. Unit method

He should have mastery even the techniques usually used in teaching commerce:

• Questioning Techniques
• Assignment Techniques
• Narration Techniques
• Illustration Techniques
• Examination Techniques
• Drill techniques 
•  Demonstration Techniques
•  Students and Scientific Attitude

Not one can become a good teacher unless he is studious and endeavors to acquire the mastery over the subject. An Environment teacher should be studious and should devote his sufficient time in increasing the subject knowledge. R.N. Tagore has rightly said, “A lamp cannot light another lamp unless it continues its own flame burning.”

• Knowledge of Different Teaching Aids: The teacher should have the full knowledge of different teaching aids. i.e., how to operate them, and when to use them in the classroom for making of his teaching effective.

• Interest in the Research Work: For being a good teacher of commerce, one must be good at research work. The Environment teacher can use discovery methods, for the solution of different managerial problems and high cost of the product problem.

Social Qualities

• Quality of Leadership: Environment teacher’s leadership is totally based upon his personality and character. A teacher having sound character and personality can motivate the student to do the task in the group collectively. This quality of the teacher makes him active and famous in the school. 

• Democratic Attitude: Teacher can foster the qualities of ideal citizenship.” –Bining The teacher should provide freedom, fairness, equality and brotherhood to the students while dealing with them. This attitude denotes the democratic attitude of the teacher.

• Justice Loving: The Environment teacher should have the quality of justice loving and should not be biased while he is in the chair of judge. This quality of the teacher will convert him as an ideal for the students 

• Honesty and Impartiality: Environment teacher should behave all the pupils impartially. Teacher’s working and his deeds both should be same. Those teachers, who have something in minds/hearts and something else on their tongues, do not get any respect from others.

• Friendly and Sympathetic: Environment teacher’s behavior with his students should be like a friend. He should try to trace the problems of the children and try to tackle with their problems effectively as far as possible.

PROFESSIONAL GROWTH OF ENVIRONMENT TEACHER

• As we know that education is dynamic process. It changes with advent of every new research in the field of education. Commerce is a practical subject, which plays a significant role in the development of commercial sector. So, now it is the duty of an Environment teacher to avoid the old and outdated information’s for this very purpose. He must continue to grow professionally, abreast of up-to-date scholarly contributions in the field of commerce. R.N Tagore rightly remarked in this context “A lamp cannot light another lamp unless it continues its own flame burning.

An Environment teacher can avail of the following programs to grow professionally. They are such as: 

1. Professional Refresher Course
2. Professional Orientation Course
3. Extension Lecture
4. Professional Seminar    
5. Professional Workshop
6. Professional Conference
7. Professional Writing
8. Professional Study Group
9. Professional Indirect Training
10. Professional Research
11. Membership and professional Councils

• Professional Refresher Course: Environment teacher should go to attend the refresher course on new techniques in commerce teaching on order to be him up to date. Actually, refresher course if concerned with in-service training and such type of courses are designed to revise and underline existing skills and knowledge.

• Professional Orientation Course: Such type of courses is organized in summer vacations by NCERT (Education department) to make the professional knowledge of the teachers up to date. The main motto of organizing such types of programmed is:

1. To make familiar with mental health of the students.
2. To make familiar with construction of objective type test, and evaluation techniques.
3.  To reform the old system of education
4. To impart the latest educational research in commerce
5. Extension Lectures

• It means that teaching or instructional work carried out by college, university or other educational establishment for extending the normal range of a subject or allowing for the pursuit of related interest. It helps the Environment teachers to keep themselves up to date

•  Professional seminars refer to an occasion when a teacher or a group of expert people meet to study and discuss something. It is also called small group discussion session. Such type of seminars is organized to think and analyses the existing problems in the society. At the end of seminar, some important decisions are usually made

• Professional Workshop: As we know that the area of commerce is very wide and related with several professions and subjects. So only individual study is not enough for the Environment teacher. It is compulsory to know that what is occurring in commerce related subjects. Upto a large extent, it is like a seminar

• Professional Conference:The Environment teacher should attend the conferences over his subject, because several teachers come from different places and gather at a particular place to discuss the emerging practical problems. Eventually, this will broaden the knowledge of Environment teachers

• Professional Writing: Environment teacher should contribute his research findings through his papers in journals of repute. This way, he can help the other Environment teachers to benefit from his research findings.

• Professional Study Group: In commerce education, several teachers of commerce subject may organize their own group to discuss the emerging practical and theoretical problems of the commerce subject. Generally, teacher’s training college lecturers or H.O.D. shoulders the responsibility of organizing such type of groups.

Professional Indirect Training:

1. Environment teachers can avail of these to grow professionally
2. Studying the published magazines and journals by NCERT
3. To listen Radio and to watch T.V
4. To participate in commercial organization.
5. To visit the bank, market and business centers etc
6.  Professional Research

The keen research of commerce subject should be provided special facilities such as computer typing, free postage facility, free entry to all university central libraries to consult the journals, book and encyclopedia etc. This will add the merits to the professional growth of Environment teachers.

Membership of Professional Councils: The Environment teacher should enjoy the membership of any professional council. The main functions of these professional councils are:

To organize the commercial fairs in the schools to demonstrate the commercial activities before the students. To get the magazines or journals published timely with high standard. Teacher of commerce can know about his extent of success in teaching profession and styles with the help of self-evaluation by teacher. For this very purpose, he may take the help of supervisor who evaluates the teacher through rating scales. Rating Scales to Evaluate the Performance of Environment teacher.

Suggestions

• The teacher is the guide of the society and nation; it is the statement of the Father of Nation Bapu (Mahatma Gandhiji). In the light of above statement, we have to justify the role of the teacher in the society in the development of the nation and it is true not from today but from the Vedic periods. The society and nation have given so many examples for us. The coming generation and new teacher should understand that their role as a teacher is very important in the development of society and nation, and it depends upon the economics of nation, and it will be guided by the Environment teachers of the nation. So, they should maintain a character and should present a role teacher in their subject because the teacher is the model for their students.