Introduction:
One of the powerful agencies for any growing society is Education and it is considered as a very important instrument or medium for bringing positive changes in the life of the people i.e. social, political, economic as well as cultural. This whole process of change involves many important agents, and the teacher is one of them. The teacher plays a central and most important role in education. Therefore, for any institution having an efficient and well-performing trainer is one of the critical sources which is very important. Teacher is the trainer who is always taken into consideration as the expert agent and with the maximum immediate accountable or responsible person for the learning of students. Teacher is the only person who helps students in analysing the benefits or loss of teaching and learning happening in the class. Given this, teachers and the value of their teaching are continually under dialogue and also acquire significant importance in education. Teachers used to come to their teaching profession as instructors with a little formal professional schooling or training and experiences. If there is a lack of proper training and professional development for instructors, trainers or teachers is an important key for dissatisfaction within themselves in their teaching which also shows its impact on the development of equipped students with the essential information and competencies which is required for different subject matters.
Teacher training:
Today, there is a requirement to shift from primarily traditional teaching which is based on theoretical educational instructional techniques to a research-based-theory teaching which informs and conjures up teaching-learning practices. It is also having a deep implication in schools where reflecting on the present reality is important. This means instructors/teachers have to be in consistent touch with related studies and researches and incorporate new studies findings to enhance learning and assure the good quality teaching learning process. Teachers’ professional schooling or training and professional development is an essential factor for updating the modern trends and useful teaching. Since teachers are busy throughout the day, getting training from an online platform will be a great help for them. An online teacher training program can help a teacher in most effective ways by providing self-paced programs with a user friendly system. With an aim of providing a source of information, knowledge, guidance and excellence in teaching. “The online platform helps in self-discovery and self-improvement – after all, the best teachers are those who develop continuously with holistic learning!”
Continuous education and training:
Education is a never-ending process. Even if anyone starts their career as teacher or educator, education doesn't stop. Education is an evolving skill because good teachers must constantly evolve to be relevant to the class, just as good students are constantly learning. Similarly, teaching is a lifelong process, where teaching and learning goes hand in hand. This shows that if a school is investing in professional development of their teachers both preservice and in-service will ultimately help in the improvement of the teaching and learning process of the school. Till now most of the teachers have completed their B.Ed. which is a 2-year professional development program for preservice teachers. (A 4 year integrated B.Ed. program is proposed by NCTE so that more professional inputs can be given). The B.Ed. program gives the theoretical background of different educational perspectives, practices, philosophies and educational speakers etc. Still most of us feel that there is a lack of practical inputs for the same. Training such new teachers helps in filling up the professional skill gaps and make them efficient in the classroom. Similarly, a teacher who is into the system for a long time, say for the last 10 years will not be having a very good hold on new trends and topics in the teaching learning process. Thus again there is a requirement of professional development for such experienced teachers.
Online training:
To prepare the future individuals of our nations to be skilled and well informed, we need to upskill the teachers who can drive this force efficiently. Teachers who are in the profession need to take some in-service professional development courses along which helps in their regular teaching and learning process. Since teachers are busy throughout the day in preparing for their next day's class, teaching aids, corrections, reports etc; most of them do not get sufficient time for attending any class/ session or workshops face to face. Attending any workshop or professional development sessions face to face also adds on to travelling time, managing regular routine and exposure to an outside open environment which is not safe at present too. Because it is essential for teachers to know how their children learn and the education system is constantly changing, teacher workshops can help or facilitate children's learning. Training is needed to develop new educational strategies to keep students interested in the classroom. Professional development provides a classroom environment to hone your skills and provide students with a results-oriented classroom experience.
Benefits of having professionally trained teachers
Following are a few listed benefits of professional training of teachers:
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Training of teachers gives them the opportunity to get out of their normal schedule – where they become students rather than teachers. It keeps educators motivated, knowing that they have the professional support they need to be a better teacher. Continuous professional development has proven to be an important part of the education and learning process. Teacher workshop training focuses on updating them with the latest research in education.
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Teachers professional development and workshops helps the teachers to get updated in the current trends of assessment and teaching methods which also enables them to explore more techniques with the academic point of view as well as for the processes like webinars, extra-curricular modules, etc.
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Teacher Training workshops or professional development also helps teachers in planning and organizing their time in better ways, which also helps them in becoming more productive and gives them more time to focus on the student’s learning outcome.
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It is well known that great teachers create great students. Research also shows that well trained teachers help in better performance of students. Hence, it is important to pay attention to how we can train and support both new and experienced educators.
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It is well known that good teachers make good students. Studies also show that well-trained teachers contribute to better student performance. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to how we train and support both new and experienced educators.
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Good teacher training workshop leads to a positive learning environment. A positive environment guarantees good performance for both teachers and students. This in turn leads to happy children who want to go to school.
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Learning, unlearning and relearning are the only ways to become a good and successful teacher. Therefore, training in teacher workshops is a must.
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Without proper teacher training or professional development, it can be difficult to try practical teaching methods in a real classroom environment, as students may not be able to properly understand the concept and perform it as desired.
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Different approaches can result in a better learning experience than what teachers are currently using. Such different approaches to teaching concepts will be clear to the teacher only then alternative approaches can be used to achieve the desired results. By using the right steps, teachers can build students’ confidence and help them learn more effectively.
Also read,
Creating Engaging Learning Environment: Teachers Matter
Reference:
- Reasons why teacher training is the need of the hour. Avail of online teacher training workshops. from /blog-reasons-why-teacher-training-is-the-need-of-the-hour-avail-of-online-teacher-training-workshop
- What to expect from an online teacher training workshop? from
/blog-what-to-expect-from-an-online-teacher-training-workshop - Nassira Boudersa (Oct 2016) The Importance of Teachers' Training Programs and Professional Development in the Algerian Educational Context: Toward Informed and Effective Teaching Practices from
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309430087_The_Importance_of_Teachers'_Training_Programs_and_Professional_Development_in_the_Algerian_Educational_Context_Toward_Informed_and_Effective_Teaching_Practices
- Dr. Sophia Sandeep Gaikwad (January 2022)Exploring Gaps between the Need and Reach for Training Programmes in Higher Education through Teacher Reflections from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358258022_Exploring_Gaps_between_the_Need_and_Reach_for_Training_Programmes_in_Higher_Education_through_Teacher_Reflections
