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Valuing Professional Growth by Teachers
ACTIVITIES
School activities form the most crucial part of a SBINSET Programme for teachers. It is through activities alone that we could give a practical shape to the programme and thus hope to achieve the visualized objectives of the scheme..
The quality and number of activities may differ from institution to institution but the fact remains that most of the activities are common to all schools. Teaching in the classroom, conduct of examinations, maintaining discipline, assigning home work to children, holding morning assemblies, organising functions are examples of such common activities.
Each activity, should primarily have education and development of the child as its main concern and focus. Again each activity, in principle, should lead to the personal and professional growth of the teacher also so as to enable him to discharge his duties in an increasingly better way. To what extent both things happen would determine the quality of education being imparted in a particular institution.
The success of a SBINSET programme would lie in encouraging professionally growing through each activity they undertake.
All routine school activities could be classified into two broad categories; one, which could influence the teacher's growth directly and the other which would help him to grow indirectly. Talks to teachers by experts is just one example of a direct activity; whereas all activities for children are indirect activities for the professional growth of teachers. Both types of activities are important in their own ways.
(a) Indirect Activities
Keeping in view the philosophy of SBINSET, the indirect activities occupy a very important place. Each activity has the potential to make teachers grow.
Take for example the main activity of school, i.e., teaching in the classroom. It could be done in a routine, mechanical, dull and drab way. It could also be done in a way which would thrill and benefit both the teacher and the taught. The approach of SBINSET would-aim at developing such abilities, skills and attitudes in the teacher as would help him to follow the desired approach in teaching. To cite another example, mock-parliament as a school acivity would be best utilised if the teacher-incharge works hard to make it really successful. For this, he will have to study much and consult experts in the field. The teacher will have to make himself clear about the meaning of concepts like 'Zero Hour', 'Table of the House', etc. He must also be well conversant with the latest events and developments, both domestic and foreign, which concern the country most so that he could prepare ‘questions'and answers'. All this is bound to result in the professional development
January-March 1993
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