So what does that mean for the potential teacher?
In the coming decades, two kinds of skills will be increasingly valued across professions: technology skills and human skills. Teaching will be a rare profession that will require both, and in good measure. A good teacher will be a much sought-after professional, and will need to be an expert both in teaching methods and technology, and in understanding and dealing with children. Teachers will be paid well - a trend that has already begun.
Such expertise will be gained through high quality teacher preparation programmes providing practical exposure to real-life teaching situations as well as modern teaching skills.
In a regular 1 year B.Ed. programme, students teach for about 30 days in a year. At Eklavya, they spend three hours almost every day observing and teaching in a partner school for two years.
Practical training is supported by classes which include a variety of instructional methods like case studies, excursions, projects, seminars and meetings with practicing education professionals. The curriculum is a modern one designed on internationally accepted lines after studying leading teacher education programmes in India and abroad.
Students are exposed to computers and the Internet from day one. Apart from this, one hour everyday is set aside for activities like Personality Development, Yoga, Art, Craft and Music/Dance.
Finally, attitudinal training
is a key component of the programme. After all, enthusiasm can move mountains,
and more can be achieved by a group of positive-minded, enthusiastic teachers
than merely capable ones.
