By: Daniel Collins
For many people, their formative school years are the best years of their lives. School is where people meet lots of new friends, learn lots of new things and acquire the basic tools that will set them up for the rest of their lives.
Naturally, the younger the mind is the easier it is to shape. That is why teachers play such a pivotal role in a young person’s upbringing, particularly at primary school.
The bond between a teacher and their pupils can be a very special one and one that the child will never forget. Whilst bonding is part and parcel of their role, the core function of a teacher is, well, to teach. Unlike secondary education, at primary school young learners absorb everything from maths and English, to history and geography – all from the same teacher.
Primary school teachers must be Jacks of all trades and to ensure the young minds in front of them remain stimulated and motivated, it’s important that they make full use of all the resources available to them. This is where technology comes into play – the 21st century classroom has a wealth of teaching aids that can bring history, geography, science or any subject to life.
Indeed, the chances are that any child these days will be entering the classroom with a reasonable level of technological nous – young minds learn a lot quicker than old minds, and even a few years of accessing the internet, multimedia players and other contraptions can mean they already know more than many adults about the digital realm. Whilst that in itself is no bad thing, it does mean dusty old textbooks may not engage a child’s brain in the same way as it once did.
Teacher resources may include anything from online interactive flipcharts that bring the Second World War to life, to interactive whiteboards (IWBs) that facilitate and promote classroom interaction.
The internet has enabled the sharing of knowledge, so that a tried and tested lesson plan can be distributed easily to other teachers around the globe, and these resources can be used in conjunction with any IWB anywhere in the world.
Whilst some teachers may yearn for the good old days, when pencils, jotters and blackboards ruled the classroom, there’s no getting away from the fact that the technological revolution is in full swing and the kids love it, which is why the teachers really are best embracing it.
