Motivated learners, healthy society

A fundamental principle in teaching is to motivate the learner. This is a task which has to be freed from structures where styles and methods have to be uniform and resources are obligatory.

Motivating learners takes education out of the sphere of 'instruction' and into that of drawing out the capabilities and potential of individual learners. Motivation is not just rhetoric or theory. It is the essence of daily life. Whether the learners are adults or children, they have to want to read, to be informed or be able to take part in a discussion, write a letter, or communicate their thoughts on paper.

Motivating learners is a process. It is not a plan of listed points written down on paper to execute irrespective of whom you are teaching, at whatever level, for whatever purpose. Working in a classroom is not like producing an exhibit for a trade fair. If it is to have any meaning it must involve a process of communication, discussion and purpose. What makes European education projects like Comenius and others so interesting is that they yield results also because the process itself is enjoyable.

When learning becomes a participative experience it makes sense and motivates the learner to proceed further into unknown territory. The satisfaction comes not only from the product but also from experience of the activity. Collaborative learning requires communication skills which are not simple. It involves creative thinking and the skill to express this to others. It is built little by little and unfolded in stages in a process where the participants are all contributors.

Unless teachers have an enthusiastic approach, good communication skills and the ability to maintain a work-flow, many good intentions can be submerged under difficulties. Here, the teacher must become a manager, leading and supplying the missing cues accordingly to promote further advancement. Here, the teacher's work is characterised by professional training without which he/she cannot remain composed and a self-confident leader of the task in hand. It is purely an exercise built on enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity. It is an experience both for the teacher and the learner which must take place in a congenial environment.

It also requires that the teacher be trusted by all stakeholders from top to bottom, somthing which is not easy in normal circumstances let alone in artificially created difficulties. The teacher, as a well-trained trusted professional, is always responsible for the methods used. There should be some autonomy because, after all, the national curriculum stipulates that results are obtained within the classroom. We must learn to stop shooting ourselves in the foot because of petty issues which could be better solved with the proof of good practice and results. I am sure many teachers have learnt this through experience, but it takes some time to come to terms with reality if there are hitches on the way. It is essential to acknowledge the fact that every student's brain performs differently and cannot be made to absorb information without participating with its own perceptions.

This is where support for teachers is indispensable, and theories of learning and developmental psychology become relevant. A good adage for teachers is to try as far as possible to solve problems and issues within the classroom before passing the buck to other professionals within the educational structure.

A holistic approach to education is far better than a task that is so broken down that nobody is responsible for the whole. Rather, it is the task of instruction which should be broken down so that in the end the student will be able to see the whole picture. Cramming is out. Tasks need to be seen as units of a whole or steps leading to a conclusion. Learners must be prepared for life. Education must have a realistic context so that before students leave school they are able to cope with the rapid change of the world we live in.

What about slow learners? This is a speciality area which unfolds many of life's paradoxes.

In this area one can find a stable maturity at an early age, a sensitivity of an unusual kind, personalities that are rare jewels of society, distressed individuals in a helpless traumatised state, deprived children who have suffered great losses in their childhood and yet have the will to live and enjoy life in spite of this. No wonder one sometimes encounters rebellion in the midst of life's tougher experiences which comes about earlier in life than the average so-called 'normal' individual.

Teachers do not have an easy profession. They carry a huge responsibility for the community's social and moral environment. Good teachers make for a healthy society. In the absence of professional teachers, society suffers. A great amount of money is invested in education because it is so important to the country. A high standard of education is especially important for our country's well-being and sustainable development. This aspect of the teaching profession is sometimes overlooked. Understanding the multiplicity of teachers' tasks beyond that of instruction would help us to recognise teachers' responsibility and the significance of their profession.

More importance should be given to the fact that education is a search for the truth. This makes the teaching profession different from the caring professions which justifiably provide care and understanding on a one-to-one basis. Unlike other professions in the services sector, teachers do not calculate how much to charge depending on how much students are going to benefit out of their education.

Teachers are paid the same even if their students become doctors, lawyers or consultants earning a high income. Teachers' work is always unfinished. The process of producing the 'end result' takes many years and will involve a different teacher every year, but no excuses should be made for failures when they occur.

There are many good teachers who have the right aptitudes and personalities, but there could be some who lack the required aptitudes and are victims of having taken a wrong career choice. Individuals who are motivated by power, those who seek personal gain through teaching, undisciplined individuals, or even worse, snobs cannot transmit proper standards of education.

Aptitudes are all-important and misplaced individuals need to be supported so that they do not impose burdens on themselves or others.

The sooner such matters are sorted out the better. The days when untrained teachers had to be carried along out of necessity are now over because teachers nowadays have enough resources to be self-taught and creative. There is a lot of potential for a healthy teaching practice. All that is needed is more initiative and less cumbersome structures.

Ms Caruana is a retired head of school.