Reflective Food for Thought

Reflective Food for Thought

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Imperfection

Most often we say, “practice makes perfect” but I would say, “practice makes us better” since there’s no perfect person in the world other than God Almighty.

Permit me to add that, “we are imperfect people brought into the world by imperfect parents, living in an imperfect society, working with imperfect colleagues, attending to imperfect clients and working for imperfect institutions but in spite of these imperfections, we are striving to attain a certain level of perfection”.

This brings to mind the following issues which we might have overlooked in our day today activities.

  1. Losing hope on some learners who couldn’t live up to expectation.
  2. Terminating the appointment of staff without first trying to mold them.
  3. Acting on the spur of the moment because of certain issues.
  4. Thumbs up (👍) to you if you have molded greenhorns who came in with nothing but today find themselves up there. Forget about the betrayal of some who move to other places without reciprocating the gesture. We reap what we sow.
  5. This is not an avenue to encourage mediocrity. Far from it, but to help build lasting institutions and structures.
  6. Finally, to those who have become obsolete or unwilling to move with the tides, show them the exit.
  7. To those who have served you assiduously for ten/fifteen/twenty years, celebrate them at the point of departure bearing in mind that no employer can keep a bad product for that period of time.

Just my thoughts for your breakfast.

… S.M. Manford.

Relevance of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for Educators
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Relevance of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for Educators

CPD consists of all learning experiences that are intended to be of direct or indirect benefit to the individual, or school which contribute to the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom. These are reflective activities which improve the skills, knowledge and understanding of teachers and their effectiveness in schools. It can be argued that teacher quality is enhanced by their engagement in effective CPD activities which contribute to the standards of teaching and learning in schools. This concurs with the axiom that; no educational system can rise above the quality of its teachers, as stated in the national policy of education. The relevance of CPD in teaching highlights its functionality in its professionalization and in contributing to the needs of not just teachers but students and schools. CPD is aimed first at meeting the professional needs of teachers, enhancing their career prospects and supporting them in preparing for future challenges.

Engaging in CPD is intended to equip teachers with relevant skills for instructional delivery, update their knowledge and expose them to new methods and materials to meet the dictates of modern realities of the job. Secondly, CPD will promote the school as a learning community where learning takes place not only by the pupils but also by the teachers. The overall significance of CPD in schools is to enhance teacher effectiveness, in order to improve pupil performance and learning outcomes.

Research has shown that successful schools are those which recognise that building effective teacher to teacher and teacher to student connections and practicing good stewardship can only be achieved if teachers themselves are routinely engaged in continuous learning. It is through CPD that teachers review, renew, and extend their commitment as change agents in the moral purposes of teaching. Schools are therefore expected to engage teachers in various forms of CPD activities to improve both teacher quality and learning outcomes. Teachers are also required to take ownership of their professional development, and invest in training opportunities.

… Dr. Stella Ozigi-Adagiri.