Teaching is a noble profession, it is often said. This is undoubtedly, true . Teachers play a crucial role in the lives of their students. At every stage of a student’s life, there is a teacher who leaves an everlasting impact on his or her mind. Such is the importance of the role of a teacher in the Indian culture that he or she is considered next only to God. While the primary job of a teacher is to impart knowledge, there are many more dimensions to what a teacher can impart to his or her students. The bond between the teacher and the student strengthens as a result of the holistic learning that a student experiences.
Changing role of Teachers:
The teacher’s role has undergone many changes with time. It has transformed from being a sage on the stage to becoming a guide on the side. The role of a teacher has now become more of a facilitator in the learning processes. As a facilitator, they encourage the students to think out of the box. This is done by providing the students with the tools to learn and creating a comfortable environment for learning. The provision of a conducive environment to the students helps to elicit responses from them, challenge their thoughts, and ultimately extend their capacity to learn.
Requirements to be a facilitator:
The faculty members at IILM create productive classroom environments with their dynamic teaching methodologies. The aim is to inculcate and develop the skills in the students that they will need in the future. This requires proper planning and good preparation of the teacher so that they can handle any queries that may come up in the class discussion. The learning goals and outcomes are decided beforehand, for each course keeping in mind the industry norms and requirements. A detailed plan is prepared for the development of these skills sequentially. This includes the combination of online and offline resources, case studies, role plays, group activities, etc. The faculty member will make certain that the classroom sessions revolve around the material provided and give direction for the discussion. They also intervene when a necessary concept needs to be discussed.
Teacher’s Facilitator role and B-schools:
The facilitator’s role is more vibrant than any other role of a teacher as they always have to be on their toes. This helps in a stronger understanding of the concepts by giving more independence to the students in the learning process. The age-old method of one-way communication by the teacher i.e. lecturing has now made way for the facilitator role. This has implications on the way the classroom activities are designed. Effective facilitating will only be possible when the activities are less modeled and less supported. The freedom to explore and apply the concepts learned in the classroom is the need of the hour. This is all the more required in B-schools for producing managers who are ready to tackle any unforeseen event. Thus, the teacher now facilitates students to think rather than providing them ready-made knowledge. This not only prepares students to face the uncertainties in the business world but also makes the classroom sessions more interesting and lively.
