ROLE OF THE TEACHER IN FACLLITATING GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

ROLE OF THE TEACHER IN FACLLITATING GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

What we know about the child is vast and impressive. However, what we do not know is even more vast and overwhelming. Every new insight opens up new questions. Therefore, you need to update your knowledge of the problems of children in the context of the media explosion, of economic smvings and resultant social, cultural and value changes so that you are able to make a reliable diagnosis and apply the knowledge of child psychology to better their adjustment with themselves and with the world around them.

You, as a teacher, should know what to expect from the child (student), and what he needs physically, socially and emotionally. You need not know your student only in a formal teacher-taught relationship when he (the student) is found to be a member of a drug sub-culture group or is heading in a socially undesirable direction. The routine teacher-taught relationship would not benefit him unless he is dealt with empathetically as a social being, as an individual self, and as a biological organism.

You should accept and make your students accept the reality of physical and biological changes so that the transition takes a smooth course without causing any psychological disadvantage. You need to create such challenging conditions which may lead to the effective coordination of physical, mental and other functions in order to ensure adequate adjustment to probable life situations. Yet another task that you should ensure is to secure effective and desirable responses, and prevent or eliminate ineffective or undesirable ones. One way is to arrange conditions in a way that make desirable responses satisfying and not annoying. Punishment should be administered judiciously lest it generates negative reactions.

Positive training in self-direction and self-control should be given to students. Some of the' following points can be kept in mind while guiding them:

·         Control and guidance must come from the student himself under the teacher's supervision.

·         Student should not be punished lest it interferes with his developing leadership.

·         Harsh, strict and unsympathetic control, and prescription of every detail of conduct leaving no place for self-control and self-direction are not conducive to student’s mental health and adjustment to life's events.

·         Proper guidance, rational shifts of treatment, and principles of autonomy should be judiciously applied to ensure smooth passage through the turbulent period of student.

It is around the adolescence stage that students reach the higher levels of their school education. You need to receive adequate knowledge and skills with due preparedness in order to handle their emotional and social needs. You need to appreciate the fact that students at this stage are prone to revolt against established norms, rules, and authority. You should keep yourself ready to provide explanations and rationale for the beliefs and values which your students would question. Students at this time need proper guidance to decide on the right course of action. They need supportive judgments to do things which provide them self-confidence and self- assurance. The range of individual differences in mental ability among adolescents is wide. You need to use some plan of classification to secure homogeneous groups in respect of significant abilities and achievements so that curricular and instructional needs can be suitably met. Studies have indicated that in certain tasks a student's performance would improve when others (teachers) are around. This phenomenon is called social facilitation. However, this is not a universal phenomenon. Still other studies have shown that when a student is first trying to learn something new, the presence of others is detrimental. In such a situation the teacher has to assess the situation (considering the class as a social unit) and the personality traits of his students and accordingly he should facilitate their growth and development.

The teacher or the school has a major role in facilitating the overall development of children once they are enrolled in the school.

The purpose of discussing various levels and types of development in this course is to make you aware of the underlying principles of child development in the school environment.

The knowledge thus gained will help you understand the educational implications of the physical, social, emotional and moral development of children, while designing curricular and co-curricular activities of the school, you are expected to consider certain points which contribute towards the smooth development of children’s personality. Some of the important points are discussed in the following paragraphs.

Educational implications of physical development:

 It should now, be obvious that the physical health of children is indispensable for their success and efficiency in all fields of life. This aspect of development should, therefore, be paid the attention it all those dealing with the education and welfare of the children. The school must have a regular Programme of health education. Ample and adequate facilities for liberal participation in sports and games and other physical exercises appropriate to the level of growth should be provided. Practical information concerning physical growth, personal hygiene, food habits, etc., should be imparted to children in an interesting manner. You will agree that brief, interesting and easily understandable tasks, introducing them to various development stages, is bound to help them form a correct picture in their own minds' regarding their own changing selves and their roles in life. This may also serve as safeguard against the possibility of their developing irrational worries regarding abrupt development taking place in their bodies.

You, as a teacher, can accomplish this task properly if you possess a sound knowledge of the physical development of children. With the increased rate of physical change consequent upon the transition from one phase of development to another, their behavior and attitudes are also bound to change. You should, therefore, realize that varying treatment, suitable to the physical growth level, is needed by children. The upper primary, secondary and senior secondary students are very tender physically. They need as much affection and tender treatment in the classroom as possible. Developing children must not be rashly stuffed with bookish learning. Their educational programs should include a combination of varied activities in and out of the classroom.

Adolescents need sympathetic understanding and friendliness. They are clumsy, awkward, aggressive and often violent. Intelligent guidance of their maturing physical energies can direct their vigor and enthusiasm to healthy and useful channels. In short, a differential treatment adequate to the developmental stage of children is needed from your hands. A rigid and uniform treatment for all levels of children's growth are obviously bound to be ineffective as well as disastrous. The all-round and healthy development of children is exceedingly dependent upon healthy physical growth.

You should also promote the development of positive and healthy feelings in children, regarding the present state of their physical health. A strongly optimistic approach towards their physical well-being is bound to have a desirable effect on their general health as well as on social, cultural, emotional and intellectual growth. Taking cake of physical health of the children at the school leave is the primary function of the physical Health instructor and the gymnastics and sports teacher.

Educational implications of social development:

It might have become evident by now that the social growth of children is a significant process which cannot be ignored by the teachers and the parents. Children's social development affects their entire life, including their scholastic achievement. The school should, therefore, endeavor to provide adequate and ample opportunities favorable to the social growth of the children.

It should aim at creating such a healthy atmosphere in and outside the classroom that children feel' it convenient, pleasant and desirable to develop satisfying social relations with all those with whom they come in contact. The general attitude of a class teacher must aim to promote a feeling of security in the minds of children, each student should be helped to develop healthy and desirable relations with classmates. He should be stimulated to participate in group activities in and out of the classroom. The aim of education is to develop in the student useful knowledge, skills, habits and attitudes that are fundamental to successful and effective social living.

The teacher should, therefore, lake care that he imparts knowledge in an interesting and stimulating manner so that the students do not develop the feeling of being inferior to others. Merely bookish stuff is not enough. Whenever possible you should endeavor to bring out the social and cultural implications of the various subjects taught in the classroom. Similarly, the training of a student in a skill in a particular field is also socially very essential. Each student must be motivated to take interest in a practical scientific, mechanical or technical subject. Such an early practical bias eventually enables him to develop a taste for mastering useful skills in a particular practical subject. Such a mastery and the allied technical skills are not only economically paying but also socially very helpful.

It also aids a student in making and maintaining desirable social relations throughout adult life. School is the best place for a student to acquire socially desirable habits and attitudes. Different children react differently to the same classroom situation. Individual attention is needed in guiding children effectively. The aggressive children must be taught the art of submission. The shy children need opportunities for self-assertion. The delinquent child needs to be introduced to the desirability of respecting the law. Unless these opportunities are forthcoming the child has little chance to develop into a socially healthy adult. Adequate provision of wider socio-cultural activities is as fundamental duty of the school as the imparting of bookish instruction. Children must be stimulated to develop a keen interest in hobbles and in indoor and outdoor recreation.

The organization of clubs, camps, groups and societies is also very helpful in maintaining the social health of children. The establishment of small literary and social groups, screening of educational films, drama, clubs, boy scout groups, girl guide groups, camp fires, etc., provide extremely wholesome social diet for school children. Participation in such groups at the school level has an extremely desirable effect on the development of a child's character and personality.

Educational implications of emotional development:

There may be several situations in the home and the school which make a child unhappy and disturbed. Usually children express many emotions like anger, fear, jealousy, affection, joy, pleasure, etc. Positive emotions help the child develop a positive outlook about life. It is also true that the experience of positive emotions in life is not always possible for everyone. One does come across a number of both pleasant and unpleasant situations. This means that a child should learn to accept unpleasant emotional experiences in such a way as he does not show undue concern and disturbance.

He must Iearn to adjust himself to such experiences, situations, events, ideas and persons that cause problems. The home and the school should create such situations in which pleasant experiences predominate.

The following methods are offered to help children maintain emotional balance.

Fatigue: Tired children are difficult to handle. Therefore, efforts may be made not lo cause undue fatigue to hem.

Poor health: Children in poor health are irritable. Hence the health of children should be properly  looked after.

Association with emotional people: Children imitate the behavior of their elder’s parents, teachers and other adults and peer groups. Suitable examples of emotional stability should be presented by the elders. Thwarted desires: The more restrictions arc imposed on the child, the more revolting he becomes. This means that a suitable disciplinary mechanism should be evolved.

Unpreparedness: A child shows conational outbursts when he is faced with a strange situation or for which he is not prepared. Proper training to face such situations needed to be given gradually.

Expression of feelings: Children should be helped to express their emotions in a natural way. They should be helped to develop a realistic understanding of situations that arouse unpleasantness.

Self-control: Children should be helped to learn how to control their feelings which may offend others. They should be gradually directed to exercise more of self-control.

Counselling: Counselling may be useful in cases of a highly disturbed emotional state of the mind.

Educational implications of moral development:

Schools should have an activity-oriented Programme for the moral development of children. The school plays a very important role in the moral development of the students. Through the organization of various curricular and co-curricular activities, the teacher can foster among students various moral qualities. In teaching of different subjects like languages and social studies, etc., the teacher may stress moral qualities like love, sacrifice, self-control, truthfulness, uprightness, etc.

A list of some suggested activities for the moral development of students is given below:

·         Organizing group projects, camps, social service programs and games

·         Organizing school panchayats

·         Addressing daily morning school assembly

·         Celebrating festivals including national days

·         Showing appropriate films,

·         Stage dramas and plays

·         Highlighting the teachings of saints and seers

·         Encouraging them to clean the school campus, playgrounds, public places etc.,

·         Looking after the school garden

·         Organizing Girl Guide and Boy Scout groups

·         Celebrating festivals of different communities religions

·         Organizing educational excursions and trips

·         Domesticating and rearing animal pets

·         Visiting backward and slum areas and rendering some son of service to the people living in such areas arranging community and school get-togethers

·         Organizing a comprehensive Programme of guidance and counselling for bringing about moral changes.