TEACHING

The Concept of Teaching

Teaching is an attempt to bring about desirable changes in human learning, abilities and behaviour in order to contribute to better living. Teaching helps people to gain the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to be responsible citizens. It is also a means of passing knowledge to the next generation. Awotua-Efebo (2001) sees teaching as an interaction between a teacher and a student under the teacher’s responsibility, in order to bring about the expected change in the students behaviour. According to Gagne & Briggs, 1989 in Awotua-Efebo (2001), the purpose of teaching, are to help students to

• Acquire, retain and be able to use knowledge

• Understand, analyse, synthesize and evaluate skills

• Establish habits and

• Develop attitudes

Omieibi-Davies (2011) sees the changes in behaviour that occurs as a result of teaching as follows:

a.   An increased store of useful information and the understanding of basic principles in the subject matter.

b.   An acquisition of psychomotor skills, abilities and habits.

c.   Possession of desirable attitudes and ideas, such as developing satisfaction about learning outcomes.

Components of Teaching

In order to come up with an effective teaching approach, three major components of teaching have been identified namely:-

1.   Preparation - Here the teacher plans the lessons he/she intends to teach including all the activities needed to put the lesson together.

2.   Execution – Here the teacher is involved in communicating the lesson to the students as prepared in the lesson notes using the designed teaching model/strategies. The classroom management is also involved here.

3.   Evaluation – Here the teacher does all it takes to ensure that the lesson is effective considering the teaching model used for a particular class. Students are evaluated here through tests, and other quizzes, etc

Teaching Principles

In order to carry out an effective teaching task below is a list of helpful guide for a successful teaching.

1.   Planned teaching results in more learning. The teacher must be clear in his/her mind right from the start on what he/she intend to do. Teachers are encouraged to plan their lessons extensively; such defined goals helps the teacher to determine the methodology appropriate to the subject matter to aid teaching and learning.

2.   Teachers should be able to guide students effectively to achieve the objectives of lessons taught.

3.   Students tend to achieve in ways they are tested, teachers are encouraged to test students in different ways to enhance their achievement rates in various domains.

4.   Students learn from one another. Encourage students to work in groups while solving problems as this goes a long way to enhance learning.

The Teacher

A teacher is expected to have a total commitment in giving the children the type of education that trains them to growth and development. A teacher is a person who is qualified in every way as a professional teacher to teach in schools especially in his/her area of specialization. A teacher’s personality type should be divergent, enduring and stable enough to help learners solve their problems. No educational system can be stronger than the caliber of the teaching staff. In recognition of this fact, the Federal Republic of Nigeria National Policy on Education (2004) stated, "All teachers in our educational institutions, from pre-primary to university, will be professionally trained. The teacher is the sole implementer of the curriculum in the classroom. The main focus of the implementation of the curriculum is the learner, while the most important person in curriculum implementation is the teacher. (Obasi, Adaobi & Ajeka, 2007). The teacher is the prime mover of the educational system. Aghanta (1991) conceptualizes that as an input operator into the educational system, the teacher plays a major role in the conversion of raw materials particularly students into finished products e.g. graduates.