EMPOWERMENT THROUGH TEACHER TRAINING ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF COLLEGE OF INDIA HYDERABAD

THE MEANING OF EMPOWERMENT  At the general level empowerment is about having more control over various aspects of our lives. As the word indicates, it is about power. Empowerment usually has a positive connotation but power can be abused.  On an individual level empowerment can be seen as the development of confidence, insight and understanding; The development of personal skills. For example the ability to communicate more effectively with others.

THE MEANING OF EMPOWERMENT (Contd.)  Within a group or community, empowerment can be understood as building trust, co- operation and communication between members. The ability and willingness to bring about change.  For a teacher, empowerment can be understood as the confidence in one’s ability to effectively communicate with one’s students cognitively and affectively.

INDICATORS OF EMPOWERMENT  An empowered teacher will display confidence and understanding. For example taking on new responsibilities such as initiating new activities, new methods of teaching. Dealing sympathetically with disabled children. Ability to face challenges posed by gifted students.  Trust, caring and tolerance. Examples are encouraging open discussion in the classroom. Willingness to admit inability to answer certain questions. Willingness to learn even from students.

INDICATORS OF EMPOWERMENT (Contd.)  An empowered teacher will work towards the promotion of communication and co-operation between students and teachers, teachers and principals, teachers and parents, students and principal, students and their parents. An insecure teacher thrives on disharmony.  An empowered teacher realizes his/her responsibilities and will prepare adequately for the classes and will seek ways to make them interesting.

EMPOWERMENT THROUGH TEACHER TRAINING  Having determined the attributes of an empowered teacher we will now consider how teacher training can develop these attributes. It follows that not all teacher training empowers. Teacher training institutions should develop their programmes so that the teachers who graduate are empowered.  Ronald Reagan once said “the greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one who gets the people to do the greatest things”. (In the context of teachers…). The ability to bring out the best in one’s students is one of the outcomes of good teacher training.

EMPOWERMENT THROUGH TEACHER TRAINING (Contd.)  Teacher training gives teachers confidence through acquisition of knowledge and skills that enable them to face all kinds of situations in the classroom and the school this does not mean that teacher training. Gives the solutions to all problems – this is impossible. However it gives the teachers the ability to deal with the problems in the best possible manner.  Teacher training helps teachers to understand the children they teach. To appreciate the bright child who asks many questions, to understand a difficult child who may be having problems at home.

Empowerment Through Teacher Training (Cont.)  Gender sensitive teacher training produces empowered teachers – men and women – committed to gender equity in the classroom. Gender-sensitive, empowered teachers can serve as positive role models and the conduits for passing on of new values to all their students.  Teacher training can empower teachers by enabling them to participate in a joyful, interactive training with the possibility of taking decisions on matters of curricula and text books.  Teacher training for empowerment should aim to produce teachers who can motivate, interest and challenge children to high standards. It should provide a stimulating and creative preparation for the acquisition of subject knowledge and understanding of children.

Empowerment Through Teacher Training  An empowered teacher will know how to organize children and how to maintain an orderly, purposeful and supportive environment. Teacher training will enable teachers to use a variety of effective teaching methods catering to the range of needs of children at various levels of schooling.  DIETs which are responsible for training massive numbers of teachers therefore need to pay due attention to the content and transaction of their programmes. Greater proportion of practical teaching to theoretical sessions.