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Sunday, October 21, 2018

THE Importance of Teaching Practice

Thousands of prospective teachers from colleges and Universities are placed each year in the various schools for student teaching experiences which are meant to contribute greatly to their preparation as beginning teachers. After a learner has been shown how, it is quite appropriate he should perform the work himself before he can become very skillful on the job;the learner is expected to follow the receiving of the information with a period of practice in its use in order to gain mastery of the information itself  practical application.
  Essentially, knowledge is of little value in itself unless the person who possesses it can make it serve him or her by knowing how to apply it to the solution of specific problems which confront him or the society in which he lives.Hence the only way to establish confidence in what a person has learned is to put it into practice.
  The  idea of practice is not limited to the teaching  profession alone. As a matter of fact,the professions of medicine, law,nursing,engineering and others have long recognized the importance of practical training.Many governments around the globe are aware of the need for practical training in many occupational fields.
 In relation to teaching practice, some people have failed to see the need for continuing student teaching programs. Usually such expressions emanate from those who cannot visualize what good teaching practice can do for the student  teacher. From all indications, the value of student teaching is regarded as a personal matter. For example, one student may consider the experience as the best course he has ever had, while another may think it is the most difficult course of his life.
  In spite of all the differences of opinion, student teaching is a vital force in prepparing students for future teaching assignments. So far there has been no better substitute for this program. Student teaching offers opportunities for student s to understand human growth patterns; it also enables the student to gain valuable insight into himself with regard to assessing his suitability for the teaching profession. Similarly the student will have the opportunity to observe and study children, and develop his own ways of working effectively with children and colleagues. He will gain enough experience through student teaching to facilitate his development towards professional maturity with a feeling of security.
   The preparation of teachers for the numerous school children of the universal primary education age has become a global issue. In order to meet this challenge the various governments have been forced to recruit to large number of untrained teachers. At the same time there has been hues and cries about indiscipline in many schools. Some have attributed the cause to lack of training to many of the present-day teachers. The educational authorities are currently emphasizing the need for training the teachers; hence there need for provision for those teachers who have taught for a reasonable length of time to be admitted into teacher training colleges. Similarly, a graduate teacher who did not major in any of the education areas should enroll in the diploma program of the faculty of education before he or she can be certified as a full-fledged teacher.


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