We are in a world of big and fast changes. Big enough that for education sector, many layers of fundamental transformation take place almost at the same time. Fast enough that if we look at the pattern of how schools used to function 18 months ago, the new norm – online learning, social distancing, became a daily reality in almost every household in almost no time.

According to Professor Mary Kalantzis and Bill Cope, there are three important elements of a modern education: learning community, curriculum forms and pedagogical discourses. We have witnessed a wide array of changes in all of these areas over the last decade, if not in particular during or post Covid-19.

Our Learning community has expanded

Parent education, family partnership, public stakeholder engagement have become a central theme to connect our conventional school education to other aspects of human life. Learning now is not only life-long, but life-wide, taking place beyond walls of brick-and-mortar schools, but at museums, corporations, labs, and more significantly between each other, learning amongst peers.

Curriculum has transformed

A nineteenth-century teacher must feel excited but also intellectually challenged by new concepts and new skillsets of the 21st century curriculum. Coding and design thinking are novice program offerings at metropolitan schools today. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs have become mandatory in many states in the U.S. to support students' preparedness in academics, career and life. In China, students’ progressive performance in arts (including fine arts and music) during middle school years will be counted as part of the overall result of high school entrance examination, first in 8 provinces, then nationwide (Xinhua Agency, 2020).

Pedagogical discourses have evolved

Integration of Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) refers to the use of computer-based communication into daily classroom instruction and learning. Ministries of education all over the world have provided a lot of facilities and training in order to enhance the use of advanced technologies in the countries' teaching and learning process (Ghaviferk 2015). This year, Covid-19 poses a big test for ICT integration into our learning process. Within the span of a few months, 191 countries had closed their schools to deploy social distancing measures in accordance with the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations (UNESCO, 2020). More than 1.5 billion students worldwide are affected by these closures, thus adapting to virtual learning programs. The scale of this change is unprecedented.

In the face of many new realities, teachers as professionals, can sometimes get lost in the chaos of the change melody. While they are busying themselves adapting to the new technology tools, juggling with the paper forms of policy checklists, or going over countless survey feedbacks, they, or better said, we as the general public, sometimes forget what it means to be a great teacher.

Azul Terrones, a 20-year-experience teacher, shares his insights about what a great teacher is in the eyes of students out of 26,000 responses in 8 schools. The below comments appear year after year during students' conversations. A great teacher eats apples – teachers enjoy eating apples like children and students can share their lunch apples with teachers as a simple gesture of relationship; a great teacher sings – teachers can try new things, take risks and are not necessarily good at everything they do; a great teacher is chill – that means they understand students, think like students, but act as adults.

Surrounded with disruptions and changes, I hope what remains a great teacher stays unchanged. It can be as simple as below.

A great teacher is someone who eats apples, who sings and who is chill.

References

• Ghavifekr, S. & Rosdy, W.A.W. (2015). Teaching and learning with technology: Effectiveness of ICT integration in schools. International Journal of Research in Education and Science (IJRES), 1(2), 175-191.
• Terronez Azul, TEDxSantoDomingo (2017). What makes a good teacher great? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrU6YJle6Q4
• UNESCO UIS Data Post (2020). The Importance of Monitoring and Improving ICT Use in Education Post-Confinement. Accessed on Sep 15, 2020 https://sdg.uis.unesco.org/tag/ict-use-in-education/
• Xinhua News Agency (2020). Music and Fine Arts will be part of High School Entrance Examination. Accessed on Sep 15, 2022 http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2020-10/24/c_1126650912.htm