Magazine - ESHA

EXPLORING LEARNING & TEACHING
• If we want our school to become a learning organisation, who
should the fi rst learners in the school be? How do we go about
achieving this?
If learning in our schools involves no more than data
transmission, then, as teachers, we should be very
worried about the new technologies.
If learning in our schools involves no more than fact/data transmis-
sion, then, as teachers, we should be very worried about the new
technologies and media (internet, eLearning, Facebook, YouTube
etc.), since they excel at that and cost much less than we do. The
good news is that the excellent teacher cannot be replaced by
technology because the structured and skilled facilitation of learn-
ing will always belong in the hands of the creative, inspired, wise,
self-refl ecting, peer-collaborating, learner-centred teacher, who
him/her-self is, fi rst and foremost, always learning.
Changes in our classroom practices will not be revolutionary. That
is just not what we humans do. We will only make changes that
make sense to us individually, at a pace that can accommodate
and integrate into our classroom practices. Dramatic change is
neither probable nor is it desirable. To bring about lasting change
we actually have to do things differently. Changing what we do will,
however, require us to leave our zones of comfort and begin to take
risks.
Continuing and sustained change will take place over time.
Remember, in exploring learning there is no destination. The chal-
lenge will be energise a critical mass of innovative and enthusiastic
teachers committed to their own and their colleagues’ professional
improvement. This will be the key to overcoming the inertia of the
tired, the stuck and the suspicious.
26 ESHA MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2011