Monday, October 30, 2017

Queer Looking Trees from Another World

Queer Looking Trees from Another World

Photos and Poem by Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature School on Blog

Balete (Ficus benjamina) strangles own host (acacia - 
Samanea saman), hence called Strangler's Fig, UST Manila
I love trees friendly or queer,
they whistle with the breeze;
they sigh in summer air, 
and make me feel at ease.

I love trees real or fancy,
tall, small, and spreading;
lining the shore, or foothill,
atop a mountain like king.

I love trees in all seasons,
even with their grotesque crown;
buds in spring fullest in summer;
and in autumn red and brown. 

I love trees, their make-believe faces,
dare to imagine in the evening, 
the legendary white lady;
or beauteous Maria Makiling.  

I love trees they are like people,
senses, language of their own
are universal to all creatures,
even before man was born.  

I love trees because I see myself
in them today as it was before;
and if i think trees are really queer,
I think I should love them more. ~

Ghost singers under a huge banyan tree, Sacred Heart Novitiate, QC 
(Photo taken after a wedding reception, unedited photo.) 
Ichabod Crane Tree, SPUQC (Fiction character in a 
short story  of the same title by Washington Irving)
Who is knocking on my window sill? (kalachuchi - 
Plumera acuminata), Sacred Heart Novitiate, QC
Tree casts its own shadow of death before its early 
demise following Ondoy flood in 2010 , UST Manila
Python Tree, an overhanging limb of acacia covered
 with epiphytes, Ateneo de Manila University, QC
Haunting Fig Tree (Gmelina), Church of the Ascension Parish Church, 
Lagro QC. Its broad prop roots produce a dull gong sound when struck.  


Leaning Pisa tree (Fire tree - Delonix regia) leans 45 degrees 
over busy Regalado Avenue, QC. NOTE: the tree was cut down 
to clear power lines, and eliminate possible accident. 
 
Elephant Tree, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
 Bearded Eucalyptus Tree, Angels' Hill, Tagaytay City. Clinging moss 
is actually lichens of the fruticose or hanging type. 

Saturday, October 28, 2017

What is the philosophy that guides your life?

What is the philosophy that guides your life?

Dr Abe V Rotor


Seven people chosen at random were asked, "What is the  philosophy that guides your life?" Here are their answers. *
  1. I just try to do my best.
  2. Slow down and enjoy the little things.
  3. Don't get in a rut.
  4. Take time to do what you would like to do.
  5. Relax and look at life in perspective.
  6. Take things a day at a time.
  7. See that your life has variety. 
Greek philosopher, student of Plato who wrote Nicomachean Ethics 
as a guide to the citizens of Greece on how to lead the good life.

When I read this article, I told myself to slow down and take time to reflect. What really is the philosophy of my life that makes it meaningful and fulfilled? 

I imagined myself as one - any one of the respondents, at one time or another. Actually I couldn't help compare the two aspects of life, the serious and the lighter side. I have not really given much attention to the latter. I have not settled down even after I retired from employment. I often remind myself that there is limit in everything. This is perhaps the greatest fault of people who are used to working hard. 

The survey means much more that slowing down. It is self examination. Consider  each item or response as a measure of The Good Life in practical and simple terms, and universal in application. 

Rate yourself under each item using the Likert Scale (1 very poor, 2 poor, 3 average, 4 good, 5 very good). Compute for the total score and the average. There is no passing or failing score.  In fact each item must be treated independently, so that you can see your strength you should be happy about, and inadequacies which you can correct and improve. 

Thanks to Better to Light One Candle (The Christophers Three Minute a Day) p 243 

Sunday, October 22, 2017

Manna from Heaven in Modern Times

There are many things that come to us through Providence that we can describe as “Manna from Heaven.”
Dr Abe V Rotor
We have so far survived two pessimistic predictions which are two hundred years apart, first the Malthusian Theory of Catastrophe – rapid population growth that could outstrip the world’s resources (1789) and Alvin Toffler’s Future Shock – the “disease” that accompanies rapid technological change (1970).
Holy Family Church stained glass Teconnaught (Wiki)
Both prophesies jolted us sitting on the bench of the so-called Good Life. Social and economic transformation brought us to a modern world, and industrialization’s accelerated thrust catapulted us to a post-modern world, we call Post-modernism.

Long before these global events happened, the ancient world saw the rise and fall of civilizations in a prototype pattern characteristic of the prophesies of Malthus and Toffler. The most celebrated of such event was the fusion and sudden collapse of the Greco-Roman Empire. Surprisingly however, the Greco-Roman culture became the model of the Renaissance in the 15th century, and the centuries that followed, including our present civilization.

All of these tested the resilience of mankind. Apparently, we were able to disprove the Malthusian Theory through Green Revolution in the sixties and seventies doubling or tripling agricultural production. We opened new territories, invaded the sea and converted wastelands to farmlands, while science and technology vastly improved production efficiency, and created new varieties and breeds of plants and animals.

We too, have survived the Cold War which lasted for fifty long years. Since the nineties, nations formerly polarized by the ideologies of free capitalism and socialism have merged into a “global village.” Never in history has the world turned into a common path of cultural, social, and economic globalization.

Now we are engaged in another great upheaval. We are experiencing the worse economic crisis since the Great Depression of America in the twenties and thirties. It is history repeating itself. The ghost of Malthus has returned, haunting us with gloom scenarios of worldwide miseries. Our population now 7 billion continues to increase in geometric proportion, while the availability and costs of goods and services are spiraling beyond the reach of the masses. Meantime the environment continues to deteriorate from the deleterious by-products of industrialization - pollution. We are destroying the base of production itself.

It is as if we are in a neo-exodus crossing a bigger desert this time, involving a thousand-fold throng, seeking deliverance as we strive to reach “the land of plenty.” The way is long and uncertain because it seems to be uncharted - ironically amidst a revolution in knowledge we quite often describe as “technology age,” “information highway,” “space age,” “cyberspace,” “electronic age.” Actually we do not need all of these in our search for that Promised Land.

Manna from Heaven may have a number of interpretations, from hoarfrost on grass at daybreak, to honey-like secretion of insects. It could be the crust of lichen or mycelia of a mushroom, or gum tapped from tamarisk, a legume tree growing in the desert. Researchers found other possible sources of Manna, which include the Manna Ash, a native to southern Europe and Southwest Asia.

In our sojourn to that Promised Land we find along our way a variety of manna that we can assure ourselves that “we shall not want.” We liken our native malunggay tree to the tamarisk or the Manna Ash. We have a diverse source of short- growing food crops we barely cultivate which like hoarfrost and honeydew become available at daybreak as we begin another day of travel. And like the biblical bread and fish during the Sermon on the Mount, there are manna that multiply with people’s faith and effort with the blessing of Providence.

Certainly there are the likes of the deliverer Moses in our midst. We greet and salute them. Above all, we join them in their campaign. Yes, we can find that Promised Land. And we shall not want along the way. ~

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Down memory lane we all go

Man cannot live without valuing memory to the fullest. Memory captures the stimuli for senses: touch, sound, sight, taste and smell, storing them in a bank that supplies our happiness and joy. And yet, we grieve for things we remember to be painful, things we wish we had long buried in the past." avr

Dr Abe V Rotor
 Living with Nature School on Blog

The memory pattern is like a hill. We go up gathering memories along the way and storing them to the summit which is the peak of our career, the building of family, the prime of life, the fullest expression of intelligence, the quest for honor.
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Mnemosyne, Greco-Roman goddess of memory. The goddess Mnemosyne (memory personified) places her hand on the back of a man's head, symbolically aiding his memory. The figures are in a banquet scene. 
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Then as we face middle age onto the golden years of our 
lives, our memory fades and our capacity to gather and keep new ones is no longer as easy as before. 

While this memory pattern is common, it varies from person to person.  Here are scenarios for analysis and comparison. 

There are people who have photographic memory.  Napoleon Bonaparte won his battles because of his rare gift of cartographic memory.  He was always ahead of his enemies and knew well the details of the battleground. Musical geniuses like Mozart could play a musical composition they heard only once.  Napoleon

When I was a student my professor in botany, Dr Fernando de Peralta, used to walk the same lane I took on my way home, and he would point at the trees in a sort of cursory test. Scientific names are of course in Latin, so with their families and orders. Before I finished college I had "perfected' classifying some 100 trees on the campus. Today after 50 years my plant taxonomy is still good.                                                      Amadeus Mozart
A friend confided to me he bought aquarium fish and absentmindedly tossed it into the ref. Then he rushed back and saved the poor fish in the nick of time. I compare it with my experience of  forgetting my driver's license - twice or thrice -  and coming back for it before reaching the highway. Kabaw, young critics would say.  But wait, they'll certainly experience the same incipient memory loss when they reach fifty or sixty. 

Age-related decline in memory in well illustrated in a popular TV advertisement: a grandfather interchanging the names of his grand daughters, Gina and Karen. In real life this grandfather in his younger years was a popular actor and respectable lawyer. How can one be reduced to virtual oblivion in very old age!  But even younger people would commit the same error, calling persons wrong names, not remembering many things that surround them.

Dementia or Alzheimer's can totally erase memory, like a computer losing all stored information. President Ronald Reagan towards the end of his life remembered little - if anything at all - about having been a president of the US. A cousin of mine said, "Your manang can't remember anything."  She was in her eighties.  And yet another cousin about to turn ninety has still a vivid memory. As a retired biology teacher she can still carry conversation citing scientific terms and new developments in molecular biology and evolution.

Why professors are retained after their retirement is a manifestation to their unfailing mental capacity.  "It's like muscles regularly flexed and put to use," says one 75-year old professor emeritus at the University of Santo Tomas. 



Henry Wadsworth Longfellow the author of Hiawatha and Evangeline stayed with Cambridge to the end of his long life.  Jules Verne continued to write novels even at a very old age, so with Charles Dickens, England's greatest storyteller.  Pablo Picasso the greatest modern painter worked in his studio well into his nineties, producing hundreds of now famous paintings. 

More and more people are trying anything to sharpen their brain, more so to the aging brain. The idea is to fortify the brain with more blood to supply oxygen.  Ginkgo biloba a living fossil tree is among the commercialized products. Vitamins, folic acid, lecithin, are also thought to improve memory.  There is also a theory that Vitamin E protects brain cells from free radicals. And know one knows if anti-inflammatory drugs will help slow down memory loss.  The truth is, there is little or no scientific proof to back up the claimed benefits of these memory potions.

Computers make up for replacements of memory, they in fact bring forth needed materials which the brain processes. This is prelude to artificial intelligence.  In the future, fiction ideas may come out to be true like Flash Gordon paving man's conquest of outer space, and Jules Verne's conquest in the deep of the sea.    

Information is much easier to access on a wide range of subjects in encyclopedic volumes.  At fingertips anything from history to futuristic topics, literature in various movements, so with arts, visual and textual. Global positioning system (GPS) would locate places instantaneously. The world is in our palm. Which reminds us of William Blake's famous quotation:

To see the world in a grain of sand,
       and a heaven a wide flower;
hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
       and eternity in an hour.   

We are led to a false path in our postmodern world.  Man cannot live without valuing memory to the fullest. Memory captures the stimuli for senses: touch, sound, sight, taste and smell, storing them in a bank that supplies our happiness and joy, challenges to win, compassion for the vanquished, values the beautiful things we wish to re-create into masterpieces that speak of a beautiful humanity. 

And yet, we grieve for things we remember to be painful, things we wish we had long buried in the past.  Memory kept us from achieving more, memories attached to anger and hatred, of greed and indifference. Loss of memory has a reward - kindness to the restless mind, heart and spirit. It is Nature's own design to keep this earth a better place to live in.

Friday, October 20, 2017

The Blue Stream

"He wonders if ever the stream reaches the sea.
That's too far out from here, he thought." avr

Painting and Verse by Dr Abe V Rotor 

Blue Stream in acrylic, AVR c 1990

A painting is never finished, I must say.
     In it the artist discovers himself;
He is sitting on a rock ledge in deep thoughts,
     afraid of the water perhaps;
He flies the white kite, the others the red ones,
     why the white one he wonders;
He wades chest deep, goes upstream, 
     wonders at the salmon returning;
He whistles for the wind to take his kite higher 
     above the red ones. Whistles again.
He feels the chilly wind from the hills, did it 
     come all the way from Siberia? 
He looks up, the sky's gloomy, clouds heavy;  
     at this time of the year? he questions.
He traces the source of the stream, ah, 
     the watershed, he said, it's like a funnel;
He turns downstream, will the stream 
     join a river. He thinks of the Nile;
He wonders if ever his stream reaches the sea;
     that's too far out from here, he thought.
He returns on the rock ledge in deep thoughts, 
     looks at the blue sky and water.  ~ 
     

Thursday, October 19, 2017

SPCIS Faculty Seminar: Are you an Effective Teacher?

SPCIS Faculty Seminar: 
Are you an Effective Teacher?
Unveiling Teaching Expertise

Dr Abe V Rotor

  
Sermon on the Mount: the Greatest Teacher who ever lived and preached among the people is Christ. Even with the computer and other means of modern education today, the philosophy and methodology of teaching laid down by Christ remains as relevant and forceful as ever.  Like passing on the torch of knowledge and wisdom, Christ has influenced teachers, leaders, people of all walks of life, particularly at the grassroots, more than any teacher the world has known.  

Lesson: Are you an effective teacher? Please read this article. Find out the basis and criteria of an effective teacher.
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The characteristics of an effective teacher are described in a book written by Dr. Flordeliza Clemente-Reyes, Unveiling Teaching Expertise – A Showcase of 69 Outstanding Teachers in the Philippines. The book summarizes the results of a nationwide research initiated and funded by the Commission on Higher Education in cooperation with non-governmental organizations and various colleges and universities.

Profiling the outstanding teacher from the 69 finest teachers of the country was conducted on 28 private and 12 state universities distributed in 12 regions of the country. Twenty-eight of these teachers are Metrobank Outstanding Teachers and were automatically included in the list, while the other 41 were chosen by a composite team from CHED, the National Council of Educational Innovators (NCEI), with the support of NGOs, with De La Salle University as its research base. At the time of the study these teachers were handling courses in PAASCU Level-3 accredited colleges and universities, or Centers of Excellence, or both, and have earned the reputation of being outstanding teachers in their respective institutions. The author was chosen among the 69 honorees.   
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In a capsule an effective teacher is generally

§ An expert in all four areas of teaching, namely, subject matter, classroom management, instruction, and diagnostics in teaching;

§ One who has a personal educational philosophy regarding beliefs, assumptions and convictions regarding his role as a teacher;

§ Married, and most likely a woman in her middle age – 40 and above; (Women dominate men in the teaching profession, 4 to 1)

§ A college performer, but not necessarily an honor student and campus leader;

§ One whose initial career was not set to teaching - in fact did not take up formal undergraduate education subjects and training;

§ A postgraduate degree holder with a master’s degree at least, in any specific field in natural and social sciences, and other disciplines;

§ A “mix-brain” that is, a person whose logical and creative hemispheres of the brain are effectively put to use in tandem;

§ A model person with personal attributes, virtues, and teaching methods that nurture favorable teacher-student relationship;

§ One who draws inspiration from both within and outside the school, such as members of his family;

§ A cheerful, willing and motivated person always in pursuit of continued professional growth.

Four Areas of Expertise of the Outstanding Teacher

The expert teacher has been found to possess four types of expertise, namely:

1. Subject matter expertise, which means that the teacher has a mastery of content-specific knowledge and the organization of this knowledge for effective instruction.

2. Classroom management expertise, that is, the expert teacher maintains a high level of on-task students’ classroom behavior, which prevents or eliminates learning disruptions, while it creates an environment conducive to learning.

3. Instructional expertise, which means that the teacher has both implicit and explicit knowledge on various teaching strategies and methods to attain predefined instructional objectives.

4. Diagnostic expertise, which refers to the ability of the teacher to know both the class and individual needs and goals, abilities, achievement levels, motives, personality attributes, and emotions, which influence instruction and learning.

Holistic Mentor-Learner Interaction

The key to effectiveness in teaching is a holistic approach whereby there is a mutual and orderly interaction in the teaching-learning process, with the teacher placing a high premium on the development of thinking and understanding. Educators attribute teaching expertise to the teachers’ affectionate interactions with the learners, and to their efforts towards developing learners’ responsibility for learning. There are of course many other factors that influence effectiveness in teaching because of the wide diversity in culture, affected by certain economic, ecological and political conditions.

Attributes of the Expert Teacher

1. Women dominate the teaching profession. Of the 69 outstanding teachers, women constitute 74% as compared with that of men which is 26 &, or a ratio of 4 to 1. The reason for this is that men place less priority to teaching than better paying jobs. This is manifested in the choice of careers. In the case of men, they prefer law, engineering, and applied courses in industry and technology that offer better professional growth opportunities and pay as compared to teaching.

2. The median age of the expert teacher is 50. Majority of the experts (82.6%) are in their past 40. Surprisingly one-fifth of the experts is in the 60 to 79 age bracket. These data point out that teaching – contrary to common belief – does not deteriorate with age. On the other hand, teaching improves with time and experience. Distilled and seasoned knowledge is wisdom.

3. Forty-five of the 69 expert teachers are married. The remaining 24 are single with two of them a nun and a priest. Again at this point, contrary to common belief, being married and having a family is not a deterrent to being a good teacher. On the contrary there are many cases where teaching career is enhanced by an understanding and cooperative family.

4. In general, the 69 outstanding teachers did not choose teaching as their first career. Only 26 actually set their minds to teaching as early as upon graduation in high school. For one reason or another the 43 set out for other careers. Others found teaching compatible with their present professions, while a good number opted to spend their retirement as teachers or professors. Among the outstanding teachers are practicing agriculturists, journalists, scientists, lawyers, doctors, engineers, TV hosts, and the like. This shows that a good teacher may not have started out early in his career as teacher but ended up becoming a good teacher. Professions and experiences outside of teaching greatly contribute to teaching effectiveness.

5. The experts were academic achievers in college. There were only 14 of the experts who were active in extracurricular activities in college, say in athletics and campus politics. Fifty-eight are academic achievers, with 33 as top performers but who did not make it in the dean’s list, and 25 who were consistent scholars and honor students. Only 11 were average academic performers.

Dr. Reyes explains the relationship of academic performance and expertise in teaching this way. “Academic achievers generally have good self-esteem and exude high self-confidence – personal attributes that are helpful to teachers, cognitive intelligence as a facilitative factor to subject mastery and instructional skills, notwithstanding.” An intelligent teacher is therefore highly desirable so long as he demonstrates humility patience and understanding. On the other hand, “magtitser ka na lang,” is an insult to the teaching profession.
6. On the educational attainment of the expert teachers, 35 of them have doctoral degrees while 26 have master’s degrees. The remaining ones were at the time of the survey still pursuing their graduate studies. This means that 88.4% of the expert teachers have at least a master’s degree, which points out to the importance of graduate education as a factor in effective teaching. Graduate education is characterized by “extensive professional reading and research, as well as personal discipline, perseverance, diligence, and a strong motivation to succeed,” in the words of Dr. Reyes. The pursuit of graduate studies confirms the strong conviction of the teacher towards excellence and dedication in his profession. Graduate studies confer the imprimatur of a teacher’s professional status, and his place among his peers.

7. The expert teachers do not only possess high educational attainment; they also excel in specific disciplines or fields of study. Here is a breakdown of the findings:

§ Education and related fields 36 %
§ Applied and natural sciences 26
§ Languages, literature, communication art 15
§ Medicine, nursing and public health 6
§ Political, social science, economics 6
§ Psychology, guidance and counseling 5
§ Philosophy 3
§ Agriculture 3

It is interesting to note that 55 of the experts have either completed or enrolled in programs that offer rich opportunities for sharing research, information, and work experiences in the school setting.

8. On teaching experience, the range is wide – 2 to 47 years, with a median of 25 years. Yes, it takes 25 years to be a model teacher. There is a saying, “Experience does not only make a good teacher; experience is the best teacher.”

9. Which hemisphere of the brain is more useful to the expert teacher? The different specializations of expert teachers attest to a left-right brain combination or mix-brain, which means that the use of both hemisphere in proper balance and harmony is needed in teaching - the left for language, mathematics and logic, and the right which is dominantly for creativity is for intuition, inspiration and imagination. Majority of the expert teachers are mix-brained (43 women and 11 men). The rest are left-brained who are experts in the fields of science, mathematics, language, philosophy, research, nursing and agriculture. The survey came up with a negative right-brained among the experts.

10. The effective teacher draws inspiration from his or her family. Almost one-half of the expert teachers consider the supportive role of family members who understand the nature of teaching as having greatly contributed to their success. Twenty of the expert teachers mentioned of a family member as their mentor and source of inspiration. On the other hand the role of school administrators is very important, with almost 70% of the participants attributing the administration’s support to their success. The ambiance of teaching is equally important whereby the school is one large respectable family with a community atmosphere.

11. The 69 experts are divided according to the following philosophies of education, namely

v The majority of the participants (29 women and 6 men) are experimentalists. They uphold the experimental educational philosophy. This means that these teachers are flexible and open to educational change.

v Twelve are advocates to eclectic educational philosophy, which means that they do not subscribe to just one philosophy, and they shift their roles from being facilitators of learning to transmitters and interpreters of knowledge.

v Twelve are perennialists, that is, they perceive themselves as authority figures in the classroom, transmitting and interpreting knowledge.

v Nine are realists. They tend to focus on the here and now. They stress knowledge as how it is applied or observed. For example the laws of nature are better understood through observation and research.

v Only one among the expert teachers is an idealist. She views education as a means of developing students’ intellectual abilities. Influenced by the Greek philosophers Socrates and Plato, she stresses the importance of logic and philosophy.

Given these premises, the expert teacher is motivated to learn more, to expand his horizon as new things evolve – in science and technology, management, education, research, and in the many ways the world and human society are changing. His love for his profession takes him to a higher realm of continuing professional growth, his love for knowledge itself, which is the primordial tool in teaching, and in sharing them to the younger and future generations in the wisdom and humility of the Good Shepherd. ~

 About Plato's Academy 

 
Ruins of Plato's Academy in Athens

"Academy was a suburb of Athens, named after the hero Academos or Ecademos. The site was continuously inhabited from the prehistoric period until the 6th century A.D. During the 6th century B.C., one of the three famous Gymnasiums of Athens was founded here. Moreover, it is recorded that Hippias, the son of Peisistratos, built a circuit wall, and Cimon planted the area with trees which were destroyed by Sulla in 86 B.C. In 387 B.C. Plato founded his philosophical school, which became very famous due to the Neoplatonists, and remained in use until A.D. 526, when it was finally closed down by emperor Justinian."


 Plato established a very special school  2.380 years ago. He named his school The Academy, built on the idea far ahead of its time, on the belief that every person has the potential for mastery and greatness.

Influenced by the philosophy of Socrates, Plato and his associates posed questions and problems which the group would then discuss and solve.  Thus they gained knowledge, developed character and friendship, as they pursue truths and insights. This collective and integral approach - rather than individual - is the key in elevating the academy on the highest plane of learning.  

Plato’s Academy became a beacon of wisdom and development throughout the ages. Its tradition was preserved and carried on by many, starting from Aristotle who studied in the Academy for twenty years (367 BC – 347 BC) before founding his own school, the Lyceum.

Albert Einstein was so inspired by Plato’s approach that with a group of friends he founded his own school – the Olympia Academy.

(Reference ISOD - Integral School of Organization Development, Internet)  

 Are You an Effective Teacher? An Evaluation

Opposite each item, indicate your score based on the Likert Scale (1 Very Poor, 2 Poor, 3 Fair, 4 Good, 5 Very Good).  Rate each item accordingly.

1.Subject matter expertise
§ Thorough/excellent knowledge of content
§ Being up-to-date with the latest developments in their fields
§ Knowledge of the interrelationships among the structural elements or concepts of the subject matter -
§ Knowledge of the relationship of the lesson with other courses or disciplines
§ Knowledge of practical application and concrete, interesting examples to clarify abstract ideas/concepts

2. Classroom Management Expertise
§ Efficient handling of routine activities and time management
§ Maintenance of students’ on-task behavior
§ Absence of class disruptions

3.Instructional Expertise
§ Use of varied teaching strategies
§ Use of varied instructional equipment and materials to enhance education
§ Instructional clarity

3.Communication Expertise
§ Expressive non-verbal or body language.
§ Excellent oral communication skills
§ Provision of two-way communication

4. Diagnostic Expertise
§. Sensitivity to students’ learning problems/difficulties
§. Anticipation of probable problems or misconceptions

5.Relational Expertise
§ Non-threatening disposition
§ Enthusiasm
§ Providing a psychologically safe learning environment
§ Making learning pleasant and enjoyable
§ Classroom humor
§ Magnetism/Charisma
§ High rapport with students
§ Affectionate interaction with students

6. Responsible Teaching
§ integrate values in teaching
§ communicate their belief in the students’ capacity for learning
§ facilitate development of understanding and draw out generalizations and insights
§ provide students opportunities to assume an active role in the learning process and to be responsible for their own learning
§ select and implement teaching strategies, learning activities and instructional materials.
§ Learner-centered teaching
§ Learner-centeredness
§ Developing students’ responsibility for learning
§ Values integration

(NOTE: Rating to be set by the lecturer. Reflection follows.)

NOTE: We are all teachers in our own rights - at home, in our community, in the office, and the like. This evaluation applies to all of us. ~
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Published by ADMIN Internet
Education is just impossible without a proper and appropriate teacher and the present world that we are looking around would not be possible without an appropriate and right teacher. However, the great teachers of time had their own methods to teaching and learning and put through the foundation of present contemporary world. Below are mentioned some of the greatest teacher of our times who shaped the civilization to a greater extent.

1.    Confucius: He was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher whose teachings have influenced Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese life to a greater extent. In his philosophies, he advocated personal and governmental morality. His teachings developed into a system of philosophy known to be as Confucianism.

2.    Aristotle: He was a Greek philosopher, student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. He has written over a good number of subjects like physics, metaphysics, poetry, theatre, music, logic, rhetoric, politics, biology and zoology. (photo)

3.    Johann Amos Coménius: He was a Moravian teacher, scientist, educator and writer. He was a Unity of the Brethren/ Moravian Protestant bishop, a religious refugee, the earliest champions of universal education and a concept set forth in his book Didactica Magna

4.    John Locke: He was an emphatic follower of the belief that knowledge is needed to be taught.   He insisted on teaching of character first and academics later. He was of the belief that good character far exceeds the value of learning to read, write, and complete calculations and other uses.

5.    Friedrich Froebel: He was a German pedagogue, a student of Pestalozzi who put forth foundation for modern education on the basis of research that students have their own specific need and capabilities for learning. He created the concept of kindergarten and coined the word as well for use in English language


6.     Henry David Thoreau: He was an American poet, author, surveyor, historian, philosopher and leading transcendentalist. He is better known for his book Walden, about simple living in natural surroundings. His articles, essays, journals and poetry total over 20 volumes. (photo, right)

7.    Booker T. Washington: He was a noted and renowned American political leader, educator, orator and author. He was a prominent personality in the American- African community from 1890 to 1915 in the United States. He was from the last generation of those black leaders who were born in slavery and fought for the civil rights of their brethren.

8.    Noah Webster: He was an American lexicographer, textbook author, spelling reformer, word enthusiast and editor. He is known to be the Father of the American Scholarship and Education. His “Blue-Backed Speller” books have used for five generations in US to teach children English.


9. Albert Einstein: He was a theoretical physicist and his contribution to the physics is known from the special and general theories of relativity, the founding of relativistic cosmology, the first post-Newtonian expansion, explaining the perihelion advance of Mercury and others.  He is best known for his theories of special relativity and general relativity. In 1921, he received Nobel Prize in Physics for his services to Theoretical Physics and his discovery of law of photoelectric effect.(photo, left)

10. Ayn Rand: She was a renowned Russian- American Novelist, philosopher, playwright and screensaver and is known for her two best selling novels and starting a philosophical system that is known as Objectivism. She came into the fame with her novel The Fountainhead in 1943 and again she became immortalized with her philosophical novel Atlas Shrugged in 1957.
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Quotations:
“The one exclusive sign of thorough knowledge is the power of teaching. “Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach.”  Aristotle

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”  ― William Arthur Ward

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” 
― Malala YousafzaiI Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban


“When you want to teach children to think, you begin by treating them seriously when they are little, giving them responsibilities, talking to them candidly, providing privacy and solitude for them, and making them readers and thinkers of significant thoughts from the beginning. That’s if you want to teach them to think.” 
                                                                                         ― 
Bertrand Russell
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Prayer for Teachers as Good Shepherds
In observance of Teachers' Day October 5, and October as Teachers' Month
By Dr Abe V Rotor

On many occasions Christ found nature as the perfect setting of his prayers, sermons and parables. Among them are The Sower, Sermon on the Mount, Mustard Seed, Prodigal Son, and The Good Shepherd. The Sea of Galilee, River Jordan, Plain of Judea, Garden of Gethsemane (oasis) were part of his wanderings to reach out for the faithful. 

We are teachers in our own rights - as parents, community leaders, elders, scholars, etc.

Father Almighty, teach us to become good teachers in the way of the Good Shepherd

Father Almighty, source of light, of life and everything in this world, as we observe Teachers' Day, we beg you to be with us, to be our “unseen Guest.” Light our way; touch our heart as we touch the hearts of others, especially the young ones, the youth, whom You have placed under our care. Bless us with joy and enthusiasm, with zeal and obedience, with understanding and compassion as we take their hands and walk with them to make this world a better place to live in.

Teach us then to become good teachers and educators in the way of the Good Shepherd.

- Make us unifying element that we may live peacefully in one community;

- Make us catalysts of change, and an anchor of undefined destiny as well;

- Make us conveyors of knowledge, skill and values rolled into a holistic well-being;

- Make us healers by bringing enlightenment to human misery;

- Make us agents of rational thoughts and decisions;

- Make us sentries that we may fend off evil intentions that undermine true education;

- Make us custodians of tradition amid modernism;

- Make us guardians in the way of the Parable of the Sower, and the Prodigal Son;

- Make us the Good Samaritan, as well.

You have chosen us teachers to be the intellect and heart of the academe - because You want us to examine education in the way we examine our calling.

- to reach out for one another;
- to listen;
- to care;
- to comfort;
- to encourage one another when we fail;
- to pray for one another when we falter;
- to be strong together;
- to share the joy of teaching; and
- to convey the Sermon on the Mount

With you, Father Almighty, we can do many things; without you, we can do nothing. We ask You these through your Son Jesus Christ, who reigns forever and ever. Amen

(In observance of Teachers' Day and month October 5, and Good Shepherd May 1)