Change teaching approach

THE EDITOR: A child in America called 911 for help with a maths problem for homework. Unfortunately, the dispatcher was unable to solve the problem because she too was mathematically challenged.

We see too often in our schools where the teacher stands in front of the class as the font of all learning and speaks from the mountain top. This one size fits all of teaching caters to only a small percentage at the top of the pyramid.

We need to ensure everyone in the class understands. Giving a child homework that he does not understand is a travesty of justice.

Let us cater to the different needs of every student: the hands-on learner, the visual learner, the auditory learner, and the sight learner. Besides catering to the various senses of students, we can also have individual conferences for each child with pointed questions such as:

1. What do you understand about the topic?

2. What is giving you trouble about the topic?

3. Explain to me how to do this?

If a child is unable to articulate fully the answers to those questions, you have not taught but only lectured to five to ten per cent of the class. This modus operandi applies to all subjects on the curriculum.

Now we understand why 2,500 students fail the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) every year. They make less than 30 per cent. They have problems reading, writing and computing. We must change our approach to teaching in this country and perhaps the pass rate would go up.

JOHN JESSAMY

Fyzabad