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05 January
Can Teachers Motivate & Inspire Students?
New Year Productivity
by
SoftwareGuru
We as a nation, the "fighting Irish", have always had
the stereotype of being good with our fists.
Irish history is filled with struggle against the odds. We
always revel in being the underdog, the outsider.
Reading all of the recent media reports finds me asking the same
question over again: has the Celtic Tiger made us so soft
that we have lost our fighting spirit in the face of economic
difficulties?
The challenge now is for those in the public sector
to lead the way forward for the rest of the country.
Over Christmas I heard a telling remark from a community worker
in a RTE studio TV debate.
The woman said that even though the boom times didn't affect
them directly, that young people coming to her centre had
believed there was a better future out there for them if they
worked hard for it.
She said that many young people from poorer areas were now
losing hope.
It is up to every single person in Ireland who can motivate and
inspire others to do better, to do so.
At the start of a new year, we need stories of leadership and
courage.
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Teaching in Digital Ireland
Today's Irish Independent top education story that "Pupils
face prospect of teacher protests" does exactly the
opposite. It sets the wrong tone.
Of course teachers and the rest of the public sector have every
right to be angry.
However, in answer to the line trotted out "why should we pay
for bankers' mistakes?" the truth is the country is paying for
the politicians' mistakes.
Economists could see parallels with previous boom and bust
cycles from other countries but there was far too much
short-term political gain to be made by elected
politicians.
If you don't like the way the country is being run then do
something about it. Heavens forbid we actually get someone with
an in-depth knowledge of economics to oversee the country's
purse strings...
Educational Staff Shortages
In 2010, Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) could play a vital
role in terms of maximising financial and human resources in the
education sector.
VLEs in Ireland would allow educational staff shortages to
be offset by teachers who can get a lot more done in less time.
This idea of fostering a new learning environment was discussed
in the previous blog post but it really is worth highlighting.
Changing the mindset of how we educate young people will not be
easy but we cannot continue with an ideology formed back in the
early 20th century.
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Short Term / Long Term
Students of Ireland should feel empowered growing up in this
digital era.
With all of the computers and advanced software that is
available either for free or at
hugely reduced prices for home users, the sky is the limit.
Instead of encouraging the entirely false notion of overnight
success through reality TV shows such as X Factor or Pop Idol,
we must persuade students of the benefits of hard work and
dedication.
Our collective vision must be long term.
We must motivate, encourage and inspire young people to do
better and reap the rewards later in life.
Nothing is impossible. Teachers must decide whether they will
allow 2010 to be a year of strikes and disputes or the year when
Ireland stood tall in the face of hardship.
According to insolvencyjournal.ie, over 1400 companies
went to the wall last year and a similar number is expected to
collapse in the next twelve months.
We all have challenges to face up to and maybe, just maybe by
2011 we'll have earned the right to be called the "fighting
Irish" once again.
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Posted by
admin
at
10:02
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Can Teachers Motivate & Inspire Students?