Dear RG colleagues,
I would like to learn from our community about how the teachers spend their days at work IN OTHER COUNTRIES. I am curious if the main activities are mainly related to teaching and the process of preparation for classes or not.
The question is important because teachers in Vietnam have complained that they have to spend a lot of time not for teaching and preparation of the classes, but the chores, bureaucratic reports....
Thank you in advance!
Over the past year we have several incidences of school violence, especially where the school is located in a challenging community in a small-island context in the Caribbean. As such, teachers have been busy spending time dealing with disruptive and violent behaviours of students. Nevertheless, they have also come up with creative ways to change this school culture such as a Market Day, when the parents, children, teachers, and school administrators all bring their talents and produce to the school for sale to the school and surrounding communities. The preparation and implementation of such an event gives students a sense of pride in showcasing their own to include their parents' produce and services that help to build their self-esteem and by extension change their behaviors.
Best wishes,
Debra
This is a common issue across a large number of countries stemming from a global trend towards managerialism, performativity and bureaucratic mechanisms of "accountability". I think you correctly identify the problem in that the workload might be divided into two separate aspects. Firstly the work required to actually perform the function of teaching i.e. planning, preparation, teaching and assessment. Secondly there is an increasing amount of work related to "monitoring" and "reporting" where teachers are required to "prove" or "provide evidence" that that are doing their job. Sadly, in some cases, as the latter work is largely undertaken in relation to the school management and hierarchy it assumes a level of priority which can actually work to the detriment of preparation for teaching - a case of "the urgent driving out the important".
Ironically the increase in workload stemming from managerialism etc. is justified by a need to increase educational outputs (learning) but the process itself takes energy away from teaching and so might be seen as counter-productive. It is known that in some of the highest performing jurisdictions a decision has been made to allow teachers to focus on teaching rather than on "reporting".
It is, perhaps worth noting, that the pressure for managerialism and performativity is not created from within the education systems but due to an increase in political involvement and the need for politicians seen to be "achieving results". Sadly many of the "results" achieved are illusory and stem from increasing pressure to "teach to the test" and to neglect important aspects of learning in order to focus on "the measurable".
I hope you find the above helpful.
http://www.teachers.org.uk/files/exec_summary.pdf
Hello there,
As an academician from a dental school in India, I somehow felt related to your situation, here apart from students theoretical and practical training, we also have to work and prepare for their classes, Participate in outreach programs, do our research and publications, keep yourself updated with the current trends in our field, conduct periodic tests and evaluate them, also go as invigilators if required, prepare the teaching plan and schedule, take discussions and prepare reports and also conduct educational and training oriented programs and classes for the masses. We work for around 30+ hours a week which includes weekly 4 lecture hours, 26 hours clinical posting. So technically we squeeze in time or mostly have to carry home some of the work so that the quality of education provided to the students are not compromised with, that being my first priority at work.
Regards
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