Teacher is indispensable in educating students

Subject teachers are trained to impart their expertise. But they also play an important role in educating students. How can this be combined with their traditional role as subject teachers?

What does a student remember about his or her school days years later? Often these are those special moments: a teacher who could tell such fascinating stories. That one exciting presentation you got applause for. Or that fun project where you had to do a special field trip with a group of fellow students. Of course, subject knowledge itself also endures, but education is not only about factual knowledge but also about self-confidence, learning to learn and becoming resilient in a complex society.

More than a report grade

In our educational system, we are used to measuring subject knowledge with grades. But the things that students ALSO train are usually not measured, let alone assessed. While competencies such as analysis or collaboration are indispensable to learning the profession at all. And the application of that professional knowledge: that is what students will later face their future with.

Teachers play an indispensable role in developing those skills and competencies. It is often “automatically” already woven into their curriculum: when making assignments, giving presentations or creating papers. But they often remain invisible. By making those skills insightful, you can also manage them. And that gives a much broader perspective on the learner. It builds confidence, fun, insight and makes those important lessons more relevant and applicable.

Everything around it

Knowledge transfer is important, but “everything around it” is perhaps even more important. Things like reflecting on one’s own work, planning and organizing, working together, setting goals: they are important in almost every subject. Later in life, it turns out that people especially use those cross-curricular skills daily in their work and their lives.

Unfortunately, skills are sometimes seen as something that comes on top of the teacher’s core duties, whereas developing skills also benefits “regular” learning – provided we set it up properly for student, teacher and school leadership. It is an important task in which we desperately need the subject teachers.

From Simulise, we support schools with a user-friendly portfolio platform that tracks skill development. And, perhaps more importantly, we intensively guide schools in implementing working with skills.