Recently I read, Honda Motor Co.'s Asimo, the
robot teacher called Saya, was introduced to students in South Korea. They took English, Maths, science and Arts classes in the Elementary schools. Saya can express six basic emotions — surprise, fear, disgust, anger, happiness, sadness — because its rubber skin is being pulled from the back with motors and wiring around the eyes and the mouth. And, amazingly, students reacted favorably to the new teacher who seemed to be less sarcastic but more responding and courteous in the class. Saya can call out names, say 'Thank You' and even give orders like 'Be quiet.' Saya's creator Professor Hiroshi Kobayashi said the robot's main purpose was to highlight the joys of technology to children, he also said it would benefit schools suffering from a shortage of human teachers. The South Korean government is investing in millions and aims to have 8000 robot teachers and assistant teachers in classrooms by 2013.
This incarnation of a School teacher gives an insight of the teacher - student relationship today which has made this new age teacher an option to be considered as the fun part of learning and understanding technology that replace human efforts. However, I really can't figure out how can a robot handle a class of 40-60 or even 20 students? The Robots are programmed and have no thinking of their own! How could there be discipline in the classroom or interaction thereby for the lessons mechanically taught?
Children love the tender loving care, a human touch and a smile that makes their day. Teachers not only teach but also act as mentors who motivates and encourages children in various aspects as they help them gain academic excellence. Moreover, Robots are programmed and no further can they continue to provide fun and learn to children if they keep on focused on same lessons and same songs with no updates. Robots can be supportive to teachers but not substitute.
Even Teachers who teach like a Robot mechanically with the same old style of imparting education find less responsive students. Creative innovations to make lessons interesting is their efficiency plus in boosting their own teaching techniques. Character building of the students is enhanced as mere seeing and listening is not the factor but even understanding the Instructions is important. Knowledge involves human interaction. Thought Robots in classrooms can be fun and supportive to teaching, I think, more emphasis rely on interactions - communication and interpersonal relationship bonding the teacher and the student as they experience the joys of teaching and learning together.
It is most important for a parent or a teacher to provide opportunities for Development Schedules. Development schedules are just the tools to assist parents in determining the child’s development, learning the little things in life to take big steps to climb ahead. Some children are slow branded whereas some are fast learners. Children possess different skills as per their development schedules. Programmed Robots need better programming to enhance child's development schedule and this would not be possible unless Teachers follow the program patterns based on individual student.
Even Parents need child assessment with the development schedules as it plays a major role as their IQ, EQ and SQ (Intelligence Quotient, Emotional Quotient, Spiritual Quotient) which becomes measured expression of child's abilities.
Some tips for Development schedules Teachers/parents can follow are:
Creative skills : Children love creativity. Make lessons interesting with Projects in classrooms. Support colors and sing along sessions while they attend Projects, paper cutting, sticker pasting in Scrap book is often fun for them. Let them draw, color or watch a cartoon online and let them jot down their noting. Anything creative is fun and learn.
Cognitive skills : Children gain cognitive skills or say, reasoning with own mind as they in the middle years of their development stage, they have the capacity to distinguish what is right and wrong. They can reason others point of view, play games as per the rules and master their minds with subjects they like the most.
Communication skills : Speech comes with thought process. Conduct chatting sessions, verbal compositions, debate or ask questions and just questions to get back replies. Follow the language they are learning and not the mother tongue as often children speak their home language and can express better.
Linguistic skills : Develop love for language. Anything to do with vocabulary and words. Scrabble games, word search, cross words and even Vocabulary Projects are found interesting by children and they love to pursue these activities.
Logical Thinking : Kids at a tender age love to count and are good at math. They have an understanding of logical or numerical patterns and sequence of reasoning. These kids tend to adapt to activities related to science, puzzles, exploring and all that has logical reasoning.
Spatial Intelligence : Remembering roads, reading maps or knowing charts and reading graphs. All that requires to level up their intelligence.
Empathy skills : Understanding other children in classroom, cooperate, share and avoiding conflicts with peace power. It's like 'walk in someone's shoes' or 'see through their eyes.'
Self Learning/understanding : Children love to lean on a shoulder. Encourage them to self learn by providing necessary guidelines and allow them to use their own brains. Mugging champions often fail to perform when they need to understand on their own.
Children can grow and flower to progress in a free atmosphere. Harmony in
classroom and love for nature are also major factors that contribute favorably.
Technology has its own charming ways but Teacher follow up
creates great genius!
Farewell 2010 - Welcome 2011 - Ring out the old, ring in the new - Let this Year be a year of 'Silence'. It is said, Silence speaks a thousand words. Choose Life, choice is yours. Here is the time to make Resolutions - Make them right, make them firm. So, why not follow some of the Resolutions that may make a big difference. Why Silence, you can resolve to be Optimistic or spread peace. However, one thing is sure that when Resolutions are made to follow, they build a future. Build Arks of Future (In Guardian of Angels) . Let this future be yours to cherish all happiness round the year 24x7, 365 days. Enjoy, Peace be with you, me, us.
