What I Learned from Recent Floods
A Climate of Change
All over the world, there has been a common phenomenon. Floods have raged from country to country, with major loss of lives and property. It is a change, that is a shocking new reality. To South Africa, to Pakistan, Australia, Nigeria, etc., the floods came. I hope that you are safe. If you have been affected by floods, I pray that it would mark for you, not a diminishing effect but a chance to come out stronger, to rebuild, with new ways of thinking and new opportunities to grow. While we have life, we have hope. The proverbial glass, is described as being, half full or half empty. For many, I would hope that it is perceived (if at all) as being half full.
In many other parts of the world, there are different challenges ahead or already in place. We must confront the new reality of a changing climate, not only physically, but metaphorically. While recent floods have been a concerning event, I hope that we can learn also from them. We can learn how to respond to events that we cannot change. Even though, we cannot stop the floods or the forces of change, we can respond to them in ways in which, we are less at risk. Today, I would like to use the floods as a metaphor for the change that we cannot control and must respond to.
A Massive Overflow
Floods are caused by massive overflows of waters, generally caused by excessive rainfall, hurricanes and climate change. However, they contain an element - water which is itself friendly to life. So while water is something we naturally seek for subsistence and pleasure, it can also become a powerful and destructive force, under certain conditions. Water can be controlled into a system that we can draw from daily as pipe borne water, in reservoirs, in dams, swimming pools, etc. However, floods are an entirely different ball game and not easy to control.
In many ways, floods are like our lived experience. There are certain things we can control and other things we cannot control. How we respond to these overflows, determine their impact. The floods this year are for some many, a life changing event. They may signify a coming change that requires a change of habit and life style. Without going into issues of global warming or climate change, I would like to draw on common responses to the floods which we can learn from. However, like all natural things, floods also have an advantage. Flooding, provides nutrients to lacking soils to make them more fertile, it draws nutrients into rivers and lakes to improve the health of fish, relocates fish and other water organisms, improves the ecosystem and balances the aquatic population.
A safety Net or Boat
The massive suffering and inconvenience caused by flooding however, begs one question. In your career as a teacher, do you have a safety net or a boat to safeguard yourself in the face of flood like events? Recent floods are an indication that we live in turbulent times. In a way, they make visible, the powerful forces of change that we need to adapt to. Once upon a time, a pension was a safety net and jobs were secure, but times have changed. Not everyone has the luxury of a safety net or a boat in difficult times. However, we can make that difference that will help us keep afloat in spite of odds. While you consider and reflect on if you have a safety net or a boat, I will describe the common reaction to recent floods all over the world.
Announcements of Change
Some people felt let down by government, because they expected ample warnings about the floods. While this is debatable, one fact stands out; that people who knew of the possibility of flooding still behaved in similar ways. Holding on for as long as they could, despite all odds. In Florida for example, thousands of miles from Nigeria, there were ample warnings and different reactions. Some people relocated to safe zones outside Florida, while others chose to ride out the storm. There were different reasons for the decision to remain and some may be reasonable. However, the floods did not show any visible respect for anyone’s decision to remain. In many cases preparations were simply overcome and the solution may have been to relocate to higher ground.
Coming closer to home, I found the same response in Nigeria. Some early warning signals went out from government and more from news media and reports of flooding, from different parts of the country. However, many of those who were on the path of the flood thought it was too far away. In fact they thought it would not come. Even when the floods began to come, many were reluctant to accept that it would be destructive. Many are still in denial.
In all fairness, many people have no place to go to, except the designated IDP camps arranged for displaced people, by government. However, one visible fact that remains, is the reluctance of many affected people, to leave their houses. This was often led by a belief that their already damaged goods would be stolen from flooded houses, some so flooded, that it was near impossible to enter.
While this is not an attempt to criticise the decisions of people whose reality guided their response, we can learn that people are generally averse to change and will hold on for as long as possible. In some circumstances, this can be a good response.
Are we Averse to Change?
Our focus is not really on the physical flood but on our response to change. Are we change averse? If not, why are many clinging on to past realities? Within our teaching ecology, there is a lot of ongoing change. Changing pupils, changing technologies, changing socio-cultural perspectives, changing government requirements, reduced value in currencies around the world, and in some cases, reduced salaries. We can decide on any of three responses: to do nothing, do little, or do something significant.
Changing times require adaptation. As teachers, we need to be the best we can be. This means changing practices to match with new realities. This could mean, planning more student centred lessons including new activities, more interactive discourses, acquiring new skills and using new approaches that match all kinds of learners and the changing times. We can no longer rest on our oars. Change has come.
We should stop clinging to the past. We have before us new opportunities, and the challenges we currently face are creating a new ecosystem with the redistribution of skills and resources.
If you have been teaching for 10 years plus, can you match the IT skills of many of those who have been teaching for only three years? How relevant are you to your school or students? When the chips are down, who will be preferred by your students? The experienced teacher who hates using technology or the newbie who not only uses tech, but can also speak the language of young learners.
Changing Perceptions
It’s time to stop and reflect on where you really are. It’s time to change your perception about what you know and why the new changes in our teaching ecology, can become your new normal. People respond to change differently. My father who was an officer of the Nigerian army, went back to universities in his fifties, to take a master degree. That degree became a saving grace. With this new qualification, he lectured in three different universities in Nigeria for 18 years after he left the Nigerian army. By the way, my father was a teacher before he joined the army. I began my PhD study, just before I was forty. My first degree, was no longer enough for what I wanted to accomplish.
I am not asking you to do a PhD. I am only suggesting that you become aware that times have changed and of your need to change with them. Make yourself as valuable as you can to survive the rough winds of change. You can do this by self-study, by professional collaborations, by part-time study or by professional development. Learn new skills. Gain new knowledge. More importantly, change your practice to match with new realities. Perhaps then, you can begin to think about getting that safety net and boat which seems difficult to attain.
Professional Development Updates
Classroom Tip 1
Use automated homework, quizzes, tests and exams alongside activities that show creativity (writing) or show working. This makes feedback instant for students and also easier to mark. During exams, have an objective test (an automated test) alongside a written test to help learners use their handwriting skills. Google forms and Microsoft forms can be used to make automated tests (automatically marked tests).
Classroom Tip 2
Create a marking scheme when designing your written classwork, test or exam. Depending on how you would like it marked, the marking scheme will make it easier for a colleague to help you mark. If you are using peer assessment for classwork, it would become a guide for students to not only mark but learn as they do.
Classroom Tip 3
Create a google or Microsoft form to receive student feedback about your subject at half term. Ask students to mention topics they understand well, their favourite teaching style (from the ones you use), challenges and suggestions for improvement.
Have a great week!