Indomie seminar highlights child-centred learning process

DUE to the different assimilation levels among children, especially in the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCDE) classes, as a result of the variation in their ages and maturity, teachers are often faced with the challenge of exploring the use of instructional aids to transform learning to suit the individual needs and maturity of pupils. But to a Montessori practitioner, Dr Christy Omotuyole, many teachers lack the competence to handle the situation because 'they are neither qualified nor well trained.Speaking on the theme: 'The Montessori Theory and Application in Nigerian Classrooms,' before over 2,500 teachers at the annual Indomie Teachers' Seminar, organized by DUFIL Prima Foods in Lagos recently, Omotuyole was of the view that education should not about teaching alone, but about the ability of children embracing learning.She explained that teachers must also be professionally qualified and competent in the subject they intend to teach, in order to make the required impact.She stressed the importance of giving children the opportunity to enjoy themselves and explore their environment.Her words: 'The teacher's first duty is to watch over the environment, and this takes precedence over all the rest. Its influence is indirect, but unless it is well done, there will be no effective and permanent results of any kind: physical, intellectual or spiritual. Every child is born with some degree of intelligence. So, as parents and teachers, we need to pay special attention to our children by identifying their hidden potentials'.Omotuyole, who teaches at the Department of Arts and Social Science Education, University of Lagos (UNILAG), also explained that Montessori education allows teachers to attend to the individual needs of the children. She said: 'Teachers must not assume that every child knows, but must take time to gain the child's attention, know his or her ability and take time to attend to the child. If not, you can never get a child's attention. Teachers must be able to connect all the forces surrounding the child, such as the parents, the home and the environment.'She further encouraged teachers to improvise in making materials available to the children. 'Another name for Montessori is teaching aids,' she averred. 'You don't need millions of naira to run a Montessori. All you need is just one model class where children can go in and learn'.Omotuyole warned that the Montessori method was not for lazy teachers, 'as it allows children to work at their own pace, makes the class dynamic, fun filled and highly exciting for children.'Explaining the rationale behind the seminar, the Public Relations Manager of the Dufil, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju, said the programme was intended to equip teachers as they face new challenges emerging in the education sector.
Click here to read full news..