The Trendy Teacher

This a shout out post to all the Nigerian teachers out there who are current, trendy and keeping abreast of what is happening in the education world in order to create a worthwhile learning experience. If that is you, "oya dab!"

 Irrespective of where you teach: public or private sector, you need to stay current and aware. Technology is a great tool for staying trendy and relevant. You need to get a hang of technological tools and use them to your advantage. The world is evolving and technology is a very big deal. In the long run, teachers who use technology will eventually replace those who do not. No, you do not have to break the bank to be tech-savvy, a good place to start is a not-too-expensive android phone and cheap mobile data and hey, there are lots of useful apps for teachers on google play!  You can also go round the world on your mobile phone, as always, google is your friend. Just type in any topic in your head as long as it's under the sun, google will help you out!  

The social media is not just for posting pictures, likes and making friends- it is a great teaching tool. So if you are looking to stay relevant and trendy, search Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and any other social media you are on for teachers and teaching groups where you can share ideas and learn. You can begin by following @teacherlola on twitter.

Importantly, you need to be aware of the current happenings in the world of the age group that you teach. What's trending right now and how can you use it to improve the teaching and learning experience?  

I teach in the Secondary section, so for me I do hashtags instead of the traditional "Very good" or "Excellent" comments teachers use. I use hashtags like #likeaboss #slayer and others and my students love it, to say the least. A colleague of mine has a playlist of current songs that interests teenagers and she jams them during class activity time. That is one of the reasons her students never miss a class.

If you teach Early years or Primary, this may be a good time to 'Find Dory' in your room. You see, the term 'from known to unknown 'is not a cliche, it rings true always. 

Tweet, sing, read a book, learn a new song, watch an animation, oh for goodness sakes, twerk! By all means,  do whatever you can to get those kids learning! 

Kindly leave a comment to share how you are using what is trending in your classroom.

#teacherslayer Keep slaying.

CIAO,

PHOTO CREDIT: GOOGLE IMAGES