The efficiency of a teacher is gauged by his knowledge of where the pupils are coming from.  This knowledge can likewise be measured if a teacher knows the world the pupils live in.  And the world of today’s pupils is nothing but the social media.

 

Teachers are faced with the challenge of how to use social media as teaching and learning tool.  To survive the challenge, teachers have to enter the world of the pupils.  However, there is a need to enter their door and leave through a teacher’s own door.

 

Instead of pestering the pupils on the bad effects of social media, why not use it to the advantage of education.  It can be a potent tool in instilling love of education for the pupils.  A teacher can use a picture posted in the Instagram as a motivation of a lesson.  Find ways to integrate the picture to the lesson on appreciation of our nation’s art history like Juan Luna’s Spoliarium. A message posted in the Facebook account of a pupil can generate views on essay written by great Filipino writers. 

 

Through such things, multi media can serve as a vehicle of education instead of just being an avenue to vent emotions and feelings.  It can serve as an alternative mode of teaching the pupils which take advantage of their familiarity with the system and interest.

 

Entering the pupils’ world through their door in education can be adopted by the teacher.  That way it becomes less obvious that the teachers abhor the rampant use of social media in the pupils’ everyday living.  But the teacher must be mindful that there is a need to leave their world through the teacher’s own door.

 

By: Anna Liza P. Bongco | Master Teacher I | Orion Elementary School | Orion, Bataan