A new teaching environment

It's just been three weeks since I started facilitating at the Republic Poly, and I must say, I really like the environment there. For one who's always embraced out of the box ideas, RP has certainly not disappointed me.

I facilitate two year one classes in Enterprise Skills, basically exposing students will work-related issues such as teamwork, performance, conflict and understanding how to be excellent employees, if not employers.

And I must say, there is something different about the pedagogy at RP that makes my year one students really endearing.

For one, they are self-motivated learners. I don't have to bug them to fill up their PDTs or do their RJs. I don't have to tell lecture nor teach. Instead, I facilitate a discussion that stimulates them to want to find out more. They google, they wikipedia, they encarta. They basically find everything they need to know on the web, resulting in learning, literally outside the classroom.

And, with a system that ensures they work in groups every day, and different groups for that matter, I find my students not working with their usual friends, but mixing and working well with everyone - across diplomas.

At the end of the day, I will say that these students will come out of school being more independent, resourceful, problem-solving individuals who can work well with others.

So what if RP had gotten rid of the books, the lectures, the tutorials, the exams and the internships? I think they've got a pretty darn neat system going with the students armed with laptops in hand and a critically thinking head.