Do you have what it takes to become a Teacher 4.0?

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We have been hearing in the education circle the fad about Teacher 4.0. At first, I thought 4.0 was just about an indication of an upgrade similar to the versions of the softwares we have been using.

But in 2016, a group of researchers from Germany defined Teacher 4.0 as a name or concept to be adapted for future teachers who are able to handle new technology and who implement it efficiently in their classes.

The term has its origin from Industry 4.0 which has expanded to cover wider areas other than just the industry such as higher education and the current teaching methods. Meaning that education has to adapt to new methods to follow up with the changes happening in technology.

These researchers posit three major challenges and requirement for Teacher 4.0, the teacher of the future: human-based and didactical or teaching challenges, organizational challenges and technological challenges.

For example, the following scenarios depict teaching activities to cope with the current technological revolution in the context of Industry 4.0.

Scenario 1: Direct Students Response

Students' focusing and attention level in large classrooms has been and still a long-term challenge in academic teaching. Audiencer systems are mainly used for gathering feedback and questioning and display analysis.

One technology that can be used to address this problem is the use of smart augmented reality devices. These devices are used by teachers to capture movements and detect students' physiological status. It sends the result to the teacher's notification device.

Teachers get feedback on the students' status through automatic, emotional and physical feedback systems. Through augmented reality devices, teachers are notified on what is attracting student's attention from the taught content.

With these devices, teachers are expected to be able to respond to the feedback directly. They will be able to decide whether to let students work in groups to activate them or simply lecture them giving necessary information in a phase of high focusing level.

Scenario 2: Teachers' Self-Feedback

This scenario implements a self-feedback system regarding the teachers performance in the classroom, helping them to improve it.

Teachers get self-feedback, on their own status with the help of wireless earphones and other notification devices such as augmented reality glasses.

Teachers may be notified with augmented reality about the status of their voice level with a message such as 'increase your voice volume' and 'make a wider eye contact' appearing on the notification device of the teacher every specific time or when it is needed. Such notifications can also be extended to the teachers' movement around and other presentation skills aspects.

Along with these self-feedback through augmented reality devices, certainly it ensures that not only teachers but more importantly students will benefit from the beginning of the class session to its end. A teacher is able to correct mistakes, increase attention or ensure proper understanding at exactly the right time.

Scenario 3:Multilingual  Communication

This scenario focuses on enabling teaching multilingual students in the same classroom. Teachers as well as students not only see but also hear the presented information in their native language.

Electronic translation devices, wireless earphones and communication channels will automatically translate information and allow students from different backgrounds with different native languages to understand the presented content without barriers. Teachers present in their foreign language and therefore impedes misunderstanding.

As an effect of this technology, students are expected to be able to work under the same condition for successful learning. The student from China for example, can ask whatever question in their native language whenever they need to. The teacher will be able to answer the question without having to face communication barriers. This ultimately leads to greater activation, participation and understanding.

Challenges

The researchers recommended that universities and higher education have to find solutions to be daily adopted in schools. Driven by new and innovative technologies, they suggested that teachers have to cope with the new requirements and get a new role for their teaching behavior; Universities have to prepare and support teachers in their new teaching role; A full adoption of a new technology in the education system needs a decision on top management level; Universities have to provide trainings and open opportunities for teachers to get access to technology and learn to use them in a technical way as well as to apply it properly in the teaching of concepts. And finally, any newly introduced technology for helping teachers in the classrooms has to meet a set of requirements and handle challenges that face its implementation.

To the teachers of the future, do you have what it takes to be called Teachers 4.0?

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