Essential Reads for School Teachers: A Study of Select Notions in School Education

Many factors influence teachers? teaching and students? learning. Most attempts at factor analysis focus on teachers? competencies, attitudes, and performance, as well as students? socio-economic background, motivation, and learner involvement. A critical factor that can upend all these factors is notions ? words of accepted wisdom - that teachers and principals hold and perpetuate, and hence requires closer examination. For example, ?Silent reading is better than loud reading,? ?Rote learning should be discouraged,? Students should have exam fear, otherwise they won?t study,? ?Tuition is inevitable; you can?t guarantee 100 per cent success in school examinations without sending students for tuition!?, and many more ideas like these are routinely stated as advice to students. ?Essential Reads for School Teachers? examines twelve such notions prevalent in school education, clarifies what notions are acceptable and what are inappropriate, and provides practical tips for teachers and students to be successful in their joint endeavour to succeed in their chosen roles.