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'FAIL'- FIRST ATTEMPT IN LEARNING
Today's teacher knows that FAIL means First Attempt In Learning:
Students need feedback at all times during their learning process. That's the only way they can adapt their actions and achieve the results they pursue. Many times, the red pencil marks on a test don't increase their later performance, as they are simply too little too late for students.
The demands put on schools are not restricted to preparing students for the increasing demands of the labour market. A child needs to grow to be an informed member of the society in which they live and to have the knowledge and capabilities to participate. In addition to acquiring basic cognitive and social and emotional skills, a solid Global Citizenship curriculum should be introduced in the school system even in the developing world. Understanding how his or her own country is organized, and how it connects to a globalized world, will be of great value for the student.
To foster the skills needed to become a global citizen, we should develop these skills in a structured way in the teachers' workforce. This means in-service education through collaboration and group-discussions on empathy, cultural appreciation, ethnic and gender identities, and general knowledge of current world affairs and challenges. A teacher that believes he/she is part of humanity and not just of a region or a country tends to foster the same perception in his/her students.
Ultimately, if we want students to become citizens, we need to give them a voice. Very often, in school systems, we treat teenagers as children and don't trust them to be responsible for their own student lives and choices. This means we must trust them to take part in important decisions about the school curriculum and we must discuss their behaviour issues with them directly. This would also require allowing some space for them to make mistakes and learning to correct them effectively. A global citizen, it must be understood, is first a citizen in his own school, community, and country. If we truly want to prepare them to become informed and active members in our country, it is important to give them the needed space to exercise choices and activism at an early stage. Thus, we will be able to groom proactive and responsible citizens for the tomorrow.