New teacher Dennis Roeder is sure he can approach mathematics instruction for primary students with an emphasis on the fun side of learning, creating a fascination in his students for this rewarding subject. In the process of facilitating learning and inculcating knowledge and skills which he wants to last a lifetime, Roeder may use a variety of teaching methods which encompass storytelling, discussion, training and research. Ultimately, Roeder’s goal will be to help learners educate themselves, in any setting, be it formal or informal.
Roeder’s pedagogy of teaching aspires to use a variety of creative approaches to help his young learners thirst for knowledge. Roeder concerns himself with the stage of education which takes place in primary school, but prior to his students’ primary education, most will have been enrolled in kindergarten, and afterwards, they will go on to secondary school and then, possibly, college or university.
The United Nations’ 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has recognized a universal right to education, which is also acknowledged in the compulsory education of most developed countries.
Dennis Roeder will take part in that compulsory education in Australia as a primary school teacher in that country, and by entering the profession joins teachers going back to ancient times. Teaching from adults to the young began in prehistoric times, as the essential skills for survival were passed on in human society.
Before literacy between peoples, oral and imitation methods were used to teach. The advent of language gave rise to storytelling, which passed on knowledge, societal values and essential skills to the next generation. Formal education arose from the need of cultures to gain knowledge beyond simple skills, such as the schools which arose in Egypt thousands of years before the birth of Christ. Mosaics in Pompeii depict Plato’s teaching academy, while Nalanda existed in India from the 7th century BC to 1200AD, a Buddhist monastery for higher learning.
As a primary school teacher today in Australia, Dennis Roeder joins teachers going back to ancient times. Plato’s Academy in Athens, Greece was the first institution of learning in Europe in ancient times, while Egypt’s Alexandria succeeded Athens in 330BC with the Library of Alexandria. The fall of Rome in 476AD saw learning collapse in European civilization, but teaching continued in China where it had begun with Confucius in 551BC, an ancient philosopher whose influence was felt in China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam.
Confucius’ Analects continue to influence education to this day. The Catholic Church preserved literacy and learning in Europe after the collapse of Rome through cathedral schools. These eventually evolved into universities which were the forerunners of modern universities today, such as the University of Bologne, which is the oldest continually operating university in the world, founded in 1088.
