By:
Chief Kaoli Olusanya,
Chief Learning Officer, Kith & Kin Educational Schools, Ikorodu.

The expression “best practice” originally borrowed from the professions of Medicine, Law and Architecture, where “good practice” or “best practice” is everyday phrases used to describe solid, reputable, state – of – the – art work in field.

If a professional is following best practice standards, he or she is aware of current research and consistently offers clients the full benefits of the latest knowledge, technology and procedures.

If a Doctor, for example, does not follow contemporary standards of Medicine and a case turns out badly, peers may criticize his decisions and treatments by saying something like “that was simply not best practice.”

Until recently, we have not had an everyday term for the state – of – the –art work in education. In fact, some veteran teachers would even deny the need for a current research – based standard of instruction. “I just give them the basics”, such teacher say, “it’s worked just fine for thirty years, and I don’t hold with any of this new theories”. One wonders how long such self – satisfied teachers would continue to go to a Doctor who says, “I practice medicine exactly the same way today that I did thirty years ago. I have not changed a thing. I do not pay attention to all that newfangled stuff.”

Some people insist that education as a field does not enjoy the clear – cut evolution of Medicine, Law or Architecture. But still, if educators are people who take ideas seriously, who believe in inquiry and who subscribe to the possibility of human progress, then our professional language must label and respect practice that is at the leading edge of the field. Hence, we have to adopt the term BEST PRACTICE – as shorthand of serious, thoughtful, informed, responsible, state – of – the – art teaching.

The study of the process and mechanism of how we learn and the science of the brain have shown conclusively and authoritatively the idiosyncrasies of individuals’ style and capacity to learn.

There is a strong consensus among the seemingly disparate subject – matter fields about how kids learn best. The principles of learning have shown that, kids learn best in an environment:
1.      That minimize threat and uncontrollable stress;
2.      That promote positive self – image and high self – esteem;
3.      That engage positive emotions; and
4.      That recognizes that individual learners have legitimately different behaviorual needs.

It is therefore, no wonder that virtually all the authoritative voices and documents in every teaching field are calling for Schools that are:
ü  More Student – Centered,
ü  Active,
ü  Experiential,
ü  Authentic,
ü  Democratic,
ü  Collaborative,
ü  Rigorous, and
ü  Challenging

That is the short definition of BEST PRACTICE TEACHING – and that is what we have agreed to adopt in Kith & Kin Educational Schools, Ikorodu.
In Kith & Kin Educational Schools, we should jettison School as usual and traditional transmittal station of ideas and knowledge to our pupils and students. We should repudiate the coverage model of curriculum, where students go one inch deep in a thousand topic, but rather explore deeper into the of subjects. This is the recommended way to endorse and subscribe to the progressive teaching method and constructivist learning theory.

Let us take a second look at the two approaches to learning.

In Kith & Kin Educational Schools, we shall work on hybrid of the mechanistic and behavioural approaches, which portrayed the child as passive, and learning as a passive process of linking actions and information together, based upon these frequent associations in time or the receipt of rewards.

And the constructivist approaches which regard the child as active and learning is described as a process of construction in which learner build upon their previous or pre – existing knowledge and seek meaningfulness in these construction.

Since we still run the Nigerian curriculum mainly and prepare our students for the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), I will admonish us to keep an open mind to the merit of both approaches while keeping in mind the objectives to prepare our students for future challenges.