Billion Dollar EdTech Idea 8: James Bond Certification For Teachers To Become ‘Entertrainers’
As teacher's day went by, I took a moment to remember Devendra Singh (DVS), my grade 11 physics teacher. DVS was a role model. He thought of teaching more like acting with high energy performances. His classroom was a physics exploratorium filled with opened up machines and gadgets. Every time we’d come in, he’d use fun experiments to create an element of surprise to keep us engaged.
This was 20 years ago and it was boarding school. A lot has changed since then with attention spans falling in all formats of learning (online, offline, hybrid). The 21st century teacher has to acknowledge this and recognise that they are competing with a fast paced world outside the 4 walls of their class room or zoom room. If teachers want to keep their learners engaged, excited and enthusiastic, they need to start seeing themselves as performers. But when teachers go through traditional training and professional development, the performance aspect of the job is rarely emphasised or taught.
The big opportunity is to help teachers bridge this gap, and taking inspiration from James Bond can help. The James Bond certification is to help teachers transform into ‘entertrainers’. This group are on a mission to help students learn and have the following 007 characteristics:
Are daring and make bold moves in the classroom
Are flexible and can think on their feet when things don’t go as planned
Take advantage of tech to make their life easier
Have a backup plan and can switch gears when things go wrong
Dress to impress and look razor sharp to build credibility
Have a few tricks up their sleeve to add an element of surprise
Are never too proud to ask for help
When the classroom transforms into a stage, the students are no longer students; they are the audience. The lesson is no longer merely a lesson; it becomes a show. And, if teachers want their audience to come back again and again, day in and day out, then they’ve got to keep the show entertaining.
