Quantum: One Step Closer to Excellent Teacher

Being a teacher demands us to be creative, innovative, and dare to take any challenges to create a lively classroom. During the journey of seeking ideas and inspirations, I found an interesting book about Quantum teaching and Learning. To memorize the knowledge, I made this quantum teaching and learning as a topic to my article as a requirement of my study in college. It was long time ago when I composed this article and when I reread it, it reminded me to keep trying to be creative and innovative. Here I share you the article. FYI, this is not something new, but rather to be inspiration for us to be better teachers by time. Enjoy...  

Along with the development of education, there found a teaching method called Quantum Teaching.  Quantum teaching itself is originated from an effort by Dr. Georgi Lozanov, an educator from Bulgaria who firstly experimented with suggestology In further development, Bobbi DePorter who was one of the Lozanov’s students, developed the Lozanov’s  concept into  Quantum Learning.  He adopted this learning method from several theories: left and right brain theory, triune brain theory, the choice modalities (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic) and holistic education. The concept was successfully applied in the Super Camp, a course institution he built. It was proven by a study of doctoral dissertation conducted in that Super Camp in 1991. From this study, it was found that Quantum Teaching was able to boost the students’ potential skill. This fact is reasonable since it is reflected from its definition, principles, and advantages towards students.

Quantum Teaching is about to create an effective learning environment by using the existing elements on the students and learning environment through interaction that occurs in the classroom. It relies on the concept of 'Bring their world to our world, and delivered our world into their world. This shows that Quantum Teaching does not only offer materials that students should study, but also teaches how to create emotional connections in learning. Beside, quantum teaching also deals with the function of part of the brain.

            It is known that each part of the brain controls activities in different intellectual. The left brain handles numbers, composition, logic, organization, and anything else that requires rational thoughts, reasons, and deductive and analytical considerations. On the other hand, the right brain handles thoughts that require creativity, originality, creativity and artistic talent. With Quantum teaching, it is possible to teach by functioning both left and right brain respectively.

            Quantum Learning embodies five principles. These five principles can be a guideline to apply quantum method in class. First principle is everything speaks. Everything, from surroundings, environment, and materials, conveys an important message about learning. Second, everything is on purpose. Everything we do has an intended purpose, and students must know the purpose of what they study. Third is experience before label.  Students make meaning and transfer new content into long-term memory by connecting to existing schema. Learning is best facilitated when students experience the information in some aspect before they acquire labels for what is being learned. The next principle is acknowledge every effort. Acknowledgement of each student’s effort encourages learning and experimentation. The last principle is            If It’s Worth Learning, It’s Worth Celebrating!. Celebration provides feedback regarding progress and increases positive emotional associations with the learning.

Beside those five principles, there are many elements that factor the learning experience. These elements can be classified into two categories: context and content. Context is the setting for the learning experience. It focuses on the environment, the atmosphere, the foundation, and the design of the classroom. All these elements blend together, creating the learning experience. It is the goal to make the learning experience a positive one. Therefore, it is important to work hard to create an effective learning environment that will allow all students a chance to learn. Content is equally important as the context. Learning process occurs when skills are revealed when students are allowed to explore and discover the wonders of the material being taught to them. In Quantum Teaching, teachers do not act as “distributors of fact and knowledge”, but rather as “facilitators who can help a child extend their learning”.

However, being quantum teachers should be different from common teachers. Quantum teachers commonly have distinct characteristics to communicate, e.g.: enthusiastic, sociable, humorous, charismatic, flexible, and fluent. Enthusiastic means that the teachers should feel energetic interest in a classroom and eager to involve students to take part in the classroom. Consequently, students are eager and encouraged to receive knowledge from the teacher.

Quantum teachers should also be sociable. They should be easy to establish relationships with diverse characteristics of students. So the students will like the teacher. Consequently, the learning will be smoothly done. To be humorous is also important for quantum teachers. Quantum teachers can get the students’ attention easily if they are not too strict to their students. They should also be eager to recognize mistakes and be brave to apologize whenever they make mistakes or errors. By being humorous, students will consider the teachers as fair men.

Another characteristic is charismatic. It is able to influence students and attract their attention and admiration. It is no doubt that charismatic teachers will get respect from their students. This will bring impact toward the teaching learning process which is more conducive.

Flexible is the next characteristic that the quantum teachers should have. By being flexible, teachers are able to find alternatives to gain goals.

Quantum teachers should also be fluent. They have to be able to communicate clearly, concisely, and honestly, so that the communication between the teachers and students will go smoothly.

However, applying quantum method in teaching will bring many advantages towards students. One of them is that students are able to discover their own learning styles. From this advantage, students learn to be independent learners. Beside, students are able to develop their life skills that will help them take greater responsibility for the choices they make. It allows students to be brave and responsible of what they have decided and taken. Another advantage is that the students’ level of confidence rises up. It can help students to build their self-esteem.

Finally, from applying quantum method, students will be excited in learning and no longer consider teaching-learning in the class as a boring activity. Wallahu a'lam bi al-shawab.