HOW TEACHERS CAN HELP STUDENTS BE SUCCESSFUL DURING RAMADAN"

 

Ramadan is one of the most sacred Islamic months, and its arrival has great significance for Muslims. Ramadan teaches patience and endurance.

As a Muslim, it's the parents' responsibility and hugely upon them that how they teach their kids about the value of Ramadan and its importance in daily life functions. 

Generally, it sometimes gets draining to remain hungry as a hog for students and yet give their best performance. But their strong connection with their teachers and cooperation can ease them up. 

Ramadan timings for Muslim students can be demanding. It's mandatory to start your fast from the third quarter of the night by consuming a small meal.

Then you've to stay up so that you don't miss your morning prayer. The sleeping hours that you usually get after that are not sufficient enough to relax your nerves. 

How teachers can help students be successful during Ramadan?

Teachers' role comes in there. How well teachers create small intervals and linear gaps between tasks, so students don't get dehydrated completely and preserve their energies and at the same time perform to the best of their ability.

In that regard, time management holds the key. How much time you dedicate to every single assignment, activity, and lecture. How hectic your way of teaching is. How tight your scheduling is. Are you giving your students the breathing space and the passage to relax? 

If you are creative enough to engage students while ensuring, it consumes their least energy, keeping in view the holy month of Ramadan and students' religious affiliations. You can undoubtedly make inroads. 

We have some exciting plans and brief guidelines for you to make your teaching more captivating in Ramadan. It will keep students interested and motivated in their studies without compromising on their output. 

Teachers should be proactive in knowing what the students' demands are dealing with this new situation and how far they can mitigate the mental effects of fasting on students. 

Students might show some apparent signs of mental and physical fatigue. Teachers' reactions towards that should be kind but not severe. 

• MAKING LECTURES MORE ENTHRALLING:

Teachers should understand that their students are fasting. Some of them are relatively young, so they should avoid unnecessary lengthy detailing that might encumber their students with more burden. They grew weary of studying and look disinterested.

For that purpose, teachers can employ different new tactics that they have not used before. For instance, one of the most engaging methods can be the use of screening. Teachers can play a short animated movie or a documentary relevant to their topic of teaching instead of the usual way of reading the script. 

Novelty brings curiosity that creates interest.

• FOCUS ON EXPLAINING:

Another aspect of teaching in Ramadan is explaining the lesson. Teachers should focus more on explaining than reading and writing. Presenting the lecture would mean that you're transferring and inculcating knowledge more accurately in your students.

Explaining by any technique, either by description or pure narration, would be very beneficial.

• ASSIGNMENT LIMIT:

Teachers should be soft enough to limit the number of assignments to be submitted in a week for Ramadan. Two assignments a week should be the limit. More research work and thorough investigation to gather content for their assignments after school time would mean a more extended period of hard work. Subsequently, that empty their energies more quickly.

• CLASSROOM DISCUSSION:

Allow the students to discuss the topics assigned to them. That will create a better flow of ideas and clarity in their minds. Discussion not just for the sake of a debate but some healthy knowledge-based and productive discussion is what teachers should make possible. 

By discussing research topics, students can collaborate in an ideal atmosphere for generating more ideas and can bridge the communication gap between them and their teachers.

• BE FLEXIBLE WITH THE DEADLINES:

Teachers, especially in Ramadan, should be flexible with the deadlines. You should not assign tasks to your students at the eleventh hour. It would be best if you were elastic and flexible, and your students should not feel like walking on a tense, tight rope all the time by courtesy of your strict scheduling.

Teachers should remain careful and be more punctual with their work. The distribution of work burden between students and teachers should be justifiable.

• POST DEADLINES FAR IN ADVANCE:

Teachers should exercise due diligence while distributing time in assigning different tasks. The time factor is very vital, especially in Ramadan. You mostly have many things to do and react fast. 

Teachers should make sure the work that they are assigning to their students is given on proper time, so students have the luxury of deep study and assessing things in a better creative way. That can be done by marking your research topics in advance and calculating the time limit correctly given to your students.

• CONTENT SHOULD BE DIFFERENT EVERY TIME:

Priority should be given to making things interesting for your students rather than dull and boring. One good way of doing that is to introduce your students to new things every day to liven up the spirits in Ramadan. 

Anticipating a monotonous routine can be tedious at times. Teachers can counter that probability by bringing variations in their teaching methods and the content of their topics.

• HAVING A CLASS STRUCTURE THAT STUDENTS GET USED TO:

The emphasis should be on developing a class structure in which students feel comfortable and more at ease. 

Teachers can assist students in formulating a method that is in line with their strict Ramadan schedule.

Assigning short assignments with possible formats of bell ringers and or exit tickets to substitute as subjective grades. Grades are given, based on the student's ability to watch the entire pre-recorded lesson. Try to ask questions throughout the loom video and end puzzles.

Make sure do not make such haphazard changes to the settings; instead, adjust them in a regular settled way. Try to engage students in every possible way, reach out to them and begin the work at their convenience.

• SET OFFICE HOURS FOR STUDENTS:

Teachers can dedicate office hours to their students. In case some of their students are unable to cope with Ramadan's changing demands and uncertain times, teachers' availability for them should not be a problem. 

Final words:

Easy access to the relevant teachers by students can sort out many academic and administrative issues. Only a little constructive effort from both parties can do a world of good in handling those unusual, extraordinary times and make Ramadan a good one to remember.