MASTERY OF SUBJECT MATTER

MIRIAM Q. DAVID

Teacher is not the most important person in the classroom; it is the students. The focus of the teaching-learning process is the students in the classroom. In spite of it, the teachers must be the ones to be the most knowledgeable character.

The main idea of teaching is to transfer ideas, concepts, and lessons to the students. Once these are acquired, mastered, and applied, learning takes place. Teaching starts with determining what to topic to teach or what activities to do. The lessons must be known by the teacher first before they will be transferred to the pupils. That is why it is very important to have a strong mastery of the subject matter.

When teachers master the topic, there is smooth flow of teaching-learning process. They can ensure that they are teaching the right ideas, theory and other matters to the students. With this, teachers can match the instructional materials to be used if the lesson is already mastered by the teacher. The connection of the instructional materials and subject matter cannot be neglected.

Teaching as a noble profession denotes a huge expectations on the part of the teacher. A competent teacher possesses a mastery of the subject matter. It is an important aspect to always check on for it has a direct impact on the learning of the pupils and outcome of their academic performance. Mastery of the topic provides opportunities to the teachers to correct the misconceptions or wrong knowledge that the learners have.

Specifically, mastery of the subject matter is an evidence of personal and professional growth of the teachers. The early years in the field becomes as the training time of the teachers to fully grasp the ideas presented in the lessons. As the time passes by, each teacher is expected to increase and deepen their in-depth understanding of the lessons they are teaching. It reflects the dedication and preparation of teachers before they go inside the cl assr oom .

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The author is Teacher III at Jalung Elementary School