Teaching is successful only to the extent to which students are able to grasp it fully. In this age of science and technology, the process of teaching has reached new dimensions. Teaching is not a one sided affair. In the context of modern developments teaching is a tripolar process. The traditional teaching of 30 or 40 students is no longer effective. Information explosion and population explosion are bringing about changes in both developed and developing countries. The teaching practices in our universities continue to be the same. The method of teaching links the teacher and his pupils into an organic relationship with constant mutual interaction. The methods that could be followed for different levels of students discussed in this article are: play way method, Dalton's plan, Project method, Heuristic method seminar method and demonstration method.
Teaching is a process which usually takes place in the class room situation. It is more of a formal process for which the teacher takes all efforts to make the students understand his teaching and it would be successful only if the students are able to grasp it fully. Teaching in the class depends upon how the teacher performs his duty of teaching. In this age of science and technology, when there is explosion of knowledge, the process of teaching has reached new dimensions.
According to Rabindra Nath Tagore, “A teacher can never truly teach unless he is still learning himself. A lamp can never light another lamp unless it continues to burn its own flame”. A good learner can be a good teacher. One who does not learn and acquire up-to-date knowledge cannot teach others.
The following are the fundamental characteristics of teaching
1. Teaching is a two way traffic
2. It is both a Bipolar and Tripolar process
3. It is the all-round growth of the society
4. It is both formal and informal
5. It is related to time and place
6. It is an art.
Teaching is not an one sided affair. Both the teacher and the learners have to be fully active. The saying that teaching is the bi-polar process is true which means it is a two-way traffic. In the context of modern developments, teaching-learning goes on. Through teaching as a tripolar process because of surrounding, the environments in which the learner is enabled to exist successfully in his environment, play their unique roles in the process of teaching. Teaching takes place in some social set up where the teacher aims at improving the behaviour of the individual or some social group.
Teaching may occur formally or informally. In both the cases it meets the desired ends by and large. The society, its values, ideals go on changing with the passage of time and hence, teaching also undergoes some changes. Teaching also varies from place to place. Teaching is an art which is the favourite of the selected few. For all others, who are misfits and unfits, teaching is an alternative occupation.
The traditional classroom with one teacher teaching 30 or 40 students is no longer effective for modern times. The two generic factors, “information explosion” and population explosion “are bringing about changes in the developed and developing countries. For solving these problems successfully, educational technology consisting of various media of mass communication, suitable learning process and modern testing and evaluation techniques are necessary. In developing countries like India, both quantitative expansion as well as qualitative improvement of education can be facilitated and accelerated with the help of educational technology.
To attract the best and the brightest students, a traditional institution must have excellent facilities, academic and non academic growth, competent faculty, resources for career development and must offer unlimited opportunities for experimenting new and creative ideas. The choice of an institution by a prospective student or his parents must be driven not by the convenience of a short distance from home , but the quality of the programmes it offers, the prestige of its faculty, the qualities of its facilities and the availability of diverse resources.
Technology in the classroom
Calculators and computers are great learning tools today. By bringing technology into the class room and by doing complex and realistic problems, we can make our classes more lively and relevant. Relying completely on chalk, talk and chalkboard for mundane work does not add any spice to mathematics and science classes. Using tables for numeric computations is obsolete and less accurate. Hand-held calculators and graphing calculators yield for greater accuracies in seconds and speed up the learning process, and make learning an enjoyable experience.
Although educational technology means little more than the use of sophisticated hardware in teaching, including overhead projectors, tape-recorders, televised films, cassettes, video-discs etc in a broad way, it may be interpreted to means the use of any new technique or methods of teaching. Technology of education would include the entire process of setting the goal, the continuous renewal of curriculum, and use of new methods. It is also often identified with various devices and means or recording, storage, manipulation, retrieval, transmission and display of information with high efficiency and speed.
In this age of science and technology when there is explosion of knowledge, the process of teaching has reached new dimensions. It is now tending to become a technology by itself. Instructional Television, Computer Assisted Instruction, Teaching and Machines, etc are in vague. According to the “Challenge of Education” (1985) the teaching practices in our Universities continue to be the same as in forties and methodologies in the teaching learning process should lay emphasis on learning and developing analytical, critical and conceptual abilities rather than on memorization and reproduction. The National Policy on Education 1986, (NPE 1986 p.14) has aptly enunciated that higher education provides people with an opportunity to reflect on the critical, social, economic, cultural, and moral and spiritual issues facing humanity. These objectives are reflected in the curriculum and syllabus which are again transacted through instructional materials.
The report of the secondary Education Commission (1965 p.85) has clearly pointed out, “But every teacher and educationist of experience knows that even the best curriculum and the most perfect syllabus remain dead unless quickened into life by the right methods of teaching and the right kind of teachers”. Any method good or bad links the teacher and his pupils into an organic relationship with constant mutual interaction. Good methods which are psychologically and socially sound may raise the whole quality of their life and bad methods may debase it.
Techniques of teaching vary according to the size of learners groups. For instance, lecture or seminar method is followed effectively in a big class of 40 to 50 or above and role-playing or brain storming techniques can be adopted with profit in a small group of 15-20. There are some age old methods like lecture, discussion etc which are followed invariably in most of the class rooms particularly at the stage of higher education. A few methods of teaching become popular as per the needs and requirements of the time. A few methods of Teaching discussed below are:
1. Play way Method
2. Dalton Plan
3. The project Method
4. Heuristic Method
5. Seminar Method and
6. Demonstration Method
Play is an activity in which natural urges of the child find spontaneous expression. It contributes to the physical, social and mental development of the child. The child does not experience the strain of the activity. Creative faculties of the child are developed here. The basis of play way is an activity combined with happiness and satisfaction. This system was first introduced by H.Caldwell cook. The underlying principles of play-way method are: Learning by doing, activities are related to life, sympathetic attitude, free expression and importance to individuals.
Methods of teaching based on the play-way Principles are : Kindergarden, Montessori Method, Project Method, Dalton Plan, Heuristic Method, Basic Education and extra curricular activities like scouting, NCC, and school functions.
To break away with the traditional classroom teaching, one praise worthy effort was made by Miss.Helen Parkhurse in 1920. She evolved a new technique called Dalton Plan or laboratory plan. She applied her scheme in the school at Dalton in Massachusetts in USA. So the scheme has been named as Dalton plan. The underlying principles of Dalton plan are :
The Merits of Dalton plan are:
It is suggested that this system can be profitably introduced in Indian schools. Children should be divided into small groups according to their interest and abilities. They should be able to study some special topic or discuss some common problems and take help from each other. Children develop according to their potential in social environments.
Project Method is based on John Dewey's Philosophy of pragmatism. John Dewey was of the opinion that education should be not only for life but throughout life. To him life is a continuous series of experiments with materials as well as non-material instruments. John Dewey keenly felt the gap between the life in the school and life in the society. Project Method is an attempt to bring society into school. Thus, for instance, the students should learn Engineering though actual workshops practice.
A good Project must be socially useful and provide opportunities for maximum activities. A good project does not waste too much energy of children. It leads to valuable experiences and the child learns to work in cooperation with others. A practical project is one for which resources are readily available. The project method is based upon sound psychological principles. In India we are still following traditional methods and therefore, the real aims of education are not being achieved. Hence, there is an urgent need for introducing new methods of teaching, project method is one of the most suitable method that may be adopted.
The term Heuristic is derived from the Greek word. Heurisco which means “I find out”. In this method the children find out things for themselves. They are left out to their own resources and intelligence. The hard fact about this method is that the children are put in the position of discoveries. They learn by self-efforts, first hand experience and experimentations. Real knowledge comes through the discovery of principles by first-hand experience. In this method, in the beginning, the teacher may be required to give proper start to the students but after some practice, the students can dispense with too much reliance on the teacher.
The English author Francis Bacon rightly said that, “Reading make the full man, writing the exact man and conference the ready man”. The skills of reading, writing and speaking are essential for development of the personality. These skills are well combined and well developed through the seminar method. Seminar may be either in the form of an essay or a paper presentation. The audiences critically examine the paper and discuss the content or finding of the paper. The seminar method is very suitable for higher education or professional discussion.
Demonstration Method lays emphasis on demonstrating experiments for teaching a particular topic usually in science subjects. The teacher performs all kinds of experiments in the class rooms or science laboratories and explains the use of apparatus and chemicals and operations. Demonstration Method proved to be one of the best methods in explaining new concept and anecdotes. But the demonstrations are to be wellplanned and rehearsed by the teacher. Once all experiments are well conducted, demonstration becomes successful and teaching becomes effective for achieving the objectives.
The success or failure of teaching depends on the methods of teaching. Every good teacher is able to establish his own model of teaching in the course of his life-span of teaching. Good teaching some times gives rise to a good model of teaching. Teaching with teaching aids and scientific appliances will make students more attentive in the classroom.