The very basic training and learning imparted to students at
school level, in itself, is found to be with many faults and flaws. Let me explain: for eg in an English
class, they expect the children to attempt exercises of grammar or composition, comprehension & essays etc. right in the first attempt on their own. How is it possible? Considering
the widely different backgrounds that the students come from, someone may not
even be well versed with English as a language and may get petrified even turn
away from such an assignment.
Even for a mathematics session, the concept, has to be taught thoroughly to the class foremost, and only then can you assess their analytic or application skills by giving them problems or summations to solve. Then, in the first case, why the partiality toward English or Literature concepts?
In the first case, a basic but thorough training must be imparted
before even giving an assignment to the students and moreover,
considerable time should be spent on imparting this training. That’s precisely
what the schools are for! The particular teacher has to have this attitude of
making the children learn and then practice, not the other way round. I don’t
see a better way than, in which students can learn.
For finding answers to questions given, she needs to train
and teach the students – very thoroughly, how to do that, rather than relying
on readily available resources like guides, ready-answers, etc. To understand
the lesson, the key concepts, the fundamentals, the information, the knowledge
and then, attempt to test one’s knowledge or learning or to test one’s skills,
to assess the child’s information absorbed so far, is the correct method in my
view. One cannot gain any shortcut to teaching methods. No matter what props or
tools one may use to teach, if the method is not followed in the correct
sequence, the entire learning process will not be effective, the way we want it
to be.
In my opinion, the most accurate way to impart education or
to teach a child, is, to explain the intended concept very clearly, spend
considerable time to do that, and when the teacher is convinced the child has
understood what she wanted him to, then their knowledge can be tested. Or their
understanding can be assessed. The child needs considerable time to reflect on what he has learnt, process it in his head, grasp it, and understand [a part of
it] before he can reproduce the information or before he is ready to be
assessed.
Over the years, gradually, the child will and must learn, imbibe and be apply to use to his benefit, these skills of understanding, analyze and apply the knowledge imparted to him. The teacher, as a knowledge impart-er has a greater responsibility to adopt accurate teaching methods, skills to train, ensure that the child has learnt perfectly, satisfy herself about this before she closes a session. Even if this aim is not achieved in one session or class, it can be extended over to the next one, cause here, time is not the constraint, but the learning and the process of learning is significant; in that, even if fewer concepts are taught, rather that they be learnt thoroughly. If the teacher does not develop an attitude or a keenness to teach, the attitude and intention to learn cannot be developed in the learner - ever. The whole purpose of teaching is nullified then!
In my case, ever since I have been observing and noticing these trends, i have been making mental notes of what could be the possible correct methods to teach kids at school levels. I do hope i get an opportunity in life to be able to practically use or implement these methods that i have mentally developed and be able to correct what has gone wrong. There can be no cookie-cutter solutions to teaching problems or gaps in the teaching methods, but a newer, different, perhaps better method can be implemented for experimentation at least.
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