Notes: Basic Requirements, Principles & Methods of Teaching | Teaching Aptitude for Teaching Exam - B.Ed Entrance PDF Download

Basic Requirements of Teaching

Teaching is an interactive activity that necessitates several elements to accomplish specific objectives. Below are the fundamental prerequisites of teaching:

1. Variables of Teaching:

• Dependent Variable (Student): The student is the dependent variable, and their holistic development is influenced by the teacher's efforts and the teaching process.
• Independent Variable (Teacher): The teacher serves as the independent variable who plans, organizes, leads, and controls the teaching process.
• Intervening Variable (Curriculum): The curriculum, content, teaching methods, tactics, strategies, management, and institutional setup are intervening variables crucial for effective teaching.

2. Role of Infrastructure:

• A child spends a significant amount of time in school, making school infrastructure essential for teaching in various ways:
• School buildings, classrooms, playgrounds, and libraries are vital components of school infrastructure.
• Spacious, well-furnished buildings, and well-ventilated classrooms are crucial for an optimal learning environment.
• Well-equipped labs enhance students' ability to conduct laboratory activities effectively.
• Facilities such as extracurricular workshops, libraries, halls, sports equipment, assembly areas, and proper sanitation facilities are essential for every school to provide a holistic learning experience.

Principles of Teaching

General Principles

1. Principle of Motivation: It creates curiosity among students to learn new things.
2. Principle of Activity (Learning by Doing): It includes both physical and mental activities. For example, students are asked to make charts and models. Froebel’s Kindergarten (KG) system is based on this principle.
3. Principle of Interest: It means by generating genuine interest among the learner’s community, the effectiveness of the teaching-learning process can be increased.
4. Principle of Linking with Life: Life is for continuous experience and learning linked with life can be more enduring.
5. Principle of Definite Aim: This is important for optimum utilization of teaching resources and making learning more focused.
6. Principle of Recognizing Individual Differences: Every student is unique in terms of intelligence, attitude, abilities, potentialities, and socio-economic background. The teaching method should be devised to offer equal opportunities of life to all students.
7. Principles of Selection: The teacher should be able to pick contents that are relevant and updated to the learner’s objectives.
8. Principle of Planning: Every teacher has certain time-bound objectives, and teaching should be systematic to maximize resource utilization within the time limit.
9. Principle of Division: To make learning easier, the subject matter should be divided into units with links between them.
10. Principle of Revision: Acquired knowledge should be revised immediately and repeatedly to make learning enduring.
11. Principle of Creation and Recreation: This principle is essential to create a humorous and creative classroom environment.
12. Principle of Democratic Dealing: Involving students in planning and executing different activities helps develop self-confidence and self-respect among learners.

Psychological Principles

1. Principle of Motivation and Interest
   A teacher must recognize the individuality of each student and can motivate them by understanding their motives and needs.
2. Principle of Recreation
   Recreation is essential to combat fatigue resulting from long classes, breaking monotony and rejuvenating students for further learning.
3. Principle of Repetition and Exercise
   This principle is crucial for young children, emphasizing the importance of practice and repetition in learning.
4. Principle of Expressing Creativity and Self-Expression
   In subjects like mathematics and language learning, encouraging creativity and self-expression enhances understanding and retention.
5. Principle of Reinforcement
   Students should receive appropriate rewards for displaying desired behaviors, reinforcing positive actions.
6. Principle of Sympathy and Cooperation
   Creating a supportive environment through sympathy and cooperation is vital for student motivation.
7. Principle of Imparting Training to Senses
   Utilizing multimedia engages multiple senses simultaneously, facilitating deeper and lasting learning experiences.
8. Principle of Remedial Teaching
   Identifying errors and providing corrective feedback is essential for effective teaching and learning improvement.

Effective Teaching Behaviour

Effective teaching behaviour encompasses four key dimensions for optimal teaching performance:

1. Pre-instructional skills
2. Instructional skills
3. Post-instructional skills

Teaching skills are broadly categorized into three main groups for training purposes:

1. Core teaching skills - applicable across all subjects
2. Specific teaching skills - tailored for particular subject areas like language, social science, science, maths, etc.
3. Target group specific skills - designed for teaching exceptional children

Methods of Teaching

'If a child can't learn the way we teach, we should teach the way they learn' - Ignacio Estrada

Once the instructional objectives are specified, the next step is to select an appropriate instructional method to achieve them. The teacher has a number of methods at his disposal to select from. These methods are as follows:

• Teacher-centred methods
• Learner-centred methods

Microteaching is a teacher training technique that employs real teaching situations to develop teaching skills. It involves steps like 'plan, teach, observe, re-plan, re-teach, and re-observe'. It is widely used in pre-service teacher education programs to improve instructional experiences.

A. Teacher-Centred Teaching Methods

1. Lecture Method

• Traditional and widely used method where the teacher explains facts, principles, or relationships.
• Teacher is active; students are passive listeners.
• Usually one-way communication but can include limited Q&A.

Basic Features:

• Formal and narrative.
• Presents a series of events or facts.
• Explores a problem.

Advantages:

• Economical and time-efficient for covering syllabus.
• Simplifies teacher's task.
• Effective for imparting factual information and highlighting key points.
• Minimizes interruptions and distractions.

Limitations:

• Limited student activity and engagement.
• Few opportunities for problem-solving.
• Limited feedback on student understanding.
• Does not accommodate individual student differences.
• Does not allow for individual learning pace.

Suggestions for Effectiveness:

• Avoid reading directly from notes.
• Maintain eye contact with students.
• Plan lessons with clear structure and allow note-taking.
• Use simple, clear language and repeat key points.
• Incorporate audio-visual aids.
• Use illustrations and examples.
• Include breaks for questions and clarifications.

Interactive Techniques:

• Write a Question: Students write questions about the lecture content.
• Think-Pair-Share: Students think about a question, pair up to discuss, then share with the class.
• Brainstorming: Students share thoughts and ideas on a new topic.
• Classroom Response Systems ("Clickers"): Collect and analyze student responses during class.
• Backchannel: Conversations among students and between students and instructor during lectures.
• Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT): In-class discussions based on pre-class assignments.
• Team-Based Learning (TBL): Leverages pre-class assignments for team discussions.

2. Team Teaching Method

Two or more teachers collaborate in planning, executing, and evaluating learning experiences.

Advantages:

• Allows more students to benefit from the best faculty.
• Uses multiple teaching techniques.
• Improves teaching quality.

Limitations:

• Finding teachers with required competencies can be challenging.
• Requires more teachers.
• Not suitable for all subjects.
• Requires extensive planning and scheduling.

3. TV or Video Presentation

Enhanced presentation method using television or video.

Advantages:

• Brings experts and important personalities into the classroom.
• Useful for adult learners.
• Can be supplemented with other teaching aids.
• Accessible for remote learners.
• Beneficial for subjects like geography and astronomy.

Limitations:

• Limited two-way communication.
• Scheduling telecasts can be difficult.
• Dialogic Teaching and Direct Teaching

4. Dialogic Teaching

• Developed by Robin Alexander.
• Uses the 'power of talk' to stimulate and extend thinking.
• Helps diagnose student needs, frame learning tasks, and assess progress.

5. Direct Teaching:

• Uses straightforward, explicit teaching techniques.
• Teacher presents information directly.
• Focused on explanations, reviews, and feedback.
• Commonly used for language teaching without using the native language.

B. Mixed Group Teaching Methods

Most of the methods of instructional delivery for thelearning of smaller groups numbering between 3 and12 trainees lean towards a trainee-centred approach.

1. Group Discussion (GD)

• Ancient method used by Greek and Nalanda scholars.
• Democratic method to develop understanding, supplement lectures, and share information.
• Stimulates critical thinking and presentation skills.

Forms of Discussion:

• Classroom Discussion: Informal, within the class, led by teacher or student, with main points noted on the board.
• Formal Group Discussion: Small groups discuss a topic, then present to a larger group, facilitated by the teacher.
• Planned: Guided by trainer with clear objectives.
• Partly Planned: Opening and closing statements known; middle discussions loosely guided.
• Unplanned: Entirely spontaneous discussion without guidance.

Advantages:

• Stimulates critical thinking.
• Pooling of knowledge and ideas.
• Promotes intelligent learning.
• Encourages teamwork.
• Helps discover talented students.

Limitations:

• Time and resource-intensive.
• May involve unnecessary arguments.
• Potential for emotional stress.
• Dominated by a few students.
• Not suitable for all topics.

Principles for Organizing Discussion:

• Clear objectives.
• Participants come prepared.
• Leader guides and coordinates.
• Recorder notes main points.
• Encourage all to participate.
• Fair consideration of all viewpoints.
• Conclude with a report or summary.

2. Seminar

• Trainees prepare and present a paper on a topic for group discussion.
• Stages include preparation, presentation, and discussion.
• Can be held at various levels (classroom, departmental, national, international).

Advantages:

• Develops presentation skills.
• Encourages thorough preparation and contribution.
• Fosters group leadership and analytical skills.

Limitations:

• Time-consuming and stressful.
• Requires high-level attainment among participants.

3. Panel Discussion

• Small group of experts discuss a topic in front of an audience.
• Leader ensures effective preparation and selection of panel members.

Advantages:

• More engaging than a single-speaker forum.
• Addresses socially relevant issues.

Limitations:

• Difficult to assemble experts.
• Audience not actively involved.

4. Brainstorming

• Creative group work to generate ideas quickly.
• Participants exchange remarks without criticism.
• Multiple rounds until all ideas are exhausted.

Advantages:

• Encourages creativity.
• Broad participation.
• Economical preparation.

Limitations:

• Lacks systematic study.
• Some may be reluctant to participate.

5. Project Method

• Students explore and learn through their interests and senses.
• Emphasizes experiential learning over rote memorization.
• Encourages collaboration and problem-solving.

Advantages:

• Develops critical thinking.
• Promotes teamwork.

Limitations:

• Requires continuous monitoring.
• May need additional resources.

6. Role Playing

• Helps solve interpersonal problems and teaches human-relations skills.
• Can dramatize literary, historical, or current events.

Advantages:

• Mimics real-life situations.
• Interactive and engaging.
• Provides immediate feedback.
• Develops social and problem-solving skills.
• Effective in changing attitudes.

Limitations:

• Unpredictable outcomes.
• Real-life situations are more complex.
• Resource-intensive.

7. Simulation

Creates conditions similar to real-life for training purposes (e.g., pilot training).

Advantages:

• Economical in the long run.
• Ensures safety.

Limitations:

• High initial investment.

8. Tutorials

• Small group teaching for developing problem-solving skills and individual guidance.
• Addresses individual differences and provides remedial exercises.

Advantages:

• Focused attention.
• Generates more ideas.
• Better control over pace.

Limitations:

• Difficult to match varying abilities.
• Time-consuming.

9. Demonstration Method

• Learning by doing and moving from concrete to abstract concepts.
• Combines verbal explanation with live demonstrations.

Advantages:

• Effective for explaining materials and concepts.
• Engages cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains.

Limitations:

• Few opportunities for participation in experiments.

C. Learner-Centred Teaching Methods

Learner-centred teaching methods accommodate the differences among learners. Key methods include assignments, case studies, computer-based learning, open learning, personalized instruction, and programmed instructions. Below is a discussion of these methods.

1. Assignments

Assignments are given to students for a number of purposes, such as for acquiring additional informa-tion, surveying, application of knowledge and solv-ing numerical problems.

Teacher’s Role:

• Plan and guide assignments.
• Provide references for relevant information.

Advantages:

• Encourages independent work.
• Sharpens comprehension, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Fosters creativity.

Limitation:

• Risk of students copying unless assignments are well-planned.

2. Case Study

It Involves real-life situations requiring decisions or problem-solving. Applicable across various disciplines (e.g., psychology, management, biology).

Learning Approach:

• Students act as decision-makers in described situations.
• Promotes hands-on experience and active involvement.

Advantages:

• Enhances analytical and evaluative skills.
• Improves decision-making and problem-solving abilities.
• Ensures active participation leading to innovative solutions.

Limitations:

• Requires teacher training.
• Not suitable for all subjects.

3. Programmed Instruction

It is a structured system of self-paced learning with feedback. It provides immediate feedback after each learning step.

Advantages:

• Regular feedback.
• Ensures active learner participation.
• Applicable to any subject.

Limitation:

• Learner motivation may diminish over time.

4. Personalized System of Instruction (PSI)

Learners must achieve mastery in written units with teacher, proctor, and lecture support before final testing. It comprises mastery learning, self-pacing, emphasis on written material, proctors, and lectures.

Advantages:

• Based on mastery learning.
• Facilitates self-paced learning.

Limitations:

• Unsuitable for rapidly changing content.
• Not applicable to psychomotor and affective domains.

5. Computer-Assisted Learning (CAL)

CAL uses computers to mediate information flow in learning. It adapts and responds to learner’s needs and progress.

Advantages:

• Flexible and better control compared to other methods.
• Effective for drilling, practice, simulation, and modeling.

Limitation:

• Can be impersonal and costly.

6. Open Learning

Flexible instruction method with open access to resources and minimal restrictions on admissions. Face-to-face interactions through tutorials are part of open learning. The learning packages often use multimedia.

Advantages:

• Offers flexibility to the learner.

Limitations:

• Not suitable for psychomotor and affective learning objectives.
• Requires significant time, expertise, and resources.

7. Interactive Video

It allows learners to access information and receive immediate feedback. Interactive video utilizes video simulation with real images.

Advantages:

• Enhances decision-making skills.

Limitations:

• Time-consuming and resource-intensive.

8. Differentiated Instruction (DI)

• DI is a dynamic and proactive teaching method. It combines whole group, small group, and individual instruction. It also emphasizes qualitative over quantitative aspects.
• Uses multiple approaches to accommodate different intelligences.
• Engaging, relevant, and interesting lessons.

9. Heuristic Method

Advocated by Prof. Armstrong. In this method, students find answers to their own problems through unaided efforts. It promotes self-discovery and inquiry.

Advantages:

• Encourages self-learning.

Limitations:

• Less focus on factual knowledge.