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A
Practical Guide to Education Chapter 5
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HOW
TO TEACH IN A VARIETY OF SITUATIONS
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Every
child is an individual, developing at his/her own pace and differing in
needs, abilities, interests, cultural influence, learning patterns, and
behaviors. Some children are primarily visual learners, whereas others
are auditory learners. Some prefer individualistic learning, whereas others
learn best in groups. In addition, different learning styles and strategies
are exhibited at different ages, when learning different subjects, or
when confronted with different kinds of problems. These differences, therefore,
must be taken into account in choosing appropriate teaching methods and
activities in the classroom. This section provides an overview of different
teaching and learning methods, and provides practical suggestions for
their implementation in the classroom.
Competitive,
individualistic, and cooperative learning In any social situation,
there are three different ways in which individuals may relate to each
other. They may compete to see who is best, act independently without
interacting with each other, or work together to achieve shared goals
(Johnson & Johnson, 1994). Such social interdependence exists continually.
Therefore, it is important for children to learn to function effectively
in all three types of social situations. Learning, in any subject area,
can foster students' competitive, individualistic, and/or cooperative
efforts. For example, teachers can structure their lessons so that students:
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- Engage
in win-lose struggles to see who is best using a competitive approach
to learning.
- Work
independently to achieve goals at their own pace and in their own space
in order to foster individualistic efforts.
-
Work cooperatively in groups, ensuring that all members master the assigned
material.
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Competition is based on perceived scarcity and social comparisons. When
students are required to compete with each other, they work against each
other to achieve a goal that only one or a few students can attain. Individualistic
efforts are based on independence and isolation from others. Thus, when
students work individually, they learn by themselves to accomplish learning
goals unrelated to those of other students. Finally, cooperation is based
on joint actions to accomplish mutual goals. When cooperating, students
seek outcomes that are beneficial both to themselves and other group members
(Johnson & Johnson, 1994).
Research
findings (Johnson & Jonson, 1994) indicate consistently that cooperative
learning is one of the most important and powerful ways to structure learning
situations. It promotes higher learning achievement, more positive interpersonal
relationships, and higher self-esteem than do competitive or individualistic
efforts. This does not mean, however, that competitive and individualistic
learning should be abandoned. Each learning approach - competitive, individualistic,
and cooperative - has its place in the learning process. When used appropriately,
these interdependence skills form an integrated whole.
Knowing
how to structure students' competitive, individual, or cooperative learning
is one of the most important aspects of teaching. As suggested by Johnson
& Johnson (1994), the decision needs to be carefully made according to
the following criteria:
|
1.
What are the objectives of the lesson and the instructional task aimed at
achieving them? |
2.
How important is the learning goal to the students? |
3.
What teacher-student interaction is needed? How much teacher assistance
and guidance do students need to complete the task? |
4.
What student-student interaction is needed? How much peer assistance and
guidance do students need to complete the task? |
5.
What are the role expectations for students during the lesson? |
6.
How should the learning space be arranged? In order to decide which learning
approach, or combination of learning approaches, to use in a lesson, teachers
should understand: (1) what cooperative, competitive, and individualistic
efforts are; (2) the conditions under which these approaches are effective;
and (3) the teachers' and students' roles in using these learning approaches.
The table below will help you think through these issues in order to decide
which learning approaches are most appropriate for your lessons.
Table
2. Major components of appropriate competition, individualism,
and cooperation.
|
|
APPROPRIATE
COMPETITION |
APPROPRIATE
INDIVIDUALIZATION |
APPROPRIATE
COOPERATION |
Type of activity |
Skill
practice, knowledge recall & review
Assignment
is clear with rules for competing specified
|
Simple skill or knowledge acquisition
Assignment
is clear and behavior specified in order to avoid confusion and
need for extra help
|
Any
instructional task. The more conceptual and complex the task, the
greater the cooperation. |
Perception
of goal importance |
Goal
is not perceived of great importance to the students, and they can
accept either winning or losing |
Goal
is perceived as important for every student; students seek tasks that
are worthwhile and relevant, and each student expects to achieve his/her
goal. |
Goal
is perceived to be important for everyone |
Teacher-student
interaction |
Teacher
is perceived to be the major source of assistance, reinforcement,
and support. Teacher is available for questions and clarifications
of the rules. Teacher referees disputes, judges correctness of answers,
and rewards winners. |
Teacher
is perceived to be the major source of assistance, reinforcement,
and support. |
Teacher monitors and intervenes in learning groups to teach collaborative
skills. |
Student-student
interaction |
Observing
other students in one's group. Some talking among students. Students
grouped in homogeneous groups to ensure equal chance of winning. |
None,
students work on their own with little or no interaction with classmates.
|
Prolonged
and intense interaction among students, helping and sharing, peer
tutoring, oral rehearsal of materials being studied, and general support
and encouragement. |
Student
expectations |
- Review
previously learned material
- Have
an equal chance of winning
- Enjoy
the activity, win or lose
- Follow
the rules
|
Each
student expects:
- to
be left alone
-
to work at own pace
- to
take a major part of the responsibility for completing the task
|
-
Group to be successful
-
All members to contribute to success
- Positive
interaction among group members
- All
members master the assigned material
|
Arrangement
of learning space |
Students
placed in groups of three or more |
Separate
desks/places with as much space between students as can be provided
|
Small
groups |
|
|
5.1
Teaching methods and activities
A number of teaching methods and activities are particularly helpful in
structuring competitive, individualized, and cooperative learning efforts.
They include:
|
1.
Group work
|
2. Intergroup
competition |
3. Individualized
work |
4. Active
learning: |
- Demonstration,
experiment, and observation
- Project
work
- Role
play and drama
- Story
telling
- Games
- Songs
and dances
- Go
Around
|
5. Questions
and answers |
6.
Use of books
Group
work Each child who enters your school is a part of many different
communities. For example, each can be a member of a family, a cultural
and ethnic background, and/or a religion. Over time, children can enjoy
benefits of joining one more community - that of your learning group.
Through the method of group work or cooperative learning, teachers try
to create a sense of community and belonging among children. By creating
a sense of community, you provide children with skills and a background
that will prepare them for living and working in the future as members
of families and of other communities in society.
The
whole class is a group, and it is useful to know how to utilize this group
most effectively. Classes can vary in size from a few students to sometimes
over 100 students. In large classes it is difficult to give each child
individual attention. Moreover, people tend to behave differently when
they are in large groups as compared to when they are in small groups.
For example, shy children may be less likely to ask questions, practice,
and apply what they have learned in a large group, and advanced children
may be bored and frustrated when they have to wait for other learners.
Group work is helpful in allowing every child to gain adequate practice
and attention through cooperation with their peers.
PRACTICAL
SUGGESTIONS: Some ways of dividing children into groups
Grouping
friends together. This is sometimes helpful in allowing children to
develop their social relations and to help each other. It is particularly
helpful at the beginning when children may feel lost and lonely. Friends
may find it easier to express themselves when they are together in a small
group rather than when they are in a large class. This also provides the
opportunity to integrate shy and lonely children into a smaller group.
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Ability
grouping. Ability grouping means putting children who are of the same
ability together. This allows very bright children to work together, and
they can do more complicated and advanced work. Slower learners may also
be encouraged when they find that others in the class have similar difficulties.
Instructional methods and materials should suit the educational level of
the children to ensure that everyone attains success. Ability grouping can
be particularly useful in multi-grade teaching where children of different
ages and grades sit in the same classroom but they do different work. |
Interest
grouping. Interest grouping means creating groups which are interested
in a particular topic or skill. For example, those interested in insects
can form their own group to study insects, whereas those interested in dance
or drama can form their own groups. Groups formed together by their interests
can work together very well. |
Mixed ability/age grouping and peer teaching. Mixed ability grouping
means joining together students of different educational levels, ability,
or age, so that the more advanced ones can help their peers. Older, or
more advanced students can often find it very satisfying to help those
who have not managed to do as well. Moreover, making the more advanced
group members responsible for the learning of their peers fosters cooperation
and can ensure that everyone does well. Mixed ability grouping is often
useful in content subjects and culturally related subjects, such as art,
crafts, music and drama.
One of the problems faced by many schools is the shortage of instructional
materials, such as books, pictures, and charts. Group work allows you
to use a few instructional more effectively. For example, if you have
only 5 reading books in a class, dividing the class into smaller groups
will enable every child to have an opportunity to read each day. Similarly,
different mathematics cards and models can be shared by children learning
in small groups.
Intergroup
competition. Intergroup competition is a combination of group
cooperation and competition. Allowing cooperative groups to compete with
each other brings in a healthier type of competition than the interpersonal
one. The emphasis is on fun rather than winning. What you gain is a change
of pace to provide some fun, energy, and variety within your lesson. Team
competition can be used for most subjects, for example in spelling, mathematics,
and science.
CASE-STUDY:
Using intergroup competition in a science class A science class
has been learning about things that sink and float. The class was divided
into cooperative learning groups, and the groups experimented with a variety
of materials. One of the materials was clay. Each group was given the
same weight of clay and was instructed to build a clay boat. As the groups
experimented with different design, the teacher decided to have an entertaining
change of pace by structuring a class competition to see which group could
design and build the boat that would hold the most weight. Each cooperative
group was told to build the boat and ensure that all group members understood
the design. The boats were then placed in water, and weights were placed
inside each boat until it sank. The boat that supported the most weight
before sinking won. The winning group was announced and the class then
studied the winning design and determined why it was better than the others.
Each group then built a replica of the winning boat.
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Source:
Johnson & Johnson, 1994
Individualized
work.
There are times when children will be required to do individual work.
Individualistic situations are most appropriate when students need to
complete simple tasks, such as learning specific facts or acquiring simple
skills. Such activities can be useful when students are reading or when
they doing written exercises to be evaluated later. It is important that
instructional materials, such as books and exercise books, are made available
to every student. Active learning. Children learn best when they are active
participants in the learning process rather than passive recipients of
information. In this context, the role of the teacher is to facilitate
learning through activities which will help children to practice necessary
skills in the subject area. Such activities may include: discovery and
observation, role play and drama, story telling, games, songs, and dances.
Demonstrations,
experiments, and observation. Some subjects such as natural science
and geography lend themselves to demonstrations and experiments. Demonstrations
are usually done by the teacher while the pupils watch. Experiments can
also be done by the teacher as a demonstration, but more often the children
themselves carry out experiments either individually or in groups. Demonstration
and experiments go along with observation, which means looking at things
carefully and recording what you see. An experiment, demonstration, or
observation can help children to develop scientific skills and increase
their excitement about learning.
CASE-STUDY:
Experiments and observation in a science class Plants provide endless
possibilities for both demonstrations, observations, and experiments.
For example, you can experiment with different plants by placing one plant
in the dark and the other in the sunlight, or by putting different types
and quantities of fertilizer on different plants. Planting seeds in different
types of soil is an interesting experiment, too. Measuring and recording
a plant's growth regularly provides learning experience in mathematics
and science.
Project
Work. Project work is a good way of allowing children to develop their
own interests, to work in groups, and to learn independently. It can help
to develop research and analytical skills. Project work that can be done
in any learning space include:
|
-
interviews with parents and other people in the community;
-
studies of the surrounding area (farm, forests, desert, river, ocean);or
-
a class newsletter where each pupil or a group is responsible for different
assignments.
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Since
projects are original and creative work, they may take a lot of time.
It is generally sufficient to do one project per term, devoting a couple
of hours per week to the project.
Role playing and drama. Role playing as a model of teaching has
roots in both personal and social dimensions of education (Joice & Wells,
1996) . It attempts to help individuals find personal meaning within their
social worlds and to resolve personal dilemmas with the assistance of
the social group. It allows individuals to work together in analyzing
social situations and developing an agreed upon way of coping with these
situations.
On
its simplest level, role playing is a way to deal with problems through
action - a problem is identified, acted out, and discussed. Some students
can be role-players, others observers. As pointed out by Joice & Wells
(1996), the role playing process provides a live sample of human behavior
that allows students to: (1) explore their feelings; (2) gain insight
into their attitudes, values, and perceptions; (3) develop their problem
solving skills; and (4) explore subject matter in varied ways.
Role
playing, as a teaching and learning method, is especially appropriate
in emergency situations where children may experience feelings of anxiety
and distress. Role playing emphasizes not only intellectual content, but
also emotional aspects of daily life. It provides a possibility to explore
students' feelings, which they can recognize, understand, and perhaps
release. Several types of social problems can be explored through role
playing, including:
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7.
Individual dilemmas. These arise when a student is a caught between two
contrasting values or between his/her own interests and the interests of
others. Role playing makes this dilemma accessible to children and helps
them understand why it occurs and what to do about it. |
8.
Interpersonal conflicts. A major use of role playing is to reveal conflicts
between people so that students can discover techniques for overcoming them. |
9.
Intergroup relations. Intergroup problems arising from ethnic, racial, or
cultural stereotyping or from authoritarian beliefs can be explored through
role playing. In this context, role playing can uncover stereotypes and
prejudices and help students understand reasons for conflict situations.
|
10.
Historical or contemporary problems. These include critical/emergency
situations in past or present which influence the personal lives of children.
As
suggested by Shaftels (1967), role playing activity consists of the following
nine steps: (1) warm up the group; (2) select participants; (3) set the
stage; (4) prepare observers; (5) enact; (6) discuss and evaluate; (7)
reenact; (8) discuss and evaluate; and (9) share experiences and generalize.
Each of these steps has a specific purpose that contributes to the focus
of learning activity. Together, they ensure that a line of thinking is
pursued throughout the complex of activities, that students are prepared
in their roles, that goals for the role playing are identified, and that
discussion afterwards provides a meaningful conclusion. These phases and
activities are summarized in the role playing guide on the following page.
PRACTICAL
SUGGESTIONS: Role Playing Guide
|
Phase
1: Warm up the group Identify or introduce problem Make problem explicit
Interpret problem story, explore issues Explain role playing |
Phase
2: Select participants Analyze roles Select role players Select observers
|
Phase
3: Set the stage Set line of action Re-state roles Discuss problem situation
|
Phase
4: Prepare the observers Decide what to look for Assign observation
tasks |
Phase
5: Enact Begin role play Maintain role play Break role play |
Phase
6: Discuss and evaluate Review action of role play (events) Discuss
major focus (Was it realistic?) Develop next enactment |
Phase
7: Reenact Play revised roles Suggest next steps or behavioral alternatives |
Phase
8: Discuss and evaluate As in phase 6 |
Phase
9: Share experiences and generalize Relate problem situation to real
experience and current problems Explore general principles of behavior. |
From: Joice & Wells, 1996 |
Role
playing, particularly role switching, is suitable for exploring gender
issues in the classroom. When boys take girls' roles and girls take
boys' roles, new insights on gender differences can often be gained.
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Gender
considerations
|
|
Story
telling. Story telling is a sharing experience. It establishes a warm
relationship between teller and listener, drawing them closer to one another:
adult to child, child to child. In emergency situations, where children
may be separated from their parents and relatives, stories can reach out
to children, reducing their alienation and anxiety and bringing a sense
of belonging. Furthermore, hearing stories in the course of children's
school life can (1) strengthen their creative impulses, particularly in
the area of writing; (2) expand their reading interests; and (3) keep
alive the cultural heritage of people.
Storytelling,
as a teaching method, is a perfect way to involve parents and other community
members in education of their children. They can share stories about their
past, local culture, and social events. Their stories can be a mixture
of legends, mythology, fairy-tales, or personal tales. When parents and
other community members are concerned, interested, and involved in learning,
they send a powerful message to their children about education. They inspire
the child.
Stories
to be enjoyed by children of different age and education must combine
aspects that appeal to all groups of listeners. For example, younger children
enjoy the plot and action, whereas older children enjoy the subtleties
of humor and the interplay among characters.
Games.
Children have to master a great number of skills in the early grades.
As has been discovered in research on teaching methodology both in the
classroom and tutoring children one-to-one (Kaye, 1991), game-playing
can be an effective help for children to learn and practice almost every
skill that school requires. Games can enhance a child's ability to gather
information, learn new words, read, write, or count. Games can also promote
intellectual curiosity and creative thinking in a child.
At
the same time, games are fun and enjoyable learning activities. When children
sit down to play an interesting game, they relax and concentrate at the
same time - relax because the game is interesting, and concentrate because
the game is challenging (Kaye, 1991). This combination creates a perfect
frame of mind for learning. There are many occasions for teachers to use
ten-minute game activities in the classroom. For example, games can be
used:
|
1.
to "warm-up" the class in the beginning of the day; |
2.
to introduce new topics; |
3.
for drills and practice; or |
4.
to review old topics.
You will be able to find examples of games designed for reading, writing,
and counting in the Part 5 of the guide.
Songs and dances. Songs and dances have educational value because
they provide a possibility for children to learn about cultural values
of their community. Although it might be difficult to set aside special
time for songs and dances during school hours, you can effectively introduce
them as warm-up exercises in the beginning of the day.
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Gender
is an important element of culture and is often a subject for artistic
expression. Songs and dances present an opportunity for children to
express their hopes, fears, ignorance, and knowledge about one another.
Both students and teachers can explore and express ideas about gender
by using creative and artistic means, such as songs and dances. |
Gender
considerations
|
|
Go
Around. Go Around is a teaching method that can help you to involve
all students in a learning activity. Each child in a group or classroom
takes a turn in order to comment on a topic, add ideas and facts in answering
questions, or develop narrative to a story. Each child may speak only
once each round. The teacher defines how long each contribution should
be as the Go Around begins and gives feedback if the process goes off
track. This teaching and learning method equalizes opportunity and, in
mixed groups, helps children practice anticipating what will be said by
other students (O'Gara, 1996).
?
Asking Questions. Questioning is the heart of teaching. Asking
good questions is one of the most effective means of stimulating thinking
and learning. This is a skill that every teacher needs to develop. Make
sure that you enable every child to answer questions rather than listening
only to the few fast and daring children. You can do this by: (1) allowing
children to write down their answers individually so that every child
has enough time to think and give an answer; or (2) using group work to
enable every child to contribute within a small and friendly group. This
will provide a possibility for every child to contribute to discussion.
In order to reduce teacher talk and promote participation of students,
you can use the following techniques:
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-
Calling on non-volunteers.
When students know that they are not likely to be called upon unless
their hands are raised, they are likely to keep their hands down. The
few pupils who do raise their hands tend to monopolize the experience.
You can simply announce that all individuals will be called upon or
use Go Around in order to facilitate active participation of non-volunteers.
- Redirection.
Teacher talk can be minimized by asking questions that elicit several
responses. You could instruct, "This question has many parts to it.
Please give only one when you answer." Redirection has the added advantage
of encouraging students to respond to each other.
- Pause
for adequate time. The teacher should pause for a few seconds after
asking the question and before calling upon someone for an answer. By
pausing you give each student time to organize his or her thinking for
an answer. You should also note that some students need more time for
expression than others. If you cut a student off before s/he is finished,
shy students tend to be discouraged.
- Be
open to unexpected answers.
You may sometimes hear the expected answers from students and other
times you may not. When you hear an answer which you did not expect
or which you feel is unacceptable, instead of saying, "No that is wrong"
try to clarify what the student means.
|
PRACTICAL
SUGGESTIONS: Different Types of Questions |
- Repetition/rote
learning. Asking children to repeat what they have learnt. This
is called rote learning, and is important for remembering formulas,
times tables, and rules.
-
Retelling. Asking children to repeat a story they have
heard in their own words. This is a better way of teaching and learning
than mere rote learning.
-
Summary. Asking children to summarize the main points of the
learned material.
-
Explanation. It is important to use the questions "how," "why,"
"when," "what," and "by whom" in the classroom. After you know that
students understand the essential facts of the learned material, you
can ask questions to assess their understanding. These questions typically
ask students to explain information, relate facts, generalizations and
definitions.
- Expression.
Asking children to tell original stories or to express their own ideas.
This is easier in the mother tongue or in a language the child already
knows well.
-
Analysis. Analyzing knowledge that has been given. Many exercises
require analysis, for example dividing objects into categories such
as hard/soft, big/small, strong/weak, mammals/insects/reptiles. The
process of analysis involves taking apart information and creating relationships
in order to discover its basic structure or hidden meaning. Analysis
includes working out assumptions, motives and implications. Students
can identify issues and come to conclusions based on the facts given.
-
Problem solving. Problem solving can be introduced by providing
a problem and seeing how children can solve this problem. An example
is to see how to provide suitable housing for different climatic conditions:
a hot climate versus a very cold climate; the need for sunshine and
air whilst keeping out the wind and the rain; or how to keep the house
clean.
- Evaluation.
Evaluation questions call for comments involving judgments, opinions,
personal reactions, and criticism. Questions such as "In your opinion
..... ?" "Do you think .....?" "How would you react....?" The students
are asked to state his or her opinion and then provide a basis for such
views. There are no right or wrong answers for such questions.
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5.2
Learning and Teaching Aids The effective use of learning and
teaching aids is important in making the students' learning experience
enjoyable, interactive, and meaningful. When you are planning and preparing
your lessons, look for resources around you that you can utilize or create
to make learning more meaningful and more fun. For example, nature provides
numerous learning and teaching aids, such as the soil, sand, seeds, plants,
leaves, sticks, stones, insects, and water. The home provides many more
sources of learning and teaching materials, such as sugar, salt, oil,
and detergents. You can also utilize pictures, charts, and the blackboard
as learning and teaching aids in your lessons.
Pictures.
A collection of pictures is a very powerful learning and teaching
aid. Today it is possible to make a good collection at little cost. You
could make a good collection of pictures from newspapers, magazines, and
brochures. When using pictures, try to engage students as actively as
possible. Good questioning will stimulate interest, increase observation,
and lead to reasoning.
PRACTICAL
SUGGESTIONS: Some Ways of Using Pictures in the Classrooms
|
- Use
pictures to teach reading, particularly for beginners. Usually you would
choose pictures that children are interested in (airplane, mother, father,
orange) and write the word either next to the picture or on a separate
card so that the child can match the picture to the word.
- Use
pictures for description and discussion. Children can describe what
they see, the meaning of the picture, who or what is in the picture,
why it is important, how it could be changed, etc.
-
Use pictures for counting, addition, subtraction, division and multiplication.
There are endless objects to be used in mathematics, whether these are
chickens, trees, people, or other things.
- Use
pictures for games. A lot of different games involving mathematics,
spelling, reading, sorting, and other activities can be done with pictures.
For example pictures of mammals or birds can be grouped together.
|
Charts.
An effective chart should be simple. It expresses one thought so clearly
that it should be understood at a glance. Colors should be used effectively
to highlight the important points. Try to express the concept clearly and
avoid a crowded or confused mass of messages. Good charts can be done on
cardboxes in which goods are packed. Felt pens and crayons are ideal, but
colored chalk and paint can also be very serviceable. Words on the chart
should be large enough for all students to read without any strain on the
eyes. Students sitting at the back of the classroom should be able to read
what is written on the chart if it is displayed in the front. Leaving charts
on the walls is a good way of encouraging revision of the learned material
by the students, as well as of decorating and brightening up the classroom.
Chalkboard. Using the chalkboard effectively is a skill that every
teacher must learn. All work on the chalkboard should be visible to all
students if the chalkboard is used as a focal point for your lessons. You
may want to use different colors of chalk on the board to emphasize what
is being learned. You can also think about different ways of utilizing the
blackboard space. For example, you can write the following information regularly: |
- date;
- objective
of the day;
- wise
sayings or proverbs; and
- news,
such as birthdays or health care days.
|
Collection
of reading material. Reading material plays an important role in teaching.
Even when the children have not reached the stage where they can read, they
will find much enjoyment and benefit from looking at the pictures. What
do you do if you have no books? You can write some books yourself and ask
parents, community members, and children themselves to write others. Some
ideas for writing your own reading cards and books include: |
- stories
about the children written by children themselves;
- history
and geography of the area written by parents, grandparents, and other
community members; songs sung by community members, such as folk songs,
work songs, harvesting songs, celebration songs;
- traditional
poems and poems heard on the radio;
- local
news; and
- scientific
stories.
|
For
the upper grades, you can use stories from the newspaper. You can even
use newspaper cuttings. For example, advertisements, stories, and reports
can be utilized as reading materials. If you have a duplicator, you can
make copies. If not, the book can be written on good paper or on cardboard,
and stapled or sewn together to make a book. You can soon collect a minimum
of 50 reading cards or books for your class.
Textbooks.
A textbook is an important part of the tools teachers use. However, you
should avoid inappropriate use of the textbook, such as regular reading
and memorizing from the text. This practice can be dreary and uninspiring
for children of primary grades. Remember that the textbook should not,
and cannot, replace you, the teacher.
PRACTICAL
SUGGESTIONS: Some Ways of Using the Textbook
|
- A
good textbook will give you a logical coverage of the knowledge and
skills to be taught and learnt, so you can utilize this to ensure that
you cover the areas thoroughly. Use the textbook as a reference book
and as a guide to check on whether you have covered the area adequately.
- Take
some of the examples and exercises from the textbook and apply them
to the local conditions. For example, if you are doing fractions, how
would this be useful in the family and community? What is divided in
the family (Food? Money? Land?) If the story is about the family, let
the children talk about their families. If the story is about animals,
let the children talk about the animals in their homes or on their farm.
- Do
some of the exercises from the book orally and then select a few children
to write them up on the blackboard.
- Use
some of the exercises from the book as competitions and games. For example
groups can compete to see who gets the most math problems/spellings/
sentences correct in the shortest time.
- Dramatize
some of the stories in the textbook to bring them to life. This can
be done through an exciting narration by the teacher or by creating
a play with the children. Adding music and dance can make it more exciting
and interesting.
- Use
the textbook for revision of skills that have been taught.
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Maps.
Suitable maps are very useful teaching tools. The atlas provides the
skeleton of geographical study. You, in turn, give it the flesh and life.
Wall maps are effective teaching aids because the whole class can look
at the same map and direct their attention to any feature you wish to
emphasize. You can make your own wall maps if these are not available.
Generally, wall maps would include the continent and your country. You
may also want to make a map of the world. Children can make maps of their
home village or region, which can also be used as wall maps.
The
Radio and Audiocassettes. If broadcast lessons are available in your
community, the radio often provides good supplementary lessons to your
teaching. You and your students need to be adequately prepared before
the broadcast begins. The follow up work after the lesson is equally important.
PRACTICAL
SUGGESTIONS: Some Ways of Using Audiocassettes
in the Classroom
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Record and play traditional, popular, or classical music for dance,
drama, music or language lessons. Because children enjoy learning songs,
they can be a good way of learning language, particularly second languages.
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Record the teacher and children's pronunciation. This allows the children
to correct their pronunciation, for example when learning the words
"hit", "heat," and "hurt" in English.
- Record
dialogue, interviews, and debates in the classroom as if they are for
broadcast on radio.
- Use
speeches and stories recorded from the radio in language lessons, for
example for listening and comprehension.
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Models.
For many subjects it is useful to use models. Simple models can be made
out of paper, wood, clay, plastic, metal or other materials to show spheres,
figures, and volume. Clay is an easily found material to use. You can use
it to make models for your geography, science, or art lessons. Many scientific
models can be made with discarded tins and plastic containers. For example,
a model showing how to purify water could be made with sand filters, plastic
containers and bottles. |
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