Tamil Nadu - Erode   

New teaching model developed

ERODE: How does one improve creative thinking and analytical skills in students, help young students distinguish facts from opinion? How to erase false ideas and above all how to assist children come out of their preconceived ideas that are wrong?

Sounds like an insurmountable task, right? Not at all, if one goes by what Mr. Selvam, a faculty at the District Institute of Education and Training, Perundurai, has to offer. He has developed a new teaching methodology called ’Material Learner Facilitator’ approach. “The method involves five thinking skills – distinguishing facts from opinion, differentiating ideas that appear similar, removing false ideas, escaping dominant idea and challenging concepts understood.”

To test his model, he chose the lesson, Adaptation, which is in Standard V syllabus. It involved 48 fifth graders of the Panchayat Union Middle School, Perundurai East.

In teaching the lesson that talks about the specific adaptations of various plants and animals to the environment, Dr. Selvam began with a slide show of various animals and plants. Prior to the presentation, he told the students that they would have to observe adaptations in animals shown, discuss among themselves and answer questions. He showed humming bird, camel, bear, bat, goat living in higher altitudes, cactus, etc – animals that did not find a mention in the lesson.

Upon seeing the slides, the students’ curiosity got triggered and they actively began discussing among themselves, he says and points out that the “students turned active learners and were in control of the class.” For Dr. Selvam’s questions on adaptation in cactus, camel, etc students came out with answers that fell in the realm of preconceived ideas.

A couple of weeks after teaching the lesson, Dr. Selvam conducted a surprise test, the results of which were very encouraging.

The 48 students’ total score was 630 prior to the method, and after it was 1,008.

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