College goes round to get things right
Pilot project for active learning method begins at Gujarat College this year. Front-to-back seating gives way to round tables and encourages students to take part in learning process
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Thursday, February 03, 2011 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=2011020320110203032508745e53c6631)
No books in sight, college-going youths sit in a circle discussing various topics of interest. An ideal world, you say? College classrooms in the next two years, says the government.
Teachers trained
An official from Higher Education Department said, “Fifty teachers from the eight universities were given training in Ahmedabad recently. More teachers will be given training during summer. The method shifts focus from conventional teaching to an activity-based one.”
Explaining the method, she said, “Currently, 50-60 students are taught in a classroom. Theinvolvement of all students is not guaranteed. There is front-to-back seating and there’s no emphasis on obtaining student feedback as the course progresses. Under the new method, the seating arrangement changes. In multi-media classrooms, low round tables will ensure there are no lazy, uninterested last-benchers. Students will sit cross-legged on the floor to create an informal atmosphere.
“In the conventional method, the teacher would give lectures and students would listen. There is an absence of meaningful dialogue between students and teachers, and an overemphasis on marks and grading. But in the new method, students will have to come prepared to class. They will be divided into small groups and carry out discussion on the topic being taught. Teachers will monitor and guide them. The teachers and learners work in tandem to make the process of teaching-learning interesting and fun.”
Get talking
Smaller groups will ensure participation of all students. The threat of ridicule lessens, imparting confidence to youths. “Such discussions will prepare students for competitive exams where weightage is given to group discussions, too. This method will also shake teachers out of passivity as they will have to be prepared to field queries posed by students. There will be more assignments and projects. This will encourage students to think, question and explore various possibilities. We are creating a new grading pattern for this class,” the official explained.
Discussions will prepare students for competitive exams where weightage is given to group discussions. This method will also shake teachers out of passivityIn multi-media classrooms, low round tables will ensure there are no lazy last-benchers
Monitoring team
The Higher Education Department has created a team to monitor the pilot project and gather feedback from teachers as well as students so they can modify teaching methods according to locally available resources and social principles.
If the pilot project is a success, the active learning method will be implemented in one class in each college of the state from June 2012.
The method is a hit in Indonesia where it was implemented in 53 universities four years ago. It has also been successfully implemented in about 30,000 government and government-aided schools in Tamil Nadu.
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Thursday, February 03, 2011 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=2011020320110203032508745e53c6631)
No books in sight, college-going youths sit in a circle discussing various topics of interest. An ideal world, you say? College classrooms in the next two years, says the government.
Ladies and Lords of the Last Bench, be ready for oblivion. After schools, now colleges in the city will be transformed by the active learning methodology. Soon, students will be seen gathered around round tables, taking active part in classroom activities and discussion.
The pilot project is being implemented in Gujarat College this academic year. One college each in the other seven universities in the state will be part of the pilot, too.Teachers trained
An official from Higher Education Department said, “Fifty teachers from the eight universities were given training in Ahmedabad recently. More teachers will be given training during summer. The method shifts focus from conventional teaching to an activity-based one.”
Explaining the method, she said, “Currently, 50-60 students are taught in a classroom. Theinvolvement of all students is not guaranteed. There is front-to-back seating and there’s no emphasis on obtaining student feedback as the course progresses. Under the new method, the seating arrangement changes. In multi-media classrooms, low round tables will ensure there are no lazy, uninterested last-benchers. Students will sit cross-legged on the floor to create an informal atmosphere.
“In the conventional method, the teacher would give lectures and students would listen. There is an absence of meaningful dialogue between students and teachers, and an overemphasis on marks and grading. But in the new method, students will have to come prepared to class. They will be divided into small groups and carry out discussion on the topic being taught. Teachers will monitor and guide them. The teachers and learners work in tandem to make the process of teaching-learning interesting and fun.”
Get talking
Smaller groups will ensure participation of all students. The threat of ridicule lessens, imparting confidence to youths. “Such discussions will prepare students for competitive exams where weightage is given to group discussions, too. This method will also shake teachers out of passivity as they will have to be prepared to field queries posed by students. There will be more assignments and projects. This will encourage students to think, question and explore various possibilities. We are creating a new grading pattern for this class,” the official explained.
Discussions will prepare students for competitive exams where weightage is given to group discussions. This method will also shake teachers out of passivityIn multi-media classrooms, low round tables will ensure there are no lazy last-benchers
Monitoring team
The Higher Education Department has created a team to monitor the pilot project and gather feedback from teachers as well as students so they can modify teaching methods according to locally available resources and social principles.
If the pilot project is a success, the active learning method will be implemented in one class in each college of the state from June 2012.
The method is a hit in Indonesia where it was implemented in 53 universities four years ago. It has also been successfully implemented in about 30,000 government and government-aided schools in Tamil Nadu.
