My Favorite Method of Teaching 2

Here is more, in outline form.

1. The following are some of the particular methods/tools under this technique:

Personalized System of Instruction (PSI)
Programmed Instruction
Teaching machines

2. These were invented by people who made major breakthroughs in learning theory/psychology.

3. These are focussed on the student and not the teacher. The traditional techniques make life easy for the teacher and not the student. (This may well not happen in practice, i.e., both the student and the teacher may be undeserved in the traditional techniques.)

4. The traditional techniques (for instance, lectures) evolved before the invention of the printing press. Today, there is no need for the teacher/professor to put on a show in class. Very few students learn as the professor speaks, in topics of any difficulty.

5. In these techniques, the students progress at their own pace.

6. They are initially given a unit. They do not advance to the next unit until they have mastered the previous unit. There is no penalty for retaking tests on units multiple times. This takes the pressure of students.

7. Students are nor graded comparatively. There is no grading on a curve. Every student can get an A+ if they master all the units. This is another way pressure is removed from students.

8. Students are actively engaged as opposed to passively listening.

9. Learning is defined as specific repertoire change. The teacher takes responsibility for bringing about this repertoire change.

10. Students contact the teacher via email, phone calls, and face to face discussions, when they have a question.

What else?

Please ask questions if you have any.
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I was reading another short story by Jayakanthan yesterday. In that, a sastrigal says that he never learnt the meanings of the Sanskrit verses he chants, he just learnt them by rote, and was afraid that his teacher would hit him if he asked questions a second time. In the above techniques, a student need not be afraid of asking questions. It is expected/understood that

(a) different students will be at different level of knowledge/background

(b) different students will progress at different speeds

(c) Answering a question when it arises in the student's "mind" is of paramount importance.

Here is a link you may want to read.

 

> this incident not that much relevant to this blog

The problems with classroom discussions are these:

1. It is quite relevant. When one person asks a question, it affects others. Some people think that you are showing off or trying to do this to get brownie points (i.e., to impress the professor). Other people just want the class to be over so that they can have a smoke. Yet others hate the idea that you are trying to learn while they have no hope whatsoever in the class. Still others are so far ahead of you that they are irritated by the simplicity of the question. ("Didn't he take prerequisites? Is this the kind of question to ask in a senior level class? My niece in 10th grade can answer these.") PSI and the like minimize the effects of competition between students. For instance, discussions are one on one.

2. In these techniques, the most important resource is the printed/Web materials provided by the teacher/professor. These are much better than class presentation. The material is introduced gradually. Learning theory techniques (such as shaping, prompting, etc.) are used in arranging the material. The student is not passive. He is forced to complete sentences. This forces him to be active. When you say " emailing/calling the teachers after class (is fine)", you are not aware of what these "unit materials" can do. They make all the difference in the world. Let's say you are working on Page 1 of the material and are struck. You immediately ask the question one on one and get an answer.

3. I have a programmed learning book called "The Analysis of Behavior". I sometimes read this book when I am depressed. Working through the book lifts my spirits.

Here is a link to the book.

In the introduction to this book, Dr.Skinner says that one of the applications of the science in this book is this book itself. I get goosebumps when I read this. This is like a civil engineering professor saying in a classroom located on a cantilever "One of the applications of the science that I am teaching is this classroom itself." (Such a classroom will not be supported from the bottom but only from the building from which it sticks out.) See here for a picture of a cantilever chair.



4. These can be done in India now. (Experts can be brought in from the US. Our people can learn the science. There is very little incentive for anybody to do this though, including me.)

5. Programming here does not refer to programming a computer. It refers to arranging the material to be learned.

 

> complete and thorough learning of one lesson in any subject

This is crucial. In science/math, if you have not mastered Unit 1, trying to learn Unit 2 is almost always a waste of time. Yet, the traditional techniques present Unit 2 whether you have mastered Unit 1 or not. This is so that the teacher can get credit for completing Unit 1, whether any student has mastered it or not.

The techniques I write about do not allow this. The student is allowed the packet for Unit 2 only after he has shown a mastery of Unit 1.