INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS OF ENGAGING STUDENTS IN CLASS
Introduction
The purpose or Intention of education is not just to make students read and write, but to help them to lead a meaningful life. Education should help students to apply their school knowledge in their real life situation.
In olden days, a child used to learn the occupational skill from his father then would go to guru Kulas to learn life skills from guru, later he would take up his father’s profession. As time changes one needs to change in all aspects to live happily. The freedom of choosing their career has become broad enough.
Each child is unique and learns differently in his/her own pace. Teachers need to create interest and engage students in the class room effectively. This leads the teachers to invent new ideas. When there is a need for change, creativity and innovation will automatically be seen.
IMPORTANCE OF INNOVATIVVE METHODS
Today’s child is exposed to many things before he/she comes to school. Most of the content in the textbook may be known to the child because of advanced technology, from peers or from parents who are keen in educating them at home itself.
So, it is a challenge for teachers to create interest in students to make them understand the objectives of the lessons. Students need to be told why and how to learn. Teachers should create thrust for knowledge in students which makes them curious and they would be eager to learn. Students should never feel learning is a burden.
Innovative methods definitely trigger students’ potential and latent talent which helps them to overcome fear and interiority complex.
INNOVATIVE METHODS WHICH CAN BE FOLLOWED FOR THE PRESENT GENERATION.
I RESEARCH
In languages proverbs play an important role. Usually teachers give some selected proverbs and ask them to elaborate. Instead, teacher can ask students to interview grandparents or any elders who know different proverbs and their usage, with detailed explanation.
Advantages:
1.Students get the first hand information, and collect many proverbs.
2.Learn to interview elders and learns many other things from their experience.
3.Aged people in the society feel so happy that they are the asset to the society and that they can be of help. If youngsters miss elder’s experiences, knowledge and culture, they will miss it forever.
II MIMICRY WHAT THEY LIKE (visual and listening skill)
1. Just like role play teacher can do mono act of the characters in the lesson in humorous language.
2. Doing some funny actions to remember the nouns in the lessons.
3. Teaching lessons in different speaking style ex. Like one of the famous T.V. or radio programme anchor. Or famous film actor or even one of the student’s peculiar speaking style.
4. Teacher can use student’s friendly language in between the lesson to talk to them.
5. Teacher can pause the lesson in between or at the end of the period in such a way the TV or radio anchor pause and play a song, then continue the story. This arouses the curiosity of students to know next part of the lesson. This keeps them mentally engage.
Advantages:
1. Students love to see teacher mimicrying TV anchor or one of their friends. So they concentrate more.
2. It helps to recall funny actions with the keywords during exams.
3. Since students are attracted to TV programme, lessons taught in the tone of the TV anchor will be recalled during exams easily.
4. Student friendly Language used by teacher builds good bondage between teacher and students.
5. This develops curiosity in students to learn lessons ahead before teacher teaches.
6. Even students can be given a chance to mimicry any one’s style taking the concept of the lesson as their subject for mimicry.
III . TELLING REAL STORY METHOD (listening skill)
The concepts of some of the lessons which are closely related to real story can be manipulated by teachers real story and tell emotionally.
Robert Frost says “Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence”.
Advantages:
1. Students learn the concept through the real story.
2. This improves listening skills and imagination skills
3. This builds a very good relationship and emotional bond between teacher and student, as well as parents and children.
4. Children will become sensitive towards women education.
5. They will remember such lesson for their life time.
IV SHORT AND SWEET FLOW CHART (visual and kinesthetic Activity)
Now a day’s everyone wants to get everything instantly. Students do not like big lecture. Lessons should be short and sweet, also marks oriented. So teachers have to come down to their level and teach as they like.
Prepare a flowchart with lot of extra interesting information. The story board can be given to students
to prepare PPT . They can put appropriate pictures where ever it is necessary. Such lesson will be explained in short and sweet style using Audio visual room. Students also can be given a chance to explain. This is the best method of teaching to present generation as they love using technology.
Advantages:
1. Lengthy lessons will look short and sweet and create interest to teach and learn
2. Explanation becomes easy for teachers using these points.
3. Very important key points of the lessons will be remembered easily.
4. Students feel easy to frame their own sentences to attend any long or short type answers in exam.
5. Without using textbook the entire concept can be taught innovatively with many other creative activities.
V . Communication skills (Speaking Skills)
In language, speaking skills are very important .Now a day’s many relationships are breaking down because of miscommunication and misunderstanding. So it is the need of the hour for the language teachers to improve student’s communication skills. Teachers should teach students to use three magical words often ie .’Please,sorry and thank you’. According to a proverb in Kannada one who knows good eating habit will not get diseases and one who knows good speaking skills will not have fights.
1.Criticising in the form of debate in the class.
Teacher can select the character or situation from the lesson and ask students to criticise about it. Asking students to put themselves in that position, how they would have reacted? What are the
consequences they would have face. Or how they would resolve the problem?
Advantages:
1. This helps students to think critically and also improves their imaginatory power.
2. They will come to know what is right and wrong.
3. Improves speaking skills and know the importance of the tone.
4. This helps to write ‘reference to context’ correctly in the exam.
5. Students take criticism positively and react appropriately.
CONCLUSION
John Cotton Dane says “Who dares to teach must never cease to learn”
In this richly diverse world, knowledge and life skills determine the future of a child.
So it is the duty of teacher to make teaching and learning enjoyable and fruitful. Teachers must do research for inventing innovative methods of teaching to give justice to their job and be satisfied and respectful. Any such ideas should be shared with others to reach all students in the society.
Our teaching should help students not only to get job and settle down financially in their life but to lead a meaning full life by respecting elders, and to balance family and job.
My gratitude to the organisation for conducting teachers contest competition like this to come out with new innovative ideas and then can be shared each other for the betterment of the nation.
