60. On Lab-based instruction in the New BEd. Curriculum

        [Kerala University English Teacher Educator’s Forum - KUETEF]

Teachers of Science firmly  believe  that  Laboratory instruction is  essential  in providing  training in  observation. One specific advantage of lab-based learning is that it helps supply  detailed information and  arouses pupils' interest. Shulman and Tamir, for instance, have listed five types of objectives that may be achieved through the use of the laboratory in science classes. These include:

1.     Skills - manipulative, inquiry, investigative, organizational, communicative

2.     Concepts - for example, hypothesis, theoretical model, taxonomic category

3.     Cognitive abilities - critical thinking, problem solving, application, analysis, synthesis

4.     Understanding of the nature of science- scientific enterprise, scientists and how they work, existence of a multiplicity of scientific methods, interrelationships between science and technology and among the various disciplines of science

5.     Attitudes - for example, curiosity, interest, risk taking, objectivity, precision, confidence, perseverance, satisfaction, responsibility, consensus, collaboration, and liking science

Travers, ed.,  Second Handbook of Research on Teaching (1973, p.1119)

In the  Conceptualization Workshop organized in connection with the  Reification/Redesigning of the  B. Ed Curriculum at the   Senate Chamber, University of Kerala on 22 and 23 February 2013  as directed by the Chairman of the Board of Studies in Education (UG),   I had submitted a proposal for Laboratory sessions- (Language Lab, Computer Lab and Educational Technology Lab)   for discussion and  approval  by the esteemed   participants of the Workshop.

   

The following are extracts  from the Handout circulated  to the participants:

Laboratory teaching assumes that first-hand experience in observation and manipulation of the materials ... is superior to other methods of developing understanding and appreciation. 

                                                                                                                   - Nathaniel  Gage

                                                                                                          

The most important reason for doing lab work is to provide sensory input. This goal is not just desirable, it is indispensable. Used properly  the Laboratory can become a wonderful setting where students  get an opportunity  to  think  about and practice  specific techniques and skills...

Good lab instructors are both great teachers AND great managers. They get their students to understand the importance of the day’s activities by first clearly explaining the significance of the activity.

                     [Queens’s University-Center for Teaching and Learning]

Kindly   offer your  comments and  join  the discussion   regarding  the BEd curricular reforms in the University of Kerala.

Dr. C. Praveen

Secretary, KUETEF

59- Making Inclusion Happen

[Kerala University English Teacher Educator’s Forum - KUETEF]

Education is not simply about making schools available for those who are already able to access them. It is about being proactive in identifying the barriers and obstacles learners encounter in attempting to access opportunities for quality education, as well as in removing those barriers and obstacles that lead to exclusion. -UNESCO     

 

Katharine Giffard Liddsay,   concludes  a study entitled Inclusive Education in India : Interpretation, Implementation and Issues   thus:

Teacher education focus of some government programmes is perhaps going in the right direction. However, the apparently slight regard for content and methodology of the courses, which do not reconceptualise IE or address attitudes towards disability, demonstrates the need for further change in this context.  (P.34    Sep 2007)

A couple of days ago,   I received  an email from Indian Teacher Educators @yahoogroups.co.in

written by  a former teacher of mine who has specialized in ‘Special Education’ and is now  the Principal,  Regional Institute of Education, Mysore (NCERT). It reads:

It is very good to revise the curriculum in the light of development in the field. I feel the B. Ed programme need to be focusing on preparation of teacher educators and teachers in the area of developing competence in implementing critical pedagogy with constructive approach in inclusive setting. Today  every classroom requires competence of teachers handling individual differences with appropriate pedagogical inputs. All other components are taken care with inclusive strategies.

With good luck

Prof Prem lata Sharma

Dear friends do share your impressions on how your trainees   engaged classes in schools with IED learners. 

Dr. C. Praveen

Secretary , KUETEF

58- Looking ahead to a New Curriculum

[Kerala University English Teacher Educator’s Forum - KUETEF]

During the combined meeting of  the BOS, the Advisory Committee and Core Committee members,  a number of observations were made.  Many present  dwelt at large on the need for inclusion of  a new content and new practices.

Need for new  content

What is important is that trainees should acquire the  essence of  Educational Sociology, Educational Philosophy and Educational Psychology. There is no guarantee that teaching all these will bring about a change in trainees.  The trainees should grasp the principles of each. Broad structural changes are essential. There should be a focus on competency –based education.

Constructivist practices are now being followed in schools. But we employ Behaviourist practices- Lecture method for teacher training.  If we do not make trainees  employ knowledge generation strategies  there is no point in asking the trainee to go the school and teach, following Constructivist practices.

It seems the time has come to introduce Art Education and Community Living Camps. The latter can help nurture societal values. The new Curriculum should address  the changes happening  in technology and  include knowledge gained from  brain-based  learning.

An orientation in  e-learning and e-content development is the need of the hour. Educational entrepreneurship  is  a concept  that need to be considered. Further, trainees need to be taught how to handle learners with disability. There is also a  need for introducing  new  areas for Micro Teaching, such as  engaging classes in Problem-solving.

Need for new practices

Changes in the international  scene should be  addressed  in  the Curriculum now being designed. We need to present new practices to new entrants in the field of teacher education in a convincing way. An effective training  ought to be imparted before  implementing the new Curriculum.

It would be a good idea to  video record  the performance of trainees in the classroom and this  should be followed by a critique. Then the trainee should re-teach another set of students  incorporating the suggestions and  criticisms.

Models of teaching is found to be difficult for the trainees. If the current BEd syllabus is transacted by the teacher educator using different Models of teaching, trainees will gain a better understanding of the same. That is to say that the teacher educator should be capable of demonstrating new Models of Teaching. Usually teacher educators confine themselves to  the teaching of  theory and the practice part of Models of Teaching is ignored. This should change.

Teacher educators should be directed to offer their comments in writing. Professionalism should start with the teacher educators. They should rise themselves to the status of being able to deliver the last word in Education.

The change in school curricular practices  (Product to Process) should find a place in the BEd curriculum too.

The tendency of  borrowing the same strategy  employed for English for subjects like Malayalam, Hindi, Sanskrit, Tamil etc. should be  changed.

It is worth recalling  the fact that  in a recent study it was found that un-trained teachers perform better than trained  teachers! The trained teachers may perhaps know the terms related to educational practices but may not know how to effectively use it.

Ideally, all  the classes engaged by trainees need to  be observed. Even the services of MEd  students may be sought.  Immediately after teaching, the trainee should be  given a proper feed back and should not be asked to meet  in college during week end.

We need to provide opportunity to trainees to teach  in other streams including ICSE. Even the practice of  using mentors  need be attempted. Further, there should definitely be a scope for introduction of innovative, experimental and reflective practices.

The challenges of  integration of teacher education  programmes with the school  education programme need to be squarely addressed. For instance, two levels have now been identified  and the Secondary level now includes Standard 9 to 12.  Our teacher training programmes should also be geared to address the change.

In American schools for instance, subject-based performance indicators  have been introduced. There is also a Mentor Performance Indicator and a Mentee Performance Indicator. These could be introduced in our Curriculum too. But, all said and done, the humane  aspect of teacher – student relationship should not be over looked. Our Curriculum should properly address the rigour, relevance and relationship between the teacher educator and the trainee during  the training programme.

Exit remarks

There is scope for revising  the curriculum every year instead of  revising it every ten years as it is done in several Universities in India. A Curriculum Committee Foundation is the need of the  hour.  It is high time that we  employed the course designing principles in the BEd. curriculum too-viz; identifying specifically the Objectives, Competence to be achieved and the activities to  be given during the course.

While framing  the  Curriculum, do realize that  not  a single Indian University comes within the first one hundred  Universities in  the world. You yourself studied in one such and your children too  are doomed to attend one such University!!

Join this discussion and  be a part of  our curricular reforms…

Dr. C. Praveen

Secretary, KUETEF