SSCE BLOG FOR EDUCATION.VA: 2023

ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION IN THE CLASSROOM

The Round table discussion method was used in the paper I Foundations of Education on 11.01.2023. The Roundtable Discussion Strategy is a classroom interactive activity where every student has an equal right to participate in the discussion. Roundtables are generally not open to the wider students but involve a relatively small number of participants who can discuss a topic that is usually identified beforehand. This strategy was designed to engage students in ways that support their integration of new and intriguing content information with past knowledge. The various policies on education pre-independence were introduced and students learned the topic through a panel discussion. In continuation with the topic, the various policies recommended by various commissions post-independence on education were given by the Staff. In this strategy, students split the topic into smaller areas for a more structured discussion.

The general aim of a roundtable discussion is to hold a close discussion and exploration of a specific topic. In this discussion, the moderator made sure that everyone is included equally in the discussion. This method helped students to improve their higher-order thinking abilities while boosting their self-esteem and respect for their peers. The students who participated in the discussion had already been provided the study materials. In order to be prepared for the Round Table discussion when they return to class, the reading materials were shared already to them by the staff and it is continued as homework. The staff made sure that the students were adequately noting the panelists' presentations so that they could ask questions and get clarifications. The staff of the class monitored the whole activity to ensure that students are engaging in meaningful and relevant discourse with one another during the activity. The panelists answered the students’ inquiries and shared the report to the group. Students gave feedback to the staff when the activity was over, and it was clear that they found it to be very engaging, exciting, interactive, and enlightening.

SOCRATIC DISCUSSION IN TEACHING

The Socratic method of instruction involves a reflective conversation between the teacher and the students. B.Ed first-year students were given the topic ‘Relevance of human values in education’ from paper-I Foundations of Education in advance. Students collected materials and went through the topic in detail. The staff began the Socratic inquiry by asking an introductory, open-ended question to the class on 17.02.2022. Students then carried on the discussion by challenging one another to back up their ideas with textual proof. Students were encouraged to share the podium with others in a polite manner, but there is no set speaking order. Students were not required to raise their hands to talk during the discussion because it is intended to be spontaneous. The purpose of the inquiry is to elicit the underlying assumptions that each participant bases their claims, arguments, and presumptions on the topic.

The main advantage of using this method in teaching is to allow students to analyse the facts for themselves and draw their own conclusions rather than simply accepting what they are told. The Socratic discussion fosters higher-order thinking in students, encourages reflection and critical thinking, and allows them to examine the topic from different points of view in a cooperative and supportive setting. The discussion ended with the conclusion that value-based education should be prioritized at all levels of education, from elementary school through college since the human value is typically recognised as a moral benchmark for human conduct. It is important to maintain and preserve human values. Human values could be seen as the solution to the world's issues.

FISHBOWL TEACHING STRATEGY

The Fishbowl teaching strategy is a kind of active learning technique used to facilitate discussion over any interesting topic so that students are able to engage in active discussion. The Fishbowl teaching strategy provides an opportunity for the students to raise their voices and enhance active listening to others' opinions. This strategy was used to B.Ed I year 2021-23 batch in the first semester for Foundations of Education Paper 14.02.2022 which is posted in the ssce blog for education.va.

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/1311330046049073398/8737612606227653390

The students were divided into two groups where Group I and Group II are given topics for discussion by the Staff. Group I was placed in the inner circle, who is called fish, and they are instructed to hold a discussion with the representative members of the group. Group II was placed in the outer circle and asked to observe the discussion of group I who are called fish watchers. Fish watchers were instructed to listen carefully to their fish and take notes on the discussion of Group I. The same activity was reversed later.

During the discussion, the teacher moderated the whole activity. Any student from each group was asked to report about the active participation of the other group in discussion to the staff. The Fishbowl discussion session covered 45 minutes. At the end of the discussions, both groups shared their feedback on the session to the staff. All students actively engaged in the discussion and the students’ audience was satisfied and revealed they engaged in meaningful learning.

PANEL DISCUSSION STRATEGY IN TEACHING

A panel discussion is a method for teaching students to work in groups. It allows them to develop their capacity to organise their thoughts rationally and to communicate their ideas clearly and effectively. The panel discussion was conducted in Paper I on the topic ‘Recommendations of various commissions on Education’ for first semester Foundations of Education paper on 23.12.2022 (B.Ed I year, 2022-24 Batch). The respective staff asked students to collect valid points on the topic before the session which helped them to present points in a logical manner.

The selected panel discussed the topic given to them such as the Secondary Education Commission (1952-53), University Education Commission (1948), New Education policy (1968), (1986), Modified Education policy (1992), and Ambani-Birla report on Education (2000). A panel of chosen students served as the panel and the rest of the class served as the audience. A panel leader is appointed, who opened the conversation to the audience and provided a summary of the panel's discussion.

All students actively engaged in the discussion and the students' audience was also given the opportunity to clarify their doubts at the end of the activity students were asked to share their feedback with the staff and they revealed they engaged in meaningful learning. The students shared their views about the activity in the ssce blog for education.va.

https://educationssce.blogspot.com/2022/12/panel-discussions-in-classroom-bed-i.html.

PANEL DISCUSSION (M.ED)

The panel discussion has been conducted for M.Ed I year students on 04.03.2022 on the topic ‘Indian and Western Philosophers’ in the first semester. Before the panel discussion started, each student was given a topic to share their views on. The activity images are shared in the ssce blog for education.va.

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/1311330046049073398/1825902831136505206

The panel discussion was led by the respective Staff who moderated the arguments of students on the ideas of philosophers and their contribution to Education. A panel discussion is an eccentric approach to getting students involved in important discussions. The M.Ed. students participated as panelists, holding conversations about a topic from a different perspective. Students had the chance to ponder and practice critical thinking while listening to other points of view during the panel discussion.

This teaching strategy especially increased the chances for the students to boost their self-confidence, communication, and presentation skills.

POGIL ACTIVITY (M.ED II YEAR)

POGIL method of instruction has been adopted for M.Ed II Year students in the History and Political Economy of Education paper for III semester on 07.10.22. The POGIL approach started by offering students a challenge that demands them to collaborate in order to provide answers to the questions that result in the development of a concept (guided inquiry). As a result, it incorporated aspects of the problem- and team-based learning.

The students were grouped into two and given questions such as ‘Analyse the status of RTE-2009 in India and evaluate the functions of autonomy in higher education institutions' from Unit II.

In this activity, students played different roles such as manager, reader, reflector, recorder, presenter, sigfig checker, and technical assistant. The POGIL strategy was based on the components of content and process where the critical thinking skill was developed through this activity in which the students develop a deep understanding of a concept and apply that knowledge to answer the question given by the staff. The POGIL strategy boosted students’ process skills such as analytical thinking, critical thinking, and evaluative thinking in a collaborative setting to solve a problem and communicate the new knowledge to another group. In this activity, the staff acted as a facilitator, who helped students to get the solution to the problem effectively. The images were uploaded in the ssce blog for education.va.

https://www.blogger.com/blog/posts/1311330046049073398.

ROLE PLAY METHOD OF TEACHING

Role play method of teaching was adopted for B.Ed I year for the Paper ‘Understanding the learner’ in the II semester on 04.07.2022 on the topic ‘Defense mechanisms’. Role play gives students the opportunity to assume the role of a person to act out in a given situation. The class was divided into eight groups who have been given different topics such as Rationalisation, identification, projection, regression, repression and suppression, sublimation, withdrawal, and sympathism.

Each group has demonstrated different types of defense mechanisms where the roles were performed by a group of students in which each defense mechanism was demonstrated with an appropriate story. The entire role-play lasted between five and ten minutes. The class made an effort to determine which defence mechanisms they were demonstrating once they had concluded the scene.

Students had the chance to participate in exercises that mirrored particular defence systems through role-playing. Role-plays that were content-focused, matched with learning objectives, and applicable to real-world scenarios were used to help students understand how to use role-playing sessions. Students were encouraged to think critically about the subject matter in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of it through role-playing exercises.

BUZZ SESSION

B. Ed first-year students were asked to present their topics in the Buzz session in Understanding the learner Paper on 16.05.2022. Students interestingly took part in the Buzz session. Buzz session is a kind of group discussion where the topics are designed by the staff for the discussion in the class. For the activity, students were divided into eight groups where they have allotted a specific topic to analyze it in deep to gain a deep understanding of the topic. A recorder in the group gathered points discussed in the group about a topic and handover to the presenter. The presenter organised the points in such a way as to share the new knowledge with other groups.

Each group approximately took 5-10 minutes time for the presentation. The Buzz session helped students to tap into the knowledge and thereby learned to generate a large number of ideas.

COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING

The collaborative problem-solving technique was used in the class to make students understand ‘Kohlberg’s stages of Moral development’ in the Understanding the Learner paper in the II semester on 30.04.2022. B. Ed I year (2021-23) students were divided into eight groups and given Moral dilemmas by the staff to make students to make a moral judgment collaboratively in the class. Students collectively discussed the problem and come up with a conclusion. At the end discussion, the team leader in the group presented the conclusion of the problem on the given moral dilemma to other groups. The collaborative problem-solving technique encouraged students to develop their problem-solving ability, critical-thinking skills, and team spirit. At the end of each group’s presentation, students from the other group asked questions and clarified their doubts, it’s observed that most of the students take moral judgment from fifth stage social contract stage.

Collaborative problem-solving is the natural fusion of problem-based learning and collaborative learning, which places the learners at the centre of the learning process with certain moral dilemmas that need a solution in a real-world context. As a result, the staff was able to gain insight into the moral stages at which students reach a resolution.

COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING

Collaborative problem-solving technique was used in the class to make students understand ‘Kohlberg’s stages of Moral development’ in the Understanding the Learner paper in the II semester on 24.09.2021. B. Ed I year (2021-23) students were divided into eight groups and given Moral dilemmas by the staff to make students to make a moral judgement collaboratively in the class. Students collectively discussed the problem and come up with a conclusion. At the end discussion, the team leader in the group presented the conclusion of the problem on the given moral dilemma to other groups. The collaborative problem-solving technique encouraged students to develop their problem-solving ability, critical-thinking skills, and team spirit. At the end of each groups’ presentation, students from the other group asked questions and clarified their doubts, it’s observed that most of the students take moral judgement from fifth stage social contract stage.

The Collaborative problem-solving is the natural fusion of problem-based learning and collaborative learning, which places the learners at the centre of the learning process with certain moral dilemmas that need a solution in a real-world context. As a result, the staff was able to gain insight into the moral stages at which students reach a resolution.

PROCESS ORIENTED GUIDED INQUIRY LEARNING (POGIL) IN TEACHING

Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) is a collaborative-constructivist learning method followed by three guided inquiry stages such as exploration, concept invention and application. POGIL method encourages a deep understanding of the topic so that students can develop their higher-order thinking skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication skills, and creative thinking skills. This method was implemented in the II semester for Paper-II Understanding the Learner for B.Ed I year students. POGIL is different from other student-centered methods where students are instructed to take ownership of constructing knowledge collaboratively in the classroom. At every step, the instructor guided the students’ work to develop the concept in a more constructive and interactive way. Hence, students are asked to work in eight small learning groups with individual roles such as Manager, Reader, Recorder / Presenter, Reflector, Equipment Manager, Encourager, and Sigfig Checker. The role of the manager was to keep the group focused on the task to ensure that all group members participated and understood the problem.

The presenter introduced the group's new learning to other groups. The reader spoke loudly on the topic to the group every time they worked together. The role of the recorder was to maintain a record of the task and prepare a report in consultation with others in the group. The role of the reflector was to identify strategies and methods for problem-solving and prepare a report in consultation with the others. The equipment manager helped the presenter in her presentation by arranging the appropriate equipment. The encourager motivates the learning process of the group and prepares the concept map. The final report was handed over to the sigfig checker to check the report for its final touch.

Students were instructed to use appropriate materials as prescribed in the syllabus for the given problem in order to construct new knowledge in the classroom. Before assigning the task to the students, the instructor provided an orientation to the learning approach because it is new to the students. The POGIL method is completely different from other methods in which critical thinking and problem-solving skills can be improved. The instructor assigned a problem specifically designed for students to come up with their own valid conclusions. The role of the instructor has been changed as a facilitator to respond to individual and class needs. Each group explored the problem in detail in the first stage (exploratory stage) by referring to appropriate materials to develop conceptual understanding. As the concept was not explicitly given, students were prompted to conclude by refining and integrating the relevant content. The instructor facilitated each group to report on their conclusions. Each group found a new idea and represented it through the concept map using ICTs. Finally, the speaker from each group shared new knowledge discovered by them with another group at the end of the POGIL classroom. The outcomes were interrogated by all group members. In this manner, students were put into practice to solve a problem collaboratively. The instructor assessed students’ critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills in the application stage. Students in each stage were instructed to record their improvement on the worksheet provided by the instructor. In the end, all comments on the POGIL experience were gathered by the instructor and all students felt that the POGIL group work was a positive learning experience. The activity lasted for three days 28.09.2021, 29.09.2021, and 01.10.2021. the presentation was made by the students on 07.10.2021.

Example of the problem is given below;

(Example **) You are familiar with the various theories of intelligence. Now you have to go through all the theories to integrate your ideas of their classroom applications. Choose multiple intelligence theory and describe how would you teach students a concept in a way that takes the key aspects of that theory into account? Present your plan structure. The activity was posted in the ssce blog for education.va.

https://educationssce.blogspot.com/2022/12/med-ii-year-pogil-activity-07102022.html

https://educationssce.blogspot.com/2021/10/pogil-presentation-by-bed-i-year-on.html

https://educationssce.blogspot.com/2021/09/pogil-iii-day.html

https://educationssce.blogspot.com/2021/09/process-oriented-guided-inquiry.html

the feed back collected from students were given in the below link;

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OHBVYHAT24hkvfyCPmQdOqNKo9wXwmCoA313qXhtStM/edit?usp=sharing

BRAINSTORMING IN TEACHING ACTION RESEARCH 27.02.2021

Action research is the practicum activity that helps students to select an immediate problem in the class they teach in their practice teaching during intensive teaching practice. Students were required to analyse the problem and use the novel technique to improve their pedagogy and practise. The action research duration may vary from student to student based on the nature of the problem. Before students engaged in intensive teaching practice, they were given adequate orientation and get practice in writing the action research proposal. The brainstorming activity was used to teach action research on 27.02.2021 to help students to improve their comprehension of the problem statement, formulate the hypothesis, selecting appropriate teaching strategies in their respective subject to arrive at the right solutions to the action problem.

Before students get into the brainstorming, the action research process was first elaborated by the staff in the classroom, then the class was divided into small groups to discuss the novel teaching techniques to be used in the action research class. As brainstorming is the problem-solving method, the goal of the activity was to make students come up with novel teaching strategies that can be applied in the action research classroom thereby finding creative solutions to the problem. At the end of the activity, the representative from each group highlighted their ideas to the other group which was evaluated and consolidated by the staff in the class.

FLIPPED TEACHING

The flipped teaching model helps teachers in prioritizing active learning during class time by giving students study materials to go through at home. This method was used in the paper Foundations of Education Unit I- Recommendations of various commissions in Education. The staff allotted students into six groups and they were given orientation on the method of flipped teaching and how it is going to be implemented in the classroom for this topic. The topics given to six groups are mentioned below; University Education Commission (1948-1949), Secondary Education Commission (1952-53), Kothari commission (1964-66), NEP (1968), NEP (1986), and National plan of action (1992). The topics and online contents were shared on 04.10.2018 via ssce blog for education.va on the below link.

https://educationssce.blogspot.com/2018/10/commissions-of-education.html.

The students and staff discussed the topic on 08.10.2018 and 09.10.2018. On that day students were grouped into six and prepared concept maps collaboratively. The representative from each group presented the content with the help of a concept map to other groups. The flipped classroom model made it easier for staff to focus on each student individually and engage them in small-group activities that accelerate effective learning for all.

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Tuesday 4 April 2023

GROUP FACTOR THEORY

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Paper published in SHANLAX JOURNAL

https://shanlaxjournals.in/journals/index.php/sijash/article/view/5295/5499

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DIFFERENT TEACHING METHODS TRIED OUT IN THE CLASS ROOM

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