Day 18

Problem-Solving Strategy

 Problems:
It is a situations in which we experience uncertainty or difficulty in achieving what we want to achieve.

Problem-Solving strategy:
 Problem-solving is a tool, a skill, and a process. As a tool is helps you to solve a problem or achieve a goal. As a skill you can use it repeatedly throughout your life. And, as a process it involves a number of steps.

Purposes of problem solving:   

1. To give “tools” with which to face the challenges of the real world.
2. To help students to foster self discovery and adaption. 
3. To help students understand complex dilemmas.
4. To help students think about the problems and trace the obstacles to achieve the objective. 
5. Can be guided to effective problem solving strategies.

PRINCIPLES OF PROBLEM SOLVING:

1. Model a useful problem-solving method(Show students by your example how to be patient).
2. Teach within a specific context(Teach problem-solving skills in the context in which they will be used).
3. Help students understand the problem(students need to define the end goal).
4. Take enough time(When planning a lecture/tutorial, budget enough time for understanding the problem and defining the goal).
5. Ask questions and make suggestions(Ask students to predict “what would happen if”).
6. Link errors to misconceptions(Use errors as evidence of misconceptions, not carelessness or random guessing).

 Types of Problem Solving Strategy.

1. Convergent or closed problem.

• In this type of problem solving strategy, it need to have a right answer ( need a fixed answer).

  
     2.  Divergent/open-ended problem.

• In this type  it requires knowledge from different areas.

Elements of  Problem Solving Strategy.

• The definition of a problem(should have some knowledge of a problem to solve it).
• The definition of problem solving(Should have some connection between thinking and knowledge).
• Algorithms(Using of step by steps procedure to solve the problems).
• Heuristics(Need self- exploration).
• The relationship between theory and practice.
• Teaching creativity(applying of previous learned knowledge,no new creation).
• The transfer or the application of conceptual knowledge. 

Procedure of Problem Solving Strategy.

1. Define The Problem(How is the current situation different from what you actually want it to be?).
2. Problem Analysis( Should analyzed how is the problem effecting you and other people).
3. Generate possible Solutions(Finding solutions involves analyzing the problem to ensure that you fully understand it).
4. Analyze the Solution(Think about the solution weather the solution is relevant to your solution or not).
5. Implementation( Find out weather you have achieved what you wanted and how effective was the solution).

Advantages: 

1. Solving of problems in real life experience/situation.
2. It gives direction to a decision and prevent wondering.
3. It contributes to the personality development of a child.

Disadvantages:

1. It create fake ideas about the problems.
2. Create over realization.
3. Forming hasty conclusion.

Day 17

Individualized Instruction Strategy

Individualized instruction strategy.

 

It is also called differentiated instruction. Here teacher should not stick on a method but try with many and they must observe the student individually. 

 

Definition

Classroom practices of teaching which recognizes the uniqueness of each student learner and thus provides for adequate tutorial, guide and other support services suited to bring about development in the person.

 

Purpose of Individualized instruction strategy

1.   To enhance and develop listening habit.
2.  Enables the teachers to explain a lesson or demonstrate a technique to small groups of students at a time.
3.    Individualizing instruction allows each student to progress through the curriculum at his or her own      pace.
4.    Long term retentions they note down what they usually understand.
5.    Importance is given as individual not as group or class.
6.   Careful use of teaching aids is encouraged.
7.    Smooth and continuous lesson but timely interruption.
8.    Uniform and equal learning despite of individual differences.
9.     Less time and effort needed for re-teaching the weak areas.
10.    Provide the normal students the opportunities and needs to make them successful.

Principles of Individualized instruction strategy 

1. Clarify key concept and generation to ensure that all learner gain powerful understanding.
2. Use assessment as a teaching tool to extend various merely measure instruction.
3.  Emphasis critical and creative thinking as a goal in lesson design.
4.    Engaging all learners is essential.
5.  Provide balance between teacher-assigned and student assigned task.

Requirement of Individualized instruction strategy 

1.  Each student learn differently.
2. All students are talented in different ways. 
3.     Educating children with special needs.
4.     It meets the unique educational needs of the children.
5.     Teaching requires differentiated and individualized instruction.

Procedure for Individualized instruction strategy

1) Content

•   it includes the knowledge, skills and the attitude we want children to learn.
•  Must have the tasks and the objectives to achieve the learning goals.
•  Teacher must focused on the principle and the skills.

2) Process

• In include varying learning activities to provide appropriate method for the students to explore concept.

3) Product

•   Initial and on- going assessment of student’s readiness and growth are essential.
•   Students are active and responsible.
•   Varying expectation and requirement for the student’s responses.

Advantages of Individualized instruction strategy 

1. Meeting needs and interest of diverse learners.
2. Help student’s background knowledge, language, readiness and preferences in learning, interests and to react responsively. 
3.  Maximizes each students growth and individual success.
4. Helps in providing for the uniqueness of each children.

Disadvantages of Individualized instruction strategy

1.  Time constraint and chopped up schedules are an obstacle.
2. Class size and teaching load are two of the biggest constraint .
3. Teacher preparedness.

Day 16

Field trip strategy

• Introduced in 1827 by George Shillibeer for a Quaker school at Abney Park in Stoke Newington, London, United Kingdom.
•  A field trip is a visit to a place outside the regular classroom designed to achieve certain objectives, which cannot be achieved as well by using other means. 
• Example are a visit to museums, zoos, places of business, farms, nearby colleges, theaters, historical monuments or buildings, forests, wetlands, nature parks or flower  garden out side the classroom or round of school itself.

Some features of field trip

1.      Facilitating the learning of abstract concepts.

2.      Motivating students through increased interest and curiosity.

3.       Improving long term retention of concepts. 

4.      Teaching scientific method by example.

5.       Increasing student-student and student-teacher social interaction.

6.      Developing social consciousness an increased appreciation for the phenomenon studied.

Purpose of Field Trip

1. It enhances the curriculum. 
2. Renewal (saves from boredom and can refresh a class). 
3. Give students experiential learning experiences. 
4. Concrete skills such as note taking. 
5. Involvement in a real world experience makes learning more meaningful and memorable. 
6. Field trips help the students appreciate the relevance and importance of what they learn in the classroom.

Three kinds of Field Trips:

1. Instructional trips: is a visit by a class or group of classes to a location outside the regular classroom.
2. School contests or festivals: is to provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate knowledge and skills developed through subject area instruction.(Students  involve in that contest).
3. Motivational trips: It provides a motivational incentive for the school, club, group, or class and is related to improving the school climate. (students going for picnic after contributing to the school as a motivational trip)

Advantages

1.  Hands-on, real world experiences. 
2. Quality of education, positive attitudes to learning and motivation towards the subject. 
3. Improvement of the socialization between students, which would impinge on the classroom, and development of rapport between teachers and students. 
4.   Enabling teachers to utilize other learning strategies such as cooperative learning. 
5. Students learn better as there is change in the teaching method.

Disadvantages

1. Time considerations - preparation, fitting into the school timetable.
2. Lack of support from school administrations for field trips.
3.   Poor student behavior and attitudes (Or loss over students). 
4. Inadequacy of resources and choice of venue.
5. Medical Risks.

Role of teacher

1.    Planner (Pre and Post planning).

2.     Preparing Students before the Trip.

3.    Provide guidance.

4.    Act as the evaluator at the end of the trip.

Day 15

 Role Play strategy

Concept:

It is any speaking activity where you either put yourself in someones shoe or create an imaginary situation and act. 

This role play strategy was brought by the physician  L.Moreno.

 In simple term Role playing is unprepared, unrehearsed dramatization.

  Features: Learning by acting.


Why use role play? 

1. It's fun and motivating.
2. Quieter students gets the chance to express themselves.
3. The world of classroom is broadened to include the outside world.
4. Teaching communication skills
5. Identifying options and solutions
6. Managing conflict.

Purpose of Role Play 

1. Provide students with opportunities to develop a range of communication and social interaction skills (listening, thinking, speaking, compromise, co-operation) [developing the communication skills]
2. Help students to understand the feelings and attitudes of others by experiencing situations rather than just hearing or reading about them.(teaches many lesson)
3. Develop students' self-confidence, self-esteem and self-image.
4. Encourage students to take a deep approach to learning(cognitive learning method)  
5. Give students practice at taking action on their own behalf and on behalf of others in real-world situations
6. Provide long term retention and stimulate interest.
7. Enhance active participation and decision making. 
8. For the exchange of knowledge.

Principle of Role Play strategy 
- Match the role play to the target concept. 
- Choose the technique with care

1. Group, pair or whole class.
2. ways of presentation.

- Ask leading questions and let them talk.
- Monitor your non- verbals

1. pay attention to body language
2. model the behavior.

- Preparation

1. define the problems
2. create a readiness for the role
3. establish the situation
4. cast the character
5. brief and warm up
6. consider the training

- Playing

1. acting
2. involving the audience
3. analyzing the discussion
4. evaluation

Procedural steps of role play strategy are:

1. Select or develop the role-playing scenario.
2. Have the role-play scenario reviewed.
3. Develop the students’ confidence.
4. Tell the students what they will be doing and why.
5. Select participants and explain their roles.
6. Explain what you expect from the audience.
7. Commence the enactment.
8. Discuss, evaluate and debrief.

Summary of the steps

1. Prepare a class
2. Giving clear instruction
3. Act out role play
4. Discussion

Advantages

1. Students interest in the topic is raised
2. Active participation
3. Long term retention
4. It enhances communication skills and interpersonal skills
5. It can be used with individual or in group situation
6. Teaches empathy and understanding of different perspectives
7. It develops confidence and self efficacy
8. Immediate feedback about the learners
9. Develops competence
10. Useful for various topic(like interview, counselling,etc..)
11. Require mental and physical activity(body posture and gesturing.)
12. Reduces  boredom.

Disadvantage

1. Less effective in large groups (Chaos).
2. Teacher must accept her new role where she/he dose not dominate the classroom.
3. Embarrassment for the students
4. Can lack focus unless well planned and monitored.
5. Can be unpredictable in terms of outcomes.
6. Can be time consuming.

Day 14

Activity-based teaching strategy

concept:

• Is the form of teaching where the learner is actively engaged in a task.
• Focus is on making the abstract concrete and on learning by doing
• Can be teacher-driven - with direction from an instructor - or learner-driven with the learner having freedom to explore.

Principles 

• Encourage contact between student and faculty.
• Develops reciprocity and cooperation among students.
• Practical uses active learning techniques.
• Emphasizes time on task.
• Communicates high expectations 
• Respects diverse talents and ways of learning(respecting each other talents).

Types/Kinds

1. Absorb-type

• Include presentations, demonstrations, stories, and field trips.
• Informs the learner.

2.    Do-type

• Include practice, discovery, and playing game.
• Allows the learner to practice what they’ve learned.
• learner is able to actively seek, select, and create knowledge.

3.  Connect-type

• Provide a way to link learning to life, work and future learning.
• Lets the learner put what they’ve learned to use.

Criteria for organizing activities

1. Should be relevant. 
2.   Time bound.
3.  Should contain meaning .
4.  Involves real world experiences.
5. Involves skills (listening, speaking, writing, etc.
6. Engage cognitive progress. (selecting, classifying, ordering and reasoning).
7. Have particular out come.
 

Procedural steps

      1. Planning.

      2. Instructions.

      3. Monitoring.

      4. Evaluating.

Role of the teacher

1. Plan and prepare in advance.
2. Giving instruction. 
3.  Facilitating.
4. Debriefing.
5. Clarifying learners' doubts.
6. Set up routines and expectations for learning.
7. Monitor the results using appropriate assessment strategies and recording devices, e.g., checklists, rubrics etc.
8. Choose activities that are relevant and stimulating for students.
9. Provide opportunities for students to present to an appropriate audience. 
10. Observe group dynamics and co-operation.
11. Support and encourage students.

Day 13

Demonstration Strategy

We learned  that Demonstration Strategy is a visual approach examining information, ideas and processes.Sole purpose of Demonstration Strategy is it allows learners to see real  modelling with its procedural steps of the things to be learned (teacher's view)

It allows the students to demonstrate mastery of a skills or procedure(Students View).

Procedures to following Demonstration Strategy

1. Carefully plan the demonstration.
2. Practice the demonstration.
3. Develop an outline to guide the demonstration.
4. Make sure everyone can see the demonstration.
5. Introduce the demonstration to focus attention.
6. Ask and encourage questioning.
7. Plan a follow up to the demonstration.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

• Seeing before doing.
• Task guidance.
• Economy of supplies.
• Safety.

Disadvantages

•  Not hands-on.
• Limited view.
• Pacing issue.

Day 12

Demonstration  Strategy

In today's class, after sir paper boat-making demonstration  we were asked to write our own definition of Demonstration Strategy followed by advantages and disadvantages of Demonstration Strategy.

Well my understanding is: Demonstration strategy is a teaching strategy, where students acquire new knowledge and skills following the teachers demonstration. Moreover it is learning be seeing and doing.

Each groups were asked to write advantages and disadvantages of Demonstration Strategy. And some good points collectively came up with following points:

 

Advantages:

1. Retains long term memory.
2. Encourages students active participation.
3. Effective interaction.
4. Motivate students to learn.
5. Arose curosity and interest.
6. Effective gain of attention.
7. Learning by seeing.
8. It is a unique strategy.

Disadvantages:

1. Time consuming.
2. Not appopriate to all kinds topics.
3. Lack in avalability of materials.
4. Not challenging to those who already knows.
5. Create dependency.
6. No creative thinking.

Day 11

Project Strategy

Project strategy is defined as any activities be it individual or group, which involves investigation and solutions of the question under the teacher's guidance.

  Features:

1. It extends beyound classroom teaching.
2. Involves investigation and problem solving.
3. Carried out in real life situations.
4. Effective interaction between students and the social environment
5. Teacher acts as a guide.
6. Creates opportunities to acquire social skills.

Principles:

1. Principle of utility:  where it attempts to study and investigate a practical problem/situation.
2. Principle of readiness: where teacher gives task to the students  and students have the opportunity to choose the purpose.
3. Principle of learning: by doing learners come to direct contact with the learning situation, acquiring the knowledge  and experience throught the practical experience.
4. Principle of freedom: at work where teacher acts as a facilitator and students are given freedom to learn.
5. Principle of socialization: which helps the learners to come in direct contact with the social environment making them to be able to live and adjust in their social environment.

Types

1. Produce type
2. consumer type
3.  Investigation type
4.  and the Drill type.

 And under the Investigation type there are three stage and they are as follows

Stage one: Classroom planning
It inculdes the providing and selection of problems for study and followed by formulation of hypotheses and the planing methods.

Stage two: Execution
It includes collection, organisation and interpreting of data followed by the review.

Stage three: conclusion
It includes reporting and evaluation.


And in order to plan a project work

• Firstly we have to select the topics keeping in account the syllabus content, class level and availability resources.
• Secondly Students should be given to choose.
• Thirdly Students should know the format for the project work write up which includes the title, table of contents, introduction, method, conclusion, acknowledgement and the references.
• Fourthly Students should know how to collect the information.
• Then students should know:

Do's

1. Project work should be written in students' own handwriting and their own words(should not be directly copied).
2. Necessary illustration should be drawn pencil.
3. And students should simple colours.

 Don'ts

1. However students are prohibited from decorating the project work and the cover page.
2. Pictures cut from anywhere is not allowed.

Now for assessing the project work it is done from the time students start planning the project work and will end with assessment of the final project work and  for the assessment following criteria:

Content
Presentation
Process

Day 10

Today we were made more clearer with the first groups presentation which was quite vague on the very presentation day.

We were given three questions relating to our profession. 

Excluding presenters, we were individually given a piece of paper where we were asked write some doubts and doubtful questions regarding their presentation. And after couple of minutes  i got a clear understanding of the 3 types of questioning.

Eventually we came to a conclusion that, among 3 types of questioning strategy, Blooms Taxonomy is the best questioning strategy as it categorizes thinking skills ranging from recalling information, the most basic skill, to evaluation, which involves judging and stating an opinion about the information. It is a tool that teachers and employee trainers can use to create lesson plans and tests that encourage critical thinking.

A very important question (i.e. How can we handle the questions in the classroom?)was raised at the end moment.

Day 9

Today the first group continued with their presentation.They shared on the merits and demerits of questioning strategy.
 Merits:Important ones

1. It helps in problem solving.
2. It helps in long term retention.
3. It helps to develop problem solving skills.
4. It helps to stimulate cognitive thinking and reasoning.
5. It enhances active participation.

Demerits: Important ones

1. It is time consuming.
2. Minimum content coverage
3. Only brighter students may participate.
4. Not effective for low achievers...etc.. 

Eventually before leaving, we were asked to make three groups instantly and provided task(i.e. to write one lesson plan based on three questioning strategy)

Day 8

Today the first group presented on Questioning strategy.

I learned that Questioning strategy that is means of problem solving, that helps students to acquire knowledge and its main purpose is to create life long retention, and to develop critical and creative thinking.

The questionning strategy is classified as basketball questions, no hand questions, conscript and volunteer, hot sitting, preview, big questions, skinny questions,pair rehearsal, and seek a partial answer.

And there are three types namely,   

A) Socratic Question, that includes:

1. conceptual classification questions
2. probing assumption
3. probing rational and reasons
4. questioning view points and prespective,
5. probe implication and consequence,
6. and questions about the question,

B) Blooms Taxonomy, That includes:

1. remembering
2. understanding
3. creating
4. analysing
5. evaluating
6. creating

C) Kipling questions, That includes:

1. what
2. why
3. when
4. where
5. who
6. how.

Roles of the Teacher

•  respecting students views
• modeling critical thinking
• Creating conducive learning classroom

Role of the student

• Involve actively
• Answer diligently, not instant answers.

And at the end we were asked to write merits and demerits of Questioning strategy.

Day 7

Deductive teaching strategy

Today we learnt about Deductive teaching strategy .

 Here we learnt that it is the strategy where the students are leaded from unknown to known, abstract to concrete and complex to simple.
It consists of four phases namely,

1. presentation of abstraction,
2. teachers illustrate with example,
3. students gives examples of concept,
4. and apply them in new situation and students restate the concept or definition that they have learnt.

 In this strategy the role of the teacher is to make the plan and prepare detailed information including the materials.  Here the students depends more on teacher.

 Here the advantages are, it is not time consuming,  it involve all levels of questions and  most of the topics could be taught using this strategy.

Day 6

The recapitulation of class was to be done in pairs. Couple of discussions and debates resulted to clear understanding of inductive learning.. well inductive learning is inquiry/discovery based learning whereby the learners learn from what they have known to unknown, concrete to abstract and from simple to complex.
Well in this inductive learning teacher asks for examples from students, then students tend to generalize and later comes with a good definition of their own. here teachers role is not minimized.
It was followed by a group activity, were each group was asked to create short lesson plan (one each topic on IT and English) keeping in mind the procedural steps of inductive teaching.

Day 5

Effective Teachers Qualities

He should have good classroom management skills.
He should teach students with all available resources .
He should have positive expectations and dreams for student success.
He should have good communication skills.

Day 4

Today we learned about inductive teaching/learning strategy. it was a group activity where by we were ask to make a different group based on number system-'an expert group'. Then different groups were provided with different questions on the above mentioned topic. Then after an hour discussions(alloted time) we were asked to re unit in home group and share on respective allocated topics to the groups. well my first group presented on concept- firstly its meaning and 2 type of concepts-1. guided and non-guided, which was clear, so was 3rd group presenting on 'procedural steps of inductive teaching/learning strategy', 4th group presented on 'role of a teacher', which clearly showed that they did an extended and in depth research  and 5th group presented well on the topic 'merits and demerits of it'.
well our group (i.e 2nd group), on behave of our group we would like to apologize sir and friend for not being able to present quality and expected presentation. Our desire to producing a quality presentation lead us to research more, regardless of time, we even failed to implement all good points sir provided to us.,..sorry one and all........henceforth- no repetition..

Day 3

Today we learned about the differences between teaching strategy and teaching skills.

Well a Teaching strategy is the plan that consist of series of actions designed to achieve a goals,where as,

Teaching skills is the part of the strategy which includes the teacher's abilities, experiences and his/her knowledge to carry on the plan of actions(strategy) to reach the targeted learning outcomes

Day 2

The second day of  'Teaching Strategies' went successfully were we learned about differences between strategies, methods, approaches, skills and techniques. We learned that strategy is plan of action be it short term or long term. Method or approaches are just very similar which is, just the way of doing. And finally we learned about techniques and skills, which too are very common in fact synonyms, it means 'it's an ability that enables us to do something, it is usually a method that involves practical skills'.

Day 1

First class on the module "Teaching Strategy" was about setting of ground rules, that was to followed effectively throughout the semester.We were introduced to the module, and I really felt interested in the module as it focused on the planning different strategies to be used in schools in the future.

In addition we were also taught about the importance of the meditation - mindfulness, that is likely to help us concentrate, focus in one thing mindfully. We learned about meditation, which takes us to fulfilling a successful implementation of Gross National Happiness classroom. We learned about the how to breathe, how to adjust body posture and what to concentrate on (we were to concentrate on our breathe rushing in and out).

We  learned about some biological facts and social facts,, like early birth-end full of complications and suffering. We too learned that it is not at all advisable for us to marry early, which might lead to neglecting Parents and relatives (who have nurtured us with great care and love despite their tears, blood and sweats.