THE ART, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF TEACHING
(By Prof.
Dr. Babu Philip,
Former Professor of Marine Biochemistry and
Research Guide,
Department
of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry,
Cochin
University of Science and Technology, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India.)
We gather information
through the sense organs. The relative contribution of each faculty is: 1 % through taste,
1.5 % through
touch, 3.5 % through smell, 11 % through hearing and 83 %
through sight. This shows the importance of visual and verbal media in
classroom communication.
A…TEACHING
APPLIANCES
1…OVERHEAD
PROJECTOR
Words and figures are either written
with marker pens or printed on transparent sheets for projection. The choice of
colours and contrast need special attention. Highlighting of major ideas is
more effective than crowding of ideas. The size of letters should be adjusted
to enable clear reading by all in the hall. Use of pointer or laser pointer is
essential while explaining a point but avoid projecting the full text of a
lecture and reading the matter without eye contact with the audience. Switch
off the projector when not in use.
2…COMPUTER-AIDED
PROJECTION
Teaching materials prepared using
programmes like
‘PowerPoint’
and ‘Flash’ and projected directly onto the screen (eg. Using LCD or LED
projector) are becoming very common. The choice of colour and size of letters,
background colours, animation and sound effects requires careful planning and
trial before every presentation.
Highlighting of major ideas with minimum words and clear illustrations
is better than excessive writing.
3…CHALK
BOARD AND WHITE BOARD
Use of writing boards requires
careful planning and practice.
Special attention should be given to the size, colour and depth of letters. The
space between letters, words and lines should be adjusted for clear and easy
reading even by those seated at the back of the audience. Underlining or use of
special and brilliant colours can highlight salient points. Avoid excessive
writing and present the major points with minimum words and effective
illustrations.
Avoid errors
in spelling, grammar and punctuation. Use a pointer to explain without
obstruction. Erase the writing after explaining each idea.
B…LOW-COST
AND NO-COST VISUAL MEDIA
During a lecture, visual media may be
exhibited to draw the attention of the audience. These include objects,
specimens, models, photos, pictures, diagrams, charts, graphs, maps etc.
The
presentation should be relevant and clearly visible to everyone. Use of flannel
graph requires careful preparation. Clearly written words, neatly drawn
diagrams, etc. on drawing paper with pieces of emery paper glued to the back
can be effectively projected on a spread sheet of flannel and exhibited before
the audience with good versatility. The materials can be removed and replaced
by new sheets easily during a lecture.
C…TEACHER AS
AN AUDIOVISUAL MEDIUM
Display a positive attitude of interest
and enthusiasm and begin the lecture by greeting the audience with a smile.
The teacher
should be clearly visible to the audience. While lecturing your eyes should
observe the face of everyone in the audience. Based on the feedback you receive
from their faces, modify the presentation suitably. Avoid unnecessary focus on
the notes or the projected material. Display a pleasant facial expression as a
reflection of a positive and pleasant attitude to the subject and the audience.
The facial expression should change naturally to suit the topic being
presented. Avoid unnecessary gestures, distracting mannerisms and stereotyped
movements. Your movements before the audience should be meaningful, natural and
purposeful. Practise in front of a tall mirror or a close friend and use the
feedback to correct your posture and movements during a lecture.
D…VERBAL
MEDIA
Modulate the volume, pitch, tone and pace
of the voice for a natural and conversational style of presentation. The
lecture should be clearly audible to everyone in the audience. Vary the pace or
speed of presentation to suit the grasping ability of the audience and the
complexity of the subject. Avoid very rapid talk. Occasional pause and
repetition may be needed to introduce novel and difficult ideas.
The language must be simple, pleasing
and interesting. Use correct, meaningful and short sentences. Use a simple,
direct, pleasing and interesting natural style and avoid a hard or bombastic
style. The pronunciation should be correct, clear and natural and not
overstylish or erroneous. Use a tape-recorder or a friend’s guidance to
evaluate and modify your voice and mode of presentation.
Your response to the questions from the
audience must be encouraging and tolerant. Invite questions and clarifications
with confidence. If the answer to a question is not known to you, display the
humility to accept your inability and seek an expert’s opinion to get the
correct answer.
Explanations of difficult concepts
should be simple, varied and meaningful and at the correct level of the
audience. Present suitable examples,
incidents and experiences to explain difficult ideas. They should be relevant,
familiar, interesting, simple and brief and capable of arousing curiosity. Use
relevant anecdotes and short stories to make your narration interesting and
meaningful.
Develop and display a strong sense of
humour and maintain a healthy, pleasant relationship with the audience.
E…PLANNING
AND PREPARATON
Effective teaching needs intensive
planning and extensive preparation. Suitable teaching media have to be designed
and prepared sufficiently early. Illustrative anecdotes and examples are very
helpful to clarify difficult ideas. The
ideas and media should be arranged and presented in a logical sequence.
The matter and manner of presentation
should be appropriate to the needs and background of the audience. Management
of time needs special attention.
F…CONCLUSION
The conclusion should include a
summary of the salient points presented and suggestions to apply the
information.
With
creative efforts and constant practice we can develop efficient and effective
skills of communication for an impressive presentation.
…………………………………………………………………………
© By: Prof. Dr. Babu Philip, Former
Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue,
Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu,
Former Professor, St. Dominic's College, Kanjirappally, Leo. S. John, St. Antony's Public
School, Anakkal, Kanjirappally and Neil John, Alfeen Public
School, Kanjirappally, Kerala, India. For more moral stories, parables and
anecdotes for students, catechists, teachers and preachers, kindly visit
our web-sites:
This is Story No.
340 in the second site. Please click ‘Older Posts’ at
the bottom of a page to read previous stories and click 'Newer
Posts' at the bottom of a page to read newer stories in these sites.
Please click on a word in the 'Story Themes' to read stories
on that theme.
No comments:
Post a Comment