METHODS OF LEARNING

 

Methods of Learning:

The main focus of teaching is to facilitate learning. Where there is teaching learning must be there. Teaching activities are designed to produce change in the behavior of the learners. Therefore a new concepts of teaching-learning has emerged out in the field of education. The concept

of teaching is incomplete without learning.
William H. Hurton (1958) has made an attempt to investigate the relationship between teaching and learning and he gives the following reasons:
1. Teaching can be made effective by relating it to learning.
2. Teaching objectives can be identified in behavioural terms and appropriate learning situations may be created to realize these objectives.
3. The appropriate teaching conditions or structures may be generated for effective learning.
4. The effective teaching aids may be selected for creating learning situations.
5. The teaching strategies and tactics may be selected to achieve the optimal objects of learning.
6. The concept of relationship of teaching and learning will be an aid to understand the nature of teaching and teaching theories may be evolved.
7. The knowledge of the relationship will be helpful for teacher-educator to produce effective teachers.
In the present environment methods of learning are as follow:-
1) Autocratic Style
It involves the following Strategies:
a) Lecture
b) Lesson Demonstration
c) Tutorial
d) Programmed Instructions
2) Permissive Style
It involves the following Strategies:
a) Question Answer
b) Heuristic
c) Discovery
d) Group Discussion
e) Role Playing
f) Brain Storming
g) Independent Study
Autocratic Style Strategies

1) Lecture Style-
It is his oldest teaching method given by idealism philosophy lecture can be used to realize the highest order to cognitive objective
Employees following Principles:
a) The content is pretend as whole.
b) The main stress is on presentation.
c) The students learn better through listening.
d) The subject content is correlated with other subjects.
e) The new knowledge is linked with student previous knowledge.
2.) Lessons Demonstration:
Traditional class room method which his used in technical schools and raining Colleges. As a technique its is less autocratic than a lecture but considerably permissive than a discussion. It is used foe achieving the psychomotor and Cognitive Objectives.
Employees following Principles:
a) The skill may be developed by imitation.
b) The perception helps in imitation.

3) Tutorial:
Considered as both autocratic and permissive type of learning. A lecture strategy is followed by tutorials because individuals difficulties can not
solved in lecture. Tutorials are highly individualized type of learning/teaching.
Employees following Principles:
a) It considers the individual differences.
b) It establishing the rapport with learner.
c) It provides educational guidance.
d) It organizes remedial help to the learner.

Types of Tutorials
a) Supervision Tutorials: In this type of tutorials students and teachers meaning are arranged regularly. It stress on the mastery over the basic skills of scholarship.
b) Group Tutorials: The teacher should have the background of social psychology and group dynamics so that he can deal with group tutorials effectively in solving their problems.
c) Practical Tutorials : These tutorials are commonly used for both and individual basis to achieve psychomotor skills in laboratory, workshop,
2) Programmed Instructions:
It is the new strategies of teaching. It has revolution the process of teaching and Learning. It is also known as ―Individualized Instructions‖. The responsive of the learned are controlled by the Programmer. The learner does not get freedom to respond, but it provides an Opportunity to each learner to pace according to his own capacity and ability.
Employees the following Fundamental Principles:
a) Principle of small steps
b) Principle of active responding.
c) Principle of immediate confirmation.
d) Principle of self-pacing.
e) Principle of student‘s testing.

Permissive Style Strategies:
1) Question Answer:
It is developed by famous philosopher Socrates. He assumes that all knowledge with in the learner and teacher has to unfold it. he further assumed that teacher should present the Subject-Matter in such a way that learner recognizes the truth and he can identify himself with it. He has top identify the three phases of learning process. ―Observation, experience and testing.
Employees following Principles:
a) Theory of enfoldment: All knowledge with in the learner, teacher can not teach any new knowledge to students
b) The knowledge can be emitted by linking the question wit his answers
2) Heuristic:
Heuristic means ―Discovered /Investigate‖. It is based on The assumption that the learner should be told as little as possible and He should be encouraged to learn himself as much as possible.
3) Discovery:
This strategy is developed by J.S.Burner. The Discovery and Heuristic are used fro the same meaning but they are quite Different form one another. The discovery strategies is used for teaching social subjects where as Heuristic strategies is used for teaching science subjects. There is scope for direct observations in the Heuristic, but Discovery provides the factual information about the past events.
Employees follows the following principles of learning:
a) The learner remains active
b) The students learn with understanding and insight.
c) The organization of motives and values with in the individual relevant.
d) The principles of assimilation as description are followed.
e) There is scope for divergent thinking, which leaves to inventive solution of the problem.
4.) Group Discussion
There is no comprehensive definition of group discussion, but it is considered as a democratic teaching strategies.
It is of two types:
a) By the teacher:
This type of discussion is more autocratic in style.
b) By the students:
In this situation, discussion is more permissive or democratic in style
Employees following Principles
a) Principle of active participation.
b) Principle of freedom of work
c) Principle of group work and equal opportunity to ask question and to answer them.
5) Role Playing:
It is also known as stimulated social skills training or teaching. It is most useful for training institution to develop social skills. It is a better strategy than lesson demonstration, because it provides as situation to the learner to perform the task.
6) Brain Storming:
It is based on assumption that a student can learn better in group rather than in individual study. This strategy consists of a problem-solving situation in which learners are assigning to a problem and they are asked to discuss any idea, which come to their mind. The group is encouraged to provide even unusual suggestions. They have to analyze and evaluate the workability of their own suggestions of the problem.
7. Independent Study:
Independent study helps in developing student‘s initiative, responsibility and understanding for what they study. Its also known as ―Project Work‖. This study more useful for a training program.

IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING TECHNIQUES INTRODUCTION

Teaching as conventionally understood by a traditional teacher is the ct of disseminating information to the learner in the classroom. It is generally, equated with telling. If we observe traditional classroom teaching we find that either the teacher is delivering information or one of the students are silently following him in their own textbooks. This probably is the concept of teaching held by traditional teacher.
Teaching may consist of a description of those acts, teachers demonstrate that reflect their commitments to a particular philosophy to education. We can explain it from different angles.
Some explanations are as followed:
a) Teaching is communication between two or more persons who influence each other by their ideas and learn something in the process of interaction.
b) Teaching is to fill in the mind of the learner by information land knowledge of facts for future use.
1) Teaching is a process in which learner, teacher, curriculum and other variables are organized in a systematic way to attain some pre-determined goal.
2) Teaching is to cause motivation to, learn.
According to Smith- Teaching is a system of actions to induce learning.
Teaching Techniques (for Higher Learning)
1) Conference Technique
2) Seminar Technique
3) Symposium Technique
4) Workshop Technique
5) Panel Discussion

Conference Technique
The conferences are organized to study the specific problems of nations, society, religion, science and education. The objective of the conferences is usually broad to develop cognitive and affective aspects. The objectives are determined by the organization. For example: Teacher Education Association and all India Educational Technology Association. The purposes of these organizations are different.

Seminar Technique
A seminar as an Instructional Technique involves generating a situation for group to have guided interaction among themselves on a theme, which is generally presented to the group by one or members. The person who presents the theme should have studied the theme thoroughly before hand. This would mean selection of relevant material at its organization. The collected material is put in the form of paper, which is circulated among the participants in advance or before the paper reading. It provides the structure of the theme, to facilitate its communication.
Thus, seminar is an instructional technique of higher learning which involves paper reading on a theme and followed by group discussion to clarify the complex aspects of the theme.

Symposium Technique
The word ―Symposium‖ has several dictionary meanings. Firstly Plato has used the term for ―good dialogue‖ to present the views towards God. Another meaning of the term is the intellectual recreation or enjoyment.
The recent meaning of the term is meeting of persons to discuss a problem or theme. The symposium technique /forum serves as an excellent device for informing an audience, crystallizing opinion and general preparing the listeners for arriving at decision, policies, value, judgment or understanding.
The main purpose of the Symposium is to provide the understanding to the students or listeners on theme or problem specifically to develop certain values and feelings.

WorkshopWorkshop is defined as assembled group of ten to twenty five persons who share a common interest or problem. They meet together to improve their individual and skill of a subject through intensive study, research, practice and discussion.

Panel Discussion
This technique first time was used by Herry A Ober in 1929.He organized a discussion from small group to definite period for the audience. At the end of the discussion audience had also participated. The important question was put by the audience on the topic. The experts tried and answered the questions and certain points are clarified, which were not included in the discussion. Several other persons had used this technique. Generally this type of panel discussion is organized on television and radio.

Importance of Teaching

1) It Includes the provision of desirable information:
The human knowledge is going on increasing since the rise of civilization. He has learnt all this by trail and error, insight and imitation. We should provide desired information‘s to the student in well organized from regarding this store of knowledge, it saves time, also the pupils will not face any difficulty in achieving knowledge.

2) Causes to Learn:
A goods teaching is not merely to impart information‘s to the students, but it is also arouse the will of self-learning in them. The teacher should explore the interest, aptitudes, capacities, competencies, and need of the pupils and guide them accordingly. From this point of view, the teaching should be so much natural and interesting that the pupils get motivated for self-learning. The good teaching is to provides assistance them for establishing the contact with different subjects of curriculum and environment themselves.

Needs efficient Planning:
The pupils cannot be taught everything all the time. Various stages are meant for achieving the different aspects of knowledge. Also pupils have different interests, attitudes competencies and needs on the basis of individual differences. So there must be some useful planning of teaching in view of the above things.

Selective Idea
The human being is struggling continuously since he came on this earth. As a result of his struggle, his knowledge-store is going on enriching day-by-day. Such a explosion in knowledge cannot ―be learnt in such a short time span therefore, through teaching, the people should be told some selected and useful things. In other words, disseminating selected knowledge is called good teaching.

Provide opportunities for activities:
The pupil remains active by nature. This activeness is based upon his basic instincts. Hence, each people perform desirable and undesirable activities under the influence of his instincts. The teacher should study the pupil‘s basics instinct and direct these activities for purposefulness and useful directions.

Sympathetic Program
Psychology has proved that when the pupils gets involved in the emotional disturbance while struggling mentally, his all mental powers cease to function smoothly. From this point of view, successful teaching essentially requires emotional stability and security.

Cooperative Approach
Teaching does not mean forceful imposition of knowledge in the pupil‘s brain. The teaching and learning process is an alive active process. Hence, the desirable results can only be achieved when teaching is based on cooperation of the teachers and the pupils.

Organization of Learning:
Marshall has written that the organization of learning means the unification of all the component of teaching. Hence, the activities of teacher and pupils should be unified. It is essential to include all task teaching methods and conditions in these activities. In short good teaching is organization of learning.

Democratic environment
Modern ages are the age of democracy. Theses days, the real education is considered to be that education which prepares the pupils for life by life. In the light of this, we should‘ prepare the pupils for democracy democratically. But to achieve this objective, the teaching should be based on democratic ideals, objectives, curriculum, and teaching methods. In short good teaching should be democratic.