CH-6 LEVELS OF TEACHING
Teaching is a
purposeful activity. The main objective of teaching is the modification of
learning behaviour and helps to adjust in social life. For fulfillment of these
aims the teaching devided into three level for acheving different aims of teaching
different subject matter teach in different level of teaching. These different
levels of teaching are discussed below:
1. Memory Level of
Teaching
2. Understanding Level
of Teaching
3. Reflective Leve of
Teaching
|
Memory Level |
Understanding level |
Reflective Level |
6.1 LEVELS OF TEACHING
Teaching and learning
are related terms. They are inter-related and inter-dependent terms. Every learning
is the result of teaching. Every good teacher tries to teach as best as
possible. There is every effort to improve the class room environment. The
three levels of teaching are:
1. Memory level
2. Understanding level
3. Reflective level
6.1.1 Teaching Learning at Memory Level
The chief exponent of
memory level of teaching is Herbert. This level involves least thoughtful
behaviour. In this level, the teacher presents the factual information before
the learners. The learners have to memorise and retain it without caring for
its meaning and application.
They are required to
reproduce the learned material when they are asked to do so. This level is
confined to the mechanical memorization of the learning material.
According to Floyd L. Ruch,
“Memory is a measure of the individual’ s ability to recall and associate
previously learned items.
No doubt, memory level
teaching only as is the case of spay That is true in some specific situations only
as is the case of small children w he
are just begin circumstances to teach things at memory the teacher is compelled
by the circumstance a lab level only, It
may be due to quick finishing of the SYNADUS OF some other such reason may be
the cause of it. Otherwise all memory level teaching-learning makes the
foundations of other types of teaching. learning firm. Getting information furthers
the process of thinking or contemplating. The small children may learn things
for the sake of information only.
But as they grow and
develop with the passage of time, they make efforts to understand things and
sometimes they may also think of applying it in different situations. Here the
following questions crop up:
1. Is memory level
teaching-learning in favors of rote learning?
2. Is memory level teaching
learning the easiest of all?
3. Is such teaching
learning momentary?
Memory level teaching
may not necessarily favour rote learning. It is up-to-the learners which style
of learning they adopt. Some learners may cram things just for their own sake.
They repeat things haphazardly and unsystematically. That type to memorizing is
surely educational. There are others who will repeat things systematically just
as learners of language drill the structures by taking up meaningful part of it
at a time. Moreover, they go on making variation in their repetitions. That type
of drill work which helps in better memorization in certainly better and is
educational at the same time. Then the latter described style as compared to
the first one of memorizing is not the easiest of all. Moreover it is not
momentary even. Of course, the first way of rote learning 1s momentary.
Some people
misunderstand memory level teaching and they say that it is nothing but
indoctrination. Indoctrination is regimentation. Surely then a teacher imparts
knowledge in order to develop his latter knowledge. that type of teaching is
surely not indoctrination. In indoctrination, teaching is finished after that. the
last stage alter which everything is closed down, Memory level teaching is the
first stage which ultimately grows and develops acquiring, the place of understanding
level and reflective level. Thus, Sanskrit scholars learn things by cramming
and their rote learning is surely to develop creatively in them.
Assumptions
1. In memory level
teaching, the teacher deals with a specific type of content. Every type of
material cannot be taken up here.
2. The teacher has a
definite type of frame work within which he works.
3. The learner is
enabled to acquire particular type of knowledge which he/she can reproduce in
the same way when asked to do so.
4. The teacher and his
learners are concerned with something definite and limited.
5. Memory level of
teaching-learning helps in establishing the foundations on which
teaching-learning at understanding and reflective levels would be possible.
6. Aim of the teacher
is to cover up more and more of syllabus. The teacher acts like that type of
railway engine of the train which has forgotten about the bogies (students)
that are following it.
Characteristics or
Features of Memory Level of Teaching:
1. In memory level of
teaching, the subject matter is planned, organized and structured. It is
presented in the way that the learners memorise it and reproduce whenever required.
The subject matter is presented in systematic and fixed order.
2. In this level, the
teacher plays an authoritarian role. He is the key figure. He is dominating the
whole show. The teacher is very active and is the one who will structure the
content and present it in fixed and definite order. He is the one who will give
all the instructions to the learners. The teacher imposes all the material on
the learners with the hope that they would be able to reproduce it later on. |
3. Role of the
learners is quite passive in the memory level of teaching-learning. They are
totally dependent upon the teacher. They say ditto to whatever the teacher does
or teaches in their class room.
In the realities of
class room situations, it is but natural that all learners will not learn
things exactly in some way. There are individual differences, some of them may
be fast growing and developing ones, some others may not be that good. So a few
will take up things intelligently while some others will accept things as
imposed upon them.
4, The nature of
motivation in this level of teaching is extrinsic. The learners learn or engage in the learning
task for getting rewards, praises or for avoiding punishments or due to fear of
punishment.
5. The classroom
environment is strict and disciplined. As the learners have to follow the
strict instructions of the teacher. So, the
environment is dull, uninteresting and teacher dominated.
6. The teaching
methods used are teacher centered or subject centered. These are lecture method,
narration method, deductive method, text-book method etc.
7. In this level, the
learners are required to be good in recall, recognition and reproduction of the
learned material. All these can be tested or evaluated through oral test, objective
type test including short answer type, multiple choice, alternate response type
etc. test items.
8. The underlying
psychological theories of memory level of teaching are: (1) Faculty theory, (2)
Apperception theory. (3) Connectionism theory, (4) Conditioning theory.
Making Memory Level
Learning Effective.
Here below are given a
few suggestion whereby memory level learning can made more effective:
1.
Material
for learning should be made as meaningful as possible. Efforts should
therefore, be made to take up contents out of the surrounding of the learners.
2.
The
material should be resized frequently It does not matter much even if revision
work frequently it does not matter “much even if revision work is done for one
or two turns extra”
3.
The
material should be presented to the students in some interesting ways.
Motivation and-interest will enhance the speed of learning.
4.
Learning
should not be a allowed to reach a stage of fatigue. Fatigue kills all type of
initiative on the part of the learners.
5.
Spaced-revisions
should be made here and there in between a few activities may be introduced
which will check the learning process from becoming a sort of drudgery.
6. The whole of the
material should be well integrated. That will help in making the teaching-learning
job easy and convenient.
A good teacher may
teach at memory level but ultimately his teaching will be of growing and
developing type. It will surely sow the seeds for understanding level of
teaching-learning and reflective level of teaching-learning. Only a poor teacher
teaches the learners keeping everything limited to memory level only.
Advantages of Teaching-Learning at Memory Level
Teaching-Learning at
memory level has a few advantages which are briefly given here below:
1. When the courses to
be covered the class are too heavy as compared to the availability of time, the
teacher can teach and finish up the targeted material in time.
2. Sometimes the
teacher is not a good teacher in his own self. He is in the profession out of
compulsions and not on the basis of his love and affection. Such a teacher can
teach only at memory level and he finds satisfaction in it. That way large
number of teachers are able to find happiness in so doing.
3. This type of
teaching-learning is befitting to those students who are not very good. They
are there just for limited studies only.
Disadvantages
A few disadvantages of
memory level teaching-learning are:
1. There is no proper
interaction between the teacher and learner. Therefore, it leaves no scope for
the personality development of the learners.
2. As it is done at
lowest level or it involves least thoughtful behaviour therefore it provides
less or no scope for other cognitive abilities such thinking, reasoning of the
learners.
3. Whatever the
students learn is short lived. Without any revision, they might come out as
blanks and the authorities may blame that nobody has taught anything to them.
4. This type of
teaching-learning is just for the sake of memory level. Hence it may not have
anything good or utilitarian for life.
5. The evaluation of
such type of teaching-learning does not have any reliability.
6. It does not help
the children in their true growth or development which is the aspiration of
parents and wards.
6.1.2 Teaching-P earning at Understanding Level
The chief exponent of
teaching learning at understanding level Was Morrison. Only that teacher can effect
teaching at understanding level who himself has some good understanding of the
subject matter.This type of teaching-learning 1s decidedly better and is of
erecter utility in the formative years of the earners. Let us see what we mean by
“understanding” here: Dictionary meaning of the word ‘understanding’ is to
grasp the idea. comprehend the meaning. to be thoroughly familiar with, In
education it is a generalized insight.
According to well
known psychologists, Morris L. Bigge and Murice R Hunt, “Understanding occurs
when we come to see how to use productively, in ways which we care about, a
pattern of general ideas and supporting facts.” In other words, we can say that
when we are able to find out the whole relationship between the items or when we
are able to make out a sense from the given material, understanding has taken
place.
Understanding to some
extent is a generalization based on certain facts but in addition it is also
insight into how it may be applied in different situations. Teaching at
understanding level involves moderate thoughtful behaviour. It makes use of not
only the memory but also the cognitive abilities such as thinking, reasoning,
imagination, comparison, application etc. Here the learner is able to
completely understand and apply whatever he has learned or memorized.
Assumptions
Teaching-Leaning at
understanding level is based on the following assumptions:
1. Whatever is taken
up for studies is continued till there is mastery of facts.
2. Inductive approach
to teaching-learning is followed till generalisation is made.
3. The teacher has the
insight and he enables the learners to have insight into the matter.
4. Utilitarian purpose of all knowledge is
always kept in the fore-front.
5. Aim of the teacher
is never to finish up mere and more of syllabus. He always makes the learners
follow things. understandably.
6. Psychological units
of work is the basis of all teaching- learning. That makes the job of the
teacher easy and at the same time, the learners are also able to grasp it well,
7. The whole
teaching-learning is logical and systematic.
Stage of Teaching-Learning at Understanding
Level
Morrison has suggested
the following stages:
1. Exploration: Here
the teacher explores the initial learning of the students by putting some
questions. He also tries to find out the interests, aptitude and general
abilities of the students. He plans about the strategies that he would use in accordance
with the environment and the situations prevailing there.
2. Presentation: The
teacher presents the material in small sub-units. Then he tries to find out how
much the learners have been able to grasp. He repeats the presentation of
contents till they are able to have mastery over the subject matter. The
teacher keeps in his mind the fundamental principle. Teach and test, re-teach
and re-test.
3. Assimilation: At
this stage, the students try to assimilate the knowledge acquired in step 2
above. It leads to intensive learning and deep understanding by the students.
The learners have their individualized study. They may study in the library or
at a place convenient to them for their self-study. Then there is a test to see
how much the learners have been able to grasp. If their performance in the test
is not satisfactory, they are asked for more assimilation.
4. Organisation: The
students reproduce the matter in their note books without consulting their notes
or books. Here they are able to learn how to organize the matter and put it in
a systematic way. Virtually this step helps the learners to have complete
understanding of the subject matter.
5. Recitation: The
students present the learnt matter orally in the class before the teacher. In fact,
the oral expression of the students reveals clearly their grasping ability.
Here they are allowed to take the help of black board summary or the written
material, equipment etc. as per their needs.
Characteristics of Understanding Level of
Teaching .
A few features of
understanding level of teaching learning are: In understanding level of
teaching, the subject matter is planned
and organized. It is presented in such a way that lead to the meaningful
learning it is linked with (a) previous knowledge
of learners(b) Acquiring the new facts (information) (c) Application of the
acquired facts in the real life situations.
2. Like memory level,
the teacher at understanding level occupies a central place. He js quite dominant
and authoritative. He is the one who decides and organise the content. The
teacher presents the content in such a way that will leads to its mastery. He
comes down at the level of the learners, feels the pulse of his students and then
teaches or re-teaches things so as to make the matter reach them in the real
sense of the word. He is ever keen to teach things at understanding level and
so he works with devotion and dedication. r
3. The learners are
active throughout in the process of teaching-learning. They depend upon the
teacher in the beginning but gradually they become self-dependent. They make
every effort to have the insight.
4. The nature of
motivation is both, extrinsic as well as intrinsic. The teacher motivates the
learners and then teaches in such a way that the learners become more and more interested
in the lesson. He will arouse curiosity and creates interest among the students
in the lesson through his effective way of teaching.
5. The teaching methods used in this level are
such which creates the interest and attention of the students in the lesson so
that they may be able to understand and apply it in their daily lives. Some of
the methods used are lecture cum demonstration method, inductive deductive
method, Narration-cum-question answer method etc.
6. Test and
Examination: Learning of the students should be tested through appropriate
ways. The best way will be to place the students in new type of situations and
let them try and apply the knowledge. Benjamin bloom has suggested that
matching type questions multiple choice type questions true/false, short answer
type may be given to the learners. these test items help in knowing whether the
material taught has been learnt rightly or not.
7. This level of
teaching is based on following psychological theories:
(a) Apperception
theory .
(b) Insight theory
Merits
The following are its
advantages:
1. Learning at this
level is more effective than memory Ievel of teaching. The Iearners are able to
retain the learned material for the longer time.
2. It helps the
learners to have mastery over the subject matter.
3. Extrinsic
motivation is always there in every type of teaching-learning situation. But
here intrinsic type of motivation really helps in making the process of
teaching-learning a real one which is naturally more effective.
4. Since the subject
matter is divided into psychological units of work, it makes the process of
teaching-learning more convenient and also easy.
Demerits
The following are its
demerits:
1. Every teacher may
not be able to take the students to the level of understanding.
2. It is more or less
teacher and subject centered rather than being learner centered.
3. It does not develop
higher level cognitive abilities such as Problem solving, creativity etc.
4. In every class,
different type of students are there. A few students may find it difficult to
learn things at understanding level. They may continue their learning at memory
level only.
6.1.3 Teaching-Learning at Reflective Level
The chief exponent of
reflective level of teaching-learning was Hunt. Reflective level teaching is
that teaching by which the learner is stimulated to react critically. It is not
an easy job to teach the learners at reflective level. It is possible only when
the leaners have successfully gone through memory level and understanding level
of teaching- learning. Moreover, only some really competent teachers can teach successfully
at reflective level. In this context, Bigge says in ‘Learning Theories for
Teachers’: “Reflective teaching tends to the development of a class room
atmosphere which is more alive and exciting, more critical and penetrating. and
more open to fresh and original thinking.
Furthermore, the type
of enquiry pursued by a reflect class tends to be more rigorous and ‘Work
producing’ than pursued at an understanding level situation.” .
Reflective level of
teaching is problem centred in nature. Here the learner is original and
imaginative. He does a deep and serious kind of thinking. His approach towards
everything is critical.
Assumptions
Reflective level of
teaching-learning is based on the following assumptions:
1. The subject matter
with which the teacher and the learners are concerned is thought-provoking.
They have to delve deep into its study and thus search out new thoughts.
2. Both the teacher
and the taught have to show a lot of patience. They are ever ready to
contemplate more and more on it.
3. “ Encouragement and
appreciation of the work being done have to be the pillars on which the whole
edifice of reflective level of teaching learning is built. Main Features Main
features of teaching-learning at reflective level are briefly given below:
1. The nature of the
subject matter in reflective level of teaching is not-structured. It is
open-ended. It is the form that encourage the students to think deeply,
critically analyse the facts and find out something new out of it, It revolves
around problem-raising and problem-solving.
2. In this level, the
teacher does not play dominant or an authoritative role. He is quite
democratic. In the beginning, the role of the teacher is that of the director
in the whole teaching-learning show. When the learners are on to the work. then
they are fully engrossed in their job of doing work. The teacher remains in the
background. He is at their beck and call. gives them guidance when they want to
have any. Again at the completion of the work. the role of the teacher becomes
pertinent because he is to examine the work and praise the leaners for their
efforts. Thus he may be in the background, but he has to play a very active
role. Therefore the teacher must be insightful tactful, reflective and
creative.
3. Learner is the buy
figure. He is at the central place he is active and sincere through out the
teaching-Iearning process. At the initial stage, the learners are dependent upon
the teacher. But gradually they are busy with the problem. Then they are
dominating the whole show and try to be independent. Their whole effort is to
explore new things. Naturally they are rigorously busy in their own ways.
4. The methods used
mostly are learner centered than teacher or subject centered some of the methods
used are problem solving method, project-method, assignment method, discovery
method etc.
5. The classroom
environment is friendly, interesting and encouraging. The learners independently
solve the problems assigned to them. They are encouraged to have healthy
interaction with their fellows and the teacher.
6. Testing: There is
no testing of traditional type. A student doing wrong things is not checked
immediately. They are made to learn out of their wrongs. In fact, it is not
easy to test the students at this level. They may be given problem-centered
essays. Projective techniques of assessing human personality can also be used.
7. It is based on Kurt
Levin’s cognitive field theory of learning. Making Teaching-Learning at Reflective
Level more Effective Here below are given a few steps which help in making
teaching- learning at reflective level more effective:
1. The learning
problem should be presented by the teacher in such a way so that it becomes a
psychological problem for the learners. It creates a sort of psychological
tension in the minds of the learners. Then they work and work till they are
able to solve the problem.
2. The learners should
be given free type of atmosphere so that they are able to attack the problem
independently.
3. Even if the
learners commit some mistake or mistakes, the teacher should not interfere into
their affairs. He should let them face the consequences and learn on the basis
of those experiences.
4. While solving a
problem, the learners should be allowed to formulate as many hypotheses as they
want.
5. Whatever may be the
situation, the learners should be encouraged.
6. Efforts should be
made to have smaller groups of learners.
7. There is need of
promoting ego-involvement learning.
Advantages
The following are the
advantages of teaching-Learning at reflective level:
1.
It helps
in making the learners creative and original thinkers.
2.
All type
of learners can be benefited by it. The learners of high ability as well as
learners of low ability can work on it.
3. The learners gain experience
of facing problems with the purpose of solving them successfully.
4. It helps in making
the learners self-disciplined.
5. Intrinsic type of
motivation is created. That makes the learners work with sincerity, devotion
and dedication.
6. It makes the
learners hard working. They develop the habit of working for hours together.
7. It helps the
learners to have a scientific bent up of mind. They tend to solve all type of
problems in scientific ways.
8. It makes the
learners self-reliant and self-dependent.
9. It helps in
developing a theory of teaching.
10. It helps in
developing various skills needed in teaching successfully.
11. It helps the
teachers in becoming effective teachers.
Limitations
Reflective level of
teaching-learning has the following drawbacks:
1 It does not work
well in the case of immature learners.
3.
Only a
really capable teacher can handle it successfully it is bound to fail miserably
in the hands of average or mediocre type of teachers.
4.
Here time
table cannot be followed rigidly.
5.
A student
with wrong hypotheses may work for hours together in the wrong direction. On
being corrected he may develop a sort of complex and hatred.
EXERCISE
I. What is meant by
the level of teaching? Discuss the different teaching levels in detail? Give a brief
overview.
2 What is the memory
level of teaching? Explain its purpose and the practical application in
classroom.
3. Explain the Memory
level keeping in view the Indian teaching conditions.
4. What do you mean by
understanding level? Explain its practical applications in detail.
5. What are the levels
of teaching? Briefly describe each.
6. Critically evaluate
the memory level and reflective level.
7. Differentiate
between memory level, understanding level and reflective level in detail.
