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a typical class could be described as having one teacher who directs all activities, and presents knowledge in
discrete parts to be passively ingested by students and to be recalled later on a test.
cleary, these practices should already be a thing of the past since they are obsolete and antiquated. the
traditional method ranks last among the teaching methods in terms of the desirable learning outcomes.
What makes the traditional method different from the innovative one? Garcia (1997) differentiated them:
traditional method
1.this method calls for teacher’s monopoly of the teaching-learning process.
2. this usually limits the class activity within the four walls of the classroom.
3. it opts for conformity, thus expecting each student to come up with the predetermined learning results.
4. stresses the “what” of learning, thus capitalizing on the use of memory work, question and answer method,
etc.
5. problems seem to be insurmountable causing the teacher to bog down in his
teaching
6. stresses the acquisition of knowledge among other things; hence, the instruction becomes subject-matter
oriented
With innovative methods of teaching, education has become fun and thrill to students. now, education generates
interest in the student due to the innovative methods of teaching and motivates them to learn and analyze more.
innovative methods of education produce students who are creative and can think critically and analytically.
it produces students who are self-sufficient and are better able to solve problems and also encouraging higher
learning. While traditional learning did not encourage students to ask ‘Why’, innovative learning encourages
students to ask ‘Why not?’
more practical and result oriented approaches are used in innovative education. innovative methods minimizes
the time taken to master the subject and also gets rid of the fear and helps the student understand the subject in a
more relaxing way.
confucius says ‘i hear and i forget, i see and i believe, i do and i understand’. innovative teaching strategies
involves more participation of the students in doing things on their own by way of group exercises and collaborative
learning and they understand better by doing, than by hearing and forgetting.
teachers make use of different tools like multimedia and other ideas to impart education in a relaxed
atmosphere which creates a cordial relationship between teachers and students. this encourages and motivates
students to learn more and education becomes a lifelong learning experience rather than learning behind the four
pillars of a classroom.
innovative method
1. allows greater student participation in the activity
2. explores different avenues for learning
3. provides students with certain degree of freedom, giving them chance to develop their creativity and
resourcefulness
4. emphasizes the “why” and the “how” of learning, thus encouraging students to do investigatory and
exploratory work
5. requires teacher’s ingenuity in confronting problems in teaching, involves the students and taps
community resources as a solution to these problems
6. aims to develop the cognitive, the psychomotor and the affective domains of learning; hence instruction
is child-centered and multi-faceted.
likewise, mario fartini (1976) distinguished these two methods as:
traditional method:
1. formal environment and human interaction
2. activity time scheduled by teacher
3. teacher directed
4. teacher provides
the sources of learning
5. furniture type and arrangement follow a standard pattern
6. Whole class oriented activity predominates
7. children and visitors are segregated
8. teacher, dominant; children, subordinates
9. dominance of textbook
10. teacher is disciplinarian
11. dichotomized work and play
12. learning by being taught
13. Grouping for single age
14. teacher decides who does, what does and when
15. child’s education, the teacher’s responsibility
16. emphasis on cognitive domain
17. evaluation as classification
innovative method (open method):
1. informal environment and human interaction
2. activity duration is child-controlled
3. student- directed
4. teacher provides guidance and facilitates learning
5. furniture type and arrangement are based on child’s workshop pattern
6. alteration of individuals, small group or whole class arrangement
7. both are integrated
8. teacher-pupil interaction
9. emphasis on abundance of concrete materials to manipulate
10. teacher is facilitator
11. no difference
between work and play
12. learning by discovery
13. Grouping for several ages
14. teacher and children determine pattern for the day
15. child’s education, the child’s responsibility
16. emphasis on three domains of learning
17. evaluation is diagnosis
Effective techniques for the organization of learning
Constructive pedagogy
constructive pedagogy is a generic term. it is not a method but an approach based on the assumption that
knowledge is developed (constructed) by the individual by actively participating in the cognitive process. this
process of thinking also requires the pupil to cooperate with others. a simplified and structured curriculum cannot
provide the pupil with this experience but realistic situations can. creating a complex learning environment is
essential. the source of information is not books and teachers anymore; it is real life. pupils have a chance to
seek solutions to real problems in life-like situations in a variety of ways with different techniques in groups.
constructive pedagogy requires special learning conditions in which pupils are allowed to cooperate with and
provide help to each other. they can use a range of tools and information sources to solve their problems and
reach their goals. several pedagogical methods and learning techniques (like problem focused and project based
learning) can be applied in classrooms where pcs are available.
Differentiation in class
frontal work does not give the teacher a chance to take into consideration the differences between individual
pupils.
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• differences in background knowledge - family background (vocabulary, set of values, knowledge)
• differences in cognitive capacity: perception (what can be taught to a pupil with any disability, e.g. blindness
or impaired hearing), attention span, memory, thinking and language - 7 types of intelligence: language-verbal,
logical-mathematical, visual, motor/kinetic, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal
• pupils with different characters have a different style of learning, motivation, attitude, interests, and
dominance of the cerebral hemisphere
• Gender
• ethnic
background
different levels of the differentiated organization of learning
forming groups according to pupils’ interest
the groups are organized homogenously and within the group each pupil has the same task. Group members
do not necessarily have to co-operate; the may be given tasks that they carry out individually, independent of
each other. in cases like this larger groups can be made. however, if the task requires the group members to co-
operate, groups should not have more than 3 to 5 pupils. this organizational form is particularly suitable for work
with gifted children or in situations when some pupils need to catch up with the rest of the class.
Differentiation according to content
children are divided into homogenous groups according to ability. since the members of the groups work
individually, there is no need to have small (3-5 members) groups. each pupil does their task independently, in a
partly personalized way.
Organizational groups
• cooperation among the members
• 3-5 member groups may be either homogenously or heterogeneously organized
• Group members do the same task
• the work of group members with different abilities differs in content
differentiation in the learning requirements
this form of differentiation facilitates the integrating of pupils with learning difficulties or other skill-
dysfunctions. pupils are divided into groups according to their abilities. curricular requirements for these pupils
are different from the general requirements for the rest of the class. these pupils do their tasks independently or
cooperatively with their group mates.
Organizational forms in learning
Group work
The role of the size of the groups
the smallest group must consist of at least 3 members because a smaller number would mean pair work
or individual work. ideally, a group has 4 members, as this way each member can have their own sub-task;
furthermore, the group can easily be divided into pairs, should it become necessary. Groups with more than 6
members are very difficult to manage, therefore some of the pupils may choose not to get involved in the work,
or even disturb the others.
Roles within a group
effective cooperation is based on the equal division of labour and mutual responsibility.
this can be achieved by assigning individual group members certain roles/tasks.
assigning tasks and responsibilities in a group may have a double effect:
on the one hand it reinforces the existing social skills. on the other hand it creates and improves further
ones. since the pupils cannot be expected to be able to organize group work independently in the beginning, it
is useful that the roles (manager, note taker, drawer, and reporter) are assigned by the teacher. this way you save
time on the one hand, on the other hand you ensure that each child is assigned a job that is the most suitable for
their abilities. however, pupils should get a chance to try themselves out in new roles as well. (e.g. the pupil who
usually assumes a leading position must learn to show respect and co-operate when someone else is in charge,
while shy pupils should try speaking out in public.) although the particular roles are not so important for pupils
in the upper grades, still it may be useful to assign subject-specific roles to develop responsibility.
the ways of forming a group
a group may be formed randomly, according to the pupils’ personal choice, or consciously arranged by
the teacher. obviously, the latter will enable you to best reach your didactic goals, since this is where all the
conditions are provided for a successful co-operation:
• ability
and knowledge
• personal sympathy
• balance of the genders
• ethnics
The advantages of group work
Well-organized group work profoundly influences the personalities and scale of values of the pupils:
• thinking together
• ability to adjust
• co-operation
• argumentation/persuasion
• respect to others, tolerance of different opinions
• the experience of belonging to a group
Pair works
The concepts of “pair work” and “Pairs who learn together”
during pair work, two pupils with similar abilities carry out a task co-operatively. this is a homogeneous
pair. in the case of pairs who learn together one child has weaker abilities than the other. the pupil with the
better abilities acts as a “teacher” (teaching while learning). this is a heterogeneous pair. in an ideal case pupils
like and support each other. the cooperative pairs may carry out several functions (reading, writing, counting,
and thinking). a pair may be assigned to work together permanently or temporarily, or related to a subject.
experience shows that pupils work most effectively in well-organized pairs where the two members co-operate
on an equal basis.
Individual work
The concept of individual work
each pupil has different abilities and an individual style of learning. this fact must be taken into consideration,
especially in the case of pupils with particularly weak or particularly strong abilities. a plan which is made
to develop an individual pupil’s skills is called individualization. it is particularly useful for work with gifted
children or in situations when some pupils need to catch up with the rest of the class.
The differences between independent and individualized work:
independent work can be done individually, in pairs, or in groups. the main point is that the pupils work
independently. in case of individualization the task is tailored to fit the needs of the individual.
Partly individualized work
all the pupils who happen to be on a similar level do the same task independently.
the differences between partly individualized work and group work: partly individualized work is done
independently, without cooperation; while group work is characterized by co-operation.
comparing traditional pedagogy to constructive pedagogy
besides acquiring knowledge, pupils have a chance to practice empathy, independent thinking, patience,
and tolerance, a responsible and supportive attitude; furthermore, they improve their communicative skills, co-
operative skills, organizational skills and adopt a supportive and creative attitude. consequently, the teacher’s
responsibility lies in the careful preparation and management of the lesson, and the in the choice of the topic and
the most appropriate teaching method. this should manifest in indirect control and personalized assistance, so
the teacher can at any time give his/her attention to those pupils who need it most at that moment. at the same
time pupils working in pairs or in groups constantly have a chance to evaluate and analyze their own work and
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The two different ways of learning require pupils with different characters:
frontal teaching
Cooperative learning
doesn’t mind being controlled
independent
competitive
cooperative
Quiet
has good communication skills
pays attention to him/herself
Good organizer
having self-control
self-restraining behaviour
conformist
creative
patient, able to pay attention to a teacher
patient able to pay attention to his/her peer
takes things with resignation
tolerant
a person short of ideas
has initiative
responsible for him/herself
responsible for others
ambitious
helpful
Differences between traditional and constructive pedagogy:
traditional
constructive
teacher
a judge, a speaker, an expert
trainer, instructor, expert, learner
pupil
passive, listener, a reproducer
active participant, constructive
content
divided into subjects,
abstract,
comprehensive
integrated interdisciplinary,
authentic
evaluation
selective qualifying
diagnostic, portfolio-based
learning
environment
big steps, little interaction, few sources of
information, many instructions
small steps, a lot of interaction
didactical
didactical triangle: a teacher,
a pupil and the subject
didactical polygon – a teacher,
peers, task, media, a discipline
The question of testing and evaluation
in the case of the constructive methods of learning evaluation by the teacher as well as pupils’ self-
evaluation is characterized by asserting the positive features, emphasizing the achievements.
a differentiated, executable task, which takes individual skills and abilities into consideration, enables a
pupil to learn without failures. at the same time we should not leave the actual capacity of the particular pupil
out of consideration. namely, to what extent did s/he use his/ her abilities in order to fulfill the task? mistakes are
discussed and corrected together. making a mistake is considered to be part of the learning process. it gives the
children some kind of security and relieves pupils from stress.
During the evaluation process the teacher should:
•
not just evaluate but record the stage of development
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