Spice up classroom learning with interactive teaching methods

Being a youth today is indeed challenging.  At the receiving end of technological advancements, a surfeit of information, temptations and quick fix methods, youth are often led astray.  Additionally, they are usually out of touch with culture and traditions.  Given this scenario, interactive teaching methods can be used to put them back in touch with traditions, values and natural settings while fuelling their imagination and creativity.  Such methods communicate ideas quickly and holistically, not laboriously or in bits and pieces.  More importantly, expensive investments in hardware, software and the services of experts are not required. 

I believe that the introduction of teaching methods which comprise of the active involvement of students even if used on an experimental basis will breathe life in to the otherwise inanimate theory of commerce and management. The application of these teaching methods will definitely provide an enriching classroom experience to both students and teachers.

It is observed that most under graduate students find the subject of management considerably dry and theoretical.  As a result of which they attempt to mug up theories and principles rather than making a sincere attempt to learn and understand the same.  Most of them regard lessons in business management as boring and burdensome.  Prompted by this, I thought of a way of making lessons in management interesting for the students.  One day instead of simply teaching the theory of “time management” I told the class the story of a swallow, snail and the cherry tree which ended with the lesson “the right time to do anything is “now””.  The class was found to be more receptive than usual during this particular lesson.  An instance of the use of storytelling in business and management is the book “Aesop and the CEO: Powerful Business Lessons from Aesop and America's Best Leaders”, wherein David Noonan has used ancient wisdom in its simplistic form and has related it with companies, business conflicts and corporate events with ease.  India has a treasure trove of regional literature and short stories which teachers of commerce and management can use to give an interesting twist to lessons.
Here is an adaptation of Aesop's tale...that can be used to teach the topic of "planning" in management....

The Milk-Woman and Her Pail

  A FARMER'S daughter was carrying her Pail of milk from the field

to the farmhouse, when she fell a-musing.  "The money for which

this milk will be sold, will buy at least three hundred eggs.

The eggs, allowing for all mishaps, will produce two hundred and

fifty chickens.  The chickens will become ready for the market

when poultry will fetch the highest price, so that by the end of

the year I shall have money enough from my share to buy a new

gown.  In this dress I will go to the Christmas parties, where

all the young fellows will propose to me, but I will toss my head

and refuse them every one."  At this moment she tossed her head in

unison with her thoughts, when down fell the milk pail to the

ground, and all her imaginary schemes perished in a moment. 

Coming up...some more interesting methods