As a teacher one of the issues that I grapple with almost everyday is how to transform students from mere listeners to active partners in the teaching-learning process. Here are some things I've tried and tested and believe have enriched the teaching-learning process for me and hopefully my students too..
- CLASS ROOM PRESENTATIONS WITH A DIFFERENCE:
Presentations by students are commonly used by most teachers to involve students in class work. Oral presentations supplemented by visual aids like posters and charts or PowerPoint presentations not only add to confidence but also enhance a student’s communication skill. However, it is observed that other students in the audience stop listening to the speaker if the topic does not interest them. In a bid to make classroom presentations both interesting and rewarding for the entire class the introduction of a quiz at the end of each presentation or after of four to five presentations works wonders. The quiz must be conducted by the presenters themselves and small incentives like a chocolate for a correct answer or a ribbon or badge for the most active participant with a trendy title like “Quiz Champ” are some rewards which can be given in appreciation. Topics selected for presentation could be business related but not directly from the syllabus. For instance asking students to pick any one famous brand like Coca Cola, Levis Strauss, Cadbury, Reebok etc will help them in disseminating knowledge about the history of the brand together with important facts and trivia.
- BRAIN TEASERS AND REVERSE QUIZZES:
Most interviews today test a candidate’s ability to think “out of the box” and often involve the use of brain teasers to determine the same. The internet is a great resource where one can find brain teasers and one or two of the same may be introduced to wind up or begin a lecture. This will inculcate lateral thinking in students and prepare them for life in the professional arena.
A reversal of the regular quizzing process involves giving students the answer and asking them to frame as many questions as they can on the same. For instance “The Palace on Wheels” is the answer to questions like “Name an Indian train which is one of the Top 10 Luxury Train Holidays in the world?”, “Which mobile palace begins its journey from Delhi railway station?”, “Which train offers you a royal travel experience along the Golden Triangle?” and so on. The idea behind the exercise is to encourage students to frame questions while testing their knowledge about various facets of the answer given to them.
