Transferring knowledge in a meaningful manner

Peer group-based self-learning concept -Part 5:

P I Keerthisinghe Additional Director College of Technology, Galle

Teachers are today devoid of creative thinking and critical analysis and an analytical explanation of their own work. Teaching process needs creativity but we do not see much of it these days. The teachers resort to only the lecture method to present preplanned information beforehand rather than enabling the students to look for information by referring books.

This habit does not help to activate the ability of the students to search for knowledge or update the content of knowledge on their own. Most teachers make the students passive listeners and only give them the ability to take down notes from whatever bits of information that falls from the teacher's mouth, cram it and pass the competitive examinations.

They rarely offer opportunities for self-learning or self-training to acquire knowledge and as a result the knowledge imparted by teachers become inactive and dormant. Adding insult to injury, some teachers ask the learners to memorize the content of knowledge they themselves cannot understand or do not understand. This kind of only teacher centered education imposing loads of information to be memorized has led to a large number of dropouts and the subsequent rise in restlessness and hostile tendencies regarding educational institutions among the learners.

The teaching process is controlled by several factors such as curricula, prescribed texts and examinations and any other teaching material relating to such curricula and evaluation system. The members of the teaching profession find it difficult to free themselves from the fetters of the curricula and examinations and the rules and regulations of the authorities of those respective educational institutions. As a result the teachers cannot become free thinkers beyond certain limits. He is not a free individual as his or her head, heart and hands are tied by the constraints of the profession. He is enslaved by curricula and examinations. Besides he has to compromise with the system of education adopted in his own country or the country where he works with an uncritical approach if he wants to save the job.

The teaching process is planned according to common goals along with common curricula. Adopting special teaching methods suitable for each leaner is not possible in a crowded classroom. Although education is expected to be student oriented, it is mostly teacher oriented. Unfortunately, the teacher cannot distinguish between subject matter which is comprehensible for one learner from what is not to another although both are studying the same subject matter at the same time. He cannot address this issue as points of subject matter cannot be scaled up or down from simple to complex for individual leaner.

Their lessons cannot be preplanned for each individual learner, neither can he adopt appropriate methods to teach the same subject matter successfully to different learners because a method which appeals to one learner may not have any appeal to another. The teachers have a vague idea about a method appropriate generally to average learners because they constitute the majority in a classroom.

By organizing self-learning or peer learning procedures the teachers can reduce the learner resentment of subject matter and the teacher. A large number of learners can be encouraged to achieve the common goal. Sometimes they are harassed by the parents, past pupils associations and master teachers and the principals to complete the curricula and show good results and bring honour to the schools concerned by making use of the available resources to the maximum. However all this effort is for the bright ones to show colours and not for the slow ones to improve their abilities.

The teaching process is also controlled by the time factor. Another obstacle for the teacher is the demand to complete the curriculum in the time allocated by the course planners when there is a tight schedule. Different methods that can enhance the abilities of individual learners such as discussion and problem solving. Step by step learning or any other innovative teaching methods cannot be practised due to the time constraint. Instead, the lecture method and direct teachig. Chalk and talk are adhered to however, only these methods are not productive according to the philosophical and psychological foundations of education.

Assessing the performance of the learners is another important aspect of the teaching process. Teachers have no real way to assess correctly the individual learner's intellectual capacity, intelligence level personality, development level or the attitude to the learning process.

A teacher cannot construct tests which can correctly reflect the real situation of a learner. He may perform poorly one day but better on seldom another day if the same test is given. Seldom do the students get a proper feedback about their performance from the teachers, since it is advisable for the teachers to conduct group assessments along with individual assessments to grant some relief to these learners. Examinations are not the only way to assess an individual's performance because his lack of examination skill might make him fail although he has intelligence.

Some youth who had performed well at examinations perform poorly in the world of work. Most learners are taught to follow the method of note learning to pass examinations. New learning methods can be introduced instead. Examinations instil fear in the minds of the learners because they are personal evaluations and suffer from low self esteem when they fail group evaluations running concurrently with personal evaluation can reduce their frustration levels to some extent and retain them in education. Most learners fail final assessments because they have not acquired the required content of knowledge in the specified period of time.

Sometimes a teacher cannot cover certain parts of the subject matter in a wide curriculum due to unavoidable circumstances. In such a situation too an active student participation can help him to manage by giving them the opportunity to share the knowledge. When the facts are hard for certain learners to grasp, the teachers are helpless as all the learners cannot absorb them the same way. Often the teacher explanations are limited to verbal codifications not followed by any meaningful activity. Here too he can get the students to get into groups and cover at least background information or detailed information after going through the outline. The peer groups can do a logical analysis of the subject matter to be studied.

The curriculum content can be given to them beforehand along with a self study guide which is never done in educational institutions. Teachers cannot transfer the knowledge to the learners in a meaningful manner with a critical outlook. Although the present world bursts with a great wealth of knowledge, seldom it is transferred from teachers to the learners in a meaningful manner.

It should be noted that constant teacher supervision of peer group work is essential. The peer groups do no rule out the importance of a good teacher in moulding the character of a learner as a knowledge giver. What is important is the organization of classes in a manner conductive to self-learning and peer learning while the normal teaching continues. I have tried this methods in technical colleges and found it to be effective in classroom organization.

Concluded