REDEFINING CLASSROOM TEACHING - A SHORT TREATISE

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime," said the renowned Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu.

The aim of education is to transcend the thought process and create newer avenues in building potential. Teaching is more than a career - sharpening minds, shaping the future. The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery. There's a subtle difference between 'educated' and 'literate;' and that difference lies in teaching. As the famous quote goes, "The great teacher inspires."

Delving deeper into the subject of discussion, let's first take a look at the different methods of teaching endorsed by different schools of thought -

1. PEDAGOGY (origin - Paedagogia, Latin)

I would describe pedagogy as a teaching process that involves unidirectional flow of knowledge, i.e., from the teacher to the student. The teacher instructs his or her students on a subject, the students jot down the important points and continue to listen to the lecture - in other words, it is more of a monologue.

Studies have found that the method of pedagogy is obsolete - learning is a continuous process and no one is perfect. Learning was found to be augmented when both the student and the teacher participated actively in the exchange of knowledge. Thus pedagogy gave way to a different and more superior method of teaching - andragogy.

2. ANDRAGOGY

Andragogy refers to the teaching process wherein there is a bidirectional flow of knowledge, that is, the teacher learns in the process of teaching and the student teaches in the process of learning. Wonderful, isn't it? This way of learning coupled with teaching is considered more holistic and appropriate for classroom learning where there would be room for healthy discussion - this offers newer avenues in transcending thought process. Instead of rote learning, the student is forced to think. Instead of a monotonous lecture, the teacher gets to interact with his or her students. Thus, andragogy is an efficient tool in crafting the classroom experience.

3. FISH BOWL TECHNIQUE

Fishbowl technique is an admixture of learning by talking, listening, taking notes and putting forth ideas. The students are arranged in two concentric circles - the inner circle participates in the discussion, when the outer circle takes notes. The spatial arrangement of the fishbowl conversation is such that the whole group engages in the discussion, and each student can contribute his thoughts, while learning and appreciating others.

4. HEUTAGOGY

The proactive sphere of learning, which is essentially self-determined, and needs only a subtle amount of guidance - heutagogy - is a non-linear approach to learning which is reinforced by multiple experiences and incidental learning. An application-based flow of thoughts is encouraged as the student rediscovers his potential, and the ability to learn and apply competencies is the paramount goal of the heutagogical approach. Here, the learner controls his learning experience and tailors it according to his tastes. Some very good examples of heutagogy include organizing and coordinating a team, volunteering and construction of modalities.

In spite of such advances in the world of learning, teaching is considered as a mediocre job in our country. This may be due to the lower remunerations and lesser funds allocated for teaching and research activities. Lesser propensity for further career development also fuels this thought. Nevertheless, the only thing that has always propelled the success of great teachers is one - the intense fire of enthusiasm.

"If you're planning for a year, sow rice. If you're planning for a decade, plant trees. If you're planning for a lifetime, educate people."

- Chinese proverb