METHODS OF TEACHING

BY

M.VIJAYALAKSHMIAssistant Professor

UNIT V : Methods of Teaching Biological Science

Criteria for Selecting a Method of Teaching Biological Science: Levels of the Class-Size of the Class-Time Availability and Subject Matter-General Methods of Teaching Biological Science - Lecture Method - Demonstration Method - Scientific Method - Project Method -Heuristic Method - Biographical and Assignment Method - Programmed Instruction - Computer Assisted Instruction - Team Teaching - Teaching Machines - Panel Discussion - Seminar – Symposium - Work Shop.

INTRODUCTION• ‘Method’ – Latin – ‘Mode’ or

‘Way’• In education it means the

mode by which the material is communicated from the teacher to the pupil.

GOGE defined,

“Teaching methods are patterns of teacher behaviour that are recurrent, applicable to various subject matters, characteristic of more than one teacher and relevant to learning”

DEFINITIONSScience Education programmes will be designed to enable the learner to acquire problem solving and decision making skills

-National Policy on Education (1986)

If science is poorly taught and badly learnt, it is little more than burdening the mind with dead information, and it could degenerate even into a new superstition

- Kothari Commission Report (1964-66)

TEACHING METHODSTEACHING METHODS

TEACHER- CENTERED1.LECTURE

2.DEMONSTRATION

3.BIOGRAPHICAL

4.HISTORICAL

5.TEAM-TEACHING

PUPIL-CENTERED (INSIDE THE

CLASS)1.1. LABORATOT

Y2.HEURISTIC3.PROJECT

4.ASSIGNMENT

5.DISCUSSION

PUPIL-CENTERED (SOCIALISED CLASSROOM

TECHNIQUES) 1.SEMINAR2.SYMPOSIU

M3.WORKSHO

P4.PENAL

DISCUSSION

USE OF INSTRUCTIONAL

TECHNOLOGY1.PROGRAM

MED INSTRUCTIO

N2.CIA

3.USE OF TEACHING MACHINES

4.PERSONALISED

INSTRUCTION

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING A METHOD OF TEACHING BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE

LEVEL OF THE CLASSSIZE OF THE CLASSAVAILABILITY OF TIMEAVAILABILITY OF MATERIALS AND FACILITIESNATURE OF THE TOPICS TO BE TAUGHT

TEACHER-CENTERED

PUPIL-CENTERED

TEACHER-CENTERED TEACHING

Focus on TellingMemorization Recalling informationPassive recipients of knowledgeRestricted to only asking and answering

questionsTeaching environment is formalizedTeacher occupies a central position

PUPIL-CENTERED TEACHING

• According to the needs, requirements, capabilities and interests of the pupils

• Develop in learners skills and abilities in independent learning and problem solving

• Classroom climate is flexible and psychologically open

• Teachers and students jointly explore• Teachers’ role is to assist pupil• Pupil occupies a central position

TEACHER-CENTERED METHODS

LECTURE

LECTURE CUM DEMONSTRATION

BIOGRAPHICAL

PUPIL-CENTERED METHODS

HEURISTIC

ASSIGNMENT

PROJECT

DISCUSSION

INDUCTIVE AND DEDUCTIVE

ROLE PLAYING

LECTURE METHOD

• Commonly used method• In colleges and big classes• Teacher talks – Students listen passively• Teacher controlled and information centred• Own speed• May make use of black board at times• Dictate notes • Does not expect any question or response

from the students

Merits • Economical• Knowledge imparted – quickly• Syllabus covered – short time• Quite attractive and easy to follow• Impart factual information and historical

anecdoctes• Teacher – own style• Teacher dominates 70-85%• Logical sequence of the subject• Minimises – gaps or overlappings

Demerits

• Students participation is negligible• Passive recipients• Never sure – concentrating or understanding• Knowledge imparted rapidly; weak students

develop a for learning• No place for learning by doing• Does not provide for corrective feedback and

remedial help to slow learners• Undemocratic and authoritarian method

LECTURE CUM DEMONSTRATION METHOD

• Includes lecture and demonstrate method• From concrete to abstract• Superior method of learning• Combines instructional strategy of

information imparting and showing how• Teacher performs experiment and explains

what he is doing• Asks relevant questions

Essential steps

• Planning and Preparation• Introduction of the lesson

• Presentation• Performance of Experiments• Blackboard Summary

• Supervision

Criteria of a Good Demonstration• Planned and rehearsed• Clear of the purpose• Active participation of the pupils and the teacher• Apparatus arranged in order• Visible to all• Simple and speedy• Fit in the sequence of experiments• Impress the students to write what they observe• Act as showman or actor• Supplemented with other teaching aids

Requisites for a Good Demonstration

• Room and table• Apparatus• Spare apparatus• Blackboard• Well-versed in the handling the apparatus• Time for recording• Reflective type question

Merits

• Economical in time and money• Psychologically based• Specially for: -apparatus is costly -danger -difficult and complex -special technique -quick revision -several experiments

Demerits

• No scope for learning by doing• Not child centred – no individual differences• Fails to develop laboratory skills• Fails to impart training in scientific attitude• Fail to observe many finer details

BIOGRAPHICAL METHOD

• Associates the facts and principles of biology with the life of the scientists

• Helps the students to learn the facts and principles along with hardships undergone by the scientists, their experiments, apparatus and improvisations

• Students will realize the importance for hard work, perseverance, success and happiness

• Develop the attitude of science and scientists

HISTORICAL METHOD• INVENTION • DISCOVERY• ADVENTURES• LIFE HISTORIES OF SCIENTISTS• EXAMPLE :• ARCHIMEDES AND HIS BATH• PRINCIPLES OF ARCHIMEDES – “EUREKA,

EUREKA”• NEWTON AND THE APPLE• NEWTONS – GRAVITATIONAL FORCE

Merits and Demerits

• Arouse interest• Particularly suited for primary classes• Cannot be adopted as a method of teaching• Made wherever it is possible

HEURISTIC METHOD

• ‘Heuristic’ - Greek word – ‘to discover’• Pure discovery method of learning• Professor Armstrong - “Heuristic methods of teaching are methods

which involve our placing students as far as possible in the attitude of the discover-methods which involve their finding out instead of being merely told about things”

PSYCHOLOGICAL BASIS ORPRINCIPLES OF HEURISTIC METHOD

PRINCIPLE OF FREEDOM

PRINCIPLES OF EXPERIENCE

PRINCIPLE OF ACTIVITY OR LEARNING BY DOING

PRINCIPLE OF PURPOSEFULNESS

PRINCIPLE OF Logical Thinking

Principle of Play-way

Principle of Individual work

Role of the teacher

• Knowledge• Possess curiosity, interest and a spirit of

scientific investigation• Art of asking questioning• Guide, a working partner and a friend• Provide free atmosphere • Plan according to the age, ability and

interest of the pupils

Procedure

• Students to solve a number of problems experimentally

• Required to discover for himself and is to be told nothing

• Discover facts – experiments, apparatus and books

• Behaves like a research scholar

• Problem sheet – minimum instructions• Enter in his notebook – work done, results,

conclusion• Provide a training in method• Searching is encouraged• Creative thinking is respected• Safe to investigate • Try out ideas• Even make mistakes

Merits

• Habit of enquiry and investigation• Habit of self learning and self direction• Develop scientific attitudes• Psychological maximum – Learning by

doing• Scope for individual attention• Develops in the students a habit of diligency

Demerits

• Long and time consuming method• Expects great efficiency and hard work,

experience and training• Not suitable for beginners• Formational rather than informational• Too much stress• Merely for sake of doing• Evaluation is tedious• Presently enough teachers are not available

Team Teaching• Arose in 1957• Noall – • “A combination of two or more teachers who work

with variable size groups of students during an adjustable period which covers two or more regular section”

• Best-known and commonly used plan is Trump plan of team teaching

• Professor J. Lloyd Trump, Associate Secretary of the National Association of Secondary School Principals

Meaning

• J. Lloyd Trump• “An arrangement whereby two or more

teachers with assistants plan, instruct and evaluate co-operatively two or more classes in order to take advantage of their respective special competencies as teachers”

Definition• Chaplin defined• “Team teaching is a type of instructional

organization involving teaching teams and the students assigned to them, in which two or more teachers are given responsibility, working together, for all or a significant part of instruction of the same group of students”

Purpose of Team Teaching• Improvement of teaching through a better

utilization of a group of teachers• Utilizes specialized expertise, interests,

instruction skills, time and energy• Ensures preparation of lessons, materials and

other aids to create motivation among the students and better learning situations

• Increases the possibility of variety of instruction based on pooled talent to the teachers

Characteristics of Team Teaching• Role differentiation of team members• Regrouping of students• Rescheduling of time• Redesign of teaching space• Common time for planning• Integration of learning in a meaningful way,

and • Development of resource centres

Types of TeamsSingle Subject Team

Interdisciplinary Teams

Hierarchical Teams

Synergetic Teams

ADVANTAGES

DISADVANTAGES

SCIENTIFIC METHOD• It is a problem solving method• Involves reflective thinking, reasoning and

results from the achievement of certain abilities, skills and attitudes

• Any method of solving a problem systematically and scientifically may be called scientific method

• Also known as “the method of science” or “the method of the scientist”

Steps in Scientific Method

1. Problem a. Sensing the problemb. Defining the problemc. Analysing the problem

2. Collection of data3. Hypothesis formation4. Experimentation5. Principle formation

Synthesis or Induction or Inductive Method

Analysis or Deduction or Deductive method

ADVANTAGES

LIMITATIONS

INDUCTIVE METHOD• SYNTHETIC METHOD• Method of establishing general rules

and principles• Requires the study and careful

examination of particular facts and examples to enable one to deduce a general principle or rule or a definition

• Examples • Epithelial’s tissue cell is in the shape of a

pillar• The red cell of human blood is round in

shape• The cell of amoeba is irregular• Paramecial cell is in the shape of a shoe• From the above four facts, we infer that

cells are of different shape

MERITS

DEMERITS

DEDUCTIVE METHOD

• ANALYTIC METHOD OR RULEG METHOD• Opposite to the inductive method• Calles for the verification or

validation of general principles, rules and definitions already learnt

• Examples• Animals are incapable of producing

themselves the food they need (General Rule)• Man gets his food from other sources only

(Examples)• Therefore man is an organism belonging to the

animal kingdom• Here the general rule is applied to a particular

case to validate the truth of the rule or principle through an appropriate illustration

MERITS

DEMERITS

PROJECT METHOD • Devised by Kilpatrick • Given a project shape by Stevenson• Based on the philosophy of

pragmatism• John Dewey – education should be

for life and through life• School – miniature society

• Definitions• “A project is a wholehearted purposeful

activity proceeding in a social environment”• Kilpatrick

• “A project is a problematic act carried to completion in its natural setting”

• Stevenson• “A project is a bit of real life that has

imparted into the school”• Ballard

Based on the principles

• Students learn better through association, co-operation and activity• Learning by doing• Learning by living

Steps in a project• Providing a situation• Choosing and Proposing• Planning• Executing• Evaluating • Recording

Criteria of a Good Project

Role of the Teacher in Project Method

Different kinds of School Projects• Collection of Live-Specimens• Classification and Identification of projects• Projects involving Organization and

Maintenance• Projects involving Field Trips• Survey Projects• Project of Organizing a Science Fair• Action Research Project

Illustration for a School Project – Organizing an Aquarium

AimPlanning ExecutionEvaluation

MERITS• Laws of learningLaw of readinessLaw of exerciseLaw of effect• Promotes co-operation and group interaction• Democratic way of learning• Teaches dignity of labour• Correlation of subject

• Opportunity to solve a problem • Stimulates constructive and creative

thinking• Helps to widen the mental horizons of

students• Students learn the matter very easily –

associated with activities

Demerits• Absorbs a lot of time• Gives the students superficial

knowledge of so many things but leaves an insufficient basis of sound fundamental principles

• Requires much work on the part of the teacher for planning and carrying out projects

• Presumes that the teacher is the master of all subjects and has an all round knowledge of everything to impart correction

• Books written on these lines are not available

• More expensive• Not well organized , regularized and

continuous• Timetable is almost upset

ASSIGNMENT METHOD

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