By Sagarika Mitra:
Pens, pencils, notebooks, black boards, chalks, the duster, a wooden scale, some chairs and tables. The first thing that would come to anyone after reading these familiar words would be a typical scene in a class room. The only two elements missing are teachers and students. Maybe they have just flocked to a time where the methods incorporated in teaching go beyond the usage of chalks and talk. The art of teaching and learning simultaneously has evolved over a period of time. There is no denying the fact that we still are clinging to our image of a class room but have also learnt to accept and enjoy all the methods that schools and colleges have employed in making learning an experience worth cherishing.
PowerPoint presentations, slideshows, featuring documentaries and involving students in the act of imparting lessons through role-play and drama has come a long way in helping students grasp lessons effectively. The internet on the other hand has also become another tool which helps students reach out to their teachers whenever required. Online forums, discussions, blog posts and many other similar activities have become the new-age platform for teaching. Homework submission online, regular participation in interactive forums and discussions have only made the entire process of studying a fun-filled experience.
One major reason for this is that everyone today is net savvy. Out of every hundred children aged between 10- 15, at least 65% are active online. Facebook is not only a social networking site which they use to connect with friends, play games, poke people, take assessment quizzes, it is very effectively being used also to initiate classroom lessons which in turn strengthens the teacher taught relationship.
The entire process of teaching and learning is best fulfilled when both the teacher and the student end up being enriched with education. The methodology employed in doing so plays a very big role as it directly targets the grasping capacity. The level of interest increases only if some well-formulated techniques make way through the tables and chairs of a classroom. A boring lesson of history becomes interesting if students are made to enact it or if they are asked to present important details in the form of a PowerPoint presentation and are graded on the basis of impact. A tough science chapter becomes interesting if practical classes on the same are given. A class on political science becomes more interesting if discussions pertaining to the same are discussed on Facebook forums.
Education is not what only helps you make a mark in the society and gain a social standing but also something which enable you to think, reason, analyse, understand, take control and make the best out of every moment in life. All the new-age methods employed in teaching are gaining popularity because they not only help making the act of learning exciting but also enable students with the power to use technology without constraints. The ability to concentrate, pay attention and focus has increased amongst students because of the methods that help students relate to studies easily.