In the last decade, the role of a teacher has drastically changed in India. Teachers today are expected to impart knowledge beyond books. With varying qualities of education in schools and cut-throat competition among the students, school education no longer serves as a complete gateway for the students.
Schools provide facilities, academics and extracurricular activities which help the students in their all-round development. But certain trends followed by schools, such as greater focus on completion of syllabus have proved to hinder the learning ability of students. In order to achieve high grades in examinations, students are more focused towards rote learning instead of conceptual learning. With rising competition and the changing pattern of competitive exams, students are required to learn beyond the curriculum taught in schools. This has promoted the need for coaching institutes, who are not only looking towards a student’s academic achievements but their overall achievements as well.
Myth 1 – Coaching Institutes Are Only exam-oriented
Coaching institutes today are preparing students right from the grassroots level. While a majority of coaching institutes train students right from a basic age, their focus lies not only in training students, but also motivating them to excel in various fields. A number of institutes also provide scholarships to students who have the aptitude, through various talent exams. Such exams not only enhance the learning among the students but also develop the right attitude in students which later helps them in acing various competitive examinations. Gone are the days when coaching institutes were meant for only IIT-JEE, CAT, PMT exams. Today, coaching institutes guide students from all classes to excel as well as strategise their future in the right way.
Myth 2 – Coaching Institutes over fill seats in their classrooms
Coaching institutes were known to over-fill seats and teach more than 80 students at one go. However, they have now realised that students prefer a one-on-one mode of instruction, as it helps with retaining information and personalising content according to the student. Additionally, previously, the learning environment in the coaching institute did not promote the concept of self-study among the students which made the students entirely dependent on these institutes. Today, with experienced and qualified faculty, coaching centers are able to understand and analyze the performance patterns.
Myth 3- Coaching Institute use traditional learning methods
In order to promote greater retention ability among the students, similar to schools, coaching institutes are promoting continuous learning among the students through smart classes. With this, the use of visual and audio aids help students understand complicated topics. The traditional learning of ‘blackboard’ and ‘chalk’ has been replaced by disruptive technologies at coaching institutes. The success of visual aids has been felt by students as it has resulted in greater retention among the students. Technology has enabled the teachers in developing a bond with their students. Personalized guidance today has promoted continuous learning among the students. The coaching institutes today are not only able to provide a complete knowledge of the curriculum to students but are also enhancing their learning through advanced learning methods where they are encouraging students to take part in various workshops as well.
-This article is written by Prof Uday Nath Mishra, Chief Academic Officer,BasicFirst