Methodology and pedagogy

Different strategies used in the classroom teaching:

English like any other language fulfils the functional (communicative), literary (aesthetic), and cultural (sociological) needs of the learner. It is an important link language of national and international needs. It has become all the more important because of the factors like globalization and IT revolution. As an English teacher, I have espoused various techniques and strategies to bring the utmost level of learning outcome for my learners.

The learning outcome intends to develop the ability to understand English when it is spoken, speak intelligibly when asked, read for comprehension purpose, write correctly to communicate his/ her ideas, think and enjoy aesthetic beauty in a piece of writing, use library and internet.

To the methodology is based on a multi- skill activity-based learner cantered approach. The teacher is a facilitator of learning. He presents language items and creates a situation which motives my children to use English for purposes of communication and expression. 

For class X (Board Students):

            Finishing up of the syllabus up to 21st of October by arranging extra classes every year is the first task to be accomplished by involving students in discussion, peer learning, seminar, group discussion, role play, class room activity, feel at ease as teacher, and timely evaluation of oral and written tasks.

a.       Revision of all the content areas up to 30th November every year.

b.      Evaluation of answer sheets, question wise analysis of the performance of each child are the usual routine. Valid and valuable feed back, suggestions on how to patch up the lacunas are done.

c.       Finally, a model answer to all the questions is a paramount task to be materialised. Assignment is made to observe the difference of their performance and the model answer displayed thereof.

d.      The same course of testing and refining, refining and testing, recording of marks for further analysis, timely feed back, attention on each individual to help him/her groom until she/ he reaches to the desired level is continued till the end of February. This usually results in prestigious performance of the students every year.

Uses of computer, multimedia and internet in the classroom for the online practices of grammatical items, and writing skills have become an every day affair of the classroom activity. Self is operating and monitoring smartly the E-class where students of the vidyalaya are exposed to various online English learning resources along with Spoken English.

URLs of the sites that I often visit:

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/index2.htm

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/powerpoint.htm

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/index.htm

http://www.uaf.edu/rahi/grammar/C%20-%20Grammar%20and%20Syntax/

http://www.uaf.edu/rahi/grammar/

http://schoolofeducators.com/

http://www.wordwebonline.com/search.pl?ww=5&w=cockneyed

http://www.englishmedialab.com/grammar.html

http://www.englishmedialab.com/vocabulary.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/grammar_challenge/

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/powerpoint.htm

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/index2.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/grammar_challenge/

For class VI: 

a.       Exhaustive exposure to various aspects of language learning (LSRW) is done to maximum level through the use of computer, multimedia and internet.

b.      Besides discussion on the contents of their text books, they are exposed to the diverse vistas of language learning techniques, i.e., vocabulary enrichment, listening to stories, reciting poems, narration of an event, dictation, crossword puzzles, virtual spoken English classes, short writing tasks like making stories, developing stories, with the given clues, peer talking, discussion on content based tasks etc. It has resulted in wonderful outcome. The students of class VI (many of them are the first year of English Language Learners) have started responding to the queries put before them very enthusiastically. Taking advantage of this, the outside visitors are requested to observe the class which I take.

c.       URLs of the sites that I               often visit:

http://www.vocabularya-z.com/vocabweb/home.do

http://www.tcyonline.com/india/testCategory/categoryID/100156

http://www.eslcafe.com/grammar/adjective_clauses01.html

http://eduplace.com/kids/index.jsp

http://in.youtube.com/

http://www.learnabc.co.cc/

http://www.languagelab.com/en/

Virtual Spoken English Class:

http://www.freewebs.com/mishramanojkumar/apps/calendar/showMonth?calID=1418807&month=2&year=2009&move=prevMonth

·   Challenges faced in classroom transactions:

a.       Heterogeneous Learning Groups: Out of eighty students in a class some of them are just the beginners (Class VI students) / learners (Class X--fifth years of English language learners) of English language learning. It’s a challenge to cope up with both the groups at the same time. 

b.      Job Poses Challenging Task: Other than teaching regular periods, I have to perform the duty of the House Master too. Almost everyday one remedial class in the afternoon session is a daily schedule. And I have to be engaged in my duty from 7:30 am till 9:30 pm with certain intervals.

c.       Dealing with children who are reluctant to study for a certain length of time, (Newly admitted class VI students) because of homesickness or emotional crisis or maladjustment (JNVs are residential in nature. Students in class VI leave their parents for the first time. They are not mature enough to adjust with the situation where they have to perform every errand with their own hands), is nonetheless a mountainous task to be accomplished because of performance oriented teaching-learning.

d.      Poor Unreadable Handwriting: Some of the beginners have very poor handwriting which cause a critical situation before the teacher to evaluate their tasks.

e.       Lack of Concentration: The children enjoy activity. But very soon they seek change. They cannot concentrate on the given tasks for a longer period. This results in aversion from the task oriented learning.

Besides these all, they belong to different socio-economic backgrounds and are of different ethnic groups which chip in challenges for a teacher in the classroom transactions.