Role of Activity in Teaching and Learning of English (Std-Xl/Xll)

     Role Of Activity In Teaching  

        And Learning Of English

                  ( Std-Xl & Xll )

   The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary And Higher Secondary Education has adopted revised format  of English for class 11th, and 12th. The main objective of the revised format to English language teaching in Maharashtra is to help the learners in learning to use English through activities. This change is based on the questioning pattern which turned questions and available exercises into activity based exercises. It is necessary to understand the implication and role of the different activities and the course book on classroom procedures.

    Recollect your classroom experience. What method you were following for dealing with any lesson from the course book? How far the students were involved in the process of learning? Have you ensured that some amount of learning had taken place at the end of it. Normally lecture, translation, question-answer rand one way explanation are some of the methods use quite often in our classrooms. A bit of introspection on our classroom practices as teachers would reflect whether we were on the proper track.

    We have been claiming of the learner centered education, still how many students were really actively involved in the process of learning is a doubt. It is mostly observed that all the methods that we followed were keeping our children away from the experience of learning. This was prohibiting our students from thinking and applying their own brains and trying to understand from their side. It is just one sided process and the learning is not assured.

     We are conversant with the term constructivism so far. Learners are responsible for their own learning. Teacher creates opportunities for them to learn. We believe that all learning is self learning. Learners construct their own knowledge through the information that we provide. Considering all the principles of language learning and constructivism, we need to focus our attention on the activities of the students in our class. All our efforts need to be focused on the learning outcome of what we do in our class. Moreover, there was no direct involvement of students in the process of learning. They remained as the passive listeners to what the teacher was providing as information. The learners need to be given exposure to variety of learning experiences.

    Activity based teaching and learning is a new concept introduced right from the primary classes which is taken over at the in both teaching and learning and testing. This need to be continued further at the secondary level, since we are going confront the children who have already been trained in learning through activities.

Activity defined: 

   It would be essential to note the definition of the term 'activity'. Meriam Webster dictionary relates it as 'an educational procedure designed to stimulate learning by first hand experience. In a way activity is an exercise.  A group of teacher involved in material development workshop were asked to define the way. They have made variety of observations in this respect. Have a look at the various aspects of activity.

@   All that you do to involve the learners in the process of learning. It also involves physical actions set to achieve outcomes in the lesson.

@  Activity means physically and mentally involving the learners and teachers to gain set objectives.

@  Activity should be like treasure hunt.

@  Activity  means the way in which the learner learns freely on is own By doing we learn. Making learner engage through games, methods, etc. is an activity.

@  Activity is that which triggers (by words or actions) an idea to recall one's previous experience and knowledge, apply it to the present situation to create something new by an individual.

@  Activity is a purposeful process in which learner is involved both physically and mentally with the help of certain sets of instructions provided. Purposes of activity can be different as to engage, study and produce. It can be formed according to different learning styles as audio, visual and kinaesthetic.

@  Activity means a pathway of learning by play way method using self experience.

@  An activity is a procedure/ process to engage/involve the students in a specific task mentally and physically, in order to learn in a constructive way. It motivates the students and enhances their creativity. It strengthens the learning as it involves cognitive, psychomotor and kinaesthetic domains.

@  Activity focuses on creativity rather than  rote learning.

@   Activity helps the learners to learn on their own.

@ Activity means the procedure of providing learning experience to create interest, engage and activate their minds for better product. The action done by a teacher for the students to learn things by themselves is an activity.

@  Activity is a task performed where inputs are used to get the required outputs.

 Activity as a method of teaching and learning :

    Classroom procedure: From 1994 onwards we have been trained in addressing the class as sutable groups and pairs and not the class as a whole. There is no point in addressing the class together. since the number of students in a class is more. We are already familiar with on of our classes into groups and pairs. This divides the class into comfortable units where the teacher can deal with more closely and lessen the gap between the teacher and the taught. Students also get more opportunities to learn by conversing and communicating in smaller groups. Here, the teacher is expected to set an activity for the learners to solve or enjoy. So far we were using a series of wh-questions which were basically  of comprehension in nature expecting them to respond in full sentences. Activities here would stress mainly on the development and use  of mental abilities or thinking abilities .Through the activities they would applying their skills of language in room constructive manner where they are expected to apply and use rather than to recite, cram and reproduce.

   The activities should  be framed in such a way that the learners will have to undergo the right process of finding the response. Responsibility of English language teacher just goes beyond developing the language and literary skill. They need to focus on inculcating the effective ways of application or use of English in variety of situations. A language is used varied ways, for example, language used in formal write up is different from the informal one  write up is different from the informal one. The language used for letters,  application is different than used in stories and poems. Further the language used in advertisement leaflet is different. There need to be continuous effort done for developing the sense of language used amongst the students. Therefore, the activities set should not be merely of comprehension in nature but they should aim at classifying. analytical thinking. critical thinking, defining problem solving. discriminating, reasoning, finding logical sequence, predicting, transforming knowledge into different forms, creative thinking and so on.

   Teaching and learning experiences that you are going to provide should consider interlinking of the basic linguistic skills. That is there has to be perfect linking in listening. speaking, reading and writing. Their interlinking nature should be used in more constructive manner. This will benefit the learners in the true sense.

  Teacher's role and learner's role:

    While teacher teaches by using activities for the students the teacher will have to perform entirely a different role and should not just go on delivering a lecture or go on giving explanations and making teaching just one sided. A class should turned out to be truly interactive in every sense. The teacher need to be good at planning and administering. Systematic and thoughtful plans need to be drawn to conduct the activities. Role of a facilitator will surely be of great help in training the learners for self thinking. Teacher should not just be the provider of information but act as a catalyst agent to bring students and information together. The efforts should be involving the learner in playing with the language and teaching the techniques of dealing with the language by focussing on manipulating the language.

   For conducting an activity effectively learning aids or helping material is very essential. Students need to handle the actual things which would give them first hand knowledge of the language. For example while dealing with the topic of application for the post, teacher should provide cuttings of the advertisements from the different newspapers and provide one on each bench.

Preparing for the activity: 

• Form the activities and not just wh-questions.

•  Be sure about the objectives of conducting the activity.

• Get ready with the essential material, theories  for c conducting the activity.

• Consider the time available and be sure about the time management.

•  Bring variety in selecting the activities.

While conducting activities:

•  Arrange the class in comfortable groups or pairs.

• Give clear instructions regarding what you expect from the students.

• Make students conscious of time and duration.

• Facilitate by going more close to the students.

•  Give examples, suggest by providing hints and tips.

After conducting activities:

•  Review whether learning had taken place.

•  Ask for the reactions and the responses.

•  Give them work to be done after the class hours.

     Role of students for activity-based

        learning:

  Students have to be active learners and not just passive listeners  in the process of learning is very essential. Teacher's responsibility is to make students aware of their role in the class. They should not get a feeing that they are spoon fed all the time. They should be trained in finding answers for themselves instead of depending on something ready made. They will also have to develop their strategies like planning. time management, administration, appointing leader and execution of activities in time, etc. Actively listening, speaking and reacting is very essential.   Learning through activities would be result oriented only when the students are really active.

   Ref/Source: 

     Teachers ‘Awareness Programme,Pune

              Activity Based Evaluation     

                     Compiled by-   
               Prof. D. S. Rathod  [Moderator]