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Teacher Training and How to Create a More Interactive Learning Experience

The CRESI committee on day 3 focused their discussion on solutions regarding the loopholes in the RTE act, vocational training, and university entrance exams. Also discussed was the teacher training policies and how homework can be made more fun and interesting for the students in order to promote a more interactive learning experience. The following is our analysis on the teacher training in India and measures taken and which should be taken by the schools of India to create a more holistic learning experience for the students of India.

Imagine a situation where a teacher graduates from a District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) centre, earns her B.Ed or M.Ed degree and enters the classroom. Let’s assume she’s teaching at a low-cost government school. She’s excited and genuinely believes that she has the tools to help her students learn.

However, on entering the classroom, the teacher realises that the students in her class are at completely different academic levels and she has no idea how to teach in such a situation. Many of them are first-generation learners who may not get any academic support at home. Absenteeism is quite high and socio-economic circumstances like low income levels and a lack of proper nutrition affect the performance of many able students. To help her cope with these issues, she attends different types of training but there is no professional development programme which helps to better her knowledge and skills. The lack of proper training affects her teaching and consequently, her student’s ability to learn and perform well.
While this may be an extreme example, many teachers in India, especially those in low-income schools, have to cope with such issues every single day.
A study on ‘Primary education in India,’ states that a teacher’s ability, knowledge and her method of delivery is one of the most critical factors that affect the learning outcomes of children. The education system in India, while having made significant progress in many aspects (like access and reach), has left a lot to be desired. Unless there is significant improvement in governance and teachers are properly trained, things are unlikely to change.1
Teacher education in India can be divided into two broad areas - pre-service education which is focussed on preparing students for a career in teaching and in-service teacher-training that is provided by the government through the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) or NGOs and social enterprises. Both these models have fundamental problems in the way that they are implemented.
The CRESI committee also discussed ways to improve the learning experience of the students of India. Mr.Sengottaiyan proposes the abolishment of homework to relieve the stress students  face in the Indian education system. Mr.Javedekar does not approve of this and questions the claims made by Mr.Sengottaiyan. 
Mr.Javedekar claims that solving puzzles, writing letters, putting together household lists, cooking, reading newspapers and watching documentaries and natural history programmes: that is what the board wants upper primary students from Classes 6 to 8 to do after school 
In a recently published manual, CBSE urged teachers and heads of schools to club these activities with concepts from lessons. The manual — posted on the CBSE website — has a set of guidelines detailing how ‘practice work’ can be made interesting, and ways to incorporate different activities to enhance a child’s learning curve.
To enhance their mathematical skills, for example, the Board suggests that children can help parents plan the monthly household budget. Or, they can represent clothes in their wardrobe via pictographs.
The manual, which runs to 318 pages, says that schools can conduct discussions on the kind of after-school work students would like to do, and also design and structure the study load into easily manageable modules. It recommends that students make extensive use of newspapers and watch news channels. For social sciences, for instance, students can design a case study on a controversial law and discuss the solutions.
The whole discussion in committee on these topics was very informative and interesting with delegates forced to take sides.  
(Analysis Article)
-The Hindu, CRESI 




  

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