Final analysis-Paulami

Topic: Teaching methods

Big Research Question:  'What are the hidden intentions behind the teaching methods followed in the school?' 

Plan

No. of interviews: 

Students: 7

Teachers: 3

Others: 1

Focus group: 9th standard

Analysis: 

Findings:
           Teaching method can be divided into two.
           1. One method which has been tried and tested already is being used at the high school.
               Few characteristics of it are that it is one directional, i.e., from the teaxher to the student. Secondly, as has been observed with conversations from the students, the lessons are not 'always' grasped by them fully. This has led to the dependency on guide books. This proves that the system propels passing an exam over learning and understanding.
               It consists of learning based on repetition. It has been implemented by dictating the lessons again and again, homework based on classwork, letting the students answer to the same of questions again and again, asking students questions in a class from the preceding chapters.
               As per interviews, the above technique has been implemented due to the belief of the teacher that neither the students nor their parents take responsibility of the students' studies. It has been attributed to the fact that the students have many 'family problems', parents are not 'literate' hence they do not understand the nuances of education plus their is a language barrier, as the students' mother tongue is Tamil. So they struggle in understanding the language subjects like English and Kannada.

           
            2. The second method been implemented is at the Sky light.
                It is based on practical activities to engage the students, teach a new skill,  'de-stress' the students, and the activities are changed based on the students' response.
                Newly implemented, the results are not yet seen. So far there has been no negative review or discontentment expressed by the students.
                The teachers here try to be more emphatic to the students and hence have not frozen on a single teaching method.

Conclusions: The students are not able to develop on their understanding and learning capability in the regular school model, hence Sky light works as a add-on to the school. If only Sky-light is sustained for a longer duration and applied for students of all classes (as of now only few classes get to use Sky-light), the students can get better learning capabilities, without interfering with the old school model.

Recommendations to the school: 

• Implement the classes at Skylight at a much larger scale.
• Once the results of Skylight is received, we can use it as a reference and talk to the teachers of the high school to develop more efficient teaching methods than the existing plan.
• Whatever has to be done, should be based on mutual cooperation. The teachers at the high school have been part of the institution for many years and the teaching methods have been tried and tested. So instead of contesting it, it would make better sense to just expand and add newer teaching methods. That means that the old techniques can still be used, and newer models need to incorporated with conversation of all the stakeholders. The newer teaching processes need to be implemented, monitored properly.