Models of Teaching

          Till the last century it was accepted that the objectives of education are meant only for them who had the opportunity to attend the formal school education. If one could not achieve the objectives of education; the charge went to the account of the moral failure and lack of efforts from the part of an individual.

          But in the present days while each and every part and aspect of human life is being influenced by the scientific and technological inventions and innovations, the field of education is also not free from its effects. Technology helps us in minimizing our troubles, difficulties and doubts. Therefore the impact of technology has broken up this notion that only high achievers can attain the objectives of education.

          Movements in mental measurement brought a change in the objectives of education. In the words of Brown G. (1968), “Education is the consciously controlled process whereby changes in behaviour are procedure in the person and through the person within the group.”

          Educational technology has given a new dimensions to the filed and objectives of education with revolutionary changes. It has made the teaching more effective. Sidney L. Pressey (1926) of Ohio University USA was the first person to use Teaching Machine in the field of Education. During 1930-40 Lumsdain, Glasser and others used scrambled books, cards and boards. B.F. Skinner developed the Programmed Learning in 1950. At first Brynmor Jones (1967) used the word ‘Educational Technology’ in England. Afterwards the National Council for Educational Technology (NCET) of England explained it in detail in a conference.

          A span came when programmed learning and audio-visual aids were assumed as the substitutes of Educational Technology. With the passage of time Behavioural Technology, Instructional Technology and Educational Technology were introduced and as a result these technologies gave birth to the ‘Models of Teaching’.

          Bruce Joyce and Marsha Weil (1972) first introduced the Models of Teaching. In the words of Bruce Joyce “Models of Teaching are really models of learning. As we help students acquire information, ideas, skills, values, way of thinking and means of expressing themselves; we are also teaching them how to learn. In fact the most important long-term outcome of instruction may be the students increased capabilities to learn more easily and effectively in the future, both because of the knowledge and skills they have acquired and because they have mastered learning process”.

          The core of the process of teaching is the arrangement of environments within which the student can interact (Dewey 1916).

          For achieving the Educational objectives the first and foremost step is a suitable instructional strategy. There is no single best way or teaching strategy that can be employed in all situations since the number of teaching goals is large and diverse in nature. This led researchers to explore various methods and techniques for the development of cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains.

          The best strategy of effective teaching is the one that is most reading towards a particular goal in a given situation (Eggen, Kauchack and Harvert, 1979). This is the philosophy behind the Models of Teaching.

          As the main focus of the present study is based on the Models of teaching therefore it was must for the researcher to have a concept of the Models of teaching.

1.1. CONCEPT OF MODELS OF TEACHING

          Joyce and Weil (1972) says, “A model of teaching is a plan or pattern that we can use to design face-to-face teaching in class-rooms or tutorial settings and to shape instructional materials - including books, films, tapes, computer mediated programs and curricula (long term courses of study). Each model guides us as we design instruction to help students achieve various objectives”. These models also teach students how to learn.

          Effective learners gain information, ideas and wisdom from their teachers and use learning resources effectively. Successful teachers present powerful cognitive and social tasks to their students and teach the students how to make productive use of them. Fundamental purpose of Models of Teaching is to enhance the ability of students to achieve various objectives of learning.

          Models of teaching afford a lively and provocative introduction to the complexity of teaching (Joyce and Weil, 1972). A Teaching Model can be considered as a type of blue-print for teaching. It provides structure and direction for teaching. It provides guidelines for designing educational activities and environments for developing a teacher’s repertoire of instructional approaches to meet a range of objectives. But Models of teaching are not cure – alls or applicable to all teaching situations. With the help of the Models of Teaching teachers teach more effectively by making the teaching act more systematic and efficient.

1.2. PECULIARITIES OF MODELS OF TEACHING

 The main peculiarities of Models of Teaching are mentioned as follows-

1.     All Models of Teaching specify the learning outcomes in detail on observable student performance.

2.     Every Model of Teaching specifies in definite terms the environmental conditions under which a student’s response should be observed.

3.     A Model of Teaching is not a combination of facts but on the other hand it is systematic procedure to modify the behaviour of the learners.

4.     All Models of Teaching denotes mechanism that provide for students reaction and interaction with the environment.

5.      A Model describes the criteria of acceptable performance, which is expected from the students.

1.3. FUNCTIONS OF MODELS OF TEACHING

          Main functions of the Models of Teaching are explained in the following diagram.

 1.4. CLASSIFICATION OF MODELS OF TEACHING

          Variety of approaches of teaching, their underlying theories and uses are developed in the different forms of models. Models of Teaching are built around the mental process as ranging from systems for teaching general problem solving ability to procedures for teaching process.

          More than 20 Models of Teaching are developed by Joyce and Weil (1972). These models are grouped on the basis of their chief emphasis. These Models are organized under four families which are as follows:-

1.     The Social Family

2.     The Information processing Family

3.     The Personal Family

4.     The Behavioural Systems Family.

The sample synoptic view of these four categories is give below in Table 1.1.

Table 1.1

Families Of Models Of Teaching

S. No.	Category of Model	Example of Model
1.	Social Interaction Model	1.     Group investigation 2.     Social control 3.     Role Playing
2.	Information processing	1.     Inquiry Training 2.     Concept Attainment 3.     Advance Organizer
3.	Personal Model	1.     Non-directive Teaching 2.     Awareness Training 3.     Synectics
4.	Behavioural Models	1.     Contingency Management 2.     Self control 3.     Assertiveness training

(a) The Social Family: These models emphasize the democratic social organization and the analysis of major social problems and critical social values and issues.

(b) The Information Processing Family: Information Processing Models increase student’s ability to seek and master informations, organize it and apply it with test and learn by their independent reading and writing.

(c) The Personal Family: These models shape the environment around the capacity for self-education and the need to develop self awareness and understanding.

(d) The Behavioural Systems Family: These models are used in the wide variety of applications, from teaching informations, concepts and skills, increasing comfort and relaxation and decreasing phobias, changing habits and learning to control one’s behaviour.

1.5. COMPONENTS OF A MODEL

          According to Joyce and Weil (1972) the components of a teaching model are as follows:-

a.     Syntax

b.     Social System

c.      Principles of reaction

d.     Support system

e.      Instructional and Nurturant effects.

a. Syntax: The syntax describes the terms of sequences of activities called phases; Each model has a distinct flow of phases.

b. Social System: The social system describes student and teacher role and relationships and the kind of norms that are encouraged.

c.  Principle of Reaction: Principle of reaction tell the teacher how to regard the learner and how to respond to what the learner does.

d. Support System: Support system refers to additional requirements beyond the usual human skills, capacities and technical facilities necessary to implement a Model.

e. Instructional and Nurturant Effects: The instructional effects are those directly achieved by leading the learner in certain directions. The nurturant effects come from experiencing the environment created by the model.

Diagram 1.4

Diagrammatic Presentation of Instructional and Nurturant effects

The subject of Educational Technology which took birth in 1967; has become today an essential part of Educational Philosophy, Educational Psychology, Educational Sociology and almost all the streams of education. Failure in the schools is therefore, said to be unnecessary and it is suggested that common objectives of elementary and secondary schools could be achieved by the most children.

          We accept that education is the backbone of a progressive nation and teaching procedure occupies a pivotal role in educational process. No educational reform can be accomplished without effective teaching method. The success of students depends largely upon the means of education. As is the quality of teaching method which in term determines the quality and quantity of instructional material. The essence of teaching is the quality of the subject matter.

          The earliest notion that “teachers are born, not made” is contradicted by certain investigations which prove that effectiveness of concept attainment can be produced by adopting an appropriate means of teaching.

1.6. CONCEPT OF TEACHING

          Teaching has been defined in number of ways, many of which seriously limit one’s view of the process of teaching. Seeing teaching as interaction highlights only one narrow set of behaviors’ and it does so at the expense of inspiring other more important dimensions of teaching acts. Dictionary definitions that describes teaching as ‘imparting knowledge’, ‘giving lessons’, ‘training to some action’ or ‘talking to know how’ are based again this direction of implying particularly a telling relationship. They are also incomplete in that they lack direction concerning conditions, means and ends.

          Another popular but counterproductive concept of teaching is one that equates teaching with learning. After having had an year’s instruction from a teacher, we frequently hear she didn’t teach me anything; in other words, I didn’t learn anything worthwhile.

          In very general sense, teaching could be defined as ‘a process of helping people grow. Such a definition is too broad, however, in that it does not point out a possible direction or clarity regarding professional practices. A more precise definition is needed that describes the unique elements and activities practiced by the teacher.

          Henderson (1973) defined teaching as “Teaching is manipulating the variations of instruction to produce intended change in learner’s behaviour”.

The definition given by Henderson is clearly more technical and warrants further examination and explanation.

1.7 WHAT IS EFFECTIVE TEACHING?

As the present study deals with the experimentation of enhancing concepts, therefore it was must for the researcher to have a clear view of effective teaching which is discussed in this head.

 Measure of effective teaching strategy is the teaching learning outcome which in turn is the function of interaction between the teacher, content and learner. There teaching is not talking alone and learning is not listening alone. Teacher and learner must be active in manipulating the system of objects and for organism of interest so that inherent regulation in experience can be discovered.

          Bruner (1972) emphasized four major features of theory of instruction in effective teaching:-

1.     Predisposition towards learning

2.     Structural body of knowledge

3.     Sequence of learning material

4.     The nature and paring of reward and punishment

          It reveals that a theory of instruction in teaching is concerned with how and what our wishes to teach can best be learnt, with improving rather than describing teaching. It is true that teaching is a process by which teacher and learner create a shared environment including sets of values and believes, which in turn colour their view of reality.

1.8. PURPOSE OF LANGUAGE TEACHING

          Language is the gateway of knowledge; we have to learn a language first. A person, who has command over many languages, is really more educated and wiser than the rest of his fellowmen.

          Language teaching aims at improving the communication skills of learner. In now a day language is recognized as something alive, changing and evolving along with culture. So the language we teach must be well suited for communication – oral and written. When the language is learned the branches of knowledge lie open before the learner. Thus the effectiveness of today’s education depends on the efficiency of the learner to use the language.

1.9. IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE

          International understanding is definitely promoted by the learning of different languages. Learning of other languages help to develop broad-minded individuals. English language being a key to the cultural heritage acts as a tool to inculcate moral and spiritual values and plays a very important role in this regard.

          English is an important language of the world. Most of the Asian and European nations use English as the official language in their day to day life. English is read and understand by billions of people and is resisted by more than 40 crores of people as the language of the Holy Bible.

          English is the language of learning, welfare and progressive thought of the civilized world. Teaching English will promote to develop broad minded individuals and foster our cultural heritage.