ACTIVITY BASED LEARNING

ACTIVITY BASED LEARNING

          A mathematics teacher has a variety of methods and techniques available for use in teaching mathematics. The selection of suitable method depends upon the objectives of the lesson, needs of the learner and the nature of the content. Some methods are more appropriate for individualised instruction. The SSA TamilNadu  has looked at Active learning method of the primary classes into middle school or upper primary classes VI, VII, VIII.

            In Active learning methodologies, that shift the focus of the classroom from teaching to learning to and from the teacher to the learner. Often, teaching and learning are linked logically in the teachers mind. The two processes are not linearly linked. Good teaching does not automatically lead to good learning. This is evidenced by the fact of un- interested, disengaged children in classrooms. The learner based curriculum places the child’s engagement with his/her learning at the centre and sees the teacher as a facilitator in the process.

Activity Based Learning (ABL)

          The ABL approach  is unique and effective to attract out-of-school children to schools. The teachers who are involved in implementing this method have developed for each learning unit which facilitated readiness for learning, instruction, reinforcement and evaluation. ABL has transformed the classrooms into hubs of activities and meaningful learning.

ABL – An innovative approach

            The ABL concept has been taken from the Rishi valley practices. This has been introduced in the corporation schools of Chennai with slight modifications. Seeing of success of the structure of the scheme this has been introduced in the panchayat Union schools. Initially, a core team was asked to investigate the current practices of classroom process and find out the reasons for the low achievement of children. As the team members had rich exposure in the field of primary education they had strong faith an children, parents, teachers and the government that they would not be responsible for low achievement of children. Then after close study in some of the schools in the corporation area, the identified the following as the malady of conventional process.

Ø  Teacher dominates the classroom always

Ø  Rare use of teaching learning materials.

Ø  Most of the time the lecture method was followed.

Ø  Importance was given to rote learning.

Ø  Teachers are under the assumption that they know everything and children do not know anything.

Ø  Teacher assumes uniform learning place and uniform level of achievement among children.

Ø  The gap between children and teacher are more.

Ø  Focus is given on teaching rather then learning.

Ø  No scope to cover the loss of learning during the period of absence of children.  

Ø  Multigrade and multi level is not addressed.

Ø  Traditional way of evaluation

Ø  Absence of joyous based extra activities.

Ø  Absence of play way and learning by doing activities.

Ø  Less change for mutual and self learning

Ø  Coverage of syllabus by the teacher and not by the children.

Ø  Classroom with less facilities for learning activates.

Ø  Instructional materials neither intensive nor attractive.

Ø  Lack of learning freedom – more of time restricted environment.

To overcome the above malady in teaching process a suitable strategy called Activity Based learning (ABL) was evolved to be implemented in corporation schools.

Early History

            In 1944 towards the end of the Second World War, and Englishman called David Horsburgh came to India as part of the Royal Air Force.  He was posted somewhere in Bengal, in what is now part of the Bangladesh.  He fell in love with the complexity of the culture, the openness of the people and the beauty of the countryside.  When the war was over, he went back and enrolled in courses in Indian history and culture and studied Sanskrit and Hindi.  He came back to India to teach and worked in Rishi Valley School and Blue Mountain School for some years.  He joined the British Council and worked in Madras and Bangalore for twenty years.  Taking retirement voluntarily, he located a 7 – acre sire in Kolar District and opened his school, Neel Bagh. For him, the school was the fulfillment of a dream.

            Neel Bagh constituted the nucleus for a host of creative methods in teaching and a vat quantum of well-planned learning materials.  David was a charismatic leader and a born teacher.  With his wife Doreen and his son Nicholas, David developed a diverse curriculum, which included music, carpentry, sewing, masonry, gardening, as well as the usual school subjects, English, mathematics, Sanskrit, and Telugu.  He had vertical grouping in the classroom and the children worked on the material on cards, at their specific level.  These pedagogic materials were systematically planned, with sketches and drawings and an occasional touch of humour.  Fresh materials on cards would be added frequently, to emphasize that the sources for lessons were not finite.  David endowed Neel Bagh with a magnificent library that was accessible to teachers and students.

            As one example of what the curriculum contained, we may consider music.  Children were taught to sing the melodiously and in harmony.  They were taught folk and classical songs from different cultures and in different languages.  It was a treat to the ears.  And what is more, the music period would be the first one every morning. Like music, drama also was an important feature of the curriculum.  The Horsburghs had talent in theatre, acting, direction and production and scenes, from Shakespeare or the Panchatantra would be staged, with the acting and production by the Neel Bagh children from Rayalpad.  The plays would be first put on boards in the school, with the headlights from David’s Austin providing the light for the stage.  Later, the pays would be taken to Bangalore, to the delight of their thespian friends and the thrill of the actors.

            David Horsburgh also planned and managed a rigorous and unique course for teachers.  A great deal of theoretical material was part of the reading for the trainees, while the school provided the setting for teaching practice.  Many of those trained in this course have set up small schools in different parts of the country.  Faith and John Singh from Jaipur, Malathi of Vikasana  in Bangalore, Amukta, Mahapatra an independence consultant in Chennai, Rohit Dhankar of Jaipur, Usha and Narasimhan who setter Sumavanam on the Neel Bagh model and Indrani, who worked in Madanapalle are some of the well known names who took his training working and are currently working in innovative small schools.  The training included several hours of craft work, as working with the hands was an essential part of the syllabus.  Most of the learning material used in their own schools are designed and made by the teacher

            When David Horsburgh passed away in 1984 the soul force of Neel Baugh declined and the family found it difficult to maintain the school.  Rishi Valley School acquired Neel Bagh, and gods some support from the HRD ministry of Delhi.  Anil Bordia, Secretary in ministry of human resource development sanctioned a project linking Neel Bagh, Sumavanam (a school run by Usha and Narasimhan) and Rishi Valley.  However, without David’s energy, sensibility and talents, Neel Bagh could not the sustained.

            Radhika Herzberger, Director of the RBS continued to have the dream of offering relevant education to children in villages adjoining Rishi Valley, who also reserving the strengths of their specific culture and conserving the natural environment.  She set up the rural education centre, consulting Rajeev Sethi above substaining folk culture.  In the early phase, she had the help of Usha and Narasimhan in developing Telugu and Science Curricula.  The teachers and students of Rishi Valley helped to creat materials, for materials in mathematics, Alok Mathur and Padmapriya Shirali teacher of Rishi Valley contributed significantly.  But the early initiatives were fragmentary.  At this time, Padmanabha Rao and his wife Rama Rao came to Rishi Valley.  They had strong roots in folk theatre and poetry in Telugu.  With their talent and enthusiasm, they were able to propel the moment.

            They consulted widely and learnt from a variety of persons: artist, writers, teachers and theatre people. Arvind Gupta, (Renowned designer of toys) P.K. Srinivasan ( a committed and gifted spokesman for mathematics) and mime and puppetry experts from Andhra, Karnataka and West Bangal were among the resource persons.  Ganguli’s programme called “Theatre of the Oppressed” offered ways to win the confidence of the local people.

            The Raos worked out the concept of the learning ladder.  The Learning Ladder and its organization of the learning process into small steps has become an enabling tool for barefoot teachers.  Its rule-governed flexibility makes for confident and involved teachers.  At the same time, it makes the students less teacher-dependent.  The ladder also serves as a monitoring tool for school administrators.

Implementation of ABL Approach

            Implementation of this approach was divided into four phases i) Preparation Building phase, ii) Experimental phase iii) Extension phase and iv) Evaluation phase.

Ø  During capacity building phase a core team consisting four programme coordinators and selected 26 practicing teachers were trained by Rishi valley project people, three or four times repeatedly during 2003 and 2004. The four coordinators with I to V and experience in the background along with the teachers developed the module.

Ø  The ABL approach was experimented for one year in selected 13 schools in 10 zones during 2005 the experimental phase.

Ø  Since printed cards were not available at that time photocopies of the same were used in the classrooms.

Ø  During this stage, only class I & II were integrated. The ultimate idea is to integrate up to class IV.

Ø  As the results were encouraging, this approach was extended to all 264 schools.

Ø  During this phase, learning cards for classes I & II and teachers manual were prepared, printed and distributed.

Ø  In the year 2005, class III was integrated with class I & II.

Ø  Work books for classes I & II for four subjects were prepared, printed and distributed during the year 2004-2005.

Training of classroom teachers and other staff

Ø  Experimental school teachers handling class I & II were trained initially and recurrently with reasonable time in ABL methodology during 2003 and 2004 under capacity building phase.

Ø  Appraisal and review meetings were conducted periodically for smooth conduct of the programme.

Ø  To enhance resource support a team of 100 members ten in each zone / block trained sufficiently in the ABL methodology who in turn trained all the classroom teachers handling classes I to III and other teachers also who are handling IV to VIII.

Ø  For effective monitoring and supervising of the ABL, all BRTES HM’S DEOS, CROS and ADPCS, Supervisors, AEEOS were trained by core team members in various cycle during 2004-2005.

Ø  Teachers and Headmasters are also trained and oriented  by visiting model schools and other schools of appreciable performance and interaction with successful  teachers.

Ø  Apart from these, teachers were provided on the spot supported by expert team periodically and regularly.

Ø  A resource centre was functioning to offer all time Support to teachers at corporation middle schools.

The Process of ABL Approach

Ø  Competencies are split into different parts and converted in to different activities. Each part is called a milestone.

Ø  In each subject, the relevant milestones are clustered and linked as chain and this chain of milestones is called LADDER.

Ø  Each milestone has different steps of learning process and each steps of learning process is represented by logo.

Ø  Milestones are arrange in a logical sequence from simple to complex and also activities in each milestone.

Ø  To enable the children to organize in groups group cards are used.

Ø  Evaluation is inbuilt in the system, separate cards/activities are used for this purpose.

Ø  Each child is provided with workbook/worksheet for further reinforcement activities.

Ø  Children’s progress are recorded through annual assessment chart.

Ø  Each milestone has different type of activities such as introduction, reinforcement, practice, evaluation, remedial and enrichment activities represented by different logos.

Benefit ABL Approach

Ø  Children learn on their our pace.

Ø  Provision of more time for self – directed learning and teacher directed learning is reduced considerably.

Ø  Group learning, mutual learning and self learning are promoted.

Ø  Teachers teaching time is judiciously distributed among children. Only needy children are addressed by teachers.

Ø   Children’s participation is every step is ensured in the process of learning.

Ø  Evaluation is inbuilt in the system it is done without the child knowing it.

Ø  Rote learning is discouraged and almost no scope for rote learning.

Ø  Periodical absence of child from school is properly addressed.

Ø  Classroom transaction is based on child’s needs and interests.

Ø  Freedom to child in learning as he chooses his activity.

Ø  Multigrade and multilevel in learning is effectively addressed.

Ø  No child can move to the next higher step of learning unless attain the previous one.

Ø  Sense of achievement boosts child’s confidence and morale.

Ø  Attractive cards and activity create interest among children.

Ø  Scope for child’s development in creative and communicative skill’s.

Ø  Children will have a feel of security as they sit in round in the groups.

Ø  Children are allowed to move in the classroom as they choose their activity.

Ø  Moreover the distance between the teacher and the child is largely reduced and the teacher acts as a facilitator rather than teacher.