Teaching Aptitude: Objectives and Levels of Teaching

Objectives of teaching:

·         learner’s change of attitude

·         shaping of learner’s behavior and contact

·         learner’s acquisition of knowledge

·          improving skills of the learner

·         belief formation

·         making the learner efficient member of society both for survival and living in harmony with  others

·         to make the  learner realize  his/her inherent potentiality

Levels of Teaching (Biggie, 1967): (Memory, Understanding and Reflective levels)

1.    Memory Level Teaching(least thoughtful):

·         Known as Authoritarian teaching and rote  learning

·         teacher centered and subject centered

·         teacher active, learner passive

·         based on memory and mental ability

·         cramming the facts, information and formulas for exam, without any care of understanding of their meaning and application

·         presenting pre-planned material in a sequential order

·         drills and exercises-Recall and recognition, playing vital role to strengthen the memory

·         lacking insight  and motivation

·         useful for children at lower classes

·         memory acquired so, basis for future learning and thinking but knowledge gained so, not useful in real life situations

·          intelligence and thinking, no role to play

·         Theories connected with it: The Herbartian theory of apperception  (mechanical memorization), The Thorndike’s connectionism (SR connections through memorization), The theory of conditioning (habit formation through repetition of association between SR)

2.    Understanding Level of Teaching (thoughtful):

·         known  as Democratic Teaching

·         Associated with Herbart (and his five steps of teaching: preparation, presentation, comparison, generalization and application)

·         Associated with Judd Morrison (and his Mastery and insight, not memorization of facts)  

·         Also connected  with Bruner J S.(and his theory of “finding common elements in infinite number of discriminate objects and events”)

·         though teacher centered and subject centered,  both teacher and learner, active

·         understanding level referring to seeing the total use of facts, seeing relationship and a generalized insight and  teaching, the relationship between principles and facts and how these principles can be applied

·         students making use of their thinking abilities

·         Knowledge acquired at this level,  the basis of the reflective level of teaching

·         relating new knowledge acquired to the previously acquired knowledge

·         learning by understanding the facts and information and their use and purpose -

3.    Reflective Level of Teaching (most thoughtful):

·         Associated with Laissez Faire Teaching

·         Known as introspective level

·         student centered and problem-centered teaching

·         instead of telling the facts or generalizations, making students  to discover them

·         the atmosphere of the class, permissive and not restrictive.

·         teaching by raising problems, initiating mutual discussion and interactions, welcoming critical reactions

·         thinking deeply about something - the highest level of teaching

·         suitable only for mentally matured children, college lever learners

·          enabling the students to solve the real problems of life

·         original thinking and creative-abilities develop at this level

·         study material,  neither organized nor pre-planned

·          requires more experienced and efficient teachers