1

Course: General Methods of Teaching (8601)

Level: B.Ed (1 ½ & 2½ Years)
Semester: Spring 2018
ASSIGNMENT No. 1

Q.1 Specify the personal and professional characteristics of good teachers.

Answer:

Years ago, as a young, eager student, I would have told you that a great teacher was

someone who provided classroom entertainment and gave very little homework. Needless

to say, after many years of K-12 administrative experience and giving hundreds of teacher

evaluations, my perspective has changed. My current position as a professor in higher

education gives me the opportunity to share what I have learned with current and future
school leaders, and allows for some lively discussions among my graduate students in terms

of what it means to be a great teacher.

Teaching is hard work and some teachers never grow to be anything better than mediocre.
They do the bare minimum required and very little more. The great teachers, however, work

tirelessly to create a challenging, nurturing environment for their students. Great teaching
seems to have less to do with our knowledge and skills than with our attitude toward our

students, our subject, and our work. Although this list is certainly not all-inclusive, I have
narrowed down the many characteristics of a great teacher to those I have found to be the

most essential, regardless of the age of the learner:

1. A great teacher respects students. In a great teacher’s classroom, each person’s ideas

and opinions are valued. Students feel safe to express their feelings and learn to respect
and listen to others. This teacher creates a welcoming learning environment for all students.

2. A great teacher creates a sense of community and belonging in the classroom. The
mutual respect in this teacher’s classroom provides a supportive, collaborative environment.

In this small community, there are rules to follow and jobs to be done and each student is
aware that he or she is an important, integral part of the group. A great teacher lets

students know that they can depend not only on her, but also on the entire class.

For More AIoU AssIgnMents contAct: 0345-5395288 * WWW.AssIgnMents365.coM

 2

3. A great teacher is warm, accessible, enthusiastic and caring. This person is

approachable, not only to students, but to everyone on campus. This is the teacher to

whom students know they can go with any problems or concerns or even to share a funny

story. Great teachers possess good listening skills and take time out of their way-too-busy
schedules for anyone who needs them. If this teacher is having a bad day, no one ever

knows—the teacher leaves personal baggage outside the school doors.

4. A great teacher sets high expectations for all students. This teacher realizes that the

expectations she has for her students greatly affect their achievement; she knows that
students generally give to teachers as much or as little as is expected of them.

5. A great teacher has his own love of learning and inspires students with his passion for

education and for the course material. He constantly renews himself as a professional on his

quest to provide students with the highest quality of education possible. This teacher has
no fear of learning new teaching strategies or incorporating new technologies into lessons,

and always seems to be the one who is willing to share what he’s learned with colleagues.

6. A great teacher is a skilled leader. Different from administrative leaders, effective

teachers focus on shared decision-making and teamwork, as well as on community building.

This great teacher conveys this sense of leadership to students by providing opportunities

for each of them to assume leadership roles.

7. A great teacher can “shift-gears” and is flexible when a lesson isn’t working. This

teacher assesses his teaching throughout the lessons and finds new ways to present

material to make sure that every student understands the key concepts.

8. A great teacher collaborates with colleagues on an ongoing basis. Rather than

thinking of herself as weak because she asks for suggestions or help, this teacher views

collaboration as a way to learn from a fellow professional. A great teacher uses constructive
criticism and advice as an opportunity to grow as an educator.

9. A great teacher maintains professionalism in all areas—from personal appearance to

organizational skills and preparedness for each day. Her communication skills are

exemplary, whether she is speaking with an administrator, one of her students or a

For More AIoU AssIgnMents contAct: 0345-5395288 * WWW.AssIgnMents365.coM

 3

colleague. The respect that the great teacher receives because of her professional manner is
obvious to those around her.

While teaching is a gift that seems to come quite naturally for some, others have to work

overtime to achieve great teacher status. Yet the payoff is enormous — for both you and
your students. Imagine students thinking of you when they remember that great teacher

they had in college!

{================}

Q.2 Define effective teaching. Discuss the factors contributions towards effective
teaching.

Answer:

Traditionally, teachers were the 'holders of information' and their role was to impart this

knowledge and skill to students. The internet has changed all that as information can now
be obtained anywhere, any time on anything. Thus the role of teachers has changed to

developing the skills and tools to assist students in critically analysing the plethora of

information available.

Effective teaching is more than just the successful transference of knowledge and skill or

application around a particular topic. Effective teaching ensures that this surface approach

to learning is replaced by deeper, student driven approaches to learning that analyse,

develop, create and demonstrate understanding. Students need to initiate learning and

maintain engagement during learning in their development as independent lifelong

learners.

Teachers and the instruction they give their students are only two of a complex set of

factors that have an impact on student learning. One of the fundamental truths in education
is that the knowledge, skills, aptitudes, attitudes and values with which students leave

school or a particular teacher’s classroom are influenced to a great extent by the

knowledge, skills, aptitudes, attitudes and values that students possessed when they

entered the school or classroom. In addition, the knowledge, skills, aptitudes, attitudes and

For More AIoU AssIgnMents contAct: 0345-5395288 * WWW.AssIgnMents365.coM

 4

values that students possess when they enter a school or classroom are the result of some
intricate and complex combination of their genetic composition and the environment to

which they have been exposed in their homes.

In addition to these genetic and environmental factors which are beyond the control of any
teacher, teachers are powerless in terms of making learning occur; they cannot simply open

up the tops of their students’ heads and pour in the desired learning. The stimulus-response
theory has long been dismissed as a viable theory for understanding the link between

teaching and learning (that is, teachers teach (stimulus) and students learn (response)).

As Tyler pointed out over half a century ago, learning depends on the activities of the

student: Students learn according to what they do, not according to what their teacher

does; they either pay attention or they do not; they either construct their knowledge

consistently with the teacher’s intended construction of knowledge, or they do not. More
than a quarter of a century later, Roth Kopf reinforced Tyler’s contention by emphasizing

the negative case: “The student has complete veto power over the success of instruction”.
Teachers can neither make students pay attention, nor can they construct meaning for

them. So what can teachers do? What exactly is the role of the teacher in student learning?

Teachers must create conditions that reduce the likelihood that students will use their veto

power and increase the probability that students will put forth the time and effort needed

to learn what their teachers intend them to learn, that is the teacher effectiveness.

CONCEPT OF TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS

Effective teachers are those who achieve the goals which they set for themselves or which

they have set for them by others such as ministries of education, legislators and other
government officials, school / college administrators. Effective teachers must possess the

knowledge and skills needed to attain the goals, and must be able to use that knowledge
and those skills appropriately if these goals are to be achieved.

In Medley’s terms, the possession of knowledge and skills falls under the heading of

‘teacher competence’ and the use of knowledge and skills in the classroom is referred to as

For More AIoU AssIgnMents contAct: 0345-5395288 * WWW.AssIgnMents365.coM

 5

‘teacher performance’, Teacher competence and teacher performance with the

accomplishment of teacher goals, is the ‘teacher effectiveness’.

Four major assumptions are implicit in this definition of teacher effectiveness.

The first is that “Effective teachers tend to be aware of and actively pursue

goals.” These goals, in turn, guide their planning as well as their behaviours and

interactions with students in the classroom. This assumption does not mean that effective
teachers are always aware of goals; in fact, awareness is particularly likely to be lacking

when goals have been established for teachers by others. Using current educational
terminology, these ‘goals established by others’ are referred to as ‘standards’ (sometimes

‘content standards’ or ‘curriculum standards’). That is, standards are externally imposed

goals that indicate what students should know and be able to do as a result of the

instruction that they receive.

The second assumption is that “The teaching is an intentional and reasoned

act.” Teaching is intentional because we always teach for some purpose, primarily to
facilitate learning. Teaching is reasoned because what teachers teach their students is

judged by them to be worthwhile.

The third assumption implicit in this definition of teacher effectiveness is that“The vast

majority of teachers’ goals are, or should be, concerned either directly or indirectly

with their students’ learning.” An example of direct teacher concern with learning is a

teacher who states that he or she intends to help students develop the ability to

differentiate facts from opinions, or reality from fantasy. An example of indirect teacher

concern with learning is a teacher who sets out to decrease the level of disruptive behaviour
in the classroom because he or she believes that learning cannot occur before the level of

disruptive behaviour is reduced. It should be obvious that if teachers’ goals are stated in
terms of their students’ learning, then the “Teacher effectiveness must be defined, and can

only be assessed, in terms of behaviours and learning of students, not behaviours of

teachers”.

For More AIoU AssIgnMents contAct: 0345-5395288 * WWW.AssIgnMents365.coM

 6

A fourth assumption underlying this definition of teacher effectiveness is that“No teacher is

effective in every aspect of their profession”. For example a primary school teacher may

be highly successful in teaching reading comprehension to his or her students while

struggling to teach them the elements of rudimentary problem-solving in mathematics.

Likewise a secondary literature teacher may be quite able to teach students an appreciation

of poetry, but have some difficulty in teaching them how to interpret the symbolism in a
series of novels. Thus, the degree to which a given teacher is effective depends, to a certain

extent, on the goals being pursued by that teacher. Similarly, an elementary school teacher

may be very gifted in dealing with less able students, while at the same time feeling quite

frustrated with his or her inability to render the work more challenging for the more able

students. A secondary mathematics teacher may be particularly adept with students who are

well motivated to learn mathematics, but have great difficulty motivating those who
question why they have to learn mathematics in the first place. Thus, the degree to which a

teacher is effective also depends, to a large extent, on the characteristics of the students
being taught by the teacher.

Despite the underlying assumptions, it seems reasonable to assume that those who are

referred to as being ‘effective teachers’ are more often than not effective in achieving

specified learning goals. In other words, there is some degree of consistency in these

teachers’ effectiveness vis-à-vis classroom conditions, time and goals. However, this

effectiveness does not stem from rigid adherence to a standard set of behaviours, activities,
methods or strategies in all situations. Rather, teachers who are consistently effective are

those who are able to adapt their knowledge and skills to the demands inherent in various
situations so as to best achieve their goals. Doing whatever is necessary in order to achieve

these goals, rather than doing certain things in certain ways or using certain methods or

techniques, is a hallmark of an effective teacher. Finally, we can say that an effective teacher

is one who quite consistently achieves goals – be they self-selected or imposed – that are
related either directly or indirectly to student learning.

{================}

Q.3 Highlight the steps of Planning development of instructions?

For More AIoU AssIgnMents contAct: 0345-5395288 * WWW.AssIgnMents365.coM

 7

Answer:

Good planning is the first step to an effective classroom, and one of the six main teacher
tasks that excellent teachers must master. A well-planned class reduces stress on the

teacher and helps minimize disruptions. When teachers know what they need to accomplish
and how they are going to do it, they have a better opportunity to achieve success with the

added benefit of less stress. Further, when students are engaged the entire class period,
they have less opportunity to cause disruptions.

Obviously, the demeanor of the teacher, the quality of the lesson, and the method of

delivery all play into an effective day in class. With that said, it all starts with a good plan.

Steps for Planning Instruction

1. Look over the state and national standards and your texts and supplemental
materials to determine what concepts you must cover in the year. Make sure to

include any required test preparation material. Use this to create a plan of study for

your course.

2. Create a personalized lesson plan calendar. This will help you visualize and organize
your instruction.

3. Plan your units using of your overall plan of study and your calendar.

4. Create detailed unit lesson plans. These should include the following items to be

effective:

 Objectives

 Activities

 Time Estimates

 Required Materials

 Alternatives - Make sure to plan for those students who might be absent

during your activities.

 Assessment - This includes classwork, homework, and tests.

For More AIoU AssIgnMents contAct: 0345-5395288 * WWW.AssIgnMents365.coM

 8

More on Creating Lesson Plans

1. Transfer your broad unit plan to a planning book to keep yourself organized. This will

help with implementation and focus. This is where all the unit plans come together to

give you a broader picture of the year.

2. Write a daily lesson outline and agenda. The details included will differ with how

detailed you wish to be. Some teachers create a simple outline with times attached to
help keep them on track while others include detailed notes and written information.

At a bare minimum, you should have an agenda prepared for yourself and your
students so that you appear organized and you make smooth transitions. It is very

easy to lose student attention as you search for the page that you want them to read

or fumble through a stack of papers.

1. Create and/or gather any required items. Make handouts, overheads, lectures notes,

manipulatives, etc. If you are going to start each day with a warm up, then have this

created and ready to go. If your lesson requires a movie or item from the media
center, make sure that you put in your request early so that you are not disappointed

on the day of your lesson.

Planning for the Unexpected

As most teachers realize, interruptions and unexpected events often occur in class. This

might range from pulled fire alarms and unexpected assemblies to your own illnesses and

emergencies. Therefore, you should create plans that will help you deal with these

unexpected events.

 Create mini-lessons to help fill up any time that might be left at the end of a class
period. Even the best teachers are sometimes left with extra time. Instead of just

letting students talk, use this time for extra instruction or possibly educational fun.
Further, if an unexpected assembly is called leaving you with just 15 minutes of

instruction, these lessons can be a godsend.

 Emergency lesson plans are a necessity for all teachers. If you cannot make it to

school at the last minute or have to leave to deal with a personal emergency, you

For More AIoU AssIgnMents contAct: 0345-5395288 * WWW.AssIgnMents365.coM

 9

need to leave lesson plans to help your substitute. This combined with
your substitute folder is important to help your classroom continue to function

without you.

{================}

Q.4 i) Describe difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

Answer:

Extrinsic motivation is an external form of motivation. For example, if your boss sets a
deadline on a project and your bonus is tied to the deadline, that is a very clear form of

extrinsic motivation. In fact, this example includes two extrinsic motivators: your boss's
expectations and the bonus. So, extrinsic motivation doesn't always have to be another

person, but it is some outside demand, obligation, or reward that requires the achievement

of a particular goal.

Intrinsic motivation, however, is an internal form of motivation. You strive towards a goal for

personal satisfaction or accomplishment. You may even work towards a long-term reward

such as the development of a business or participating in a competition, but the primary

motivator is internal.

You may have heard the story about the old man who had an empty lot next to his house.

Every afternoon the neighborhood children played baseball in the lot. The old man,
annoyed by all the yelling and commotion, developed a plan to stop the children from

using the lot. One day while they were playing, he told them that he would pay each of
them $5 every day they came to play in the lot. They thought he was a little nuts but were

thrilled to be paid to do something they did anyway. After a few days, he told them he

couldn't afford to pay the $5 but still wanted them to play in the lot, and asked if they

would accept $1. They grumbled a little but agreed to take the $1. A few days more passed

and he approached them with an apology telling them that he wouldn't be able to pay

them anymore but hoped that they would still play in the lot anyway. The children
responded by refusing to play in the "stinking" lot if he wasn't going to pay them.

For More AIoU AssIgnMents contAct: 0345-5395288 * WWW.AssIgnMents365.coM

 10

This story is a good example of changing intrinsic motivation to extrinsic motivation. At first
the children played in the lot for the enjoyment of it. However, once the man started paying

them, their motivator became the money which was extrinsic motivation. Once that

motivator disappeared, they no longer had the desire to play in the lot.

I experienced a similar situation with a hobby of mine. I enjoyed decorating cakes for family

and friends for special occasions. When in college, I decided to make some extra money by
starting a business of decorating cakes. However, as the business grew, my interest and

enjoyment in decorating cakes declined. Eventually, I quit the business and didn't make
cakes for anyone except my son for about five years. I found that as a hobby I did for

personal enjoyment became tied to extrinsic reward (money) I began to dislike it and it

became a chore or a demand.

Therefore, intrinsic motivation is more likely to lead to persistent behavior toward a goal
when external motivators are not present. However, as you may realize, motivation needs to

be based upon the circumstances and the personality of the individual involved. For
instance, some people are satisfied with external reward and demand in a job situation and

don't desire to develop personal goals. Or an athlete may be purely motivated by the
excitement and adulation of the crowd. However, an individual who desires to achieve goals

outside of a structured situation or outside rewards needs to have an intrinsic form of

motivation.

How does normal motivation develop?

Children naturally have intrinsic motivation when born; they explore their environment and

discover their abilities for enjoyment or personal satisfaction or mastery over their bodies.
However, these explorations quickly become paired with external motivators such as the

parent's encouragement or smile. This process is a critical part of development because

children need to learn many things and to take risks to do so. Without encouragement they

may fail to engage in the necessary exploration. If you notice a child between one and

three, you may notice a pattern of exploration in which they have the parent as a home

base in their explorations so that they check things out in the world but frequently come

For More AIoU AssIgnMents contAct: 0345-5395288 * WWW.AssIgnMents365.coM

 11

back or look towards the parent for additional encouragement. So, in this way the children
have developed both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.

The course of normal development allows children to find a balance between extrinsic

motivation and intrinsic motivation. Without a proper balance, many tasks will be difficult to
complete. For instance, if a child doesn't respond at all to external motivators, and he or she

needs to do something unpleasant and undesired, that child is unlikely to engage in the
desired behavior. The same may occur for an employee. A person may have trouble keeping

a job if he or she has no desire for the boss's approval, doesn't need the money due to the
spouse's employment, and doesn't obtain personal satisfaction from work. Such a person

has neither extrinsic or intrinsic motivation.

{================}

Q.4 ii) Define the term inquiry approach and enlist the method that come under the
umbrella of this approach.

Answer:

“Inquiry-based learning is an umbrella term, encompassing a range of teaching approaches

which involve stimulating learning with a question or issue and thereby engaging learners in

constructing new knowledge and understandings.” (p. 57) Teachers who use these

approaches act as facilitators of learning. Students start becoming more self-directed

learners. A hodgepodge of approaches gets put under this umbrella, including case-based
learning; problem-based learning; and discovery-oriented learning, which involves

undertaking original research.

In an effort to help categorize teaching methods in this area, the authors of this article

propose several ways of organizing these various approaches, including one that
differentiates between three modes of inquiry: structured inquiry, where teachers provide

the issue or problem and some direction on how it should be addressed; guided inquiry,

where teachers stimulate the inquiry with questions but students decide how to explore the

questions; and open inquiry, where students formulate the questions, identify what needs to
be known, collect and analyze the data, offer findings, communicate the results, and

evaluate the research.

For More AIoU AssIgnMents contAct: 0345-5395288 * WWW.AssIgnMents365.coM

 12

A second scheme categorizes inquiry-based approaches by how they are framed and
whether they are discovery oriented or information oriented. “In discovery framing, students

understand and experience research through personal questioning, exploration and

discovery in relation to new questions or lines of investigation. In an information framing,

students experience research through already existing answers, with the purpose of

acquiring a previously established body of knowledge.” (p. 58)

In this particular analysis (part of a larger body of research), the team was interested in how

students perceived these various kinds of inquiry approaches. Students (940 of them) in 15
different inquiry-based courses at four different institutions were surveyed. The instrument

asked how the course had encouraged them to engage in activities such as memorizing,

explaining, analyzing, applying, evaluation, creating, and reflecting. It also asked the

students about learning processes, including whether they were intellectually challenged
and encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning.

The results contained a lot of good news. Students reported that all these various types of
inquiry-based courses encouraged those types of learning high on the Bloom taxonomy;

the highest-ranked learning types were analyzing (72 percent), applying (70 percent), and
understanding (65 percent). Memorizing was ranked lowest at 44 percent. In all these

courses, 91 percent of students reported that they were encouraged to take responsibility

for their learning. Just over 60 percent of the students rated the course highly for being

intellectually challenging.

As for the different modes, open inquiry was the most highly rated in terms of the type of

learning it promoted, followed by guided and then structured inquiry. As far as the framing
approaches, discovery-oriented rated highest for the type of learning it encouraged. “In

particular, discovery-oriented IBL [inquiry-based learning] performed much better than

information-oriented IBL for creating, applying and analyzing (differences of 19%, 17% and

14% respectively).” (p. 64)

“The analysis of the 15 cases [courses] showed that IBL was indeed promoting learning

processes and outcomes expected with this type of teaching approach.” (p. 66) The

For More AIoU AssIgnMents contAct: 0345-5395288 * WWW.AssIgnMents365.coM

 13

researchers do note that this data was collected only from students participating in inquiry-
based courses. How these student assessments might compare with those of students not

taking inquiry-based approaches was not explored in this research. Nonetheless, much

related research does indicate that student experiences in more traditional courses are not
the same as the learning experiences described by students in this cohort.

{================}

Q.5 What is an activity? Discuss the importance of activity method. Name the
different types of activities you would use in English.

Answer:

Activity method is a technique adopted by a teacher to emphasize his or her method of

teaching through activity in which the students participate rigorously and bring about

efficient learning experiences. It is a child-centered approach. It is a method in which the

child is actively involved in participating mentally and physically. Learning by doing is the

main focus in this method. Learning by doing is imperative in successful learning since it is

well proved that more the senses are stimulated, more a person learns and longer he/she

retains. Pine G (1989) mentions that in an activity based teaching, learners willingly with

enthusiasm internalize and implement concepts relevant to their needs. So our

understanding on the activity method by now should mean any learning that is carried out

with a purpose in a social environment, involving physical and mental action, stimulating for
creative action or expression.

Why do we need to use activity based learning method?

The information processing theory in psychology views learners as active investigators of

their environment. This theory is grounded in the premise that people innately strive to
make sense of the world around them.

In the process of learning, they experience, memorize and understand. Students need to be

provided with data and materials necessary to focus their thinking and interaction in the

lesson for the process of analyzing the information. Teachers need to be actively involved in
directing and guiding the students’ analysis of the information. It requires active problem

For More AIoU AssIgnMents contAct: 0345-5395288 * WWW.AssIgnMents365.coM

 14

solving by students in finding patterns in the information through their own investigation
and analysis. With continued practice in these processes, students learn not the content of

the lesson but also develop many other skills.

· It enhances creative aspect of experience.

· It gives reality for learning.

· Uses all available resources.

· Provides varied experiences to the students to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge,

experience, skills and values.

· Builds the student’s self-confidence and develops understanding through work in

his/her group.

· Gets experiences, develop interest, enriches vocabulary and provides stimulus for

reading.

· Develops happy relationship between students and students, teachers and students.

· An activity is said to be the language of the child. A child who lacks in verbal

expression can make up through use of ideas in the activity.

· Subjects of all kind can be taught through activity.

· Social relation provides opportunity to mix with others.

Kinds of activities:

The activities used in this strategy can be generalized under three main categories:

· Exploratory - gathering knowledge, concept and skill.

· Constructive - getting experience through creative works.

· Expressional – presentations.

The Activities you could focus on:-

Experiencing:

For More AIoU AssIgnMents contAct: 0345-5395288 * WWW.AssIgnMents365.coM

 15

 watching, observing, comparing, describing, questioning, discussing, investigating,

reporting, collecting, selecting, testing, trying, listening, reading, drawing, calculating,

imitating, modeling, playing, acting, taking on roles, talking, writing about what one

can see, hear, feel, taste, experimenting and imagining.

Memorizing:

 Sequencing ordering, finding regularities and patterns, connect with given

knowledge, use different modes of perception, depict.

Understanding:

 Structuring, ordering, classifying, constructing, solving, planning, predicting,

transferring, applying knowledge, formulating ones individual understanding,

interpreting, summarizing, evaluating, judging, explaining and teaching.

Organizing activities:

 The process of organizing activities must be based on curricular aims bringing

together the needs, ideas, interests and characteristics of the children with the

knowledge, skill, experience, and personality of the teacher within a given

environment. The extent to which the teacher works with students individually or in
groups affect the relation the teacher has with each child.

Steps required for Effective Organization of Activities.

a. Planning.

b. Involving children in the learning process.

c. Each child is made an active learner.

d. For each activity ensure you follow the principles of:-

 What?

 How? Work directions step by step, including:

 With whom? Where? How long?

 What after?

For More AIoU AssIgnMents contAct: 0345-5395288 * WWW.AssIgnMents365.coM

 16

e. Ensure you give clear instructions before each activity. It must focus on the above a, b,
c, d.

Role of a Teacher in an Activity Based Method

 A planner, an organizer and evaluator.

 Facilitator.

 Decision maker.

 Knowledge imparter

 Disciplinarian

{================}

For More AIoU AssIgnMents contAct: 0345-5395288 * WWW.AssIgnMents365.coM