Principles of Teaching

 

.    General principles of teaching

 

1. Principle of definiteness of goals or objectives: Teaching should start with defining aim and objective. The teacher and students must be clear about the goals of teaching-learning. It helps them to be on the track. When the goals and objectives of the lesson are determined properly it will help the teacher to plan, execute and evaluate the phase of the teaching-learning process.

 

2. Principle of Planning: Planning in teaching is a very important step, teachers must plan properly before coming to actual classroom teaching. The successful teaching-learning process highly depends on teachers’ planning and execution in the class. The planning includes a lesson plan, Teaching aids, Strategy and Methods of teaching.

 

3. Principle of flexibility and elasticity: The teaching strategy must be flexible. It needs to be changed according to the classroom situations and the needs of students. Teachers should be imaginative and resourceful people so that they can adapt strategies according to the needs of the classroom environment.

 

4. Principle of utilization past experience: In effective teaching, the teacher must start a lesson with questions to know about the student’s previous knowledge. Prior knowledge could reduce the cognitive load leading to better learning engagement.

 

5. Principle of child centeredness: The modern education system is child centeredness. According to the  National Curriculum Framework (NCF), the students are the active participant and the teacher are the facilitator. So the teaching should be according to the child’s needs, abilities and interests and teaching should be activity-based so that students can be learned with the active participants.

 

6. Principle of making provision for individual differences:  As we know every child is different from each other. The teacher should be kept in mind Individual differences while teaching and he should teach according to the children’s attitudes, abilities, aptitudes, interests, achievements, aims, ambitions and aspirations. Teaching should make adequate provision for individual differences.

 

7. Principle of linking with actual life: According to the NCF-2005 the learning should go beyond the four walls of the school. Teaching should be linked with real-life experiences of everyday life. It not only motivates students but also makes them easy to learn a lesson. In teaching, lesson teacher should give an appropriate examples with the students day to day life activities.

 

8. Principle of correlating with other subjects: The correlating of one subject with another subject is very important in order to create interest in the subject. In effective teaching, the teacher gives correlates one subject with another to the overall development of the students.

 

9. Principle of effective strategies and instructional materials: Effective strategies in teaching are very important. The teacher should adopt effective teaching methods so that students can gain maximum knowledge and the teaching aids and other instructional materials should be used effectively.

 

10. Principle of active participation and involvement: In modern-day education, teaching and learning must be child centredness so that children can actively participate in learning. The teacher should use the activity-based teaching method so that the maximum number of students can be involved and active participants in the teaching-learning process. Teaching is ineffective if the students do not actively participate in the lesson. Learning becomes active and quicker if the student is made active physically as well as mentally.

 

11. Principle of conducive environment and proper control: The teacher should create such a conducive environment so that it becomes a motivating factor for learning. There must be proper arrangement of light, furniture and other needful resources. The teacher should maintain proper order and discipline by being sympathetic but at the same time, he must be firm.

 

12. Principle of knowledge and entering behaviour: The main purpose of any act of teaching is to bring about the desired changes in the behaviour of the students. To achieve this end, the teacher must have knowledge of the entry behaviour of the students.

 

13. Principle of Linking with Actual Life: Life and learning should become two poles of the same magnet; they become so interdependent that none can exist without the other. The teacher should not teach in water tight compartments.

 

14.  Principle of utilizing past experiences: For effective teaching, a teacher should link the new knowledge of his students with their previous experience. It will make the teacher process easy from stable and safe.

 

15. Principle of Suggestiveness: Good teaching is suggestiveness rather than authorities. The teacher behaves like a friend and a guide suggesting activities, materials and modes of response. Suggestion has the effect of provoking courteous response and inviting cooperation.

 

16. Principle of democracy: Successful teaching is democratic. The teacher should create democratic environments in the class.

 

B.