The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : School heads discuss teaching strategies with American expert

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Friday, Apr 11, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

School heads discuss teaching strategies with American expert

Staff Reporter

Classroom discussion and group activity motivated students
Teachers should be trained to become effective public speakers and leaders

Chennai: Teachers and heads of several city schools and colleges had the opportunity to discuss teaching strategies with Margaret Smith Crocco, an American education expert, at a digital video conference here on Wednesday.

The conference was organised by the U.S. Consulate in Chennai in partnership with the Tamil Nadu Principals Association at Loyola College. Ms.Crocco spoke on the advantages of a ‘progressive approach’ to teaching through which teachers modify the curriculum to suit the needs and interests of the students.

“Romance your students… Arouse their curiosity and spark their interest in learning,” Ms. Crocco said. She suggested that teachers use the ‘question technique’ to capture the attention of students. “Ask questions that begin with ‘what if’, ‘how’, ‘why’, ‘what do you think about’… The answers may not always be correct but it will help students think critically,” she said. Ms. Crocco, who is a professor of Social Studies at Columbia University’s Teacher’s College, said that classroom discussion and group activity motivated students. Role plays, debates and talks helped a class improve their understanding of interpersonal and cross-cultural relations.

Teachers should be trained to become effective public speakers and leaders themselves so that they can be role models for their pupils.

The traditional approach to learning only requires students to regurgitate lessons offered by the teacher but a progressive approach teaches them to think analyse and question.

“The critical difference is that students learn in deeper, long lasting ways,” Ms. Crocco said.

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