Relying heavily on teacher-centred methods
correspondent | Friday August 13, 2021 08:45
TONOTA: There are two main types of teaching methods – teacher-centred and student-centred. Many teachers today still rely heavily on teacher-centred methods such as the lecture method, commonly referred to as the chalk and talk method. In this method, the teacher has complete control over the pupils and is the source of all the knowledge and skills that the pupils will learn. Reasons why this method is so often used may be because many teachers may be influenced by the way their own teachers had taught them when they were at school themselves. Also, even at colleges of education, many lecturers still prefer the lecture method.
And so, student teachers from such institutions are also more likely to follow suit when they are posted to schools. In contrast, teachers may feel less comfortable about using more pupil-centred methods, which require more planning and effort to be successful; hence mistakes may be more easily made. And teachers need to show more initiative and imagination when teaching using these methods. The demonstration method is also usually teacher-centred.
This method is especially suitable for science lessons where the teacher may experiment in front of the pupils. For example, they (teacher) may wish to show the pupils how to find the volume and density of a concrete block. But to involve the pupils more, after the demonstration they may then divide the class into groups and give a different sized concrete block to each.
They also hand out to each group a metre rule and weighing scale and then ask them to work out the volume and density of the block. Pupil-centred methods of teaching result in pupils discovering knowledge themselves. And the use of such methods may motivate pupils to learn. For example, a teacher may divide their class into groups to discuss the problems that face crop farmers in Botswana and how they can be overcome. For example, the pupils may conclude that drought is a major problem and may be overcome by planting more drought-resistant crops such as sweet potato and millet. So, the pupils themselves then become a source of knowledge; perhaps some of them have seen such crops growing well under drought conditions at their parents’ lands. In group work, pupils learn to cooperate and work together as a team and, if they choose a group leader to present their findings, then leadership skills are also developed.
And such skills will be valuable to the pupils in life when they leave school. However, group work needs careful planning and time management and there may not be enough time during a single period to complete the exercise. Hence, group work is better done during double periods.
In another lesson, the teacher may run a class discussion in which they may name the goat breeds found in Botswana – Tswana, Boer, Saneen... But they may not be aware of others. However, they may then ask the pupils if they know of others. One pupil may then add Kalahari Red to the list because their uncle has a cattlepost in the Kalahari where he rears goats of this breed.
After all, this breed is more tolerant of heat and drought than the ones given by the teacher. So, teachers should never underestimate what their pupils may know! When asked questions, pupils gain confidence in themselves if they answer correctly. Where time and transport allow, teachers should also take their pupils out on field trips. This makes a welcome break from the daily routine for both teacher and pupil – a chance to get out of the classroom and see places. A field trip, indeed, brings subjects to life! In Social Studies, pupils could be taken to the local kgotla and, if visiting Gaborone, to the National Museum, Botswana Parliament, Ntlo ya Dikgosi and the Three Chiefs Monument. And in Serowe, the museum and sites associated with the Khama family. And field trips can also be a time for physical exercise. When I taught Geography at Lobatse Senior Secondary School, I often took pupils to the hills around the town to see different types of landscapes and features produced by river erosion.
And groups of pupils even scaled the highest peak in the country – Otse peak near Otse. So, they never stayed for long in the school truck! And Geography pupils can also visit mines such as Debswana’s diamond mines at Orapa and Jwaneng. Setswana classes can come alive through visits to cultural festivals such as at Domboshaba and Dithubaruba. And field trips do not always have to be for one day only. As a lecturer of Agriculture at Tonota College of Education, I ran a one-week long field trip every year to the south of the country.
Here the students visited commercial farms to see how crops are grown and livestock reared. And whilst there, I encouraged them to ask farmers questions; for example, what breeds of animals do they raise? what diseases affect their tomatoes and how they control them, etc. They also visited several research institutions, such as the one at Sebele, and the Bull Stud at Ramatlabama. Sometimes, I gave them worksheets, which they had to fill in during the trip. These consisted of several questions the answers to which they would obtain during the trip.
Also, I included some practical activities; for example, studying soil profiles to see their suitability for crop production, and identifying the signs of overgrazing of the veld by livestock. When the students returned to college, they then wrote up a report. And field trips do not always have to be organised and executed by subject departments. Whilst a teacher in Bobonong, I organised trips for the school history club to places around the Bobirwa area. Pupils saw ruins of old settlements and spoke to village elders in some of the nearby villages to find out about the origin and history of such places. Such visits aroused the curiosity of pupils, a trait that is so often lacking in young people even today. And I even took pupils to the south of the country to view sites of historical interest around Gaborone and Molepolole. For example, where witches were thrown into a river gorge near Molepolole, the graves of Bakwena chiefs at Ntsweng, Molepolole, and a cave where David Livingstone is said to have been challenged by a Kwena magician that he could not enter and emerge alive. Science and Agriculture students could undertake practical work more.
Pupils may grow two vegetables at junior secondary schools as part of their practical work in Form 3. At senior schools and colleges of education students, rather than just growing a vegetable, could carry out a project to find out the best, or optimal, ways of growing it. For example, a group of students could prepare four plots and add different types of fertilisers to each. This will make them curious as to know which type of fertiliser should be added to the soil to produce the highest yields. For example, they may grow Swiss chard in all their plots but add different types of fertilisers in each plot – Superphosphate, 3:2:1, sulphate of potash, Limestone Ammonium Nitrate (LAN). They may then find out that the plot in which LAN has been added gives the highest yield. The teacher may then ask the pupils to explain why this is so. One pupil may say that LAN contains nitrogen, which is important for the rapid growth of leaves. Other pupils could also find out the best amount of fertiliser to add to the soil or the best row spacing. Such practical work would reinforce what the pupils have learnt in class.
I have always believed that ‘hearing is forgetting, seeing is remembering, doing is understanding'. How true that is! If in class, pupils are told that 100 grammes per square metre is the best amount of fertiliser to add to the soil for growing rape, then they may quickly forget it. But if they find this out through practical work, then they are more likely to remember and understand. Teachers can also use case studies. These can take the form of a made-up story that may simulate a real-life situation and may be given out to pupils on a handout. For example, a Social Studies teacher may wish to use this method when teaching about the mining industry in Botswana. Pupils may be introduced to Naledi who is on holiday and has visited her uncle in Selebi-Phikwe. Whilst there, she chats with her uncle who is working underground at the BCL Mine and asks him questions about the type of work that he is doing there. In another story, Mpho lives with his father at his cattlepost. One day, as they take their animals out to graze, he complains to his father, saying that the animals have little to eat. He then tells his father what his teacher has told them at school about things such as overgrazing, soil erosion and the spread of thorny bushes. This is then followed by a discussion between the two on how they can best solve these problems and restores the condition of the veld. Case studies may also take the form of an interview. In a senior secondary school, a Geography teacher may wish to teach her pupils about manufacturing industries in Botswana. She first visits a factory and discusses with the manager about the work done there. Questions might focus on the following: raw materials used and where they come from, sources of power and water, number of employees, stages of production, the products made and where the products are sold.
The interview may then be written on a handout and then distributed to the pupils for a class discussion. Alternatively, the teacher may take the pupils to the factory to ask these questions.
Roleplay is another pupil-centred method. Here pupils with acting skills may act out a story. For example, an Agriculture teacher may wish to teach his pupils about soils. Naledi, from Tsabong, is visiting her friend, Mpho, who lives close to the Okavango Delta. Whilst there, they drive a donkey cart towards the river but get stuck in the mud. Naledi is surprised at this and asks why the donkeys have now got stuck.
They then look at the clay soil, which Naledi has never seen before. Naledi then tells her friend that they only have sandy soils around Tsabong and she is happy that they do not have clay soils there. But then Mpho reminds her that clay soils are very fertile and that is why they plant a lot of crops along the river. Teachers may also arrange for a guest speaker, or resource person, from outside the school to share their expertise on a particular topic with their pupils. For example, an engineer from the Morupule A Power Station may explain to a Science class how coal is used to produce electricity there and how this is then distributed across the country. And if an outbreak of foot and mouth disease has occurred locally, then a veterinary officer may be invited to tell an Agriculture class what places have actually been affected and what steps are being taken to control the disease and how it can be prevented from occurring again in the future.
The teacher could arrange an informal quiz on a particular topic for his pupils. He first prepares some questions and then divides the class into many groups. Each group is asked questions and at the end of the quiz, the total marks are calculated for each group. Quizzes grab the attention of pupils and are entertaining. In conclusion, teachers need to use more pupil-centred methods of teaching if they are to realise the potential of their pupils and make learning more exciting and meaningful.
*Grahame McLeod is a retired educationist.