CASE STUDIES OF LEARNER CENTERED, FUN
FILLED TEACHING METHODS FOR ENGINEERING
AND MANAGEMENT EDUCATION
Chandra Vadhana.R
Lecturer, Dept of Management Studies,Toc H Institute of Science and Technology, Ernakulam, India
cvtist@gmail.com
Abstract: This paper presents some innovative and “fun filled” methods of teaching for technical and management
education. Teaching and learning can be a fun filled activity too. The paper begins with some background information
and previous researches done in this area, to prove the fact that the present day students require the “fun factor” for
sustained participation in the classroom. After that, the paper introduces some innovative and fun filled teaching
methods along with a case study of how this method was tried by the author and the observations. The paper
concludes by saying that in today's world of information overloading, the role of a teacher is to act as a facilitator
rather than a “teacher” concept of olden days. For this, the usage of innovative teaching methods is the necessity of
the hour. Thus one of the most important skill that is required by today’s teacher is “creativity” in devising interesting
and stimulating teaching methods
Keywords: Creative learning; Innovative Teaching methods, Participative learning, andragogy
I.
this question, the outcome of the whole activity
called “teaching –learning” is to be first
addressed.
INTRODUCTION
It is a common phenomenon among teachers
to complain about the lack of motivation among
students in the classroom. The students tend to
drift away from the lecture, which the teacher has
prepared and is very enthusiastically delivering
with all his/her efforts. This drifting may be
dependent on many factors both internal and
external. Internal factors may include student’s
personal interest /liking towards a subject,
physical factors like hunger, tiredness, lack of
sleep, other important works, emotional distress
etc. External factors may include among many
other factors, classroom setting, seating
arrangements, and the main factor, “the teacher”.
II.
GOALS OF A TEACHER
Traditionally the primary goal of a teacher
was to ensure that the students are taught the
subjects that are prescribed for each class. Along
with this set goal, many teachers also
understand that they have a long term goal of
moulding the career and future of the student.
This perceived role of a teacher is what actually
helps them to put in that extra effort in teaching
and helping the student develop their intellectual
abilities. Apart from this, there can be other short
term goals like, helping the student achieve the
required success in the examinations. However
all these perceived and set goals are weighed
differently by different teachers according to their
level of interest and passion towards this
profession. The point is that it is these goals and
the means to achieve them that can be
considered as the ways to make teaching
interesting and to become an interesting teacher.
But in many cases , though the teachers aspire
for higher goals ,the means to achieve them is
unclear. Many teachers try to bring in different
styles of teaching and also try to control, coax
and cajole the students to be attentive in the
class. But again the problem is that, the results
may not be very impressive. Also the long term,
learning part is a matter under question.
This paper tries to discuss the importance of
“learner centered approaches” towards the
teaching-learning process and also the relevance
of using interesting “fun –filled” teaching
methodologies. The paper begins with some
background information and previous researches
done in this area, to prove the fact that the
present day students require the “fun factor” for
sustained participation in the classroom. After
that, the paper introduces some innovative and
fun filled teaching methods along with a case
study of how this method was tried by the writer
and the observations.
How to make “teaching” interesting and
how to become an interesting teacher? – a
long discussed, long researched area in the field
of Education management. In order to answer
All this means that there is a need for a
paradigm shift in the way students are “taught”.
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TIST.Int.J.Sci.Tech.Res.,Vol.1 (2012), 62-70
6. Adults respond better to internal
versus
external
motivators
(Motivation).
Several psychologists and educationists have
lead different studies in this quest of finding out
the interesting methods for teaching. Caleb
Gattegno, Benjamin Bloom, Paulo Freire, Jean
Piaget, Maria Montessori, Lev Vygotsky, Rudolf
Steiner and many others were pioneers in the
field of pedagogical studies.
Do we need andragogy or pedagogy?
The prominent question in the field of
education psychology is whether we need
andragogy or pedagogy for teaching in graduate
and post graduate level. Knowles himself
changed his position on whether andragogy
really applied only to adults and came to believe
that
"pedagogy-andragogy”
represents
a
continuum ranging from teacher-directed to
student-directed learning and that both
approaches are appropriate with children and
adults, depending on the situation." [3]
Is there any common learning Principles for the
various human beings?
Most educational theories were developed
exclusively to educate children and youth.
Pedagogy , the art and science of teaching
children, is today used as a model for formal
teaching and training delivery today. The word
Pedagogy comes from the Greek (paidagōgeō);
in which paidos means "child" and ágō means
"lead"; so it literally means "to lead the child". In
Ancient Greece, there used to be a slave who
supervised the instruction of his master’s son
(girls were not publicly taught). This involved
taking him to school or a gym , looking after him
and carrying his equipment (e.g. music
instruments) [1]
“Situation” can thus be said as the most
important factor for deciding the teaching
methodology. So, we need to also analyse the
situation based on learner characteristics,
learning settings, constraints on time and several
other factors before finally choosing the
methodology.
LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS OF
THIS ERA
Zemke et.al (2000) has conducted a study on
“Generation gaps in the classroom” [4] and found
that each generation may
have specific
preferences for the arrangement of the learning
environment , type of instruction and learning
activities. The generations have been called
traditionalists (those born between 1920-1944)
,Baby boomers (those born between 1945 and
1960), Gen Xers( those born between 1961 to
1980), Milleniums or Nexters (those born after
1980).
III.
Andragogy consists of learning strategies
focused on adults. It is often interpreted as the
process of engaging adult learners with the
structure of learning experience. Originally used
by Alexander Kapp (a German educator) in
1833, andragogy was developed into a theory of
adult education by the American educator
Malcolm Knowles [2].
Knowles' theory can be stated with six
assumptions related to motivation of adult
learning:
1. Adults need to know the reason for
learning something (Need to Know)
Traditionalists prefer a traditional training
room with a stable, orderly learning environment.
They do not like to be put on the spot in front of
the trainees. They value direct presentation of
information and training materials organized
logically. They like trainers to ask them to share
their experiences or anecdotes.
2. Experience (including error) provides
the basis for learning activities
(Foundation).
3. Adults need to be responsible for
their
decisions
on
education;
involvement in the planning and
evaluation of their instruction (Selfconcept).
Baby boomers respond well to interactive
training /teaching activities-they like group
activities. They like well organized training
materials which are easy to access. Compared
to other groups , they are especially motivated to
learn if they believe training content will benefit
them personally.
4. Adults are most interested in learning
subjects having immediate relevance
to their work and/or personal lives
(Readiness).
5. Adult learning is problem-centered
rather
than
content-oriented
(Orientation).
Gen Xers prefer a self-directed learning
environment. They respond best to training
methods that allow them to work at their own
pace: videos ,CD –ROMs and web based
training.Gen Xers are highly motivated learners
who training as a way to increase their
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TIST.Int.J.Sci.Tech.Res.,Vol.1 (2012), 62-70
employability. They like to learn by doing ,
through experimentation and feedback. They
respond best to training materials that provide
visual stimulation with relatively few words.
B. From Subject orientation to Personal
development orientation
The focus of teaching and learning should now
be on the total personal development which
includes, behavioural skills, values and attitudes
of the student along with the subject knowledge.
For this, the teaching methodology should also
help the student gain the necessary behavioural
and personality skills apart from the subject
knowledge gained in the process. Daniel
Goleman , the famous psychologist , who write
the book “Emotional Intelligence” says that
emotional skills needs to be incorporated in the
school and college education.
Nexters prefer a learning environment that
includes team work and technology. They like to
learn by both working alone and helping others.
They are motivated to learn skills and acquire
knowledge that will help making their lives less
stressful and increase their employability. They
place high value on money so linking training to
monetary incentives may facilitate learning.
Nexters (like gen Xers) prefer entertaining
training activities. Training needs to be
interactive and to utilize music , art and games.
C. From Teaching to Facilitation
The age old concept of the teacher, who teaches
with the help of a board and chalk ,now must be
shifted to a role of the teacher in which , the
teacher acts as a motivator and a facilitator in the
process of learning. Facilitating is helping the
student learn and not in the literal sense of
“teaching”. Students must be taught , but need
not be “teached” always. They need to be
facilitated to learn by themselves.
All this requires the teacher to use innovative
methods of teaching especially when dealing
with technical and management students.
Callahan et.al(2003) research paper on “Does
method matter? A meta-analysis of the Effects of
Training method on older learner training
performance” proves that adult learners prefer
more involvement and a self–paced learning
methodology[5]
It is clearly evident from the above discussion
that the present generation needs a fun–filled ,
entertaining teaching and training methodology
which will also be giving the necessary
information along with usage of latest
technology. This also means a radical shift of
focus from the teacher to the learner. But the
interesting fact is that we are living in an era of
different generations, in which the teacher
belongs to Baby boomers or GenXer and the
student belongs to Nexter! Is that why , we face
so much of problems in the teaching-learning
environment?
IV.
D. Adding the “Fun Factor”
Any teacher can easily identify from previous
experience that the fun aspect in the classroom
is what that keeps the student as well as the
teacher awake and lively. The whole social
interaction process of teaching and learning
becomes exciting when it is filled with fun
elements. That is why students like those
teachers who crack jokes in the class. Moreover
,the fun aspects makes the interaction between
the teacher and the student interesting and the
teaching and learning becomes an automatic but
enjoyable
process.
Renowned
American
Psychiatrist William Glassner says that “Fun” is
one of the five needs of a student in the
classroom . The other needs being survival, love
and belonging, power or recognition, and
freedom [6].
NEED FOR PARADIGM SHIFT
Considering all the above factors, it is now
imperative that the traditional teaching
methodologies
used
in
technical
and
management education needs a thorough
revamping. This shift although happening in
many places, needs to be extended to become
an inbuilt teaching methodology.
The following areas of changes are identified
which will cater to the need of the hour.
A. From Teacher Centered to Learner
Centered
The teaching –learning process should now
focus more on the student and get more
involvement and participation. The methodology
used should be interesting and appealing to
them. Students should learn by their experience.
V. LEARNER CENTERED INNOVATIVE
“FUN FILLED” TEACHING METHODS
The following different innovative methods have
been tried on an experimental basis among
various groups of students ranging from first year
Engineering students to final year Management
students. The age group of the participants
ranges from 18 - 24 years. The methods are
listed with an example or an experience.
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TIST.Int.J.Sci.Tech.Res.,Vol.1 (2012), 62-70
However, the teachers when adopting these
methods should also consider its relevance for
use in a particular context. The time required for
the activity is also given, which needs to be
calculated further, considering a batch size of 60
students (common classroom size in a school or
college). In some cases, the activities can be
given as an assignment with prior notice, so that
the students come well prepared. The benefit of
using these techniques is also listed, based on
the experience and observation of the
experimenter and also by the feedback of the
students.
•
Method 1: “Train the Trainer” - Senior students
teach junior students
Based on the subject and topic ,
Time
one to two hours
required
Tools
required
Facilities for Audio and Video
Preparati
on time
Sufficient preparation time must be
given based on the capability of the
students
Benefits
Team work, Responsibility, Subject
knowledge, presentation skills,
confidence, application of
skills/subject already learnt.
Fun
Factor
Medium
Knowled
ge
Transfer
Immediate and Direct
•
•
should facilitate and provide the
necessary support for the group in the
preparation of the content, schedule etc.
Case Study: The second year MBA
students were asked to prepare and
deliver
a
training
session
on
“Communication skills” to the first year
MBA students. The session was planned
for two hours. The team size of the trainer
team was sixteen (16). The trainer group
was subdivided into pairs and each pair
was given various sub topics and areas
of training delivery. There were several
sessions of planning and each aspect of
training had to be taken by the students
themselves. The teacher’s role is to
support when required and provide the
overall guidance. On the particular day of
the training, a group of junior students (30
in numbers) were given as “trainees”. The
trainers then handled the session for two
hours, playing the role of a “trainer” in
pairs. After the training session is over, a
feedback from the trainees was collected
and the program was rated “very good”.
A post training analysis was also done
along with the teacher and the students
who undertook this assignment. The post
training analysis helped the students to
understand
the
nuances
behind
organizing and conducting a training
program. The senior students could
understand the difficulties of a teacher
and the junior students could become a
good listener.
Principle: Many previous researchers
found that (Astin, 1993; Simpson & Frost,
1993) [7], [8]
involvement and
commitment are two important attributes
of successful students, and willingness to
take responsibility for the future is a third.
Involved, committed, and responsible
students seem to know where they are
going, spend whatever time and energy it
takes to achieve their goals, and access
the resources they need to help them
along their way. Inculcating the values of
shouldering responsibility is therefore an
important factor for development of the
student.
Method 2: Creative Song composition
5 mins presentation time per
Time
group
required
Methodology: Selected Senior students
(Eg: Second year students) are given a
topic for taking a training session for the
junior students ( Eg: First year students ).
The topic and session timings are fixed
based on mutual discussions between
the teacher and students. The teacher
65
Tools
required
Paper ,Pen
Preparation
time
15 mins for each group
Benefits
Team work, Subject
knowledge, Presentation
skills, Creativity, Aids in
better understanding of the
subject learnt already,
decision making, helps in
understanding/memorizing
difficult concepts.
Fun Factor
High
TIST.Int.J.Sci.Tech.Res.,Vol.1 (2012), 62-70
•
•
•
Knowledge
Transfer
Immediate and indirect
Principle: According to the results of recent
researches using music in the educational
process not only makes it more lively,
enjoyable but stimulate "right" brain learning.
Several years ago one research showed that
people listening to Mozart scored better on a
standard IQ test.(“”Mozart Effect”-studied by
Dr. Alfred A. Tomatis [9] [10]). Listening to
Mozart also reduces severity of epileptic
seizures and Alzheimer's disease. [11]
People often use music to relax after
exhausting day, to get rid of stress or to
prepare for tests. So it is logically to listen to
music in order to make your students study
better. Using famous songs is an efficient
method to activate and interest the
students.[12] But , not just listening to music,
but also making them involved in composing
music would be still better activity which also
triggers the creativity hidden.
•
Methodology : The students are divided into
small groups and asked to prepare a song or
poem about the subject already taught. This
way, the difficult concepts, especially those
which are difficult to memorise can be easily
learnt by the student. For eg: Definitions ,
lists , theories etc can be converted to
popular film songs and be sung /presented
by the group members themselves. The
teacher must conduct this activity without
prior information and the activity becomes
interesting when it is done spontaneously.
•
Case Study : The first year MBA students
were given this activity and they could come
up with very interesting songs and poem
related to several management principles.
The songs were presented by the group
members in front of the classmates. The
groups presented the several topics like
definition of Accounting, Fourteen principles
of H.Fayol, Functions of managers etc in the
form of songs and poems. Some songs were
formed on popular film songs, which helped
the students to easily memorise the subjects
Method 3: TV/Radio Shows Role-play
10- 15 mins per group
Time
required
Tools
required
•
Nil when organized
spontaneously. otherwise ,as
per the requirements of the
team
66
Preparation
time
Sufficient preparation time must
be given based on the
capabilities of the group
Benefits
Team work, Subject
knowledge, presentation skills,
Creativity, Aids in better
understanding of the subject
learnt already, decision making,
communication skills,
confidence
Fun Factor
High
Knowledge
Transfer
Long term and Indirect. In
some cases, based on the
program, the learning can be
direct and immediate also.
Principle: Role-playing has been considered
as a very effective means of training and
teaching in management education. Several
previous researches have proved its
usefulness in professional and behavioural
trainings.[13],[14] However its use has not
been fully tapped in technical education. This
role-playing when done in tune with TV or
similar media programs are much more
interesting for the students.
Methodology : The entire class is divided
into smaller groups. Each group is given the
task of preparing and presenting a TV show
/radio program based on the subject already
discussed or taught in the class. Of course,
the idea and type of program can be made
contemporary or can be original, based on
the creativity and decision of the group
members. However, each group member
must participate in one or the other way
while the show is presented before the
audience. The topic can be either given by
the teacher or asked to voluntarily select.
Once the group is given enough time for
discussion, they can be asked to present it
in front of the remaining classmates. The
teacher must provide the rules and
regulations for the program with regard to the
time slot, the content and the subject
coverage. These groups can be evaluated
on the basis of their creativity, their
communication skills, the content coverage
and their presentation.
Case Study:This activity was given to the
First year BTech Students. They were asked
to present any television show based on any
subject that they have learnt. This activity
was tried out both as a spontaneous activity,
TIST.Int.J.Sci.Tech.Res.,Vol.1 (2012), 62-70
in which the topic is given and the
presentation done during the same session
as well as ,as a well prepared activity with
sufficient preparation time. Both the cases
produced excellent results, as the students
came up with very interesting and
informative “TV Shows” on subjects related
to Science, Engineering , English etc. Some
of the programme names were “Coffee with
Dr.Newton”, “Super Scientist-Reality show”,
“English For all” etc. Each of these shows
were presented within 10-15 minutes and the
audience rated the programs based on their
content coverage, presentation style,
creativity etc.
•
Method 4 : Peer Group –learning method with
Student Teachers
15-30 mins per group based on
Time
the topic
required
•
•
Tools
required
Nil
Preparation
time
Sufficient preparation time must
be given .Topics must be
allotted sufficiently advance
Benefits
Subject knowledge,
presentation skills,
communication skills,
confidence, responsibility ,
listening skills, interest towards
the subject , understands the
subject better
Fun Factor
Medium
Knowledge
Transfer
Immediate and direct
them by “student teacher”. After giving the
necessary time for the student teacher to
teach, the teachers are interchanged and
each group gets a new teacher. The new
teacher asks question to the group and
evaluates the group members for their
knowledge.
Case Study: This activity was given to a
class of 7th Semester Electronics Engineers
for the subject called “Industrial organization
and management”. Being technically inclined
students, this subject was rather considered
as a boring subject. Due to the high number
of students in the class , as well as the
higher distraction level of students, it was
very difficult to follow only lecture method.
Moreover the subject itself was easily
comprehensible by self reading. This method
actually helped the students in learning the
subject better, especially the theories and
other contents related to management.
Though the fun factor was mainly because of
the different styles of “student teacher” , the
other advantage was that each student got a
chance to become a “teacher of the day” and
in the process became more confident of
themselves.
Method 5: Imaginative Story telling by the
students
3-5 mins per group /individual
Time
required
Principle: The basic principles of this activity
is somewhat the same as that of the “train
the trainer” activity, already shown above.
This activity also highlights the need for
giving more responsibility for the students,
which would help to learn themselves, rather
than the teacher lecturing the complete
subjects.
Methodology : This method is to be
organized prior to the session. The entire
class is divided into small groups of 6-8
members each. On a particular day, one
group will come prepared with a topic
assigned to them at least one week in
advance. Then each of the group member is
sent to the remaining group and asked to
teach the portion to the small group before
them. This way the entire groups get one
teacher each and the lesson is taught to
•
Tools
required
Paper and Pen
Preparation
time
Sufficient preparation time must
be given within the same
session.Topics can be allotted
sufficiently advance
Benefits
Application of Subject
knowledge, presentation skills,
communication skills,
confidence, listening skills,
interest towards the subject
,creativity
Fun Factor
High
Knowledge
Transfer
Long term and indirect
Principle:
"Tell me a fact and I'll learn. Tell me the truth
and I'll believe. But tell me a story and it will
live
in
my
heart
forever."
- Indian Proverb
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TIST.Int.J.Sci.Tech.Res.,Vol.1 (2012), 62-70
•
•
•
Story telling has long been used as a tool for
teaching and training. If we try to remember
what our teachers has taught us in our
school days or college days , we normally
remember incidents or stories that touched
our heart. When a difficult subject like
science is taught , we can actually make the
students write or tell a story related to that.
Story telling has been found to be effective
as a training method for management
lessons and researchers Wende etal (2009)
found that Storytelling can be used as an
effective tool for knowledge transfer in IT
industry.[15], [16]
•
Methodology: In this method, Students are
asked to narrate imaginative stories related
to the subject they are learning. Let it be as
imaginative as possible, the concepts will
form more deeply. If the story is based on
the animal kingdom, it will be more
interesting for the students. This activity can
be conducted as an individual work or as a
group work.
•
Case Study: This story telling method was
tried out in semester three Electronics and
Communication Engineering classes , as
part of their soft skills sessions. The students
were divided into small groups and were
asked to write an imaginative story related to
their subject already learnt. They came up
with several stories related to scientific
principles, connecting it to fiction and in
some cases current affairs. Some stories
were humorous; others were more like a
science fiction.
Any product related to the
topic/subject
Preparation
time
Sufficient preparation time
must be given within the same
session. Topics can be also
allotted sufficiently advance
Benefits
Application of Subject
knowledge, presentation skills,
communication skills,
confidence, listening skills,
interest towards the subject
,creativity , research skills,
Fun Factor
High
Knowledge
Transfer
Long term and direct
Methodology: This method is another
innovative teaching –learning process. This
is highly useful when learning scientific
products or tools. The student can be asked
to study the features of the tool that is taught
in the class and then they can be divided into
small groups. Each group has to make a
“Sales presentation “of the product they
have learnt.
Case Study: Some of the final year students
of the Information Technology Engineers
was given the task of selling a new
generation Laptop. The group made a
presentation and demonstration of the
features of the laptop. The group members in
turn learnt the features of the laptop and the
subject learnt was connected very well to this
practical method. The audience asked
questions related to purchase decisions and
could very well understand the features and
the technology behind.
Method 7: Using examples from Animal kingdom
Based on the content and
Time
coverage.
required
Method 6: “Sell your product”
3-5 mins per group /individual
Time
required
Tools
required
Principle: Sales is a social process which
requires extreme communication and
convincing skills. It also requires that the
sales person is clear and well knowledgeable
about the product or service which he is
trying to sell. All this means that the
salesperson knows the product in and out
and is able to answer any question that the
prospect is asking.
•
68
Tools
required
Research and reference
materials from library , internet ,
observation method
Preparation
time
At least two weeks for each
group /individual
Benefits
Application of Subject
knowledge, presentation skills,
communication skills,
confidence, interest and higher
level thinking of the subject
,creativity , research skills,
observational skills , comparison
and analytic skills
Fun Factor
Medium –High
Knowledge
Transfer
Immediate and indirect
Principle: Giving examples from animal
world is yet another innovative method.
Every animal can be used as an example for
delivering
concepts
of
team
work,
TIST.Int.J.Sci.Tech.Res.,Vol.1 (2012), 62-70
•
•
management theories, leadership theories
etc. These examples will help the students to
absorb the principles and theories in a
simple manner.[17],[18] For engineering
classes, there can be discussions based on
several natural phenomenon and animal
behavior for proving or disapproving various
scientific phenomenon.
Methodology: The students can be divided
into various groups and given a task of
observing a particular animal behavior for
some time. About two weeks time could be
given after selecting a particular animal. After
that, the groups make a presentation of their
observations.
•
Case Study: This exercise was given to
some group of MBA Students. One such
group made a presentation on “Management
lessons from Ants”. Another group presented
on “Management lessons from Elephant”
Method 8: Cartoon Video Analysis / Cartoon
Drawing
5-10 mins per group/individual
Time
required
•
Tools
required
Audio and Video facility
Preparation
time
15-30 mins for discussion
Benefits
Application of Subject
knowledge, presentation skills,
communication skills,
confidence, interest and higher
level thinking of the subject
,creativity , observational skills
Fun Factor
High
Knowledge
Transfer
Immediate and indirect
•
Principle: Cartoons are a very interesting
and fun filled method for teaching scientific
concepts and in some cases management
concepts. There are
many cartoon
characters like Tom & Jerry ,Mr. Bean etc ,
which brings out many scientific principles
and management principles in a lighter vein.
It has also been proved that using cartoons
for teaching helps in not just making the
session interesting, but also better
understandable for the students. In a news
release published June 8, 2005, The
American Association for Psychological
Science reported that a study by two
University of Ohio professors of Psychology,
Mark Shatz and Frank LoSchiavo, found that
using levity in a virtual classroom can
“significantly boost student interest and
participation.” Another example is the series
of Dummies books. Look at the success
these books enjoy on almost any topic. Part
of their success may be the generous use of
cartoons throughout their books. It seems
that cartoons help people relate to
complicated material in a way that makes it
is easier to digest.[19] [22]
Methodology: Cartoons can be used as a
tool for explaining certain aspects by the
teacher himself/herself. Alternately, after
showing a cartoon picture or video, the
students can be divided into small groups
and asked to discuss the aspects expected
and present. The video may need to be
played twice or thrice, as the students may
or may not be able to grasp the details in the
first view. But a second or third view will help
them analytically think and present.
Another version of this method is that the
students themselves can be divided into
small groups and each group can be given
the task of developing a good cartoon picture
/video relevant to the subject and explain
why they made that, the relevance and
subjects learnt out of it etc.
Case study: The first year MBA students
were divided into small groups of 4-5
members and were asked to draw a cartoon
showing any management or organizational
principle. The groups were given around 1
hour of time for discussing and drawing the
cartoons. In some cases, since the group
members were not confident of drawing, they
were given the liberty of cutting and pasting
pictures from newspapers if required. The
results were very good, as the students
came up with very interesting cartoons
based on organization , manager etc.
VI.
CONCLUSION
This paper is an attempt to introduce some
innovative and “fun filled” teaching methods
for technical and management education.
Technical education which has been long
considered as one that can only be taught
using the “chalk and talk” method, now can
become more interesting and activity
oriented. Management education try to
incorporate many of these factors like
student participation and responsibility
sharing , however , the “fun factor” may be
missing in many of the methods. This paper
tried to introduce some methods which are
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TIST.Int.J.Sci.Tech.Res.,Vol.1 (2012), 62-70
also fun filled and at the same time ensuring
that knowledge transfer happens smoothly.
In today’s world, where information is
available freely at the click of a button, the
role of a teacher becomes less significant ,
unless necessary emotional aspects are built
in the method of teaching and learning. This
“human touch” is what that is going to be the
most important factor in teaching and
learning. Gone are the days when teachers
were very strict and carrying a cane to
classroom lectured for an hour. Today,
teachers are expected to be friendly and
create a fun filled atmosphere for learning.
This paper is also an attempt to make all the
teachers to understand the necessity for
improving their “facilitating” skills through
creative methods. Thus ,we can say thinking
creatively is an important skill for a teacher.
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
To conclude: “Creativity is contagious. Pass it
on.” — Albert Einstein. Hence this paper.
[17]
VII. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
[18]
The author would like to acknowledge all the
students who have actively participated in all the
above said activities . The author would also like
to thank the management and the Principal of
TIST , for having given the freedom to try out
these activities in the classrooms.
[19]
[20]
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