29 September 2010

Levels of learning in the cognitive domains and behavioural objectives

Cognitive domains deal with the mind ,or a way of testing pupils' knowledge during learning process.There are several cognitive domains in learning,but lets identify five of them.
Knowledge is the foundation of all other levels .The knowledge of the learners should be regularly tested indifferent ways.Knowledge includes recalling,remembering and recognising.The knowledge helps pupils to remember what they would have been taught and then apply them in an examination situations. Knowledge also helps learners to recall the learnt things and memorise them.Memorisation is the process which enable learners to understand thus recalling.Pupils due to knowledge are able to recognise what they know and what they do not know.Information is taken easily by recognising.Behavioural objectives include: state,list,name,outline etc.
Comprehension:This entails understanding ,explaining ,interpretation ,comparison,contrast ,summarising ,grasping and logical reasoning. To comprehend is to check the understanding from learners through asking questions that needs thinking from what had learnt.
Learners can be tested in explaining like when interpreting.Children can be asked to explain or give explainations from whatever they would have been taught.
Comprehension skills also entail comparison ,where learners should be able to compare and contrast which then calls for higher order thinking in making similarities and differences.
After people able to interpret they can be able to summarise.For example after reading the passage they can able to say or write in their own words what they heard from the passage at the same time they are grasping the main points from the passage.Comprehension demands the use of logical thinking whereby you are expected to think.
Application includes using rules and principles .It is the way of testing pupils ways of thinking from what they would have been taught.What have been taught theoretically should be put into practice.They would have learnt practically and should be applied theoretically and this is when applying rules and principles in both theories and practicals.
Analysis is the level of deductive reasoning and comparison which includes assessment of the causes and effects ,thus it involves breaking the materials into parts and identifying components and the ability to identify relationships between facts and ideas.The behavioural objectives includes analyse, differentiate,distinguish ,determine etc.
Synthesis and Evaluation create a situation,whereby one is suppose to put parts together .It includes modifying and recognizing facts together.A learner may be asked to recognise facts and put in other situation.
Evaluation is when giving judgements from analysed situations .The learner is tasked to read and understand from the passage .The behavioural objectives are summarising,comment ,justify,synthesise,an account and evaluate.

CHILD CENTRED LEARNING APPROACH IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

The main reason children learn Environmental Science(ES) in primary schools is for the to develop an enquiry mind. Learning through doing is a golden rule in Education process.The child is happy to explore his/her own environment to develops the feelings of achievement , understand and appreciate what he/she discovers for him/herself as a personal worth.The more senses a child uses in learning the better he/she will understand and remember. Pupils reinforce and revise what is being taught , oftenly they apply knowledge learnt to life experiences.
ES gives the child an opportunity to grow and to learn in his own way and to provide each child with suitable experience at the precise moment of his/her needs. Since children learning is based on doing it is more interesting and enjoyment when children are associated their playing activities with discovery,exploration and experimentation using touching ,feeling and seeing a variety of objects. Activities can be used in different ways develop a skill such as reading ,drawing and singing.
Child centred approach is taking a pattern of learning when the teacher considered his/her planning content to be taught with the learner in mind .Starting from what is known by the children and go from there to new ideas that they should also identify their present interests and organise for them to develop those that are productive so as to lead to new interests.
A reflective teacher should watch the time when the child is ready to assimilate new experiences before introducing new task. Teaching should be as concrete as possible and as related to examples within their local environment experiences as possible to avoid rote learning.
In addition child centred approach should also involve pupils in learning by doing ,a method which uses more than one of the senses in the process of acquiring knowledge. The learned content should be at the level of their learners' cognitive level and must be within their immediate environment.
The classroom atmosphere must be relaxed and conducive for happy moods of all learners. Hence lessons should reflect the different needs of different pupils' views. There should be more pupils' activities than teacher's activities. The pupils' activities in their learning should be accompanied with a variety questioning techniques,free use discussions and exploration methods.
Groupwork must cater for different needs of different learners. The teacher must have an awareness of each individual learner 's needs ,weakness and talents.
The teaching and learning media should be plenty of visual aids in current use and should be displayed .The section for displaying children's work must be bright and colour to arouse their interests in presenting good work and every child 's work must be given a chance to be displayed so that he/she feel to do much better as a learner.
Many interesting learning areas ,for project work ,science laboratory, nature area around the school environment ,discovery section,library,creativity corner etc.
Children need to discover new knowledge through investigation ,experiments and exploration. So that they applied the knowledge learned to useful ends such as care of animals ,garderning ,capentry ,modelling etc.
No to corporal punishment as pupils shall work and behave well because they want to learn in a motivational stimulated teacher /pupil relationships. Children show sense of responsibility if roled into different tasks needed for learning in their classroom ,including,distribution of materials,variety of apparatus readily available for pupils to use and study freely when they have spare time.

METHODS OF INSTRUTION IN THE CLASSROOM ORGANISATION PROMOTE EFFECTIVE LEARNING!

Besides varying the teaching methods to suit the different teaching and learning situation .The teacher should arrange the setting stratergy for all the learners.Braine et al (1990)say ,"do not feel obliged to maintain the same seating plan for every type of lesson.If you plan a lesson in which there is an element of class instruction and boardwork ,the seating plan will need to be arranged so that all pupils can see the chalkboard."The seating arrangements in the classroom adds or subtracts meaning to the learning context. Pupils should be helped and encouraged to make maximum use of the space and furniture available. All pupils should be comfortably sit in such a way that they can be able to see the board,their teacher and is a well ventilated clean area, without straining themselves.The teacher's table should be infront or backwards depends with the teacher and should be freely visited by every child who need assistance during children 's work.There should be enough space for pupils to move freely between the desks during lesson activities.
Good seating arrangements promote co-operation and entail pupil to pupil interaction and teacher to pupil interaction.
The teacher should delegate duties to the pupils.Kasambira(1993)suggests class routines and responsibilities should be established very quickly.Every pupil should know what is expected him/her. Have an idea on how things are done and how each person contributes to the wellbeing of the classroom environement.
Routines and responsibilities such as collection of exercise books ,group leaders,disribution of materials and collection ,work procedures and homeworks .These duties should be kept clear ,brief ,definite and enforceable .
In other words teachers should involve children generally from 9 years and above ,in the drafting and making of class roles,rules and duties .This way children are trained to be responsible for their own learning and for their future in the society.It will also convient for the teacher to deal with misbehaviour because children for themselves will help their teacher to report those disturbing others in the classroom learning situations.
The good relationship between the teacher and pupils will be enhenced as these children realised their responsiblity,roles and occupied most of their time learning something purposeful in their life.
Delegation of duties also is the best way to motivate children in the context that no one will feel inferior as everyone is assured a role to do in class without favouring or neglecting any learner. At the same time the teacher should fair as much as possible and avoid segregation when delegating.
Teachers should avoid the commonly practiced tendencies of delegating only the fast learners, perceiving the inclusive education of motivating the gifted child to take the leadership roles always. Whilst sidlining the slow learners who will obviously become the trouble makers and perpetuate misbehaviours in the classroom.
Labelling children negatively has detrimental effects of self-fulling prophecy,which might trigger compensatory behaviour.This behaviours might led slow learners to bully other children after school.Teachers should treat all pupils equally regardless of whatever academic,social or economic status.Don't give a child a role just because you will aim for his parents who are rich and will give some incentives by simply favouring their child instead of doing what is fair enough for disciplinary management. Some children become more challengeable if they discovered other children are given more attention then them .
The teacher can make an environment conducive for learning as he organises pupils such that will not disturb each other during learning.To be persistant with stimulus variation the teacher should make use of gestures,variation in voice projection,rythmic movements around the classroom and not adhere to classroom especially during the hot weathers ,but also go outside. Make use of shades of tree whilst children refresh from cool well ventilated places whilst embarking on field trips, used local environment as the best media among other numerous advantages of conducive learning environment..

METHODS OF INSTRUTION IN THE CLASSROOM ORGANISATION PROMOTE EFFECTIVE LEARNING!

Besides varying the teaching methods to suit the different teaching and learning situation .The teacher should arrange the setting stratergy for all the learners.Braine et al (1990)say ,"do not feel obliged to maintain the same seating plan for every type of lesson.If you plan a lesson in which there is an element of class instruction and boardwork ,the seating plan will need to be arranged so that all pupils can see the chalkboard."The seating arrangements in the classroom adds or subtracts meaning to the learning context. Pupils should be helped and encouraged to make maximum use of the space and furniture available. All pupils should be comfortably sit in such a way that they can be able to see the board,their teacher and is a well ventilated clean area, without straining themselves.The teacher's table should be infront or backwards depends with the teacher and should be freely visited by every child who need assistance during children 's work.There should be enough space for pupils to move freely between the desks during lesson activities.
Good seating arrangements promote co-operation and entail pupil to pupil interaction and teacher to pupil interaction.
The teacher should delegate duties to the pupils.Kasambira(1993)suggests class routines and responsibilities should be established very quickly.Every pupil should know what is expected him/her. Have an idea on how things are done and how each person contributes to the wellbeing of the classroom environement.
Routines and responsibilities such as collection of exercise books ,group leaders,disribution of materials and collection ,work procedures and homeworks .These duties should be kept clear ,brief ,definite and enforceable .
In other words teachers should involve children generally from 9 years and above ,in the drafting and making of class roles,rules and duties .This way children are trained to be responsible for their own learning and for their future in the society.It will also convient for the teacher to deal with misbehaviour because children for themselves will help their teacher to report those disturbing others in the classroom learning situations.
The good relationship between the teacher and pupils will be enhenced as these children realised their responsiblity,roles and occupied most of their time learning something purposeful in their life.
Delegation of duties also is the best way to motivate children in the context that no one will feel inferior as everyone is assured a role to do in class without favouring or neglecting any learner. At the same time the teacher should fair as much as possible and avoid segregation when delegating.
Teachers should avoid the commonly practiced tendencies of delegating only the fast learners, perceiving the inclusive education of motivating the gifted child to take the leadership roles always. Whilst sidlining the slow learners who will obviously become the trouble makers and perpetuate misbehaviours in the classroom.
Labelling children negatively has detrimental effects of self-fulling prophecy,which might trigger compensatory behaviour.This behaviours might led slow learners to bully other children after school.Teachers should treat all pupils equally regardless of whatever academic,social or economic status.Don't give a child a role just because you will aim for his parents who are rich and will give some incentives by simply favouring their child instead of doing what is fair enough for disciplinary management. Some children become more challengeable if they discovered other children are given more attention then them .
The teacher can make an environment conducive for learning as he organises pupils such that will not disturb each other during learning.To be persistant with stimulus variation the teacher should make use of gestures,variation in voice projection,rythmic movements around the classroom and not adhere to classroom especially during the hot weathers ,but also go outside. Make use of shades of tree whilst children refresh from cool well ventilated places whilst embarking on field trips, used local environment as the best media among other numerous advantages of conducive learning environment..

THE IMPORTANCE OF QUESTIONING AND TIPS FOR QUESTIONING TECHNIQUES IN PRIMARY EDUCATION

The aims of the primary education system is to teach children to develop an inquiry mind and the ability to solve problems .This aims can be best achieved by helping learners to ask questions about their Education and seek answers to these questions. Hence questioning both by teachers and children will enhance the development of appropriate skills ,concepts ,attitudes and values.
The teacher's questions should help learners to refine,clarify their thinking and direct or redirect their activities.
The main purposes and timing of questions asked during a lesson. Each stage of a lesson demand a different type of questions,for each question to be effective ,it must be phrased in just the right way and asked just at the right time only. Teachers ask questions inorder to introduce new concept in the new lesson. For example on the topic 'Uses of water in the community' in juniour grades, teacher asks:
(1)what are uses of water at home /school?
(2)Does the use of water important?
(3)why we use clean water in most of domestic activities?
When asking questions it is also important to use approriate action verbs stating what learners are expected to do. Teachers should note that asking questions is a skill useful to develop effective learning and the ability to ask questions requires a great deal of thought and practice.
The well framed questions prior to the lesson and proof that they are certainly grammatically correct. Questions must be clear ,using simple wording which is to the level of the children and asked in a friendly manner.
The way questions asked should be varied making use of open ended questions ,instead of questions with simple YES/NO answers.
The direct questions to all children girls as well as boys or active and quiet children. Atleast one meaningful questions asked every child in the classroom every day ,these questions must be provoking rather than those which aimless or guessing responses.
A teacher questions correctly and limit number of questions is also listen carefully to the responses from the questions he/she asked. Children need to be given enough time to reflect on the questions asked before raised their hands to respond on them.For this gap of time when pupils grasping the question before responding ,some teachers developed the habit of answering their questions . However it is nice to rephrase the question or divide it into a series of simple questions if children failed to give expected responses.Questions can be repeated only in expectional circumstances and avoid the use of leading questions.
Progressive reflective teaching and learning process is a two way process where the teacher can also handle questions from children. When responding to pupils' questions ,learners should only be guided to exploration in their Education system,so the teacher should encourages and assists them to find answers on their own. At this point now the teacher should spend less time answering questions ,but redirect more time on helping to rephrase and restructure these questions to find ways of exploring ,investigating or experimenting until a satisfying answer is found.
In some cases the teacher may decide that it is necessary to answer children's questions directly. This depends on the type of question ,however the most important component of the teacher's respond is to respect learners. No child should be laughed at,mocked or humiliated for having asked the question. No silly question as long as one asked it. Every learner deserves to be well treated by the teacher who clarify and acknowledge questions.
When a teacher respond to pupils' answers in a manner that make them feel good about the contribution they had made. Again no one child should be mocked or laughed at even if the teacher or other pupils don't agree with the contributor, but she/he should feels that has been understood or have appreciated.
Generally in different lesson situations pupils will influence the way the teacher reacts. Pupils may give correct ,incorrect ,incomplete ,vague ,irrelevant and no answer at all.The following suggestions will help the teacher to deal with this type of learners' responses:
•Incomplete answers,acknowledge them ,but go on encourage them to state the answer more precisely. Ask a series of direct questions to help the child clarify his her thinking and also beware of twisting answers to suit yourself.
•Irrelevant response,acknowledge them also ,but point out clearly that answer belongs to a different topic. Give them again the time to reply again and allow other members of the group to chip in and assist.
•No answers ,give pupils ample time to think about the question ,verify everyone understood the question. Rephrase the questions breakdown difficult questions into simpler questions for pupils to attempt. And also acknowledge the answers ask children to discuss whether questions is justified or not.
•Correct answer, acknowledge the responses ,allow other pupils to ask questions or make statements regarding the answers modify these questions so that additional aspects can be included.

THE IMPORTANCE OF QUESTIONING AND TIPS FOR QUESTIONING TECHNIQUES IN PRIMARY EDUCATION

The aims of the primary education system is to teach children to develop an inquiry mind and the ability to solve problems .This aims can be best achieved by helping learners to ask questions about their Education and seek answers to these questions. Hence questioning both by teachers and children will enhance the development of appropriate skills ,concepts ,attitudes and values.
The teacher's questions should help learners to refine,clarify their thinking and direct or redirect their activities.
The main purposes and timing of questions asked during a lesson. Each stage of a lesson demand a different type of questions,for each question to be effective ,it must be phrased in just the right way and asked just at the right time only. Teachers ask questions inorder to introduce new concept in the new lesson. For example on the topic 'Uses of water in the community' in juniour grades, teacher asks:
(1)what are uses of water at home /school?
(2)Does the use of water important?
(3)why we use clean water in most of domestic activities?
When asking questions it is also important to use approriate action verbs stating what learners are expected to do. Teachers should note that asking questions is a skill useful to develop effective learning and the ability to ask questions requires a great deal of thought and practice.
The well framed questions prior to the lesson and proof that they are certainly grammatically correct. Questions must be clear ,using simple wording which is to the level of the children and asked in a friendly manner.
The way questions asked should be varied making use of open ended questions ,instead of questions with simple YES/NO answers.
The direct questions to all children girls as well as boys or active and quiet children. Atleast one meaningful questions asked every child in the classroom every day ,these questions must be provoking rather than those which aimless or guessing responses.
A teacher questions correctly and limit number of questions is also listen carefully to the responses from the questions he/she asked. Children need to be given enough time to reflect on the questions asked before raised their hands to respond on them.For this gap of time when pupils grasping the question before responding ,some teachers developed the habit of answering their questions . However it is nice to rephrase the question or divide it into a series of simple questions if children failed to give expected responses.Questions can be repeated only in expectional circumstances and avoid the use of leading questions.
Progressive reflective teaching and learning process is a two way process where the teacher can also handle questions from children. When responding to pupils' questions ,learners should only be guided to exploration in their Education system,so the teacher should encourages and assists them to find answers on their own. At this point now the teacher should spend less time answering questions ,but redirect more time on helping to rephrase and restructure these questions to find ways of exploring ,investigating or experimenting until a satisfying answer is found.
In some cases the teacher may decide that it is necessary to answer children's questions directly. This depends on the type of question ,however the most important component of the teacher's respond is to respect learners. No child should be laughed at,mocked or humiliated for having asked the question. No silly question as long as one asked it. Every learner deserves to be well treated by the teacher who clarify and acknowledge questions.
When a teacher respond to pupils' answers in a manner that make them feel good about the contribution they had made. Again no one child should be mocked or laughed at even if the teacher or other pupils don't agree with the contributor, but she/he should feels that has been understood or have appreciated.
Generally in different lesson situations pupils will influence the way the teacher reacts. Pupils may give correct ,incorrect ,incomplete ,vague ,irrelevant and no answer at all.The following suggestions will help the teacher to deal with this type of learners' responses:
•Incomplete answers,acknowledge them ,but go on encourage them to state the answer more precisely. Ask a series of direct questions to help the child clarify his her thinking and also beware of twisting answers to suit yourself.
•Irrelevant response,acknowledge them also ,but point out clearly that answer belongs to a different topic. Give them again the time to reply again and allow other members of the group to chip in and assist.
•No answers ,give pupils ample time to think about the question ,verify everyone understood the question. Rephrase the questions breakdown difficult questions into simpler questions for pupils to attempt. And also acknowledge the answers ask children to discuss whether questions is justified or not.
•Correct answer, acknowledge the responses ,allow other pupils to ask questions or make statements regarding the answers modify these questions so that additional aspects can be included.