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.
