Traditional Teaching Vs Modern Teaching

From an obedient smart student to a creative interior designer and landscaper to a beloved wife to a superb mother of 2, Mrs.Preet Motwani is aptly proving this golden proverb : A strong willed little girl will grow to be a strong independent woman with all her dedication and determination.

Preet Motwani born and raised in Ahmednagar completed her schooling from Sacred Heart Convent High School, followed her passion of decorating houses to get a homely feel, studied interior design from Institute of Studies in Design Technology (ISDT) and Diploma in Landscaping from National institute of Fashion Technology (NIFD).

She is a full time multi tasker and lives multiple roles in her life. She believes it’s one life and one should make the most out of it by fulfilling all the desires one dreamt of. Believe in yourself and the world will believe in you. Teaching styles have changed significantly over the years. The traditional way that education was delivered was through recitation and memorization techniques, whereas the modern way of doing things involves interactive methods.

in ancient India, during the Vedic period from about 1500 BC to 600 BC, most education was based on the Veda (hymns, formulas, and incantations, recited or chanted by priests of a pre-Hindu tradition) and later Hindu texts and scriptures. Vedic education included: proper pronunciation and recitation of the Veda, the rules of sacrifice, grammar and derivation, composition, versification and meter, understanding of secrets of nature, reasoning including logic, the sciences, and the skills necessary for an occupation. Some medical knowledge existed and was taught. There is mention in the Veda of herbal medicines for various conditions or diseases, including fever, cough, baldness, snake bite and others. Education, at first freely available in Vedic society, became over time more rigid and restricted as the social systems dictated that only those of meritorious lineage be allowed to study the scriptures, originally based on occupation, evolved, with the Brahman (priests) being the most privileged of the castes, followed by Kshatriya who could also wear the sacred thread and gain access to Vedic education. The Brahmans were given priority even over Kshatriya as they would dedicate their whole lives to such studies.

The oldest of the Upanishads – another part of Hindu scriptures – date from around 500 BC. These texts encouraged an exploratory learning process where teachers and students were co-travellers in a search for truth. The teaching methods used reasoning and questioning. Nothing was labeled as the final answer.

The Gurukul system of education supported traditional Hindu residential schools of learning; typically the teacher’s house or a monastery. Education was free, but students from well-to-do families paid “Gurudakshina,” a voluntary contribution after the complet-on of their studies. At the Gurukuls, the teacher imparted knowledge of Religion, Scriptures, Philosophy, Literature, Warfare, Statecraft, Medicine, Astrology and History. The corpus of Sanskrit literature encompasses a rich tradition of poetry and drama as well as technical scientific, philosophical and generally Hindu religious texts, though many central texts of Buddhism and Jainism have also been composed in Sanskrit.

The back-to-basics traditional education method, also known as conventional education, is still widely used in schools. The old-fashioned way of teaching was ail about recitation, for example students would sit in silence, while one student after another would take it in turns to recite the lesson, until each one had been called upon. The teacher would listen to each student’s recitation, and they were expected to study and memorize the assignments. At the end of the module a written test or an oral examination would be conducted; this process was called an Assignment Study Recitation Test. The way in which traditional methods were taught ensured that students were rewarded for their efforts, used class periods efficiently and exercised clear rules to manage students’ behavior. They were based on established customs that had been used successfully in schools over many years. The teachers communicated the knowledge and enforced standards of behavior. In the traditional teaching method, teachers illustrate the concept to the students with the : help of chalks and blackboard. Every important thing regarding the topic is written on the blackboard and students make important notes from the blackboard. After the lecture is over students revise their notes and try to memorize the notes. The main objective of traditional teaching is to pass the examination. Traditional teaching system has its own merits and Education reforms mean that learning is taught from a completely different angle. Progressive educational practices focus more on the individual student’s needs rather than assuming all students are at the same level of understanding. The modern way of teaching is more activity based, using questioning, explaining, demonstrations and collaboration techniques. One modern method is spaced learning, this is when students are encouraged to quickly switch through activities, for example; providing 10 minutes of knowledge on a subject with a PowerPoint presentation and then having 15 minutes of sport. The aim of spaced learning is to achieve better grades, and it works! It is claimed that this is a more effective than teaching students by traditional methods, thus helping the brain cells to create connections that they need to remember. It also helps people relax.

“The traditional “chalk and talk” method of teaching that’s persisted for hundreds of years is now acquiring inferior results when compared with the more modern and revolutionary teaching methods that are available for use in schools today. Greater student interaction is encouraged, the boundaries of authority are being broken down, and a focus on enjoyment over grades is emphasized.”

From the last decade the use of high tech equipment in the educational institutions is increased with a rapid rate. Now there are lots of modern gadgets which can be used for improving the teaching in the classroom.

Here is the list of most popular equipment which can be used in modern teaching-

Use of computers or laptops with wi-fi connection in the classroom- This is the most important tool of modern teaching methods. Teacher demonstrates the subject on his laptop/computer which is connected to the laptops/computers of the students through wi-fi connection. This type of teaching is seen mostly in the higher education institutions which have good infrastructure.

Use of LCD projector in the classroom- Use of LCD screens in the educational institutions is becoming very common nowadays. Teacher prepares the power point slides and which are displayed on the LCD screen with the help of a projector. The projector can also be connected to a laptop/computer for displaying the relevant videos of the subject on the projector.

Use of interactive whiteboards in the classroom- Whiteboards are very interactive and provides the touch control of the computer applications. On whiteboard a teacher or student can draw, write or manipulate images so providing a very interactive and interesting platform. The main advantage of whiteboards is that it can show anything on it which can be seen on the computer.