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ASSIGNMENT SOLUTIONS GUIDE (2014-2015)

E.S.-331
Curriculum and Instructions
Disclaimer/Special Note: These are just the sample of the Answers/Solutions to some of the Questions given in the
Assignments. These Sample Answers/Solutions are prepared by Private Teacher/Tutors/Auhtors for the help and Guidance
of the student to get an idea of how he/she can answer the Questions of the Assignments. We do not claim 100% Accuracy
of these sample Answers as these are based on the knowledge and cabability of Private Teacher/Tutor. Sample answers
may be seen as the Guide/Help Book for the reference to prepare the answers of the Question given in the assignment. As
these solutions and answers are prepared by the private teacher/tutor so the chances of error or mistake cannot be denied.
Any Omission or Error is highly regretted though every care has been taken while preparing these Sample Answers/
Solutions. Please consult your own Teacher/Tutor before you prepare a Particular Answer & for uptodate and exact
information, data and solution. Student should must read and refer the official study material provided by the university.

Answer the following questions in about 500 words each

Q. 1. Explain Magers approach to develop objectives for teaching and learning with suitable examples.
Ans. Robert Magers almost simplistic adage about setting quantifiable and measurable learning outcomes is so
simple, yet so powerfully logical. If used along with the other two principles of conditions (under which the
performance has to be done) and criteria of acceptable performance, it becomes a cornerstone for all instructional
interventions, be it classroom or eLearning.
Roberts principles always help to answer critical questions while designing training programs or developing
storyboards for eLearning courses.
What will be content for the subject?
What will be the duration of learning?
What will be the instructional strategy (how best can a particular topic be presented)?
What will be the type of assessments?
Some of the learning professionals have expressed their views on what they think of Magers principles and to
what extent are they used in todays world of rapid eLearning.
The case for writing very-tightly-constructed behavioural objectives or learning outcomes as an integral part of
course, curriculum and lesson design has been strongly influenced by the leading proponent of such objectivesthe
American educational psychologist Robert F. Mager. His definitive work on the subject, Preparing Instructional
Objectives, triggered a bandwagon movement during the late 1960s and early 1970s, a movement that led to the
widespread adoption of a rigorous, objectives-based approach to the design of courses and teaching materials. Although
Magers stringent rules for formulating objectives are not so strictly adhered to nowadays, his influence still
remains strong in many areas of education and training - particularly in respect of competence-based and other
vocationally-oriented courses.
According to Mager and his followers, a behavioural objective (learning outcome) should be written in clear,
unambiguous terms that any teacher or student can understand without the need for explanation, and should include
the following three basic elements.
(i) It should state what the student should be able to do at the end of the learning experience (ie should specify
the required (terminal (or end) behaviour).
(ii) It should state the conditions or constraints under which this behaviour is to be exhibited.
(iii) It should give a clear indication of the minimum standard of performance that is considered acceptable.
Formulating learning outcomes in clear, unambiguous behavioural terms can be deceptively difficult, requiring
a considerable amount of skill and practice. Clearly, if Magers criteria were rigidly adhered to, drawing up a full list

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of learning outcomes for a teaching or training course would be an onerous and time-consuming task. The resulting
list would probably be highly cumbersome and off-putting, and assessment would probably be unworkable in practice.
For these reasons, there was a move away from the strict Magerian approach during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
As a result, it became customary to define only the required end behaviour when writing outcomes, with the
specification of the conditions under which the behaviour had to be achieved and the minimum standard of performance
generally being omitted. This is still generally the case when writing learning outcomes for the great majority of
degree-level courses where academics wish to retain flexibility.
He described useful instructional objectives as having three characteristics (Mager 1984):
1. Performance: An objective always says what a learner is expected to be able to do; the objective sometimes
describes the product or the result of the doing.
2. Conditions: An objective always describes the important conditions (if any) under which the performance is
to occur.
3. Criterion: Wherever possible, an objective describes the criterion of acceptable performance by describing
how well the learner must perform in order to be considered acceptable.
When designing trainings using CRI, the components include:
1. Instructional objectives and goals; identify competencies to be learned.
2. Performance objectives - identify outcomes of instruction and how they will be measured (criterion).
3. Evaluation based on the criteria established in no. 2
4. Development of learning modules tied to certain needs or objectives
Mager was especially interested in the goal-setting aspect of education. Traditionally many educational goals
have been subjective in nature and it was difficult to determine if such goals had been met. Mager developed a goal
analysis as follows:
1. Write down the goal in brief phrases or single words.
2. Write down the performance that, if achieved, would provide confirmation that the goal was achieved.
3. Delete any duplications or unwanted items. If there are items in 1 and 2 that are too abstract (fuzzy), rewrite
to make more specific.
4. Write a complete statement for each desired behaviour or performance. Describe the nature, quality, or
amount considered acceptable.
5. Test the statements against the original goals in no. 1. If a student demonstrated the stated performances,
would you be willing to say that he has achieved the goal? when the answer is yes, the analysis is complete.
Q. 2. Elaborate the ways in which you will use probing skills while teaching in the class.
Ans. Teachers performance is the most crucial input in the field of education. Teacher has to keep the students
always motivated and help and guide them in learning. As students possess varying degrees of ability, teacher has to
manage all the situations in the classroom.
Teacher can develop the ability to think critically in his/her students by possessing questioning skill.
Probing is the technique that deals with students response, going deep into students knowledge by asking a
series of questions. It is a specialised skill that should be acquired by all teachers who want to become effective and
efficient.
Probing skills may be divided into five parts:
(i) Seeking Further Information.
(ii) Prompting.
(iii) Refocussing.
(iv) Redirecting.
(v) Increasing critical awareness.
(i) Seeking Further Information: The purpose of seeking further information is to encourage the students to
supply additional information and bring the initial response to the criterion level. You can motivate them to complete
their responses by asking questions like

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What more can you add to your response?

State your answer in other words.
Will you please elaborate your answer?
How can you make your answer more clear?
Add some examples to support your response.
(ii) Prompting: The objective of using these devices is to help the student answer the question correctly and
adequately by himself. This will allow the teacher to probe the students knowledge by prompting him. Prompting
can be used when student has difficulty in answering the question correctly. Prompting questions consist of a series
of questions which help the student develop the correct answer. The teacher should begin prompting the student
from what he/she knows and then proceed towards the standard response. Prompts can thus help your pupil to arrive
at the correct response by means of a systematic and step-by-step questioning process.
(iii) Refocussing: Generally when a pupil gives a correct response, the teacher relates that answer with the topic
already taught. This refocusses his (i.e. the students) or the classes attention to the related topic/unit. The main aim
behind this is to make the student aware of the implications of a given response in more complex and novel situations.
(iv) Redirecting: The main purpose of redirecting is to probe and increase students participation. When there is
no response, incomplete response or incorrect response, teacher can probe further by prompting or seeking further
information. In this situation he may involve other students of the class as also he may put the same main question to
may students in order to get the expected response.
(v) Increasing Critical Awareness: Teacher tries to increase the students critical awareness when he aims at
eliciting why (reason) and how (process) of a correct response from them. The main purpose of this component is
to find out the students increased critical awareness. The teacher asks questions to justify the students response
rationally. Therefore, you can elicit a reason for a students initial response.
Q. 3. Suppose you have a very disruptive students in your class, explain the various techniques which you
will use to manage the classroom.
Ans. Management of a classroom is a broader concept. It includes not only internal factors related to the
management of a classroom but include those external factors which have a strong bearing on the students behaviour
in a classroom.
Management of a classroom demands that the teacher should be resourceful enough and this can be achieved
through a deliberate attempt only. This chapter will enable you to have a fair understanding of the principles and
practices of classroom management.
Factors that Influence Classroom Management: Important factors that influence the classroom management
are as follows:
(i) Effective instructions.
(ii) Setting and implementing rules.
(iii) Managing intervention.
(iv) Feedback on appropriate behaviour.
(v) Classroom environment.
(i) Effective Instructions: Effective instructions support a teachers efforts to promote both learning and discipline
(order) in the classroom. Doyle (1986) suggested that effective classroom management is facilitated if the students
are actively and successfully engaged in instructional activities. Therefore, well-planned instruction with appropriate
pacing, guided practice, attention to individual students, effective and immediate feedback, etc. can help teachers
manage a classroom and thereby ensure desired learning. On the contrary, instructional weaknesses can create
disorder in a classroom and make teaching much less effective.
(ii) Setting and Implementing Rules: Crocker and Brooker (1986) observe that classroom instruction shoule
be undertaken in a business-like manner; that is, the teacher should try to achieve maximum learning within munimum
time and without task disruption. Teachers who set clear-cut goals of instruction and show a degree of commitment
to achieve those goals, can manage their instructional activities more effectively. The teacher, therefore, must
demonstrate the willingness and an ability to act when the rules are broken.

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(iii) Managing Intervention: The process of monitoring the students behaviour and intervening when necessary
is clearly one of the most demanding requirements for effective classroom management. The need of intervention is
reduced if the rules are classified and instructional activities are appropriately implemented. Typical misbehaviours
such as inattentiveness, mild forms of verbal and physical aggression, failure to bring books and complete homework,
etc. should be effectively intervened.
(iv) Feedback on Appropriate Behaviour: The student expects to receive continuous feedback about whether
his classroom behaviour is acceptable or not. Success in learning should be praised by the teacher. You should,
however, remember that the teacher should be judicious in his/her praise in the clossroom and praise should be
linked with performance.
(v) Classroom Environment: Classroom environment is also related to management. Many organisational
factors such as direction, feedback, communication, interpersonal relations between the teacher and the students,
etc. create a proper climate for learning. The students do not want to learn in a chaotic environment and the teacher
who has to teach problem classes will have to work under strain. Poorly managed classes do not provide a pleasant
supportive environment to teach or learn. A certain degree of calm, quite and comfort is necessary for the teachers
as well as the students mental health.
The teacher, therefore, has to understand the impact of various classroom related intervening factors, students
needs, attitude and behaviour, and the teachers ability/resourcefulness to communicate with the students. The sum
of these factors determines the effectiveness of management of instructional activities in the classroom. For this, the
teacher has to introspect and ask himself/herself how much pain he/she is going to take in systematising the teachinglearning activities.
Techniques of Classroom Management
Various techniques adopted by teachers during classroom management are as follows:
(i) Behaviour modification technique.
(ii) Students responsibility.
(iii) Group activities.
(iv) Skill in maintaining students attention.
(i) Behaviour Modification Technique: The basic assumption behind this technique is that student behaviour
is the direct result of teachers behaviour. It is the job of the teacher to identify desirable and undesirable classroom
behaviours. The teacher has to ignore inappropriate/undersirable behaviour and reinforce appropriate/desirable
bahaviour. According to Skinner, the teacher can use reinforcement (you will recall that reinforcement is a condition
of learning) to shape the desired behaviour. In other words, popular activities can be used to bring about desirable
changes in the students behaviour. This will lead to effective management of instruction.
(ii) Students Reponsibility: Some teachers feel that the students should be responsible for their behaviour. The
teachers job is to make the students aware of the expectations and the consequences of their desirable and undersirable
behaviours. This technique of managing a classroom advocates self-discipline among the students. It is the
responsibility of the teacher to enable students to take up greater responsibility for their behaviour and develop a
plan for modifying their unproductive behaviour.
(iii) Group Activities: In order to manage their class, some teachers prefer to deal with a group of students,
rather than with individual students. They see the class as a group which is influenced by peers. The students
working together exhibit desired behaviour in order to gain group rewards. The students complete with each other.
The teachers responsibility here is to give the students some group activities and create a competitive environment
in the class. The teacher can encourage desirable behaviour among students through appropriate rewards/reinforcement.
(iv) Skill in Maintaining Students Attention: All effctive teachers continuously monitor students for signs of
inattention and are sensitive to their needs. The seating arrangement should be made in such a way that the teacher
can see all the students effortlessly. Besides, variation in voice, movement or pacing can be used the refocus their
attention during teaching. We should guard against the tendency of creating a monotonous environment in the
classroom. Sometimes humour should be used to break the monotony and to create a lively environment.

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