8Ld and CID11 a comparat|ve study

I have been in a unique situation this past year as I have done both of these courses
simultaneously. I had joined CIDTT after doing first semester of B.Ed. After teaching for
seven years and being regarded as a Good teacher , I have felt at times that there was
something missing .I wanted to learn and to get formal degrees in order to clear these
doubts. These courses have been kind of in service training for me. So consciously I
have chosen to do these two very diverse yet similar courses at the same time.
Education Philosophy
To understand B.Ed. we have to understand philosophy of India as a socialist democratic
country; which is still deeply rooted in its religious ,socialist but democratic beliefs and
myths. Our forefathers have left a very strong Heritage of tolerance and societal
approval . Our education system is based on this philosophy ,here each child is part of
society and for a person to succeed he or she should be a productive member of society.
Society decides what is the accepted behaviour of an individual and this can only be
done with help of good education. B.Ed. starts with Education In Emerging India, where
Philosophy as a subject tells us about Naturalism, Pragmatism and Idealism .
Contributions of thinkers and educationist like John Dewy, Rousseau, Aristotle,
Mahatama Gandhi to name a few are discussed in detail.
This has been the foundation for me to understand the difference between CIDTT and
B.Ed. . Indian education is based on mostly dealism - pursuit of predetermined ideals
and values for human growth. Here end result which meets with societal approval and
fulfils the needs of country is of prime importance . Ways and means are many for
education but it is the end result which matters the most to idealists.
CIDTT is based on Pragmatism - meaning Practicability or utility . It was given by John
Dewey , it stresses that Ideals and Values are not predetermined and absolute but they
are in the making through a process of change. This type of education deals with means
and not with ends of education. Here child is not forced to achieve set goals but is
educated to choose any means to further his or her inborn or new found capacities/
capabilities in order to control his environment.
If we read this Philosophy in detail ,it has its origins in America, where people migrated
in search of better life .They were mostly self taught , the laws, rules and democratic
values were all set by them as essential part of starting fresh in a new country. Their
way of thinking was , Education is life and life itself is education.
2 #ole of a Teacher
The role of a Teacher in conventional Indian schools is that of an Educator, provider of
quality information and is the backbone of entire process of education. Entire education
process is Teacher centred where students are like Clay in the hands of master
craftsmen or artist who is a teacher and school is his studio to create these works of art.
GURU BRAHMAN,GURU VISHNU ....TASMAY SHREE GURUVAIYE NAMAHA. (Vedas)
GURU GOBIND DOONO KHADHE KA KE LAGU PAYEN, BALIHARI GURU AAP KI JO
GOBIND DIYO MILAYE. (Kabir)
These verses show the deep respect , responsibility and need of a teacher in education.
It shows the amount of burden put on shoulders of a teacher for education of a child in
order to make him/her a useful Indian citizen , lead a happy and responsible life and to
even meet God .
In international education field Teacher is a Facilitator, provider of information ,
instrumentalist. She is a guide, friend and philosopher. Her duty is to maintain social
order and social atmosphere in school for proper growth and development of child. She
is a keen observer who has foresight, is efficient and well trained. The education is Child
centric - each childs mind should get attracted towards new things and experiences.
So teacher is viewed as a Social Servant.
All of this I was able to understand due to Philosophy of education which is missing in
CIDTT, it is explained in great detail in B.Ed. as a theory subject.
Educational Psychology
B.Ed. lays lots of emphasis on learning of Psychology of the child especially school going
adolescent children. Psychology is taught as a separate subject for one full year with in
depth knowledge about learner, environment and physical developments related to age.
This aspect is totally missing in CIDTT. In CIDTT emphasis is given to building
environment for learning and motivation with knowledge of Brain based learning and
various models of learning. These CIDTT aspects were better understood by me due to
previous knowledge of psychology of a learner . There is a brief mention of age
appropriate learning in CIDTT but it gets side lined due to Concept based learning .
Psychology has proven to be an essential subject for teachers to clarify lots of doubts
and troubles faced in handling students. So to know your students a teacher has to be
aware of psychology of the learner and of herself.
Teaching Techniques and Methods
In B.Ed. during practice teaching there are set rules and regulations which are subject
based. For example during teaching of Languages a teacher can use Textbook at all
times in class and it is the main reference book which has to be taught verbatim. The
structure of class is rigid and predetermined . Teacher has to start with ntroduction
(to build curiosity and motivation) which should have set number of questions which
teacher should ask in the class. This is followed by Statement of Aim, which is given to
prepare class for upcoming information. This is followed by Vocabulary ,it is taught with
help of Flash cards ,where a child is prepared with Active and Passive vocabulary word
meanings and students are encouraged to make sentences. The next step has to be
Grammar which is taught with help of visual aids like charts and is related to content
which is going to be taught later. Model reading of a paragraph by teacher then Loud
reading by students and later silent reading for comprehension is done. Explanation
and comprehension follows where teacher explains each and every line with suitable
teaching aids. The class is wrapped up with recapitulation questions and black board
summary. Emphasis is also given to home assignments.
This way is very simple and addictive. Teaching is very structured ,there are no surprises
for students and teacher alike. It becomes repetitive and caters only to Average students
but it has its advantages as time bound teaching can take place covering all most all
aspects of Language learning. There are different set of rules for teaching science, social
studies ,maths etc. If a teacher masters this art of delivery she can later add
experimentation and other methods with ease.
In CIDTT ,there are no set rules or structures. I sometimes miss the rules and clear
cut steps of taking a class. Here during practice teaching I have observed that each of
my class is different. Each class brings with it something new, unexpected and thought
provoking. In some sessions discussion is the key word, in another self learning, role
play, creative writing , debate or making a poster is the theme of the class. CIDTT lays
lot of emphasis on use of different methods during teaching. It asks for individual
attention to be paid to each child with differentiated learning and cater to multiple
intelligence in the class room. These are new concepts which have to be learnt and
practiced regularly otherwise soon forgotten.
Both of these have taught me the importance of structure and use of different
methodologies at the same time. I see myself starting the class with brief introduction
and recall of previous session then proceeding with the chosen method of the day with
help of A.V. Aids ,involving students at every step for self- learning, peer tutoring,
drama, games, reading aloud etc. with worksheets. Here the methodology is so varied
that Time bound teaching becomes difficult and as it is a student centred class so lots of
time and efforts are used in conducting these activities. There are always surprising
answers, activities and wow moments being made in each class. The sessions are not
monotonous yet it sometimes becomes difficult to bring everything under control. Class
management skills are of at most importance here because teacher is not seen as a
disciplinarian but a provider and guide.
5 ther Minor points
There are many other small differences which are seen such as more content knowledge
based on collection of subjects such as Education a national concern, roles and
responsibilities of teachers in other areas like school management , Importance of in
service training for growth and development of teachers, various factors which affect
teaching quality like conflict situations at home or at school and how to handle them.
These all have been given due importance theoretically in B.Ed. and these find no
mention in CIDTT. I feel the core of CIDTT is effective methods of concept based
learning.
Both of these courses actually complement each other. By doing both I now have
better understanding of myself , my learners and I can choose to develop my style of
teaching by combining best of both. Some- times I feel as an untrained teacher, I was
doing all of this instinctively and now with formal training my beliefs and methods have
been validated. It gives me a great sense of achievement . Yet I am humbled by the
depth of knowledge both of these courses contain.
At the end of the day to be a Good teacher does not come only due to a courses or
degrees ,it comes from somewhere deep inside of you... either you want to be a great
teacher ,guide and philosopher or want to teach just to pass your time and earn a little
extra. Both of these courses have shown me the way as how to proceed but ultimately
what I do and teach in class is based on amount of practice and my love for children and
teaching .