Approach to learning and
evaluation processes
Social changes in
Kerala, their nature, the speed with which they happen are reflected in
our educational system too. A lot of changes have been effected with
regard to the aims of education, approaches methods and techniques which
are proved scientific. We have to look into the learner-centered approach
in this background.
This approach has a different perspective from the earlier approaches as to the
pupils nature of the learning process, favourable learning atmosphere, the
role of the teacher in the teaching-learning process and to the process of
evaluation. It explains some of the general features of teaching-learning
processes in the learner-centred approach
How do children
learn?
New concepts have been developed about learning. Learning is
explained as the process of construction of knowledge.
A learner produces knowledge by constantly applying his own thinking
abilities.
By analysing the life experiences and by interacting with others.
By volunteering for experiments and by analysing failures.
Along with learning, evaluation also takes place in the
child.
Try and examine any of the
learning situations. In each situation it can be seen that they make use
of thinking abilities specific to human nature. The application of these
capabilities has led the child to learning. They are listed below.
Ability to identify the similarities and dissimilarities.
Ability to establish relationship between cause and effect in a
particular problem/situation.
Ability to formulate concepts based on the relationships already
established.
Ability to classify different items on the basis of concepts gained
Ability lo logically analyse experiences/contexts and form
conclusions.
Ability to apply the acquired knowledge in new situations.
Ability to classify store and retrieve information, contexts etc. in
memory and to recall and compare them with new ones.
Ability to visualise them and to experience them in different ways in
terms of sounds, pictures etc.
The aim
of learning is to develop these competencies becomes learner centred when
each learner applies his/her thinking capabilities in various learning
situation. Thus when the learning process becomes learner-centred, we have
to think in terms of the following:
What the pupils have to learn and what does the teacher have to teach?
How to workout teaching-learning activities?
What is to be evaluated in learning and how?
How can we transform the class room, schools and the educational
system for this?
What are the new ideas concepts, competencies, attitudes, strategies
etc. to be developed in teachers to implement effectively the new teaching
learning processes?
How to provide support mechanism to the teacher to assume the new
role?
What support, help and leadership should we need to maintain the
school and education system in this line?
We
have to formulate comprehensive concepts and ideas in the above lines.
Intellectual development is possible only by providing importance to
learning process. A curriculum which aims at comprehensive development of
the learner demands comprehensive evaluation too. There are limitations
for the onetime evaluation programmes using a single evaluation tool.
Because of these reasons we are forced to adopt continuous and
comprehensive evaluation strategies using a variety of measures. We have
been trying to improve the standard of learning and set up a new model for
it.
