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.

Updated on: 25 Nov 2008