CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP - BIOLOGY
(JULY 26 AND 27, 2024)
A two-day Capacity Building Workshop aimed at building the modern teaching skills in Biology was organized by CBSE, chiefly based on the present state of pedagogical knowledge of the Science mentors in schools on 26th and 27th July 2024 at DAV Public School, Sector-14, Gurugram, Day one of the workshop was chaired by resource person Ms Poonam Saxena and day two was chaired by Ms. Neeraj Vohra. This engaging workshop was attended by the PGT Biology teachers from schools of Gurugram and nearby regions. The two days were meticulously planned.
Day one provided a powerful and engaging learning experience through various hands-on paper activities. The resource person elaborated on the various dimensions of study like the creation of an environment conducive to learning and how student-directed learning makes the classroom less of an ‘institution’ and more of a ‘community’, encouraging mutual support. The attendees learnt that such an approach provides the students with greater responsibility for learning and self-discovery. The importance of teaching aids in the effectiveness of a lesson were discussed and the teachers were made to understand how these teaching aids provide the learners with different intelligences to enjoy learning as well as develop their potential and thinking skills. The need for developing independent, critical thinking and problem-solving skills in students was discussed at length.
To underline this point further, the resource person laid emphasis upon and revised the ‘Cone of Experiences’ theory given by Edgar Dale and theorized that learners retain more information by what they ‘do’ as opposed to what they ‘hear’, ‘read’ or ‘observe’. The paradigm shift from ‘learning by doing’ to ‘Experiential and Active/Action learning’ was discussed and brainstormed. The workshop also guided teachers to use triggers or warm-up activities to activate prior knowledge and capture students’ attention like card sorting, etc. along with the importance of using a lesson plan by educators to attain SMART (specific, measurable, accurate, relevant, timebound) objectives. The teachers were also guided to create a constructivist classroom where both teacher and students view knowledge, not as inert factoids to be memorized but as a tool for exploration and expansion.
The use of different teaching strategies such as Jigsaw, case- based/ case-study, quiz was encouraged for enhancing student participation, connection and providing immediate and relevant teacher feedback. The role of assessments in enhancing the success of the process of learning and motivation was also highlighted along with the understanding of assessment of learning as summative, while assessment for learning as formative. Assessment as and in learning is when students are their own assessors was also explained.
The engagements on day two of the workshop were based on ICT, PPT making, flow charts, concept mapping, mind- map and mnemonics techniques, enhancing practical skills in Biology. The importance of competency-based education, which helps students develop and demonstrate mastery over their knowledge and skills thereby attaining the learning objectives laid down by the teacher, was emphasized. Thus, the workshop was not only engaging but highly invigorating for the teachers.
