I AM JUST A FACILITATOR...

Dear Donna and Classmates

The question that has been haunting my mind since I read the articles is - do we really teach when we teach? Can we really teach? I do not doubt our efficiency. What usually happens in our classroom is that students come and listen to us marginally. Sometimes they fake it. When the results are out, the game of blame begins. Students say that some lectures are big yawns. Lecturers say that students are not serious about their studies. And teaching is lost in the clouds of blame. Of course, it is impossible to deliver all your lectures with the same level of enthusiasm every time. Certain topics can not be taught through the traditional method. In my case, letter writing is one of those topics. The most popular technique here in Bhavnagar is dictating letters so that students can reproduce the same stuff in their answerbooks. Isn't that a wow? Poor students. But I teach in a different way. I don't teach. I talk. I show them a sample, and they study it carefully. Now since I have learned to create a rubric, I'll provide them with a rubric for assessing their performances. I think the best way to teach is not to teach, but to create an atmosphere for self-learning. My students should be aware of their progress - how far they have gone. Once they know their progress, they try to find out ways to do better. They approach with a request to guide them. That's where you get a chance to help them. Help them. Be their friend. I strongly believe introducing a rubric can help my students measure their their progress objectively and promote learner autonomy. I'd like to share a video with you. Hope it will help.

PBL helps us to see whether the students can put the theories into practice. It makes learning a fun. But what is more important is they build a team and work together and share knowledge. By introducing PBL we encourage our students to exhibit their skills in diverse ways. In Communicative Language Teaching, the focus is usually on real life communication. That is what is happening here. Building a community is a good exercise. Because there you find motivation and the spirit to work positively. With this I shall fall silent. I'll leave you with one more video this time. Watch it. Hope you will find it helpful.

Dev