UGC NET Paper-I: Teaching Aptitude Study Notes

Teaching Aptitude is an essential tool for the assessment of teachers. It is a mode of evaluating the performance of individuals who wish to pursue the profession of teaching. This method refers to the necessary qualities required to become a successful teacher.

1. Concept of Teaching 

Teaching can be defined as an activity that causes the child to learn and acquire the desired knowledge and skills and also the desired ways of living in society. Teaching is a process which can be carried out formally or informally. Informal teaching takes place within the family while formal teaching takes place outside the family. Formal teaching should be carried out by experienced faculty, teachers, editors etc. 

2. Characteristics of Teaching

Below, we have listed down the crucial characteristics of teaching:

• Teaching takes place in a dynamic environment.
• Teaching is a cognitive activity.
• Teaching includes a lengthy period of study and training.
• It has a high degree of autonomy.
• It is a continuous profession.
• It is an art as well as a science.
• It is closely related to education, learning, and training.
• It is a type of social service and has different levels of teaching.

3. Factors affecting Teaching

Following are the factors that affect the process of teaching:

• Educational qualification of the teachers.
• Adequate skills are required for a teacher to carry his work effectively.
• Experience teachers better handle the student's queries and classroom management.
• The classroom environment should support the teaching-learning environment and the teacher plays a vital role in handling this activity.

4. Methods of teaching

Here are some important teaching methods:

(a). Teacher-centred strategy

Following are the teacher-centred strategies:

• Lecture Method: Lecture Method is a process of teaching in which the teacher tells his/her students about the planned facts. The students listen and take notes. The success of this method depends on the ability of the teacher to speak fluently in a good tone and style.
• Team Teaching: Team teaching includes a batch of instructors who help a group of students regularly and cooperate with them to learn the different concepts. Teachers together prepare their course, frame the syllabus, prepare the lesson plans, teach, guide and evaluate the results of the students. They share student's analysis and also suggest students to decide which approach is better.
• TV or Video Presentation: It is an improved method in which it involves radio or audio presentation, and it can virtually bring the whole world inside the classroom. Screening of video presentation is followed by the discussion of a task.

(b). Mixed strategy

Following are the methods of this strategy:

• Group Discussion: Discussion methods set a platform for the open-ended, collaborative exchange of ideas among the teacher and students with the motive to increase the student's thinking, learning, problem-solving, and understanding. Participants present their unique points of view, listen to other's ideas and then present their ideas in a better way as to increase their knowledge, understanding, or interpretation of the matter or topic.
• Brainstorming: It is group creativity in which efforts are made to find a relevant conclusion or solution for a particular problem by listing out different ideas or suggestions spontaneously contributed by its members.
• Project method: Project method is one of the advanced methods of teaching in which, the student’s point of view is given importance in the design of the curriculum and content of studies. This method is based on the philosophy of Pragmatism and the principle of 'Learning by doing.

Some other methods of small group teaching method are the role-playing method, simulation, demonstration method, tutorial etc.

(c). Student-centred strategy

The following strategies cover the following method of teachings:

• Assignments: An assignment is a teaching method that can be done both individually or in a group, that assist the students to acquire individual academic competencies. No contact hours are offered for the completion of the assignment, and the students have to carry out the task in their own time.
• Case study: The case method is the most powerful student-centred teaching strategy that imparts students with critical thinking, communication, and interpersonal skills. Working in different case study helps the students to research and evaluate multiple sources of data, fostering information literacy.
• Programmed instruction: It is a research-based system that helps the students to learn in a graded sequence of controlled steps. It is discovered by Sydney L. Pressey.
• Computer-assisted learning: In this method, the computer is used to present the instructional material and monitor the learning that takes place.
• Heuristic method: This method was discovered by Dr H. E. Armstrong. It is an approach to problem-solving, learning, or discovery that employs a practical method but instead sufficient for reaching an immediate goal.

(d). Teaching Aids

Teaching aids are the aids used by the facilitator or a teacher in the classroom to make his/her teaching effective and easy so that the students can be understood easily. There are different types of teaching aids:

• Audio Aids: These aids find the usage of the sense of hearing for example radio, tape recorders, language laboratories etc.
• Visual Aids: These aids use the sense of visual only. For example chalkboards, soft boards, maps, pictures, flashcards, maps etc.
• Audio-Visual Aids: This makes use of both sense of hearing and vision. For example television, films, computers,film-strips etc.

We hope the notes shared above helped you understand this topic better. This is the first post of 40 days plan. Read these notes thoroughly.

Attempt the Quiz on Teaching Concept Here

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