Effective Teaching- Child Centred Approach

Quality education for all is the goal. Effective teaching tuned to individual needs in the class-room is an essential condition of providing quality education to all. This book provides principles and practices of child centred teaching. The presentation is innovative. Each principle or practice starts with an alphabet. The statement is accompanied by guidelines and an illustration. Readers are actively involved in reflection and action. The book is a significant contribution to effective teaching and staff development in schools and teacher training institutions.

Dr. N.K. Jangira, Professor and Head, Department of Teacher Education at the National Council of Educational Research and Training is an eminent educationist in his own right. His contribution to teaching and teacher training is recognised globally. Besides holding a number of positions in the Indian education system, he provides consultancy to Unesco, Unicef, WHO and the World Bank. His association with re-search, development and training assignments in developed and developing countries in USA, UK, Japan, Belgium, France, Lao PDR, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Vietnam, Maldive, Nepal and Afghanistan has enriched his repertoire of experience.

Recently, he completed major research projects on School Effectiveness and Training Needs and Motivation of Primary School Teachers. His major works are : Effective Teacher Training: Cooperative Learning Approach, Effective Teaching : Child-Centred Approach, Core Teaching Skills Microteaching Approach, Technology of Classroom Questioning, Mastery Learning, Special Education Scenario in Britan and India. He has published over 80 papers in different journals in India and abroad.

Pinki Jangira (MA, DMR) is a special educator supporting education of children with special needs in regular school.

Passion for teaching keeps us on prowl amidst literature on teaching and learning. We keep a track of research and innovations in teaching. We also experiment and try out innovatory teaching and learning practices with children in schools and professionals in preservice and inservice training programmes. This book is the outcome of interaction between the state of the art research and studies on teaching and actual teaching experience. The principles and practice of effective teaching using learner centred approach have evolved out of this interaction.

The optimism and faith in learning and practising capabilities of teachers have prompted me to put the knowledge and experience together. The principle or practice has been explained and backed up by specific guidelines to put it into practice. The illustrations are stimulating and penetrating. Each presentation is concluded with a set of questions guiding the readers to reflect and place a particular principle or practice in the context of their own teaching and evolve action points to incorporate it in their teaching style. The presentation style is highly interactive, always inducing the reader to think and reflect in different ways, sometimes challenging, sometimes evaluating and accepting.

The language is simple to understand. Alphabetic organisation facilitates recall and review of the principle or practice. Once read and reflected these remain at finger tips for practice. Comprehensiveness of coverage has resulted in overlap which is inevitable in a complex human activity like teaching. Cross referencing facilitates and reinforces interlinking. The readers concerned with the practice of teaching will appreciate and enjoy the innovative style of presentation.

The book does not present ready made recipes for effective teaching. It provides frame of reference in the Prologue, followed by a principle or practice represented by each alphabet. The presentation leaves scope for adaptation to individual teaching style supported by the state of the art research and development in this area. For fluency of reading and reflection the sources have not been documented in the text. It has drawn on several rich professional sources. If the readers reflect, review, share and evolve classroom learning and teaching strategies, the purpose of writing this book will be realised. The epilogue indicates guidelines for implementation. The emphasis should be on intelligent use of these principles and practices in teaching.

We owe teachers and pupils who enthused me to put my ideas and experiences in this book. Their demand always put up a challenge to find time from field activities to share experiences. Their patience and continuous faith in me is responsible for this contribution. The encouraging response of professionals during interactions made the urge to complete this venture stronger. Mel Ainscow and my daughter Pinki Jangira who shared ideas and materials liberally deserves a special mention. Without the secretarial contribution of Anil Bahl, the book would not have achieved the quality it has. Besides acknowledging the immense contribution of all these persons, i owe everyone a deep sense of gratitude. In anticipation, I express my gratitude to the readers who would spare time to share their experience with the book with me personally.

**Contents and Sample Pages**