The worth and potentialities of a country get evaluated in and through the work of a teacher. In this context, Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan said beautifully, “You cannot make or build the nation by just bricks, you have to establish the minds of young people, and then alone can the nation building take place.”
The simple question the teachers of engineering
institutes to ask themselves, why only 10 to 15% of engineering graduates
passing out every year are employable. Today (5th September 2016)
being Teachers Day, on this auspicious day, we the Teachers connected with
teaching at engineering institutes to rededicate for the cause of all round
development of students in particular and for the metamorphic changes in education
system.
India being one of the largest democracy with over
billions of people and 60% of its population being youth, eagerly waiting to
excel in their chosen career. The scientific temper plays a very important role
in the progressive development of citizens in particular and the nation in
general. According to the Constitution of India, developing scientific temper
is one of the fundamental duties of Indian citizens. In order to develop scientific
temper in students there is a need to refine and strengthen the three
components such as Knowledge, Skill (Skills: too difficult to master by the
students on their own, however that can be done with the guidance and
encouragement from the knowledgeable teacher) and Creativity in students.
Traditional engineering
instruction is deductive, beginning with theories and progressing to the
applications of those theories. Alternative teaching approaches are more
inductive, including inquiry learning, problem-based learning, project-based
learning, case-based teaching, discovery learning, and just-in-time teaching.
Topics are introduced by presenting specific observations, case studies or
problems, and theories are taught or the students are helped to discover them
only after the need to know them. However we need to impart the knowledge:
- Firstly, functional knowledge like teaching basic concepts of science and application of these concepts in real sense, i.e., ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability.
- Secondly, emphasis must be on behavioural knowledge, like inculcating professional ethics, moral values, protecting the environment and public property and strive towards excellence in all spheres of life.
- In addition to these, the need of the hour is
to ignite the curiosity in
young minds, i.e., to ask questions like Whys & Hows to themselves and
also to the educators. This is possible only if the explicit connection
of engineering concepts with cognitive levels suggested in table 1of
Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy (BRT) in the implementation of course materials.
Subsequently transforming tradition classroom spaces by promoting active
and collaborative learning, both learner centered approaches that foster
adoptive expertise (i.e., Creatively utilizing available resources in
various situations) and effective self-learning habits’ (i.e., connecting
concepts from previous courses and other disciplines) in students.
Table 1. BRT
steps and process descriptors
S
No.
|
Step
|
Process
Descriptor
|
1
|
Remembering
|
Can
the student recall or remember the information?
|
2.
|
Understanding
|
Can
the student explain ideas or concepts?
|
3.
|
Applying
|
Can
the student use information in a new way?
|
4.
|
Analyzing
|
Can
the student distinguish between two parts?
|
5.
|
Evaluating
|
Can
the student justify a stand or decision?
|
6.
|
Creating
|
Can
the student create a new product or point of view?
|
To assess the knowledge gained by the students
during the academic sessions, we need to shift from conventional methods such
as standard examinations or credit system, to examine the qualitative changes
in students’ thinking process, problem solving approaches. This can be achieved
by providing exposure to higher level of experimentation setups; effective
contact hours with subject teachers; interactive sessions with the experts, and
eminent personalities. The knowledge and skills of the students have to be
tested frequently at various platforms to ascertain the desired transformational
changes contributing to the creativity in them.
The metamorphic changes in the education system solely
depends upon how genuinely the teachers (however, the support of the
authorities concerned and students wholehearted cooperation will definitely
accelerate this process) provide inputs required in transforming the engineering
students to acquire the knowledge to the level needed in order to transfer this
knowledge to create innovative prototypes of technology.
“Teaching is not a
profession; it's a passion. Without passion for your subject and a desire for
your students to learn and be the best in the world, then we have failed as a
teacher and failure is not an option." -John F. Podojil
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