A comparative study of effectiveness of models of teaching on the ...

Good methods <strong>of</strong> <strong>teaching</strong> serve the following objectives (Secondary Education
Commission 1953).
1. A good method <strong>of</strong> <strong>teaching</strong> aims not only at imparting the knowledge in an
effective manner, but also at inculcating desirable values, attitudes, habits
and skills.
2. A good method <strong>of</strong> <strong>teaching</strong> shall in particular, endeavour to crate in students
a genuine attachment to work and a desire to do it as efficiently, honestly
and thoroughly as possible
3. A good method <strong>of</strong> <strong>teaching</strong> shall shift the emphasis from verbalism and
memorization to learning towards meaningful learning through purposeful,
concrete and realistic situations.
4. A good method <strong>of</strong> <strong>teaching</strong> provides opportunities for students to learn
actively and to apply practically the knowledge that they have acquired in the
class room.
5. A good method <strong>of</strong> <strong>teaching</strong> lays special stress on clear thinking and clear
expression both in speech and writing on the part <strong>of</strong> both teacher and pupils.
6. A good method <strong>of</strong> <strong>teaching</strong> aims less at imparting the maximum quantum <strong>of</strong>
knowledge possible and more on training students in the techniques <strong>of</strong> <strong>study</strong>
and methods <strong>of</strong> acquiring knowledge through personal effort and initiative.
7. Finally, a good method <strong>of</strong> <strong>teaching</strong> expands the range <strong>of</strong> student's interest to
enable him to explore his field <strong>of</strong> creativity and thus discover for himself his
best field <strong>of</strong> specialization.
There are varied methods <strong>of</strong> <strong>teaching</strong>. Knowledge and skills are considered as
the basis <strong>of</strong> classification <strong>of</strong> methods resting on word (narration), object (image)
and action (motion); thus the three corresponding categories <strong>of</strong> methods are
oral, observational and practical (Zurve 1967). Every method has something to
<strong>of</strong>fer and has its own merits and demerits. A given method, which may prove to
be <strong>of</strong> great value to one teacher may lose much <strong>of</strong> its value when it is used by
another teacher (Vaidya 1971). Each method is active, valuable in varied
degree as it makes pupils think and arouse interest in the subject. Methods
develop in students the abilities <strong>of</strong> comprehension, comparison, generalization
and deduction. Methods, techniques and approaches to <strong>teaching</strong>, either in
isolation or in combination, provide ample opportunities to the pupils for realizing
the process objectives <strong>of</strong> science <strong>teaching</strong>, viz, questioning, hypothesising,
defining tile problem, researching, planning the experimental design,
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