Creative Methods of Teaching

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to consider and evaluate the traditional methods of teaching from ancient times and the new creative ways of teaching which are to be student oriented involving them completely in the process of learning. Basically the switch over from traditional to creative teaching is due to the change in the surrounding of the students and the easily accessible varied information to them. The modern generation of the students needs participatory and innovative teaching which necessarily requires a teacher to be highly creative. The rapid competition and technology boom have made teacher to mould and come out of the old traditional attire. They need to adopt the notions of new world and impart knowledge to the students in the most creative way. An attempt is made in this paper to discuss some of the creative ideas to teach language and literature. There is also discussion about involving multimedia in teaching to make it more effective. Some models of creative teaching are also provided in this paper. The aim of the paper is to open the dialogue among teacher fraternity to bring forward some of the applicable creative ideas to be used in the classroom which ultimately enable our students to understand the sub ect by taking keen interest in it. 1. Introduction !ducation is a process to lead mankind in the most progressive and developed stages of future life. "t is a slow but very effective process followed from ancient times probably in every stage of human development. As mankind had been changing with time# education process had also undergone various changes. But the changes were very minute as the rate of human development was also too slow. $ith the development of modern science and the assimilation of technology in our life the humanity has acquired a rapid speed of development and accordingly education systems changed. This speed further intensified with the beginning of new millennium. "t has become very necessary for the teachers to adopt a new and creative approach to maintain the strength of teaching process as one of the strong forces of human development. 2. Process of education from Ancient Times and its importance

The first formal patterns of !ducation can be traced in &edic period of our nation. 'uring &edic period education was imparted by two agencies ( formal and informal. "n both these ways verbal and oral procedures were followed to impart knowledge to the students. There were three schools e)isting in those days namely *Ashramas+ or *,urukuls+ as primary schools# *Charamas+ as secondary schools and finally *-arishads+ as schools for higher studies and research. 'uring &edic period the teacher was at the center of the education system. .e was called *,uru+ or *Acharya+ and held a reverend position among the students. Thus teacher was considered as guide# leader and architect of society. -atan ali compares the teacher with an umbrella who gives shelter to his students. "n Mahabharata# qualities of the teacher have been mentioned as he must be a profound scholar# eloquent orator and must understand the difficult books. Thus in &edic period place of teacher was very prominent in shaping the society. "n &edic period three ma or teaching methods were prevalent. %. 0. 1. Sravana / "n this process students used to listen the te)t uttered by the teacher by which the knowledge was preserved and transmitted. Manana / "n this process the deliberation and reflection was done by the students on the topic taught. 2ididhyasana ( "n this third stage students used to meditate and tried to attain the realisation of truth. The prominent feature of &edic !ducation System was to achieve a kind of synthesis between individual and social development. "t aimed at all round development of the students. "t was e)pected by the educationist like Mahatma ,andhi when he defined the term education as3 *By education " mean an all round drawing out of the best in child and man ( body# mind and spirit+. Thus it was a coherent process adopted in &edic period. After &edic -eriod# we can trace ma or changes in !ducation system occurred in Buddhist period. The prominent change seen is from individualistic approach to institutional organi4ation in education system. "n this period also the methods of teaching were based oral discussions# preaching# repetition and e)position. "t aimed at purity of character. Thus it was training of moral character more than psychological development of the students. Conferences were arranged on every full moon and first day of the month 5-ournima and -ratipada6 in Buddhist sanghas. "n this period some prominent centers of

!ducation like Takshashila# 7ashi# 2alanda had become established education power heads. 'uring Medieval -eriod Muslim rulers in "ndia had started a new system of education which is known as Maktab/madarsah system. "n this system education aimed at making the individual capable of earning for himself. "t was also religion oriented and the teachings of The -rophet Muhammad. Along with this system the old -athshala system for .indus was continued. All these systems continued till the British -eriod. "n British period we see radical changes in !ducation system especially advocated by Macaulay. 'uring British 8ule there were few people demanding !nglish !ducation in "ndia. The prominent leader among them was 8a a 8am Mohan 8oy. .e wanted to actuali4e social reforms out of it. 8a a 8am Mohan 8oy worked for development in education field because he believed that education can liberate human being from ignorance and provides an opportunity to improve on individual and social basis. "n the later part of history we find impact of Macaulay minute on "ndian education system. "n this Macaulay Minute three main things were incorporated as3 %. The learned natives of "ndia are to be encouraged. 0. 9iterature to be revived and improved. 1. 7nowledge of sciences is to be promoted among "ndians. The impact of Macaulay remained for a long time in "ndian education system. After independence ,ovt. of "ndia appointed a Commission in 2ovember %:;<. 'r. 8adhakrishnan was the chairman of this Commission so it is also known as 8adhakrishnan Commission. This Commission report had elaborated the pro ected direction of !ducation in "ndia. "n view of the commission# *any one who wishes to live intelligently in the modern world should have some knowledge of selected material from three major fields. These are (1) Science and Technology, (2) Social Studies, (3) umanities including language and literature, fine arts, ethics, !hiloso!hy and religion.+ This report has given importance to the study of language and literature. 8adhakrishnan Commission writes# =The function of literature is not only to disci!line our intelligence, "ut also #uickens their sensi"ility>. Confirming this view it is to be understood that teachers of language and literature must adopt creativity to impart create interest among students which will enable them to learn basic fundamental requisites of development of

progressive civili4ation. Till the beginning of new millennium the traditional methods were only followed in classrooms to teach language and literature. These methods were prototypes where mostly one way communication was taking place. As mostly teacher used to deliver lectures and students used to listen only made the receiver 5student6 a passive ob ect without any active participation in the whole learning process. So it was only teaching without bothering the learning on the part of the students. "t was sonly one way flow of information. The material provided to the students was only in the form of notes and te)t books. The interaction with the students in the classroom was missing. The whole pattern of teaching was result oriented and thus the real goal of education was missed due to orthodo) and prototype methods. But after the changing of Millennium the whole atmosphere and surrounding changed. The technology boom has opened wide accesses for the students and so they are now well informed and sharp receivers of new ideas. To assimilate new ideas and innovations in teaching# the teacher need to be C8!AT"&!. 3. Creativity as an essential requisite $. % will argue instead that making sense of develo!ment of creative works re#uires no ela"orate construction, "ecause creativity is firmly rooted in !ast e&!erience and has its source in the same thought !rocesses that we all use every day. - Weisber ! "obert Considering this view# creativity is not a matter to be achieved with hard labour it can be considered as a small change in the approach of performing activities. Being creative means to engage in some activity that causes something new to come into e)istence or into *being+. $e e)press creativity every day# from the moment we wake up until the moment we fall asleep. Some psychologists also consider that even dreams are a reflection of creativity at work. "n primitive times# creativity centered around the basic struggle for life. .umans spent most of their time in search of food# clothing and shelter. -ottery making# weaving cloth# and the production of weapons and tools were all done by ordinary individuals. The technical skills required to produce something new and important for the community were not comple). Creativity itself may or may not have been highly valued. "t was probably not seen as anything separate from daily living.

As society evolved and became more comple)# people speciali4ed. !ventually# individuals who were skilled in one area formed groups in different professions. Thus we have started living in era of competition. This competition has become intensified in new millennium. The science and technological advancement made our lives fast and innovative. So obviously this impact is seen among the students of modern schools and colleges. To cope up with the needs of these students# a teacher must be well equipped with technology at the same time he must be creative enough to impart knowledge to his students to the fullest e)tent. #. Teac$er must s$a%e-$and &it$ tec$nolo y ?se of multimedia has become the essential and integral part of modern teaching. "t involves combination of te)t# audio and video which transforms the ordinary teaching into an interesting and participatory one. Teacher can use multimedia to modify the contents and present them creatively so as to cast its impact on the students. @or e)ample3 The Teacher teaching the drama *'edipus Tyrannies+ must e)plain the history of ,reek theatre as well as the physical conditions of ,reek drama. A good multimedia presentation can show the students the actual pictures of the theatre conditions in ,reek times and the dramatic scenario can be elaborated so as to give the students the feel of ,reek drama. The pictures given below can create more interest among the students about the ,reek drama.

Map of ,reek Theatre

Ancient ,reek Theatre

Thus use of audio/visual techniques offer an edge over traditional teaching patterns. Basically multimedia learning is an interactive process in which students get involved in the process and can grasp the contents more acutely. "n case of sub ects like literature and A

language it has started proving a boon for the teachers and those who use it can realise the importance of its usage through the great feedback from the students. There are various multimedia tools available for us now. @or e)ample3 -ower point presentations# @lash player# Macromedia# Movie maker# $in amp# @lash Slide show software etc. are available which give ample scope for the teacher+s creativity. 'espite the availability of multimedia tools# the teacher must possess creativity to utili4e these tools in the classroom and make the best presentation. The quality named *Creativity+ is needed for the teachers of language and literature the most as they need to deal with the lives and feelings of the people which are varied and most unpredictable. Creativity is also useful to simplify the matters and take them to the students in the most acceptable way. (. Creativity as a policy of simplification) Many of the concepts in literature and language are complicated and comple). The students hesitate to learn them due to their comple) nature. "n such situation the role of a creative teacher is to simplify the concepts by deriving some creative methods and offer a simplified version of those concepts to the students. A simplified model regarding the concept of supernaturalism by S.T. Coleridge can be elaborated as follows3 The British 8omantic poet S.T. Coleridge while describing the concept of supernaturalism has given a very interesting but complicated definition of the concept. .e wanted to deal with supernatural sub ects in his poems so as to *transfer from our inward nature a human interest and a semblance of truth sufficient to procure for these shadows of imagination that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment# which constitute poetic faith.+ This idea of constitution of *willing suspension of disbelief+ becomes difficult to understand for the students. So a creative teacher can perform an e)periment in the classroom to e)plain the concept effectively to the students.

"n this way students understand that why they are not able to put foot on the paper where 9ord ,anesha+s drawing is drawn. They start believing the other paper and pious and they willingly suspend their disbelief. This is e)actly what S.T. Coleridge meant by willing suspension of disbelief to constitute poetic faith. Such creative models can be prepared by the teachers to simplify the concepts in language and literature. This e)perimental methods need creative mind to present similar contents in the most appealing and attractive matters. Applying creativity has vast scope and e)panse in the field of teaching. !very day in the life of students can be made enchanting and they can be brought under the umbrella of knowledge and development. .igh/scaled imagination is needed on the part of teacher to practice creativity in the classrooms which then turn to pleasure houses for the students. 'eing (reative means com"ining knowledge and imagination /&incent 8yan 8uggiero *. Conclusion Thus with the change of modern world# the students get e)posed with the new technology and so they e)pect innovative and new methods of teaching in the classroom. "t is necessary for the teacher to handle this new e)pectation with the help of multimedia and technology. "t is very necessary for the teachers to be creative so as to impart knowledge to the students to the fullest e)tent. The teachers of language and literature must use creativity as a unique tool for the simplification of many concepts and create an atmosphere of participation and interaction in the class so as to benefit the students to develop their language and concepts of life. "eferences) %. -ublication 'ivision# ,ovt. of "ndia3 The )e!ort of *niversity +ducation (ommission# %:AD 0. $eisberg# 8obert. (reativity, 'eyond the -yth of .enius. 2ew Eork3 $... @reeman and Company# %::1. 1. Arieti# Silvano. (reativity, The -agic of Synthesis. 2ew Eork3 Basic Books# %:CB ;. @rit4# 8obert. (reating. 2ew Eork3 Ballantine Books# %::%.

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A. ,ame4# ,eorge. (reativity. Mumbai3 Faico Books# 0DDB. B. Altekar# A.S. +ducation in /ncient %ndia# &aranasi3 2and 7ishore and Bros.# %:AC. C. Muker i# S.2. +ducation in %ndia, Today and Tomorrow# Baroda3 Acharya Book 'epot# %:B; <. Thomas# @.$. and Sons# %<:% ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// istory and 0ros!ects of 'ritish +ducation in %ndia # ,eorge Bell