Teaching Pedagogy Problems Of Teaching Notes - Problems of Teaching EVS

Problems of Teaching Environmental Studies

As we enter a new century and millennium, environmental educators must come up with new knowledge and techniques that address the demand of a constantly evolving social and technological landscape while ensuring that environmental education stays relevant to the needs and interests of the community.

9.1 Problems in EVS Teaching

Environmental education must teach about science itself and about the use of scientific method. Effective and meaningful environmental education is a challenge that must be taken seriously if we and future generations are to enjoy the benefits of our natural heritage.

While teaching environmental education in school, a teacher faces multitudes of problems.

Some of the problems are as follow

9.1.1 Problems Due to Complexities of Behaviour

In this category, complexities depend upon the child's age, gender and ability. Spark in 1952 studied about the problems of primary classes and found these major problems in students like carelessness in school work, interrupting while teaching etc. All these activities affect the teaching learning process. Causes of problematic behaviour may include physical defects

like children with physical deformities, such as blind, deaf, fat, thin, tall, short and handicapped,' heredity causes such as inherited factors, diseases, weakness etc and causes related to family and environment such as poverty, domestic quarrels neglects etc.

Some causes of problematic behaviour are explained in detail

Individual Differences of Learners

A class consists of children of different age, level of intelligence, different aptitudes and interests. Moreover, they come from different economic background. Due to these factors, teaching of environmental science becomes a major challenge for the teacher. The materials of environmental education need to present information and ideas in a way that is relevant to learners.

Problem Related to Environmental Education Syllabus

The subject matter of environmental studies is complex and difficult for learners at primary level. How to make the subject matter easily comprehensible? It is a major challenge while teaching small children.

Lack of Resources in Schools

Many schools in India do not have proper resources which are required while teaching environmental education. Due to this problem, teachers find it difficult to present appropriate teaching experience to learners.

     1.   Difficulty in Making Use of Public Resources

Environmental studies teaching is not limited to classroom teaching or activity, but learners are educated by wide use of public resources such as museum or zoo or power house etc. The immense value of local-specific environment education material extends beyond language to also address content, context, concepts, issue and examples.

     2.   Environment is Closely Related to Science This requires practical work and a lab to carry on experiments. Lack of these facilities in schools make learning of environmental studies also a difficult one.

   3.   Lack of Experienced Teacher It is another problem which is also due to lack of resources and support from institutional management and other crucial agencies which results in lack of access of teachers to training opportunities, resource and reference material and ongoing support in implementing EE methodologies and activities in their course of work.

     4.   The Challenges of Reaching Out to Large

Numbers Cost-Effectively The challenges of educating children with physical deformities or suffering from some disorders or inherited diseases are acute and teachers find it difficult to impart education to such type of students.

     5.   Lack of Library, Scientific and Computer

Laboratories In study, there is not a single school which has any library facility, audio-video support and computer laboratories. While these facilities are considered very necessary instruments of the education, which play a greater role in the student's grooming. Actually, teaching aids help and build student's concepts.

     6.   Other Challenges can be lack of motivation among learners, emphasis on just theoretical knowledge, lack of entertainment for learners, lack of correct educational methods for small learners, not encouraging students to explore their own values and feelings of concern about the environment are some other factors which hinder promotion of environmental education at schools.

9.1.2 How to Make Environment Study Teaching Effective?

·               NCF 2005 recognises the critical role of the environment as the context in children's learning by emphasising that "Learning takes place through interactions with the environment around, nature, things and people both through actions and through language.

·               Encourage pupils to examine and interpret the environment from a variety of perspectives like physical, geographical, biological, sociological, economic, political and technological.

·               Arouse pupil's awareness and curiosity about the environment and encourage active participation in resolving environmental problems.

·               The physical activity of moving, exploring and doing things on one's own with one's peers and in the company of adults and using language-to read, to express or to interact are the key process through which learning occurs and teachers teaching environmental studies at primary level need to keep these facts in mind.

·               Environmental studies is an important study area at the school level and its effective implementation requires a change in the mindset of teachers.

·               Six curricular skills have been identified which are necessary for environmental education. They are: communication skills, numerical skills, study skills, problem solving skills, personal skills,-social skills and information technology skills.

·               Promoting positive attitude towards the environment is essential, if pupils/learners are to value it and understand their role in safe-guarding it for the future.

·               As teachers are the key to the successful implementation of environment education in the classroom, the teacher education must equip teacher with a proper understanding of and love for the nature around and the skill of inculcating these among their students mere 'transmission of content' to transaction of the content leading to transformation of behaviours in children. Thus, teachers play a central role in building necessary abilities and competencies in children for exploring, understanding, appreciating and participating in environmental protection and conservation.

National Curriculum Framework, 2005 Guiding Principles

·               Connecting knowledge to life outside the school,

·               Ensuring that learning is shifted away from rote methods.

·               Enriching curriculum so that it goes beyond textbooks.

·               Making examination more flexible and non-threatening.

·               Discuss the aims of education.

·               Building commitment to democrative values of equality, justice, secularism and freedom.

Focus on Child as an Active Learner

·               Primacy to children's experience, their voices and participation.

·               Needs for adults to change their perception of children as passive receiver of knowledge.

·               Children can be active participants in the construction of knowledge and every child come to with pre-knowledge.

·               Children must be encouraged to relate the learning to their immediate environment.

·               Emphasises that gender, class, creed should not be constraints for the child.

·               Highlights the value of integration.

·               Designing more challenging activities.

Guidelines for Syllabus Development

Development of syllabi and textbooks based on following considerations

·               Appropriateness of topics and themes for relevant stages of children's development.

·               Continuity from one level to the next.

·               Pervasive resonance of all values enshrined in the constitution of India the organisation of knowledge all subjects.

·               Inter-disciplinary and thematic linkages between topics listed for different school subjects, which falls under different discrete disciplinary areas.

·               Linkage between school knowledge and concern in all subjects and at all levels,

·               Sensitivity to gender, caste, class, peace, health and need of children with disability.

Overall Evaluation

NCF 2005 highlights the following aspects

·               The value of interaction with environment, peers and older people to enhance learning.

·               That learning task must be designed to enable children to seek knowledge other than text books.

·               The need to move away from 'Herbartian' lesson plan to prepare plans and activities that challenge children to think and try out what they are learning.