In this book one teacher approached the Head of the Education department and requested him to give a primary class for performing experiments on children. Education officer was not confident so he laughed and said,” Forget it, you won’t be able to do it, teaching primary level is not a joke.” When the teacher stressed on it, the education officer agreed. Then he went through the syllabus. After introduction with kids first day he played a game of silence; next checking up classroom cleanliness and then conversation with pupils. Next day when he was telling story whole class was quiet, no sound and no movement. Eg : One day the teacher went to the Educational Officer where he said, "Mr. Laxmiram,The headmaster reports that you have been telling stories to the class all the while." "It is true. Story-telling is the current programme." "But then when are you going to begin your experiment? How would you be able to complete the prescribed course of studies?" "The experiment is already on, Sir! It is my personal experience that the story is a wonderful magic pill that helps to establish rapport between the pupils and the teachers. Those very boys who were not prepared to listen to me on the first day and who had unnerved me with shouts and catcalls, have become quiet since I started telling them a story. They now have a sort of affection for me. They listen to me and sit as I ask them to. I don’t have to shout at them to keep them quiet. And they don't leave the school even after it is over!"
He taught them the importance of cleanliness. He also told importance of cleanliness to the parents. He arranged story books for them. He introduced many games. As per him ,”games are real education. Games means character building.” He introduced grammar in simple language. Eg : The terminal examination was fast approaching. Other classes were revising their lessons. History, geography, arithmetic and language lessons were being crammed over and over again to memory. The course prescribed for the term had already been completed once. I was in arrears: from the examination point of view I was lagging far behind. My class had to appear at the examination. I was not going to provide time for revision. I was saving time on that. My teaching was going to continue right up to the last day, because whatever was taught in the class was being revised by the boys themselves. I had deviced class work in such a way that by itself it provided for revision. Thus when we played for the game of Antakadi [Antakadi: a game in which one party recites a stanza of a poem beginning with the last letter of the one recited by the other party.] we were revising the poems again and again. But I had so far not even touched geography, science and grammar. I thought of taking up grammar. It is considered to be a difficult subject and one in which students are generally not interested. Why should the boys of the fourth standard be interested in it anyway? Is there anything interesting in it? What can give them knowledge useful to them at that stage of life when they have no interest in it? How would a student find it interesting and useful? I have come to the conclusion that grammar should be taught only to older students who have developed an interest in the study of language. Why teach a subject which bores children and is difficult to teach? There are many other subjects to learn. But I was bent upon doing an experiment, if only because I wanted to abide by my conditions. I had to prepare the boys for the examination in grammar.
As per him, “Teachers should themselves be an examiner. They know more than anyone else the abilities of their pupils and the reason for their weak performance. They can judge whether their student is fit for promotion or not.
This book is a case study of teaching methods. It is broadly divided into 4 main parts.
• The experiment begins
• The progress of experiments
• At the end of the term
• The last gathering
These 4 chapters bring into light the concepts, the experiments, the challenges and the outcome.
Mr. Gijubhai Badheka introduces number of new teaching techniques which other teachers felt very threatening . However, his methods of teaching work out very successfully with the children. These methods developed the art of writing, speaking, orderly behaviour and cleanliness. In short, the children attain the zeal of learning and experience the joy of it.
From this book I understood that as teacher we have to make new plans to make class teaching interesting. Also as a teacher it is necessary to establish rapport with kids. If we use story telling, games children don’t run away from us.
My views and thoughts into the context of present education:
The author has highlighted use and importance of creative methods in building of skills and knowledge in pupil in holistic manner. But now a days teacher are busy in preparing children for annual examinations. Also it is necessary for a teacher to prepare next day plan. This book tells us teaching children is not child’s play. It requires lot of creative and hard work.
Thus the author Gijubhai Badheka has made an attempt to explain possible areas for developing knowledge and learning skill of children which in turn helps all-around development of the child.
Radhika Gupte
