THE HINDU
Tuesday, September 01, 1998


New system makes learning a joy

Date: 01-09-1998 :: Pg: 05
By G. Satyamurty
SALEM:

``We are firmly convinced that this is the best method of
joyful learning and eminently suitable for a country such as
ours,'' says Mrs. Juliet Sundar, a school principal from
Manipal.

She was one of the 330-odd participants from various parts of
the country at the Concentrated Language Encounter (CLE)
method of teaching programme, organised by the Rotary Club of
Salem Midtown in mid-August under the Rotary Literacy Project
for Developing Countries.

She says that in her career spanning more than 25 years, she
has attended a number of workshops but never felt so much
impressed ``as this method which makes children like learning.
It is not a burden at all and nothing is thrust down the
throats of the little ones.''

A teacher from the Golden Gates Matriculation School, Salem,
says that she was sceptical of the efficacy of this method
till she found that LKG children could write a few sentences
even in Urdu and Kannada in a jiffy at a demonstration class
at the Glaze Brooke School though both the languages were
totally new to them.

``We are going to have this system in the LKG and will
allocate at least an hour in the First Standard as well.''

Dr. Saowalak Rattanavich, Professor, Srinakharinwirot
University, Thailand, an expert in this type of teaching and
Assistant Co- ordinator of Zone-6 of the Rotary International,
says that this method has become so popular in her country
that it is now a national system itself.

She points out that extremely high rates of failures in
schools usually occur among rural and city slum communities in
the developing world. This is because conventional teaching
does not allow or influence the students from these
backgrounds to become involved in classroom learning.

However, compensatory programmes for them would be both
wasteful and inappropriate because it is possible to help them
understand and participate in what is going on in the
classroom irrespective of their family and cultural
background.

The CLE programme now used in Thailand does that by having
teacher and students always approach text from shared
experience of the context within which it is constructed.

The teacher provides ``scaffolds'' which allow the students to
become involved in the explanation of the text and then
progressively removes these scaffolds as the students become
self-reliant.

``The major benefit of this type of teaching is that the
children are made to think. Instead of starting from the
alphabet, we begin in the reverse order with language
straightaway. The children are made to understand the context,
then move on to a sentence, then to a word and finally to the
alphabet.''

As language is the ``core'' in any curriculum and the vehicle
of one's personality, if the children are first made to
understand the context and meaning of any particular issue or
incident, they will then be able to pick up the expression far
faster than any other method. Though, initially, a language
other than the mother tongue is given all attention, it is
possible to move on to various other subjects including
computer science.

The entire system is based on visual and aural imagery. It is
not based on pure memory as the present system is in several
parts of the world.

The students even learn to how to accept suggestions from
friends and this becomes even an expression of their
personality.

``Within six months, the children develop critical thinking.''

The major ingredient of this type of teaching is the number of
games so that the children get attracted, involved and become
willing participants, says Mr. P. V. Purshothaman, former
Rotary Governor and Zone VI Co-ordinator.

He points out that one of the major problems which is also a
burden at present is the unwanted number of books. ``The CLE
method requires only one book for the teacher and students
need not have anything at all. What they require are just a
pencil and paper. Within a month or so, they could be trained
in such a way that they would be capable of preparing books
for themselves.''

It is possible for a child of four to five years to start
reading a newspaper within a year of being taught under this
system. It would even be capable of producing books within a
few years.

Mr. S. Viswanathan, headmaster of a school in Vridhachalam,
feels that this system could be good especially for rural
students and would discourage drop-outs. He points out that
response from the educational institutions to the current
programme is good, unlike the previous session in Bangalore
which drew hardly 60 participants.

Mrs. Eben Jeyapaul, Principal of a Madurai School, feels that
this system should be implemented in all schools. But she
admits that it would take a great deal to convince not only
the parents, school managements and the Government but als
the teachers themselves, as it involves an enormous
contribution and dedication on the part of the teaching
community.

She is for a drastic change in the syllabus itself apart from
a change in the educational policy. This method should be
incorporated even at the B.Ed. level, she feels.

However, Dr. Rattnavich points out that there is absolutely no
necessity for any change in the national curriculum of any
country which adopts this method. ``Whatever exists in the
national curriculum could be imparted through this method.''

Mr. M. K. Guru, correspondent of a Sendamangalam School, says
the parents are not unduly worried about the method of
teaching as long as they get good results. ``It is possible to
introduce this system even at the higher secondary level.''

However, Mrs. Jeyapaul is sceptical of its efficacy beyond the
eighth standard.

Mr. G. Jagadeeswaran, Technical Coordinator of the project,
says the system had been introduced in three schools in
Rasipuram area. ``We do not disturb the Government syllabus
but try the new system only during the 45-minute Moral Science
class. Initially the cooperation from the parents and teachers
was poor. But, later, the system gained tremendous momentum.''

Mr. Ashok Kanna, District Chairman, Literacy, RI District
3290, comprising Calcutta, Bengal and Nepal, says that even
the Mayor of Calcutta Corporation was so impressed by this
system of ``creativity-oriented teaching'' that he deputed 22
teachers for the current programme.

He found that the children could produce story books in Urdu,
Bengali, Hindi and English though they were not their mother
tongues.

``We are going to demonstrate this method all over Bengal on
September 9, which is International Literacy Day and 45 Rotary
Clubs in Bengal have firmly committed themselves to
popularising it.''

Mr. Purushothaman says that in Tamil Nadu, the Mayors of the
Chennai and Salem Corporation were impressed by the method
that they had deputed a number of teachers for the programme
which is to be introduced from September in 64 schools in the
State at the LKG, UKG and Standard I level.

Besides, it would be introduced in more than 1,000 balwadis in
the Chennai Corporation. In the second year, each one of these
schools would train teachers in three other schools.

As the Rotary International is convinced of the efficacy of
the project, it is providing substantial funds,``much more
than the matching grant.''

``We are confident of this concept becoming popular all over
the State in a few years and Tamil Nadu can become the ''Light
House`` for various countries like Thailand.''