Volunteers Association for Bangladesh (VAB) has been working with rural high schools in Bangladesh over the last twenty years. It focused on the training of teachers as the key to improve the quality of teaching in the classroom. VAB realized that the teachers in rural high schools were deficient both in content knowledge and an effective pedagogy. VAB focused on the training of teachers in English, Science, Math and Bangla. Teachers became better prepared in content knowledge, but VAB could not find a substantive improvement of learning among students.
Most school teachers are required to have some training in teaching before they can get a job as a teacher. The government also has a programme for in-service training for teachers. The teachers are made aware of the current trends in classroom pedagogy that promotes the Group Method of Learning-Teaching both in the government and VAB training. Unfortunately, the teachers in rural schools hardly use the pedagogy that is recommended during training, but follow the classical lecture method of teaching. It is less work for teachers, easier to go through the required lessons in the syllabus, and is a familiar method.
In 2016, VAB designed a methodology for implementing Group method as a pilot scheme in a number of selected schools. The results obtained were impressive within a short period of time. The students embraced it and started taking active part in the learning process within the groups. Teachers, though initially skeptic did not fail to notice the remarkable enthusiasm of the students in the new approach. Within three years, VAB introduced the method in all the 50 schools it had been working closely.
VAB recommends formation of groups in each class by the class teacher at the outset of the academic year, mixing students of different academic abilities. A major deterrent to the introduction of the Group method was the congestion of students in benches in a non-spacious setting because of the size of the classrooms. The problem was resolved with a prior seating arrangement so that during group work the students may just turn around and work face to face with the group members. Each group stays the same for all subjects and throughout the year. Each Group has a leader, and a co-leader, who takes over in case the leader is absent for some reason.
Group method of teaching-learning is inherently student-centric. The group members join their heads to resolve problems assigned by the teacher, and even take up a problem at the group’s initiative to resolve the issues involved in comprehension and learning, before asking for help from the teacher. It is the responsibility of each member, particularly of leader and co-leader to ensure engagement of every member of the group. The teacher has the responsibility to ascertain that initiative and creativity are not confined among a few members, but they come from every member of the Group in course of time. Group method forces the students to take ownership of their learning.
There will be a need for the teachers to show the pathway to learning by self-study or group study. This can be accomplished if the teacher covers a number of selected lessons, cover all elements of learning using primarily chalk and duster method, but with interactive participation of students. This should be done at a pace favorable to student understanding. The methodology for self-learning will then be clear to every student and Group learning will be effective. Once that happens, lessons can be covered at a greater pace. This can eliminate the concern every teacher has on completion of the curriculum. In fact, this will allow completion of the curriculum quite ahead of the annual examination, giving the teacher adequate time to prepare the students for doing well in the examinations. Teachers can then serve the dual purpose of getting the students learn and doing well in the tests.
Each group in every class will have a name that will be unique for the class. The same group name will stay in every class, creating an identity and pride in terms of group name.
The group method made a remarkable impact on the learning environment in the classroom. The students are no longer passive participants of teaching by the teachers; they become active partners in the leaning –teaching process in the classroom. The students are increasingly taking responsibility of learning on themselves. The interaction among students of different capabilities created more empathy among them. The regularity of attendance in the classes has increased. Students are gaining confidence of their ability to tackle problems on their own. The urge to look up the guidebooks for every problem has decreased. At least there are some students who already got over the use of guidebooks.
The closure of schools due to pandemic has caused an enormous loss of learning for a great majority of students. Recovery of learning loss is a challenge of unprecedented magnitude for the students. Students in Class VI were promoted to Class VII after having attended a very limited number of classes before the closure in about mid-March, 2020. Many of these students are deficient in their background knowledge for Class VII. At the end of 2021, they are expected to move to Class VIII. However, the government has a firm position not to have auto-promotion again.
How much time would they be allowed to attend classes to recover the learning loss to have enough background materials to move to the next class? In how many subjects should they be tested? How should the curriculum be customized to ensure basic requirements? What is the most effective pedagogy for speeding up the learning process?
VAB has been in active engagement with the Headmasters and the teachers of the schools from the beginning of the pandemic closure. The schools were encouraged to have the students engaged in studies through contacts by mobile phone. The schools having an effective group method could take advantage of using the group leaders and co-leaders as additional hands to contact students. Depending on the local situation, the schools undertook various other modes of contact and also provided online lectures or posted video lectures through social media.
VAB discussed with teachers ideas of an expeditious method of classroom teaching for effective learning based on Group Method. Some of the teachers including the author (Country Director of VAB at the time) presented ideas on designing model lectures in English and Math. The ideas were later on shared with close to 100 teachers and Headmasters from quite a large number of schools. The teachers were urged to come up with Model Lectures and deliver them virtually in presence of VAB trainers and other teachers of different schools. The ideas would be shared and a framework for delivery would be established before the schools open.
In May 2021, Society for Promotion of Science (SPSB) organized a three-day workshop on the principles of designing shortened curriculum in Science and Math with scenarios of contact time available for two months, four months and six months. 24 schools including eight schools connected with VAB took part. This was followed by another three-day workshop on devising an effective pedagogy for speeding up the learning process in August 2021. The workshop discussed different strategies on classroom teaching.
The author (Country Director of VAB till 30 June 2021) in a session of the August workshop of SPSB emphasized that the teachers faced an unprecedented gap in learning of the students and they need to adopt creative methods to overcome the challenge. He said that the situation is desperate and desperate situation might need desperate but well-conceived methods of resolution. From his eleven years of working closely with the rural schools, his estimate was that the top 20% students are well set to appear at the tests immediately after opening, the next 30% need a good amount of grooming and the bottom 50% is far behind in learning. He suggested a strategy that is quite extraordinary, but implored the teachers to look into its possibility.
Ultimately, teachers are the executors and they are the people who would know best what will work in their settings
VAB from its work with Group Method and its Leadership Program for English Language obtained practical evidence that proficient students can be good instructors for the classmates. In group method, students help each other, the proficient among them taking part effectively in sharing their knowledge, thereby strengthening their own understanding. And in the English Language Leadership program, the leaders (10 leaders in each class) were entrusted with the responsibility of training 5 to 7 of their classmates. The program was so successful that before the pandemic, within a short span of one year, satisfactory level of conversation skill in English for 100% of the students was nearly achieved in a number of schools. The effectiveness in engaging students in the learning process was proven.
The author then put forward the following suggestion to the teachers and advised them to share it with their colleagues.
Identify and separate out the 20%, 30% and 50% groups.
Hold classes in two sections, one with the 30% group and the other with the 50% group. Divide each section into groups and then distribute the students of the top 20% in the groups. Deliver teaching using a combination of the Group method and chalk and duster method Use at least one extra class for the 50% group (compared to the 30% group) because of the severity of their loss.
For the 20% group, hold a limited number of separate sessions to respond to their needs.
He called upon the teachers not to stick to any classical method but to ponder different approaches and use imagination, ingenuity and creativity to come up with some techniques that will allow them to reach their goal of helping the students ride out of the learning deficiency.
The choice of what subjects will be tested and how the shortened curriculum will be designed will be decided by the Government. But the mode of delivery can be designed by the teachers.
The teachers were urged to give due consideration to all the ideas put forth by VAB in multitude of meetings and in the ideas brought forth in the two workshops by SPSB.
Ultimately, teachers are the executors and they are the people who would know best what will work in their settings.
Group Method with a judicious combination of chalk and duster method certainly is the recognized method for effective classroom learning-teaching. It can be equally effective in the post-pandemic learning recovery.
* Jasimuz Zaman is a former professor of BUET and author of the book ‘Quality Education for Rural Bangladesh’.