Smart Teaching for Theoretical Knowledge and Improving Practical Oriented Knowledge

“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” - Albert Einstein

By Aditya Shasank PSKPVS, Aditya College of Engineering, University Innovation Fellow

The process of learning does not hold any bound. We aim to emphasize the learning concepts with the help of visuals and performing activities.

During my secondary school years, my physics instructor used to teach topics using new approaches like showing the working of a principle using visual graphics, by doing a particular activity in class related to lecture, or by making a piece of chalk into smaller granules hence explaining about particles and many more. From all his teaching methodologies, I was inspired by this approach and henceforth the name Smart Teaching and started working on an impact project called Smart Teaching of Theoretical Education and Improving Practical Oriented Education. My aim is to teach the lectures using the smart approach and provide the practical oriented approach for learners to perform hands-on, because when you do something experientially, you remember better.

Keeping this view in mind, we have planned for smart classroom learning to be introduced at my school. This smart classroom education system makes students get more interesting lectures and also increases student participation in a classroom environment.

Through this Smart Teaching concept, we want the learners to facilitate themselves in an environment; in which later the lacking concepts will be bridged by the teachers. The learners activate and build background knowledge, process information, transform their learning into a product (a picture, a mind map, or a presentation) that shows what they know, and reflect on their learning. Then the teacher will fill the gaps that remain.

Some of the Smart Teaching approaches are Personalized Teaching, Project-Based Teaching, Real-World Teaching, Place-Based Teaching. Structured talks and assessments will be made part of the process of learning, which enables to enhance the thinking of all learners by the means of inclusivity and differentiation and realize the goals. Through reviewing, we can find that a Smart Teaching environment emphasizes learner-centric, personalized and adaptive teaching service, interactive and collaborative tools, context-aware and ubiquitous access. Additionally, a Smart Teaching environment aims to support effective, efficient and meaningful learning for learners.

The use of technology in education can bring a huge change. The Internet and e-learning can make the classroom environment extremely amazing when paired with Smart Teaching. Teaching through digital platforms using facilities like computers, the internet, and multimedia devices will be used as a common tool in the future and we aspire to take a step towards it.

Theoretical knowledge of skill-based subjects needs to be supported by practical hands-on experience. Subjects like teaching and engineering are skill-based. In these subjects, practical knowledge is more important than theoretical knowledge. Practical work includes experiments in laboratories, study tours, projects, assignments, etc. We must acknowledge the fact that the advantages of practical work are unfathomable. Gaining theoretical knowledge holds less value until and unless students can apply it for practical purposes. • When you do something with your hands you remember better. • Practical work promotes experiential learning. • Practical work encourages self-learning. • Practical work familiarizes students with tools and equipment that they will be required to use. • Practice leads to perfection. • One cannot become an expert overnight; the greater the practice, the greater the expertise. • Practical work is a good change from the monotonous lecture method. • Students are required to participate actively in practical activities. • Involvement of students is more in practical work. • Practical work complements the theory. • Practical assignments are often carried out in groups. Group work helps to inculcate social values and values like sharing, cooperation, team spirit, compassion, etc. • Practical work makes students independent and increases their confidence

Overall, we aspire to grow the learning curve by providing the students with the potentially best learning environment to identify, polish their potential and nurture their talents. Aiding and supporting students to become self-aware and in helping them explore the umpteen number of possibilities around so that they can make a wise decision in the long run, is a visionary we aspire to present. This would eventually help them strive to create the best version of themselves, dreaming and striving for a better future along with being a responsible global citizen.