Teaching

As in any educational institution, the teaching-learning process is of central importance in our College. However, as teachers located in a rural college, our situation has demanded that our teaching practices take into account the specific nature of the students coming into the institution. Even though our students come to us with an ability to comprehend their subjects in the mother tongue, their communicative skills are low and their reading habits also are very poor. Their knowledge of the outside world is limited. For all these reasons the development of their personalities also remains below common expectations. To educate these students, we take steps to identify and monitor slow and advanced learners. We have organized a system where class tests, surprise tests, home assignments, class presentations, interactive sessions and group discussions are incorporated into teaching practices. Though it is far more labor intensive than the lecture/notes method generally in use in rural Gujarat, these practices have paid real dividends in the educational lives of our students and has helped to make them confident and self assured. Systematic planning and monitoring of teaching ensures that all aspects of the syllabus are well covered. In order to enrich teaching, teachers in our College have drawn substantially on insights from seminars and the Orientation and Refresher courses that we have attended as well as our own research in the area. We are now trying to integrate audio-visual aids and internet-based resources into our teaching process. Special mention must also be made of the feedback that we receive from our students both formally and informally and the peer opinion we consistently seek: these have contributed significantly in developing innovative teaching practices.