Teaching is a process performed by a person called a teacher in the classroom of a group of students for a specified period of time on a topic or subject. In this process teachers and students both interact with each other where the teacher plays a very active role sometimes as the leader of the group.
Smith (1960) defines teaching as “A system of action intended to induce learning”.
The classroom is a complex meshing of simultaneous activities and events where teacher and learner both are involved. The teacher should be able to involve his or her
total being in the teaching process. In any sound process of teaching and learning, three instruments that are available to the teacher are: Interaction, Example, and Influence.
“In an ideal system of teaching interaction should play a much less important role than example and influence of teacher”. (Kireet Jashi, 1997).
The behaviour of the teacher influences that of his students, whereas at the same time students’ behaviour also influences that of the teacher. In the classroom, the effects of this circular communication process can be seen in the creation and maintenance of a good classroom climate and the behaviours that determine the quality of relationships and feelings. The link between teacher behaviour and the student behaviour (Wubbels and Levy, 1993) suggests that teachers can benefit directly from knowing how their interpersonal behaviour affects student behaviour.
The task of the teacher is to put a child on the right road to its own perfection and to encourage it to follow the road, watching, suggesting, helping but not imposing and interfering. There is no provision for the development of intellectual and thinking skills among students who are given less time for active participation and interaction and the teachers seem to have a very dominant role in the classroom. Unfortunately, a poorly structured classroom quickly deteriorates into a vacuous waste of time (UNDP,1997)
Edmund Amidon (1967) teaching is defined as an interactive process primarily involving classroom task which takes place between teachers and pupils and occurs during certain definable activities.
For Amidon, teaching is a process of interaction between the teacher and student. It is two-way traffic and a commonly shared phenomenon. He emphasizes teaching as a set of properly planned and clearly defined activities that are undertaken for the achievement of certain objectives.
Characteristic Features of Teaching.
- ❖ Teaching is a complex social process.
- ❖ An organized system of varied action.
- ❖ Available for scientific observation and analysis.
- ❖ Highly dominated by communication skills.
- ❖ An interactive process.
- ❖ Have various forms and styles.
- ❖ A specialized task comprising of different teaching skills.
- (Jangira and Ajit Singh, 1982).
Gage (1968) has analyzed teaching comprising of different technical skills. He explained that “Teaching skills are specific instructional techniques and procedures that a teacher may use in the classroom. They represent an analysis of the teaching process into relatively discrete components that can be used in different combinations in the continuous flow of the teacher’s performance.”
Actually, teaching includes various teaching skills and other teacher variables combined together, which bring desirable change in learner’s behaviour.
The teaching and learning process takes place between the teacher and learner where a teacher is a mature person who initiates talks with the purpose to improve the behaviour of the learner and provide knowledge to them about the content prescribed. Through the initiative taken by the teacher, the learner takes interest in the process and gives a response. Thus a classroom climate for teaching and learning is prepared. Ryan (1969) defined teacher behaviour as the activities of a teacher that are done as and when required for guiding and directing pupils learning. Teacher behaviour may be regarded as a function of the characteristics of a teacher, his environment, and the task in which he is engaged. The main characteristics of teacher behaviours include the following:
- Teacher behaviours are observable.
- Teacher behaviour can be developed modified by suitable training.
- Teacher behaviour can be analyzed in categories.
- Teacher behaviour can be measured.
For Citing this article use/article source:
- Kumar, T. P. (2013). A Study Of Classroom Verbal Behaviour Pattern Of Secondary School Social Science Teachers. Retrieved from: http://hdl.handle.net/10603/228485