“… Truly the best of men for you to employ is the [man] who is strong and trustworth.” (28: 26)
“I have full strength for the purpose, and may be trusted” (27: 39)
The knowledge that you possess is an AMAANAT
The children in your care are an AMAANAT
The time given to you, while the children are under your care, is an AMAANAT
THE OBJECTIVE OF THE METHOD OF PRESENTATION
When the Muallim/ah presents the learning material, he intends the presentation to be effective. The key to effectiveness is for the Muallim/ah to formulate certain objectives and keep them in view. This will give meaning to his/her entire methodology of lesson presentation. The lesson objectives define the part the Muallim/ah play in presenting the teaching content. They also determine the learners’ role on the lesson.
TYPES OF LESSONS
INTRODUCTION
In this section, Attention is given to different lesson types:
The information lesson, the drill lesson, the revision lesson, and the practical lesson. Regardless of what course of study or official curriculum is followed, it is clearly the Muallim/ah who really determines the success of the teaching-learning experience.
LESSON TYPES
THE INFORMATION LESSON
The information lesson is likely to remain the core of teaching because more subject matter can be presented to the learner by this method than can be discovered by the learner himself.
In the junior classes of madrasah the lesson is presented in the form of a story because children enjoy listening to stories or to an interesting description. The Muallim/ah who can tell one good story after another can truly capture the hearts of the youngsters and will be able to hold their attention successfully.
In order to narrate stories fluently, the Muallim/ah should be thoroughly familiar with them and know the facts quite well. This demands careful preparation. A lively, interesting and fascinating presentation of a story necessitates the ability to emphasize facts, to pause at the correct moment, to use gestures and to speak more loudly or softly as the occasion demands.
In the higher classes of the madrassah, the narration will gradually take the form of clarification or explanation arising from the subject matter being taught. Whenever possible, such a lesson should start with the posing of a problem/question.
When making use of the information lesson, it is suggested that the Muallim/ah carefully prepare the subject matter, as well as the steps according to which the lesson is going to be presented. He must keep the objectives of the lesson in mind as well as the perceptual ability of the learners. The Muallim/ah starts the lesson by posing a problem/question. He does not begin to lecture, but continues in an informal, interactive way, permitting discussion from time to time. For the reinforcement of the main points a written summary in the form of concise notes can be developed on the writing board as the lesson progresses or at the end of the lesson. To avoid boredom this type of lesson should be varied by making use of different teaching methods, for example discussion method, question-and-answer method, textbook method etc. Different audio-visual aids and the personal experience and discovery of the learners ought to be used extensively. Long lectures should be avoided and learners should be motivated to get involved in the lesson, as well as in the participation of well reared learner activities at the end of the lesson.
SUBJECTS THAT CAN BE TAUGHT BY THIS METHOD ARE:
(History, Fiqh, Morals, Aqaa’id etc.)
THE DRILL LESSON
The learners remember what they have learned is largely by the continued use and application of the learnt material. There are, however some phases learners benefit much more via systematic drilling. In the past, Muallim/ahs relied only upon the drill method to teach their learners. Although newer and more effective methods have to be introduced, to discard the drill approach altogether is detrimental to learner learning.
By means of drilling, certain facts, rules and content material are repeated to such an extent that they become second nature to the learners. Drilling is a systematic repetition of facts and skills which the Muallim/ah wishes to reinforce. Its purpose is perfection of a skill, or the fixing of an association to make it more permanent.
Subjects in which purposeful drill or systematic practice plays an important part include Arabic/Urdu, reading of the Quraan and writing. When planning a drill lesson, the Muallim/ah should give attention to the following:
• Do the techniques involve all the learners in the group?
• Is there sufficient repetition?
• Is the emphasis first on the individual, and then on the group?
• Is there provision for the correction of errors?
• Does the learner, who needs the most practice, benefit?
• Does the time taken for purposeful repetition conform to the attention span of the specific age group?
Whenever the drill lesson is presented, the Muallim/ah must guard against it becoming monotonous and thus boring. All the drill and practice periods should be short. Several short periods on the same skill will be more effective than an equal amount of time spent on a single practice period. Insist on accuracy first, and then have the learners practice for speed.
Correct wrong responses very early in drill periods and drill on a learner on what he finds difficult. The learner must recognize his incorrect responses and will require explanations as well along with demonstrations. When a learner cannot recall a certain fact, excuse him from the drill period and wait before you try him again. When a drill session is finished, consolidate the drill concept via a short consolidation exercise.
SUBJECTS THAT CAN BE TAUGHT BY THIS METHOD ARE:
(Quraan, Surahs, Duaas, Arabic, and Urdu)
THE REVISION LESSON
The revision lesson is not to be confused with the drill lesson. It is not mere repetition of facts in the original form in which they were taught, but involves, the introduction of new information and organizing of the old information into different forms.
The purpose of the revision lesson is to give the learners a new aspect on the subject matter. Additionally, the revision lesson aims to:
• introduce some elements of new learning onto a unit of work
• have learners trace the core, or thread, of thought or development through a unit.
• give the Muallim/ah the opportunity of presenting a bird’s-eye view of the content seen as a whole.
• apply information from one part of the unit to that of another part so that the connection and continuity between different parts of the subject matter become clearer to the learners.
The Muallim/ah must try to vary the kind of revision lessons he/she uses. He must include as many different types of motivations and activities as he can so that the learners will not become bored by the use of one pattern of review, but will instead look forward to it as challenging and a profitable learning experience. The Muallim/ah must also make provision for the individual differences between his learners and he must remember to utilize the valuable uniqueness of each of his learners.
In his planning of lessons, the Muallim/ah must provide time for revision activities. It must not be a rushed revision lesson. It is the Muallim/ah’s task to see that the tendency during the revision lesson is always towards deeper understanding in addition to meaningful memorization of the main issues of the lesson.
SUBJECTS THAT CAN BE TAUGHT BY THIS METHOD ARE:
All subjects lend themselves to this type of lesson
THE PRACTICAL LESSON
The practical lesson where the type of lesson where the main thrust is on the learners doing something practical.
Time devoted to teaching-learning events of a practical nature is well spent in that the practical lesson provides many different opportunities for learners to develop skills and practice techniques. It is a way in which learners can involve themselves in tasks and problems they understand and consider important and meaningful.
All practical lessons must be well planned and excessive improvisation avoided.
SUBJECTS THAT CAN BE TAUGHT BY THIS METHOD ARE:
Certain aspects of fiqh like: Wudhu, Salaat, Taymmum etc.
PLANNING AND PREPARATION OF A LESSON
IMPORTANCE OF LESSON PLANNING AND PREPARATION
Efficient and successful teaching depends upon adequate lesson planning. Every lesson that the Muallim/ah must present must be well prepared. The lesson is the very center of the teaching practice. This is not to say that the lesson is more important than the Muallim/ah or the learner. What is true here, and what must be well understood, is that the initiative taken by the Muallim/ah in planning his lessons is the most important contribution he can make towards bringing about meaningful teaching-learning situations. The manner in which the Muallim/ah controls the lesson often serves as the ultimate criterion of his efficiency. The amount of preparation a lesson receives will usually determine whether or not the lesson achieves its purpose. Disorderly presentation of information, subject matter that is either incorrect or incomplete, the absence of any or adequate-teaching aids are some of the features one will find in an unprepared or poorly prepared lesson. The Muallim/ah must be able to plan and prepare so thorough that he/she is able to present it in the real classroom situation with a great degree of expertness. Hence it can be concluded that a major part of his/her training is designed to equip him/her with the knowledge which will enable him/her repeatedly to devise lessons leading to effective learning on the part of the learners in his/her class.
FORMULATION OF OBJECTIVES
The objectives of a lesson specify precisely what the Muallim/ah intends for the learner to learn in the lesson. When teaching objectives, the Muallim/ah needs to specify the following:
• What the learners will be able to do at the end of the lesson?
• The important conditions under which the performance will occur.
• The criteria for the performance-how will it be observed and perhaps measured.
The objectives of a lesson can either be a statement or a question. In order to formulate an objective for a lesson, the Muallim/ah must identify those essential ideas or concepts in each unit of work he believes most vital, since all the content included in a unit is not of equal importance. Many items are included to illustrate, supplement, or enrich the essentials. The Muallim/ah must exercise his/her critical judgment in summarizing the unit of work into a workable number of basic ideas around which he will organize a series of lessons. For example, in planning to teach a history lesson, five major themes could be established, namely, Life in Makkah, Life in Madeenah, The Battles, and Demise of Rasoolullah (S.A.W.). These five sequential themes around which the Muallim/ah can formulate a series of objectives on which he/she can then plan a series of lessons to achieve these objectives. After the Muallim/ah has formulated the objectives for a lesson or series of lessons, he/she should ask himself/herself the following questions about it:
• Are the objectives realistic in terms of the time available?
• Are the objectives realistic to the standard and level of the learners?
• Are the objectives too general or vague or perhaps too limited?
• Are the objectives feasible in terms of the equipment and material available to the Muallim/ah?
• Can the objectives be achieved?
• Do the objectives have value and importance?
• Is the Muallim/ah’s language too sophisticated?
TESTS AND EXAMINATIONS
The following should be kept in mind when planning a test or examination:
The test or examination should serve a clearly defined purpose, e.g.: to diagnose difficulties, to emphasize important issues, to evaluate learner progress or to establish the effectiveness of the teacher’s lesson planning, preparation and presentation. Questions asked should be consistent with the purpose for which the test or examination is given.
The questions should focus upon those aspects which have been stressed in the teaching-learning situation. The types of questions should be varied in order to avoid penalizing learners, who have particular difficulties. e.g.; a learner who reads too slowly should not be further penalized by having to large chunks of reading in a short time. A point to keep in mind when planning for a test or examination is that no test or examination should ever be set without a marking memorandum. When drawing up a memorandum, allowances must be made for individual differences in the answers of the learners. The memorandum should be set out as fully as possible and marks should be awarded strictly according to the memorandum.
In administering tests and examinations, the following points should be considered:
• An adequate number of test or examination papers must be available and ready.
• The marks (credit) distribution of each question must be clearly indicated as well as the relative weight of the test or examination in the total assessment scheme.
• Provision must be made for proper seating arrangements and care should be taken that the examination room is properly ventilated and lit.
During the test or examination learners should be told where to leave their books, jerseys etc. so that all work areas will be free of such materials. Prescribed preliminary announcements should be made and learners should be informed of the exact time limits of the test or examination. Arrangements should be made for efficient distribution and collection of question papers and answer sheets. Invigilators should ensure that the function of supervision is to prevent cheating rather than to detect it.