Teaching Concepts (and not content) and their application to solve real-life, open-ended problems

PROBLEM -BASED LEARNING (PBL)

Teaching by Demonstrations & Learning by Experiments (TDLE)

The traditional chalk-and-talk method of teaching complex concepts of physics, chemistry, biology and math often renders classrooms dull for many students, especially extroverts who thrive on interaction and engagement. The struggle intensifies when these students are faced with the daunting task of applying complex concepts to solve real-life. open-ended problems, a challenge that overwhelms over 99% of them. This gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application underscores the necessity for additional coaching. Despite being top performers in their CBSE examinations, many 12th graders find themselves needing 1 to 3 years of extra preparation/coaching to tackle competitive exams like JEE and NEET. The inability to relate classroom learning to real-life scenarios highlights a critical flaw in conventional educational approaches, calling for innovative methods that engage and inspire students to bridge this divide effectively.

Delivering the content of a topic through traditional chalk-and-talk teaching in a passive classroom setting is a daunting task for both teachers and students to understand and build concepts. This method, which solely relies on verbal explanations and visual aids, is extremely challenging to most students to grasp concepts. Students are expected to understand and imagine these concepts without any interactive or hands-on learning experiences, which demands a high level of intelligence and exceptional effort on the part of both the teacher and the student. Only a few introverted individuals who possess exceptional focus and dedication are able to excel using this method, such as those who manage to succeed in exams like JEE-Advance (0,1 percent who appear even after years of coaching at coaching centers). For the majority of students, however, this traditional approach proves to be extremely difficult in acquiring a deep understanding of the subject matter and concepts. Because extroverts brains are wired to learn by (actual doing the stuff) - demonstrations and experiments, they are mostly termed as non-performer, back bencher, slow learner, etc which is actually not the case. The combo Content-based Learning + Chalk-and-talk + passive learning gives support introverts heavily.

On the contrary, it is extremely easy for each and every student to understand and develop concepts through demonstrations and experiments. This type of learning is genuine, without the need to imagine anything, and it lasts a lifetime. Students will never forget the concepts if they have built them by performing experiments repeatedly. The ultimate goal of learning is for a child to be able to solve real-life, open-ended problems on any topic or subject. Merely delivering content in a passive mode through chalk-and-talk makes it almost impossible for a child to solve problems where they need to apply concepts rigorously. This is easily possible through the problem-based learning explained above and implemented in our school.

Concept labs are innovative classrooms designed to teach concepts through practical demonstrations and experiments. Unlike traditional teaching methods that rely on lectures / Chalk-and-talk, these labs provide students with hands-on experience using various apparatus and equipment. In these labs, every topic in any subject is taught by the teacher through demonstrations, and students are given the opportunity to perform the experiments themselves multiple times. This interactive approach not only enhances students' understanding of the subject matter but also fosters a deeper learning experience. Through concept labs, students are encouraged to explore, experiment, and actively participate in their education, resulting in a more engaging and effective learning environment.