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brown paper strips and white paper strips to represent dirty and
clean water. The teacher facilitated her students to organise and
summaries their learning on water supply system.
3. Boiling Point of Water
The teacher helped her class to form six groups to perform an
activity on determining the boiling point of water. Each group
was provided a beaker and different samples of water (such as
distilled/tap/pond water, water with some salt/sugar/milk added
to it), a thermometer and a gas burner. Students were asked to
heat the water samples and note down the readings in the
thermometer as soon as it started boiling. They were surprised to
observe their results. Each group had found different values of
boiling point! They were happy to discuss among themselves and
with the teacher the possible reasons for this difference. They
observed that boiling point of water (solvent) is increased if solute
is added to it. Children were dynamically engaged with the learning
process through observing, reflecting, enquiring and sharing.
4. An Afternoon on a Sea Beach
One day the teacher took her students to the sea beach. Observing
students moving in different directions to explore the things around
the sea, she got worried for their safety. She got an idea of utilising
the curiosity of the students. She helped them in forming eight
groups so that they could choose some interesting projects to do
as given below:
Group 1: Calculate mean time of waves reaching on the seashore.
Group 2: Estimate the dimension of the boats; talk about it with
fishermen/fisherwomen and compare with your
estimation.
Group 3: Talk to the fishermen/fisherwomen about their work;
fishes; their profit and loss; their economy; the season
for which fishes are available in plenty; and the way
they manage their home economy.
Group 4: Watch fishermen/women catching fishes, the tides of
wave, the sky, reflections of the sun in the sea, etc.,
and write poems, essay on the topic of their choice.
Group 5: Collect songs and stories from fishermen/women and
sing with them.
Group 6: Observe crabs, tortoise and other living beings, their
motion and habitat.
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Group 7: Make sketches of the natural beauty of the sea and
its surroundings.
Group 8: Calculate speed of the wave by estimating distance
from the place of observation.
After coming back to school, each group presented their report in
the class. They learnt to share their experiences and in this activity,
everybody enjoyed their learning.
Teacher attempted to dissolve boundaries between different
subjects, i.e., maths, science, literature, arts and aesthetics.
5. Can You Help Geeta
Geeta's father is a vegetable hawker. One day she went to the
market with her father. They had Rs 1000/- with them. They found
that a variety of vegetables were available. Rates of different
vegetable were:
Potato - Rs 20/kg; Onion - Rs 12/kg; Tomato - Rs 25/kg;
Cauliflower - Rs 40/kg; Carrot - Rs 20/kg; Lady’s finger - Rs 24/
kg; Bitter gourd - Rs 32/kg; Cabbage - Rs 22 kg; Spinach - Rs
15/kg; Gourd - Rs 18/kg.
Can you help her in deciding:
1. What factors should she keep in mind to get maximum
profit?
2. Which vegetables should she purchase to get maximum
profit margin?
3. In which vegetables profit margin is likely to be low? How?
4. In which vegetable profit margin is likely to be highest? How?
5. Which vegetable will occupy largest volume in 2kg?
6. Should she purchase different quantities of different
vegetables for easy loading and unloading?
7. How much weight would she be able to carry on her head?
This situation may initiate group discussion in the class. These
open-ended questions may be a challenge for learners at the
secondary stage.
6. Electricity and Magnetism
A week before the scheduled date of the chapter, the teacher
facilitated her students in identifying six subtopics in Electricity
and Magnetism. She helped the class in forming six groups. Each
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group selected subtopics of their choice to work on as a project.
They had freedom to plan for any activity or experiment; make
models or charts; collect information from encyclopedia; internet
or from the magazines; conduct interviews; solve numerical
problems; write and do one-act play or write a poem. The teacher
negotiated this project with her students in an arrangement period
assigned to her. A week later, the lesson was introduced to the
students by asking leading questions based on various sources
of electric current they were aware of. An activity of glowing a
torch bulb by an electric cell was performed by students with the
help of the teacher. They identified transformation of chemical
energy into electric energy.
Each group then gave presentation on their projects with their
teacher acting as a facilitator. Teacher ensured that all members
of the group participate in the presentation.
Group 1
Subtopic—Source of electric current and its historical
background
Students made charts describing construction and working of
voltaic cells, dry cells, button cells, rechargeable cells. Some of the
students collected a few of the above cells, which they demonstrated
in the class. They gathered information about specific uses of these
cells. The group also collected interesting anecdotes about scientists
(Thomas Alva Edison, H. C. Oersted and W. Nicolson) and their
work related with the topic and prepared a historical background
of chemical and magnetic effects of electric current.
Group 2
Subtopic—Ohm's law
Students performed experiment for studying Ohm's law with the
help of the teacher.
They drew circuit diagram on the blackboard to show the
symbols of electric components. Students observed and recorded
the ammeter and voltmeter readings. The relationship between
the potential difference across a conductor and the electric current
passing through it was discussed by plotting a graph.
Group 3
Subtopic—Judicious use of electricity
The group prepared a scrapbook, which had clippings from
newspapers and magazines highlighting judicious use of
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electricity. They also pasted print advertisement of energy efficient
electric gadgets. The members of the group carried out interviews/
discussion with the elders in their families/ neighbourhood about
the life styles of their childhood without electricity and how their
life changed after supply of electric current started in their localities.
The group, with the help of the teacher conducted a “speed
test” on calculation of monthly electricity bill using simple formula-
Power consumption
Power in watt × Time in hour
=
kWh
1000
1000 kW h =1 unit
Electricity Bill = Power consumption Rate per unit
The group also enacted a ‘play’ during the school assembly on
how to reduce wastage of electricity.
One member of the group composed a poem in Hindi on ‘Bijli
Bachao’.
Group 4
Subtopic—Magnetism and electromagnet
The group prepared a working model of an electromagnet using
a long iron screw and enamelled copper wire and identified the
relationship between electricity and magnetism.
A brief reference on magneto-therapy was given by one of the
members.
Group 5
Subtopic—Earth as a magnet
The group located north–south direction of their classroom with a
magnetic compass needle. During recess, they went to other classes
in the same corridor and then to the classes at corridor in
perpendicular direction to establish north–south direction there. They
prepared a map of different classrooms indicating north–south
S
TDUENTS
E
NJOYED
P
ARTICIPATORY
L
EARNING
The teacher observed that each of the students of her class
had worked on their assignment. When the teacher turned
to leave the class after students’ group presentation was
over, she heard an otherwise quiet and introvert girl saying,
“Mam, today I really enjoyed learning.”
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direction there. Using a magnet, iron filings and a drawing board,
they mapped magnetic field lines under the guidance of their teacher.
They drew a diagram of magnetic field line patterns on a chart paper.
Two members of the group had collected information from library
and the internet about the magnetic properties of the earth.
Group 6
Subtopic—Electromagnetic induction
The group performed an activity to demonstrate how electric
current is observed when a magnet is quickly moved through a
coil connected to a galvanometer or the coil is quickly moved
around the magnet held stationary in hand. They repeated the
activity by moving the magnet slowly within the coil. Observing
very little deflection in the galvanometer, they discussed the reason
for it. They prepared a chart to explain the experiment.
Teacher facilitated each group of students to exchange their
assignment with other groups. All students had got an opportunity
to develop a background on the topic to express their ideas about
the concept.
The teacher as well as the class asked many questions in
between the presentation.
7. Air Pollution
The teacher familiarised herself with the knowledge of her students
on the effect of air pollution with some introductory questions.
She then guided them to perform an activity to observe particulate
matter (chalk particles) in the classroom by patting the
blackboard duster on the table. She allowed the students to ask
questions on various aspects of air pollution. The teacher felt that
students of her class were quite familiar with this topic. She
discussed with them on the design of their assignment work. She
helped the students in forming five groups to carry out work on
the issues of pollution. She made it clear to her students that if
they thought of something different related to the topic, they were
welcome to discuss with her.
Group 1
Sources of air pollution
Identify various sources of air pollution that you think might be
reason for it. Suggest ways to minimise it. Prepare and present a
report on it.
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Group 2
Acid rain
Visit the library/internet to collect the information about acid rain.
What causes it? Study its effect on aquatic life, soil and historical
monuments. Talk to the monument authorities about the steps
taken to minimise the effect of acid rain. Suggest ways to minimise
its negative effect. Prepare and present a report.
Group 3
Smog
How does smog pollute the air? What causes it? What is its effect
on various modes of transportation? Why does its formation
increase during winter season? What are the ways to minimise
it? Prepare a report of your own observations and experiences
about smog. You may use newspaper clippings, photographs,
etc., for illustrations.
Group 4
Harmful effects of air pollution
What are the harmful effects of air pollution on health? How does
it affect respiratory and circulatory system of our body? Do
pollutants affect the respiratory system of the animals as well?
Identify various diseases occurring due to air pollution. Conduct
an interview with a doctor regarding this issue. Prepare in advance
T
HE
R
EPERCUSSION
: I
NCREASING
I
NTERACTION
Students started interacting among
themselves and with other subject teachers.
Students from other sections came to the
teacher requesting to teach them using the
same approach. Even interaction among
teachers also increased.
the questions that you would like to be answered by the doctor.
Collect information through various sources such as television,
library, internet, newspaper, etc., What steps should be taken to
minimise the ill effects of air pollution on health?
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Q & A
Group 5
Collecting and presenting data
Collect data on various air pollutants in your city. Prepare a pie
graph/bar graph depicting their presence in percentage.
Each group prepared a record collaboratively. The group
leader presented the report to the class with the help of his team
members. The teacher reviewed the concepts whenever required.
She did not appoint the group leader, the group selected the leader
themselves. Later, one of the students read out a brief report about
their findings in the morning assembly of the school.
HIGHER SECONDARY STAGE
1. Derivatives
The lesson was introduced with some observations from everyday
life situations. Teacher cited an example that people maintaining
a reservoir need to know when will the reservoir overflow knowing
the depth of water at several instances of time. Students realised
that in order to know the time of overflow of a reservoir they needed
to know how one parameter (say height) varies with another
parameter (time). The teacher helped them to evolve the concept of
rate of change of height with respect to time. She discussed the
importance of derivatives of functions and the concepts of functions
and limit with the students.
Definition of derivatives of a real valued function f at a point
in its domain was developed through interaction with students.
First principle of derivatives was also developed through discussion
with students. Derivatives of different functions were explored.
Algebra of derivatives of functions was discussed. Teacher
facilitated the class in forming small groups and solving the
problems based on derivatives.
Group 1
Discuss motion of a body under free fall. Draw a figure showing
variation of distance with time for an uniformly accelerated motion.
Calculate velocity and the acceleration of the object at different
instants of time graphically. You may refer (pp. 43–45) Physics
Textbook for Class XI (NCERT 2006).
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Group 2
Collect data regarding population of your state for the last 20
years from the Internet. Plot a graph between time (in years) and
population.
Calculate rate of increase/decrease in population.
Group 3
Visit the website
http://earthtrends.wri.org.
(a) Calculate the rate at which landmass is under threat of
submerging under seawater from 1961–2000. Record your
observations at least five times at equal time intervals.
(b) Predict the rate of submergence of the landmass for next
20 years.
Present your results using graphs.
At the end students solved the problems individually and shared
the methods used by them in solving the problems with each other.
2. Radioactivity
The teacher talked to the students about the various resources
of information about the accidental discovery of radioactivity by
A.H. Becquerel and the works of M.S. Curie. The lesson was started
with a brief description of their work. Students discussed ‘Law
of Radioactive Decay’ with their teacher. The teacher, then
facilitated the class to form four groups. Students took up the
activity of their interest. Each group chalked out their plan of
action with the help of the teacher.
Group 1
Students conducted an analogous experiment by counting
the number of water drops falling per minute from a burette
fixed on a stand. Students plotted a graph showing its exponential
nature and calculated decay constant and half-life time.
Group 2
The group identified Actinoid elements of the f block from the
periodic table. They discussed the reason of these nuclei being
unstable, the process of alpha, beta and gamma decay and their
properties with the help of a chart, the group had made. Various
uses of the three rays were also discussed.
Group 3
The group collected information from the internet about the
medical uses of different radioactive rays such as in the treatment
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Q & A
of cancer, sterilisation of surgical instruments, preservation of
foods, etc. Two members of the group conducted an interview
with a doctor about the uses of radioactive isotopes in the diagnosis
and treatment of various diseases.
Group 4
The group gave a presentation on the application of radioactivity
in determining age of the rocks, age of historical paintings and
age of fossils.
O
UT
OR
IN
THE
M
IND
?
When the lesson was completed and discussion
was over, a student said, “the concepts of
Radioactivity are very clear to me, now. They
will not go out of my mind like other chapters
went.”
Group 5
The teacher ensured seeking participation of all students in setting
goals and taking decisions. All students had opportunities for
collaboration. Later, the teacher employed a buzz session of fifteen
minutes to review the concepts. Students were allowed to talk
among themselves about what they had learned. They were then
ready to answer the questions asked by the teacher.
3. Habitats of Different Forms of Life
Teacher initiated the discussion on the habitats of different forms
of life. They began raising questions about how different forms
of life could survive in extreme conditions. Teacher suggested
them to form six groups and find information from the various
sources about the habitat of different forms of life at different
places. The previous day she had asked them to read books from
the library, visit relevant websites, enquire from their parents and
elders on this issue. Students volunteered themselves to work in
the area of their choice:
Group
I
Conditions prevailing in scorching heat in the
deserts of Rajasthan.
Group
II
Physico-chemical and biotic conditions in rain- soaked
Meghalaya forest.
Documents you may be interested
Documents you may be interested
