Page 283 - DEDU503_EDUCATIONAL_MANAGEMENT_ENGLISH

Unit 21: Application of Educational Management in Academic Areas

stage of education. Several instructional techniques have been evolved with human interaction Notes
as underlying pedagogical principles, viz, a discussion, seminar, debate, panel discussion, buzz
session, role-planning, brain storming, etc. Description here is however confined to the seminar
technique.
Meaning and Definition of Seminar Technique : A seminar as an instructional technique
involves generating a situation for group to have guided interaction among themselves on a
theme which is generally presented to the group by one or more members. The person who
presents the theme should have studied the theme thoroughly before hand. This would mean
selection of relevant material at its organization. The collected material is put in the form of-
paper which is circulated among the participants in advance or before the paper reading. It
provides the structure of the theme, to facilities its communication.
Thus, seminar is an instructional technique of higher learning which involves paper reading on
a theme and followed by the group discussion to clarify the complex aspects of the theme.
(7) Workshop Technique

Education process has tow aspects : theoretical and practical. The instructional techniques are
used to develop the theoretical aspects of the students. The conference and seminars are organized
for achieving higher cognitive and affective objectives. The psychomotor aspect is developed
through training. Teaching is a continum from conditioning to indoctrination and training is
also inclusive in it. The new innovations and practices of education are introduced by organizing
workshop in which persons are trained to use new practices in their teaching learning process.
The workshops are organized to develop the psychomotor aspects of the learner regarding
practices of new innovations in area of education. Under this technique participants have to do
some practical work to produce instructional, teaching and testing material.
Workshops and Seminars : The more recent terms used in this context are task force, study
group, working group, etc. but they all convey the same meaning of working in groups to
complete a specified task-within a specified time. Workshops are not talk shop and there is
considerable output from the participants in a workshop. The major concern of the workshops
is to provide opportunities that are to be challenged by one’s peers. The essential features of the
workshop are the intensive consideration of practical problems of classroom teaching, informal
working conditions, sharing of experiences with the peer group and the availability of a range
of resources such as resource persons, books, journals, learning aids and equipment and
apparatus for laboratory work. The participants have a full share in the planning of the workshop
and all the activities are related to the goals of the participants. The core of the workshop in the
area of group thinking and joint planning. Further, a workshop does not evaluate its members.
The participants evaluate the workshop and themselves. Evaluation is a cooperative process.
The goal of the workshop is the professional growth of the participants as well as the
development of the programme.
(8) Symposium Techniques
Symposium technique is also one of the techniques of higher learning. It is also an instructional
technique which is used to achieve higher cognitive and affective objectives.
The word ‘symposium’ has serval dictionary meanings. Firstly, Plato has used this term for
‘good dialogue’ to present the views towards God. Another meaning of the term is the intellectual
recreation of enjoyment.
The recent meaning of the term is a meeting of persons to discuss a problem or theme. The view
on a theme are presented in a sequence. The specific aspect of a theme is presented by an expert
of the theme. The defition of the term symposium is as follows :
“The symposium technique/forum serves as an excellent device for informing an audience,
crystalizing opinion and general preparing the listeners for arriving at decision, policies, value,
judgement or understanding.”

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 277