Page 210 - DEDU505_TEACHER_EDUCATION_ENGLISH

Teacher Education

Notes (iv) GamdSimulation games: You might have seen young children's traditional games and
sometimes improvised family games. Games have the elements of job, competitiveness,
cooperation and intense motivation. "ey are played for entertainment. A simulation game
combines the features of a game (players, rules and competition/cooperatian) with that of
a dinlulation (worktng model of reality). When the real-lire situation to be simulated is
competitive, simulation games tend to arise naturally.
There is a wide scope to use simulation games in each subject. For example, in physical
sciences, the students may be asked to play the game of 'completion of circuit' with the
given equipment The equipment may consist of card board pieces, large boards with slots,
pieces representing bulbs, switches, batteries, etc. The students work in pairs. At the outset
the teacher makes the rules of the game and the scoring scheme clear. Marks are also
allotted for the lime laken in completing the circuit and also for'finding faults with the
circuits made by other teams.
In teaching of social sciences, say Economics, the students can play a game titled identifying
intermediate goods. The students may be divided into four teams each consisting oteight to
ten sludents. One team comes to the blackboard. Each of other three teams name$ two
common final goods like bread, fan, etc. The respondent team has to write five intermediate
goods that have gone into its production. Correct answers will be given marks and for
wrong ones, marks will be deducted. The questions will not be repeated. There can be four
rounds in this game.
(v) Role play: Role play refers to a group of techniques in which participants are asked to
accept a different role and take or try out first person action in a learning situation. Thus in
role play each student is assigned a different role. This enables himher to look at the
situation, not as the person who is actually facing that problem or situation.
In the context of teaching, role playing is used for several purposes. Some of these are as'
follows :
• to clarify concepts, concretize abstract ideas, etc.
• to practice human relation skills
• to release emotional blocks
• to empathise with others, and Teachcr-Controlled Instruction
• to diagnose a problem situation
Role playing can be used for teaching various subjects. For example, it can be used effectively for
teaching drama in literature. The roles of the king, the queen, the wazir, the jestcr, the common
man, etc. differ and so are their speech patterns. Besides, these role playing can be used in
training (i) managers to develops their skills of organizing and directing meetings, (ii) students
to face interviews, etc.
(vi) Prioritisation exercises: These are relatively simple activities where a group of students is
given a list of characteristics of or solutions to a problem and they are asked to rank them
according to some definite criteria. After individual ranking has been done, a group discussion
follows. This type of activity develops the capability of judgement, communication and
interpersonal skills. It also allows for freedom of thought and expression.
Merits of Activity-based Instruction: Activity-based instruction has many advantages. Its important
advantages are as follows :
• It provides an opportunity to the students to obtain knowledge and understanding by doing
or working on the learning tasksfactivities.
• a It satisfies the natural urge of the students to learn by playing or doing.
• It places the students in practice positions instead of the usual position in which they have
just to react.'This promotes better understanding among the students.
• Activities introduce the playway method in teaching-learning activities. This raises the

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