Levels of Teaching – Memory, Understanding & Reflective Level
The profession of teaching & levels of teaching and imparting knowledge to a learner on any particular subject or skill seems easy but it’s quite a tough job. Teachers play a very important role in the lives of students and thus it is not wrong to say that the teaching job is one of the most challenging professions in the world because of the multiple qualities it requires. A teaching job needs passion, dedication, and responsible behaviour in shaping the students and the generations to come.
Teaching jobs demand different kinds of strategies, techniques, and methods as compared to other professions. Today, in this article we are going to discuss the desired level of thinking about teaching and how a teacher can use these levels for teaching. Understanding levels of teaching is crucial for educators, including those looking for levels of teaching B.Ed notes to enhance their skills.
There are three levels of teaching taught by Teachers. To achieve the desired educational objectives, the teachers have to keep in mind the developmental stage of the learners. These are the levels of teaching:
- Memory level – Thoughtless Teaching
- Understanding level – Thoughtful Teaching
- Reflective level – Upper Thoughtful Teaching
Memory level of teaching, also known as memory level of teaching given by Herbart, plays a critical role in primary education. Teaching at memory level is based on helping students retain facts and information effectively.
Memory Level of Teaching
It is a memory level of teaching in which the teaching is done to provide textbook knowledge to students and the emphasis is more given to memorization rather than learning. It is not said to be the best level of teaching as memorizing anything is not good and importance should be given to understanding the concept. Well, this level helps in increasing the memory power.
Teaching at memory level is based on giving students the ability to recall facts and figures. It’s essential for developing the foundational knowledge in younger learners. Memory level of teaching given by Herbart focuses on habit formation through repetition.
Which of the following is not a prescribed level of teaching? The memory level is prescribed, but anything outside the reflective, understanding, and memory levels is not.
Advantages of Memory Level:
- It is beneficial for young students
- Useful for slow learners
- Helpful to children for learning a new concept
- The basis for understanding the reflective level of teaching
Disadvantages of Memory Level:
- Not beneficial for higher classes
- Dominance of teacher
- Loss of recall and retention
- Interaction level is low in the classroom
- The problem of classroom management
- Students don’t get a chance to self-learning
Understanding the Level of Teaching
Understanding-level teaching is a more deliberate teaching method in which students interact with concepts and, as the name implies, comprehend the content. They evaluate the concepts and bring together the facts and other notions associated with them based on the students’ prior awareness and comprehension level. Teachers and students are also equally interested in this phase, and in this teaching stage, teachers use debates, seminars, explanations, and other similar methods. The classroom atmosphere is welcoming and stimulating.
Understanding level of teaching given by Morrison helps teachers foster a deeper connection with the material.
Advantages of Understanding Level:
- Effective learning
- Development of different cognition leanings
- Sets stages for entering into the reflective level of teaching
- The interaction level is good
Disadvantages of Understanding Level:
- Ignore higher cognitive abilities
- Less emphasis on intrinsic motivation
- No individual learning
- Teacher centered
Reflective Level of Teaching
The introspective level of teaching is also known as the reflective level. This is the most advanced level of the teaching-learning method. This is because teaching does not end until the students have grasped the idea. It goes beyond comprehension and requires students to focus on what they have heard or understood.
Reflective level of teaching given by Hunt and Bigge is the highest level of teaching, encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
This is a more advanced stage in which the learner advances one step further through the concept to comprehend the concept’s multiple dimensions. This is the level of instruction in which the instructor encourages and stimulates students to think about and reflect on the content and concepts they have learned.
Who Proposed Reflective Level of Teaching?
Hunt and Bigge developed the reflective model which is also known as the Bigge and Hunt teaching model. This is the highest level of teaching-learning activity. According to Bigge and Hunt’s reflective level of teaching, the classroom atmosphere should be developed in such a way which is more alive, existing and critical.
Main objectives of Reflective Level of Teaching:
- To develop creative and critical thinking in students
- To develop the ability of decision making and independent thinking in students
- To develop the ability to problem-solve in students
Advantages of Reflective Level:
- Thoughtful mode of operation
- Learner-centred
- Development of problem-solving skills
- Maximum flexibility
- Development of creativity
- Self-motivation
Disadvantages of Reflective Level:
- Not suitable for lower classes
- Time-consuming process
- Not suitable for Indian classroom
- Not applicable to dull students
- The burden on the teachers
These were the three levels of teaching as you can conclude Reflective level of teaching is the most beneficial. Understanding level of teaching is essential for aspiring educators, including those studying B.Ed notes to grasp the nuances of these approaches. The highest level of teaching, being reflective, helps educators shape critical thinking in students effectively.
What is the Teaching concept?
The chief task of education is, above all, to shape man, or to guide the evolving dynamism through which man forms himself as a man.”
Traditional concept:
Teaching is the act of imparting instructions to the learners in the classroom situation. It is traditional classroom teaching. In the traditional classroom teaching the teacher gives information to students, or one of the students or one of the students reads from a textbook, while the other students silently follow him in their not merely imparting knowledge or information to students. While imparting knowledge, the teacher should keep in mind the child as well as the orderly presentation of the subject matter. The level of teaching is crucial in this process.
Modern concept:
Teaching is to cause the pupil to learn and acquire the desired knowledge, skills, and also desirable ways of living in society. It is a process in which the learner, teacher, curriculum, and other variables are organized systematically and psychologically to attain some predetermined goals. Reflective level of teaching is essential for effective learning.
Requirements of Teaching
There are three variables involved in the teaching process
- Independent Variable
The teacher is called an independent variable who is responsible for the functioning of students – the dependent variable.
- Dependent Variable
The student is called a dependent variable and the efforts of the teachers and the teaching process are subjected to developments and changes.
- Intervening variables
These variables play a role in achieving the goals of teaching. So it is necessary to interact between the dependent and the independent variables.
Basic Requirements of Teaching
- Professionalism
- The teacher-student relationship
- The Learner’s discipline
- The Subject
- The Suitable Environment
- The devotion towards teaching and learning by teachers & students
Nature and Characteristics of Teaching
- The main character of teaching is to provide guidance and
- Teaching is the interaction between the teacher and
- Teaching is the art of giving knowledge to students with effective
- Teaching is a science to educate facts and causes of different topics of different
- Teaching is continuing
- The teacher can teach effectively if he has full confidence in the
- Teaching encourages students to learn more and
- Teaching is formal as well as informal
Autonomous Development Level
- The autonomous development level is student-focused.
- It is practically focused leadership, bearing, or inconvenience of student thought or conduct to advance self-feelings.
- There is the development of a feeling of autonomy with practically-focused extension for teacher intervention which is the reason it is a kind of pessimistic training.
- It refers to the learner’s capacity to command over own learning.
- It is wanted for top-to-bottom learning.
- It is driven by intrinsic inspiration.
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Conclusion
Understanding and navigating the levels of teaching (level of understanding) are fundamental for educators to establish a dynamic and effective learning climate. By recognizing the different requirements of learners and tailoring instructional approaches accordingly, educators can encourage a more inclusive, engaging, and effective instructive experience. Applying the level of understanding also helps in the evaluation system. Reflective level of teaching is essential for effective learning.
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