COMPARISION OF LRARNING ACTIVITIES IN PUBLIC

AND PRIVATE SECTOR (ELEMENTRY LEVEL) IN

DISTRICT VEHARI

BY

Kamran Iqbal

ROLL NO. BP-617991

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for

B.ED. (1.5 YEAR) program in TEACHER EDUCATION
At Department of Early Childhood Education and
Elementary Teacher Education

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD

May 2019
 Faculty of Education

Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad

APPROVAL FORM

The research project attached hereto, titled* COMPARISION OF

LRARNING ACTIVITIES IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR
(ELEMENTRY LEVEL) IN DISTRICT VEHARI Proposed and submitted

by Kamran Iqbal, Roll No. BP-617991 in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the degree of B.Ed. (1.5 year) TEACHER EDUCATION
is hereby accepted.

Supervisor: ___________________(Signature)

Evaluator: (Signature)

ii
 DECLARATION

I Kamran Iqbal S/O Muhammad Iqbal Sajid Roll No. BP-617991

Registration # 17PVI05058 A student of B.Ed. (1.5 year) programme (Teacher Education)
at Allama Iqbal Open University do hereby solemnly declare that the research project entitled
COMPARISION OF LRARNING ACTIVITIES IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
SECTOR (ELEMENTRY LEVEL) IN DISTRICT VEHARI submitted by me in
partial fulfillment of B.Ed. (1.5 year) programme, is my original work, and has not been
submitted or published earlier. I also solemnly declare that it shall not, in future, be submitted
by me for obtaining any other degree from this or any other university or institution.

I also understand that if evidence of plagiarism is found in my thesis/dissertation at

any stage, even after the award of a degree, the work may be cancelled and the degree

revoked.

Date: 05-05-2019

Signature of Candidate

Name of Candidate
Kamran Iqbal

iii
 ABSTRACT

Activity based method of teaching is very important at elementary level of both public

and private schools. The schools used activity based learning techniques give better

results than those schools where traditional methods of teaching are applying.

Students learning level are high by using the Activity Based Learning (ABL). Most

complex concepts are cleared easily by using the activity based method of teaching. In

the activity based learning technique students learn the concepts experimentally. The

learning ratio of the activity based method is very high than the traditional methods.

This study aims to evaluate and compare the result of students of public and private

sector’s schools which are used activity based method of teaching and the traditional

methods of teaching in district Sahiwal of the Province Punjab. The study is focused

on investigating the study methods which are using in both public and private schools.

The students from public and private schools are taken as the study area. Samples of

both types of schools students were selected through stratified random sampling

procedure. Information was collected through observation and achievement

techniques about teaching the students with activity based method in the sample

schools. The variables included student’s study hours, study methods in the both

public and private sample schools. The data collected was analyzed to draw findings

and conclusions.

iv
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER Page

1. INTRODUCTION 01

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY 01

ANALYSIS OF ABL 05

Clarity of Lessons 05

Classroom Environment 06

Children’s Involvement in the Learning process 06

The Teacher’s Role 06

Scope for Creativity 07

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 08

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 08

RESEARCH QUESTIONS 08

2. REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE 09

Theoretical Framework 09

3. METHODOLOGY 23

SAMPLE SELECTION 23

DATA COLLECTION 24

Demographic data 24

Private schools Classroom observations 24

Public schools Classroom observations 26

ABL level progress data 26

ABL materials data 26

Research Instruments Used For Data Collection 28

4. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 29

TEACHING METHODS 30

FACILITIES 30
v
 STAFF 30

ACTIVITIES 31

RESULTS 31

5. SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND 32

RECOMMENDATIONS

SUMMARY 32

FINDINGS 34

CONCLUSION 35

RECOMMENDATIONS 36

Bibliography 37

vi
 1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
Background of the study

This methodology is the activity – based learning (ABL) method for teaching students

at the elementary schools. This method has its origins in a multi-grade, multi–level

methodology created by the Rishi Valley Institute of Educational Research and the

Montessori methods of teaching. ABL method seeks to address some major problems

of the traditional lecture method of teaching. In doing so, it has brought about a

paradigm shift in some key classroom processes such as the role of the teacher and

instructional materials and methods. Further, any instructional methodology always

presents challenges once set out into the field and needs a lot of research that can

provide good evidence of its effectiveness and /or provide ways to improve its

effectiveness.

This research proposal aims at studying the educational experiences of

the children studying in the ABL methodology and evaluating their learning outcomes

towards the end of fourth standard. It also attempts to assess the quality of learning

ABL Methodology outcomes in comparison to private and public schools reputed in

the society to provide good quality education. . A shift in instructional methodology

from traditional to any other method will be effective only if the methodology attends

to certain important factors that can positively impact the education of the child and be

in the best interest of the child. A framework of best interest principle has been

proposed in the following section that can serve as a guide for any reform or

innovation in the education system. Framework of Best Interest Principle for

 2

education of the child, the best interest principle for the education of all children can

be conceived of as one where students‟ have successful educational experiences in the

class and school. Here the class time should be used in fruitful and effective learning

activities. This will lead to growth of knowledge and skills resulting in all round

development of our ABL Methodology. This can in turn create knowledgeable and

conscientious future citizens who are intellectually and economically productive and

can contribute fruitfully to our society and nation. Most important of all, such

education should be accessible to all our children irrespective of caste, social class,

gender and ability. To understand the educational experiences of the child, it is very

necessary to identify and understand the factors that influence the educational

experiences of the child.

Three such important factors are philosophy guiding the educational

system, ideology that directs curricular practices and knowledge about the students

learning needs. Successful educational experience for a child is like a three-legged

stool that is supported by these three factors as each leg or three vertices of a triangle

with the successful education experience of the child in the center. It can be achieved

by making sure that the curriculum, which includes the goals, instructional materials

and methods and assessments are all guided by these factors and they form the

framework of the best interest principle for education of the child. Best Interest

Principle for education of a child Critical Pedagogy is a science and art of the teaching

learning process, which enables development of attitudes and values of social

consciousness, and responsibility through development of cognitive skills of critical

thinking Philosophy of critical pedagogy to guide the educational system and

curriculum development Ideology of constructivist pedagogy to guide instructional

 3

practice. Knowledge of individual differences among students to effectively address

each child’s learning needs.

In the ABL, there are significant departures from and improvements on the

Rishi Valley materials. Firstly, English has been added to the curriculum in the ABL.

The second innovation is the introduction, into the Primary curriculum of three

dimensional materials in Mathematics. The Montessori system has proved to be a

tremendous enrichment to ABL. The materials now available in ABL are colourful,

easy to handle, hardy and meticulously developed and enable children to understand

place value (units, tens, hundreds) and the basic

mathematical processes.

By bringing the blackboard from the teacher’s eye level to the child’s and by

increasing the blackboard space, two more learning aids has been created: a specific

space for each child to write and a large space to read each other’s exercises. Every

child can proudly own a part of that blackboard. The learning materials are not only

systematically stacked on the shelves, but they are color-coded, for each class level.

Also logos of animal and insect forms are used for different aspects of the curriculum.

When the child completes one set, there is a card for Self Evaluation. This can be

administered by oneself or with the assistance of another child.

In building in the opportunity of recall of learnt material at each stage,

evaluation has become part of the process. The teacher keeps an eye on the levels

attained by every child and sometimes helps by pairing an advanced learner with a

slower one, for specific exercises. This kind of peer teaching works well. It must be

noted that the entire system allows for diversity and differential rates of progress. The

Achievement Chart clearly shows the positions of the children in each area. Thus the
 4

teacher is enabled to track every learner’s progress. Monitoring of progress by the

teacher is subtly combined with the child’s freedom to select the pace of learning. The

ruthlessness of ranking and peer competition is further reduced by mixing the age

groups and classes. In a room of 40 children, there could be ten each from Classes 1,

2, 3 and 4. This vertical grouping has several advantages. It recreates a family model,

where the older child automatically becomes a guide and helper for the younger one. It

encourages cooperation between children, rather than competition among them. We

are told that a multi-grade classroom is a problem which many rural schools confront.

ABL is a simple solution to that complicated issue. The system absorbs different age

groups and different ability levels within the same age group. Taking the daily

attendance is a ritual in most schools, with the teacher calling out the names and the

pupils responding. In the ABL method, this process is made child-friendly. There is an

Attendance Card for each child, to be filled up every day by the child. Children love

the sense of trust that this procedure implies. When they assemble in the morning, one

student from each class level in the room distributes the Attendance cards and collects

the filled up ones. The entire process is orderly. It puts the responsibility for marking

attendance on the child and not on the teacher. We have all heard about teachers

losing their voices because of their shouting and screaming, to keep the children quiet.

In the schools with ABL, there are no apparent discipline problems. The structured

learning materials have their own logic, which supports the children’s involvement in

reading, writing and calculating. Children find that they can learn at any speed,

without being taunted by classmates or scolded by the teacher. Also, there is no

scrambling for adult attention. Discipline is intrinsic to the material and internalized

by the children. The text book is not the only source of knowledge, just as the teacher

is not the sole authority. The text book is integrated into the materials. For instance,
 5

one of the steps of the ladder contains an instruction to read a specified page of the

text book. Clearly, when a child goes step by step on the ladder, his steady progress

gives him the skills to read the connected page in the text book. Of course, if he needs

help, he could ask the teacher when he is in the teacher-assisted group, or just go

across to where she is sitting. Students appear to have no fear of being reprimanded by

the teacher.

The conventional distance has been bridged here. Generally, one of the

constant problems of schooling is absenteeism. For example, if a child is sick for a

week, he cannot follow the lesson when he gets back. He has the feeling of running a

race he can never win. However, ABL has a simple strategy to take care of missed

classes. The mastering of a skill is not a collective exercise. The child’s work is

individual. Therefore, he goes to the points on the ladders, where he left off and starts

learning from there.

ANALYSIS OF ABL

One can examine the ABL method and materials through the following five lenses:

a) Clarity of lessons

b) Classroom environment

c) Children’s involvement in process

d) Teacher’s role

e) Scope for creativity

Clarity of Lessons

Clarity of the lesson is probably the ABL method’s most valued asset. The Learning

Ladders provide structure as they are planned in a systematic way. The child knows
 6

what must be done next. Each unit of information or process is broken up in such a

way that clarity of the lesson is ensured. The method is particularly effective in the

fundamentals of Mathematics, as many children said that it was their best subject.

However, there is a need for a review of the language material. For making the ABL

English language kit, a different rule has been used. The alphabet is not taught

directly, of course, but five words (which begin with each letter of the alphabet) are

introduced at a gradual pace. This method has resulted in the addition of words, which

are not directly relevant to their everyday experience.

Classroom Environment

Those who have seen the documentary film on the scheme will vouch for the pleasant

relaxed, yet disciplined climate of the classroom. There is order in the stacking of

materials and in all the procedures that the children follow. The body language of the

children shows their enthusiasm. The closing of the physical and psychological

distance between teacher and child reflects a very satisfactory feature of the system.

Children’s Involvement in the Learning process

There is absolutely no doubt that the children are truly engaged in the act of learning

though there could be degrees of difference among them. During the several hours of

observation, one rarely came across a child who was not pursuing an academic task or

a related task. Watching the children move into the classes after Assembly was a

heartening sight. There was eagerness in their step and a sense of purpose in their

deportment. One is left in no doubt that a feeling of mastery is the best reinforcement

for the development of competence. It seems to work far better than external symbols

of recognition like stars and medals.

The Teacher’s Role

The teacher has a very important role in this system, though it is not obvious to a
 7

casual visitor. She has to learn the entire ABL system and work effectively with it.

She has to exercise a quiet authority, without becoming authoritarian. An egalitarian

attitude may require some unlearning and re-learning for teachers, but when they see it

as part of the new culture of education, they are quick to accept it and practice it. They

are also able, in this system, to spend some time on children who are slow. The

research team felt, however, that there should be some time allotted to the teacher’s

voice. For instance, she could read a story or explain a scientific principle. For such an

activity, as for sports, it might be necessary to group the children by age. The

advantages of the mixed age group have been demonstrated here, but there is also a

value for being with peers of one’s own age. Some suggestions on doing this will

follow in the last section of the report. While teacher domination is not desirable,

teacher participation is advisable for at least 30 – 45 minutes a day.

Scope for Creativity

As we noticed there are some blank slots in all the ladders, for the teacher to fill up.

This gives her an opportunity for bringing in new material or for including a locally

relevant theme. Clearly, there is here, recognition that knowledge is not a pre-

determined set of facts. Changing perspectives, new information, the opinions of

students and teachers, views of others in the community - all these can and do

constitute knowledge. That there is a provision to introduce a new item for study is to

be highly commended. However, a new item is not necessarily a creative addition to

the curriculum. Some special monitoring of the items

filled in the blank slots would be recommended.

The purpose of this study is to check the effectiveness of activity based learning in

both public and private schools students.

 8

Statement of the Problem

Comparative study of use of activity based method in learning of public and private

students at elementary level in district Sahiwal.

Objectives of the study

1. To examine where activity based method is used in both public and private schools.

2. To check the effectiveness of activity based method.

3. To evaluate the problems and issues faced by the student teachers to engage

effectively in the activity based learning sessions.

Research Questions
1. What kinds of activities are planned for in the ABL methodology to address

individual differences in learning needs?

2. What are the learning outcomes of students in public schools in the learning

outcomes assessment test?

3. What are the learning outcomes of students in private schools in the learning

outcomes assessment test?

4. How much time is actually spent on learning related activities in the classroom

in different subject areas?

 9

CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Theoretical Framework

Kingdon, G. G. (2007) present the literature review will address the key issues that

relate to understanding and implementing effective instructional practices for

elementary education in India. First, the history of elementary education in India will

be traced with reference to policy, pedagogy and quality issues. Then, recent

understandings about individual differences will be reviewed. Third, the methodology

activity – based – learning will be reviewed. Fourth, learning outcomes at the end of

class IV will be reviewed to identify reasonable expectations of learning outcomes at

that level. Finally, the practice of inclusion of students with disabilities in regular

education with special focus on government schools in India will be reviewed. History

of elementary education in India Education in India was through the Gurukul system

up to a few centuries ago till the beginning of British rule in India. During the British

rule, the British brought in their education system and started schools with the aim to

prepare local Indian people for jobs in the British government in India. In 1947, when

India got freedom, the British left India but left behind certain changes they had made

in the country, one of them being the education system. On January 26th, 1950, our

constitution was formulated and educational goals for Indian people were rewritten.

The first government of free India had wanted to make sure all children in the age

group 6-14 will be educated – Universal Elementary Education (UEE) with in ten

years.
 10

Mani, M. N. G. (2005) The National Council of Educational Research and Training

report entitled “India: Educational policies and curriculum in upper primary and

secondary education levels” details the processes that have gone into formulating

revisions to the curriculum through ABL Methodology 14 out our country. Many

processes such as committees and commissions, national debates and consensus have

been used to formulate our educational policies. Unfortunately, research has not got a

mention in being used to guide educational policy. Secondly, although the National

Curriculum Framework (2005) emphasizes development of skills and knowledge

development, our syllabus does not address skill development as primary areas of

focus in the elementary stages. The skills of literacy and numeracy play an important

role in individual productivity and economic productivity.

Yadav. S.K. (2007) for the first time, a school curriculum framework was set up that

would guide the state education agencies in planning the curriculum, syllabus,

instructional methods and other schooling practices. This was the Ten-year school

curriculum framework and got revised in 1086, 2000 and 2005 subsequently.

Presently, it is the National Curriculum Framework-2005, which is the centers

curriculum guide to all states. Yadav has found that although the Nation Curriculum

Framework (2000 and 2005) is the Center guidance providing framework, its

implementation varies ABL Methodology 15 largely among the States and Union

Territories, regarding the subject areas, number of hours of school, duration allotted to

each class period, number of working days etc. The need to improve access and

quality of education was felt and hence the District Primary Education Program was

set up by the Government in 1994 followed by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA),

which was set up in 2001, and was considered as the flagship program of the
 11

Government in order to realize the goals of UEE and EFA. Under the SSA, many

innovations in educational practices were being initiated.

Edyburn, D.L. (2003) discusses the multifold goals of the SSA included quality

improvements in infrastructure and educational practices in schools. For example,

improvement in quality through community ownership, improvement in student-

teacher ratio, teacher training, facilitating ABL Methodology 16 development of

teaching-learning materials, and providing textbooks and introducing innovative

methods of instruction. All the same, evaluation of the innovative programs is still at

its infancy and needs much more research based data, which is heavily lacking

(Kingdon, 2007).

Nehru and Raghupati (2011) describes Mumbai-based NGO, Pratham, began an

independent national level rural education status survey called the ASER (Annual

Survey of Education Report). According to the latest ASER report (2010) shows that

primary education standards have not shown many improvements in learning

outcomes in reading and mathematics in spite of the many innovations and changes.

There have however been improvements in enrolments, reduction in dropout rate,

improvements in infrastructure facilities in schools but there has also been a reduction

in already low standards due to the well-intentioned anti-retention practices followed

by the RTE Act, 2009. The need for clear delineation of learning outcomes and better

pedagogical practices and assessments has been emphasized by educationists.

Panda, B. N. (2006) discuss the Pedagogy the science of teaching, involves

instructional methods, materials and learning activities directed by these. Just as the

national policy and programs have been constantly reviewed to improve educational

services to India’s children, the pedagogical practices too have undergone radical
 12

transformations recently. Traditionally, the lecture methods of teaching were in use at

all stages of schooling where the teacher was considered the giver of information and

students as the passive recipients of information. The major instructional materials

were textbooks that were written for specified age groups and for particular subjects.

The major learning activity was listening and writing from the textbook or from the

blackboard.

Sirohi, V. (2006) discuss the paradigm has been changed in the newer methodology

of activity – based learning which was piloted in a few schools in Chennai and in now

being implemented in the entire state of Tamil Nadu. Here the teacher is considered as

the facilitator and the students are self-learning through the medium of a detailed array

of learning cards. Other methods such as cooperative learning have also been

suggested as alternatives to lecture method. Insights into the developing ABL

Methodology 17 brain learning processes and the growing child’s learning needs

provides great potential to create effective pedagogical practices.

Ramesh Babu, B. (2007) describe the Quality issues in our education system have

been raised by many educationists. These include poor infrastructure facilities,

motivation and commitment of teachers, respect for the child’s time in school. In

addition, the philosophies that guide our pedagogical practices also need to change.

According the Ramesh Babu presently, conformist pedagogical practices are being

followed and these just reinforce a status quo among the younger generation. What is

needed for education to be an agent of social change is a philosophical change from

conformist to critical pedagogy and this can improve quality of education.

Vijay Kumar et al.( 2009) discuss the Individual differences and cognitive needs

Individual difference among students in a classroom is a well-known fact.

 13

Understanding of these individual differences has increased tremendously due to

advances in the fields of psychology and cognitive neuroscience. In addition, cultural

backgrounds and socio-economic backgrounds pre-dispose students to different

privileges and create differences in academic advantages. Some of these factors are

parental education, attitudes towards education, and parental support to academics, all

of which determines student’s time spent on academic activities at home and influence

their overall academic achievement. It has been shown that students from other

categories differ in their learning achievement at each of the elementary grades using

ABL methodology further, different learning behaviours such as active passive and

off-task have shown differences in learning achievements at different grades (ibid). In

addition, there are natural attentional and learning ability variations in the

developmental stages of 5-11 years of age. The cumulative effect of these factors

leads to differences in individual needs for learning effectively. Students with

disabilities and also serve the individual needs of the student population.

Rose et al. (2002) discuss the process of learning comprises of three components –

information input, information processing and expression of information or

knowledge. In each of these components, students show differences. For example, in

information input, which also means the way students receive information to be learnt,

some students could be visual learners while others could be auditory or kinesthetic

learners. In terms of information processing, some students may use top-down

processing or bottoms-up processing. This depends both on the learner as well as the

nature of skill or knowledge to be learned. With respect to expression of knowledge or

skill learned, some students may be better at writing, some at drawing or verbalizing.

It is important that the instructional methodology proactively plans for such

 14

differences to achieve high quality educational experiences and learning outcomes for

all students.

Garner, R. (1987) discuss According to the Wikipedia, learning is acquiring new

knowledge, behaviour, skills, values, preferences or understanding, and may involve

synthesizing different types of information. Further, it is a ” process that brings

together cognitive, emotional and environmental influences and experiences for

acquiring, enhancing or making changes to one’s knowledge, skills and world view

(Illeris, 2000; Ormorod, 1995). For learning to take place, it is necessary that the

student understands and engages with the information to be learnt. It is also important

that the student processes the information with higher level thinking such as

comprehension, analysis, synthesis, application, and metacognition. When this

happens, the student is able to relate the ABL Methodology 19 information to any life

situation, connect it with past learning, build his or her own knowledge and become a

knowledgeable and contributing citizen as an adult.

Suydam and Higgins (1977) describe one important method of facilitating such

engagement with information is through activity. The dictionary definition of activity

especially for elementary school students is work that involves direct experience by

the student rather than textbook study. Thus activity-based learning should allow

students to engage with and process information in such a way that he understands and

builds his knowledge about a particular subject. An outcome of successful learning

would be that the student has acquired the basic literacy skills and is able to apply this

knowledge or skill learnt in a relevant situation. The idea of activity-based learning

follows the constructivist educational theory and is child-centered pedagogy. Activity-

based learning may be defined as a method of instruction, where activities of different

 15

types suitable and relevant to specific subjects are integrated seamlessly into the

regular instructional materials and methods to involve students in the teaching –

learning or instructional processes and engage them fruitfully. Sarva Shiksha

Abhiyan , Tamil Nadu. In the state of Tamil Nadu, the activity – based learning

method of instruction in elementary schools was introduced as an innovation by the

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan of Tamil Nadu to improve the quality of teaching in

government schools and promote universal education in India. It began as a pilot

project with 13 Chennai corporation schools in 2003, was extended to 264 corporation

schools in Chennai in 2004 and then up scaled to nearly 40,000 government schools in

the state of Tamil Nadu. This method proposes to enable students to learn at their own

pace and engage in self-learning, group learning and mutual learning to a greater

extent. Traditional classroom practices have been known to have many limitations

such as large student-teacher ratio, teacher’s role as giver of information rather than as

a facilitator of learning, fear of the teacher’s role, problems due to student and teacher

absenteeism, heavy schoolbags, central role of textbooks as the source of information.

Further, many rural and urban schools function with just one teacher so all students

have ABL Methodology 20 to be combined into a single or few numbers of classes

resulting in multi-grade classrooms. This inadvertently posed major challenges for the

teacher as to which groups of children would she teach and when and how.

Sainath, P. (1996) discuss the ABL methodology has been able to overcome many of

these barriers. Initial studies by SchoolScape and SSA (2008) have shown the

physical, emotional and social environment of the schools have improved compared to

prior to ABL introduction. Improvements were also seen in the ways students were

assessed and given feedback about their academic work periodically. It is also
 16

expected to modify the role of the teacher from that of a giver of information to

facilitator of learning. It is expected to allow teachers use their time judiciously for

students in different learning levels so that all types of learners are equally benefited.

This method has been tried out in certain other states such as Gujarat, Karnataka,

Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.

Ananda Lakshmi, S. (2007) discuss that the textbook is replaced by cards. These

cards are prepared from units in the textbooks. There are cards for introducing the

topic, learning it, reinforcing it and testing it. These cards include activities, both

individual and group. The cards are arranged in order of milestones. Four sets of

milestones have been grouped into four ladders called levels 1 -4 and each ladder or

level is colour coded. Each milestone and each activity within it is represented by

icons. Each ladder for each subject is displayed on a chart in every classroom.

Students are expected to know which card they are on and get the appropriate cards

from the card boxes, which are systematically arranged with the relevant icon labels,

in the classroom. Students work either individually or in groups. Sometimes, students

in higher levels help students at lower levels.

Bloom, B. S. (1984) describes the teacher-student ratio is reduced to 1:1 where the

teacher attends to only one child at a time. A teacher-student ratio of 1:1 was found to

be most beneficial for students in summative achievement tests as compared to

conventional instructions with 1:30 and mastery learning method which also has the

same ratio but a more aggressive formative evaluation regime. Students who are

absent need not worry about portion missed during their absence since they can

continue from where they left when they return to class.

 17

Vasantha Devi et al. (2008) discuss that this methodology has been much appreciated

and largely implemented within a short span of time and its effectiveness on student

learning needs to be studied ABL Methodology more extensively. Further, although

the impact of this method on students‟ learning has been reported as successful certain

problems were seen to exist. Some of these were that teachers were not able to give

enough time to slow learners, and class management.

Bredderman, T. (1983) discuss the activity based learning entails different types of

activities in different subjects as the nature and types of learning differs for different

subjects. For example, science instruction at elementary level has been shown to

involve direct experience and observations and these have been called activity, But in

our system, traditionally and recently, the same methodology is used for all subjects.

Before it was textbooks and the lecture method while now it is cards and the ABL

method. TO what extent do the activities specified in the ABL methodology address

the individual differences in learning needs of students, however, has not yet been

studied.

Prema et al. (2009) discuss a research project was undertaken as the need for

independent research in ABL was felt by the SSA-TN. In this study, the different

aspects of the ABL methodology have been investigated using percentage analysis

from questionnaire that aimed at investigating the overall impact of key dimensions of

the ABL methodology. Student, teachers and parents views about the merits and

demerits of the method were also analyzed. According to the study, the main tenets of

the method, which were to make the classroom more student-friendly and reduce the

intimidation and domination of the teacher, were fulfilled most of the times. The study

reported on logistic aspects such as students' frequency of replacing cards, knowledge

 18

of their card and level in the ABL chart, learning levels, sitting according to cards and

knowing their group. It reported that rote memorization was discouraged and children

learn happily. It also found that students were singing well and were able to dramatize

well. The study applauds ABL methodology's requirement of making students sit on

mats as Most of the children sit on mats. Thanks to ABL approach which has helped

in providing this simple cost-effective seating arrangements. The skills assessed

through an observation schedule were reading, writing, narrating stories,

dramatization, singing, collecting information, using low level black board, indoor and

outdoor play activities, general personal hygiene and ABL Methodology 22

knowledge on weather condition. The study also raised important concerns which

were that nearly 46% students did not perform at their grade level, memory of

student's learning was less, dull students don’t get attention of the teacher and

advanced mathematical abilities are not given enough attention in the method teachers

found it difficult to sit on the floor all day.

Vijay et al. (2009) work on another research study on time spent by students and

teachers on specific tasks, conducted by the SSA-TN showed that 63% of teacher's

time was spent on interaction with students and 50% of their time was spend giving

individualized attention, one third of their time was spent with group of children and

about 10% of their time was spent address the whole class. Teacher's time was

categorized as student-centric activities and this included - replying questions and

providing clarifications, asking questions, providing feedback to individual students,

demonstration and use of TLM/TLE materials and helping students with project

work/creative work. Of the 57% time students spent on the student-centric activities,

only about 6-7% of the time was spent on learning related activities of demonstration
 19

and use of TLMs and help on project and creative work. Rest of the time was spent on

all other activities mentioned above. This is according to the authors was in line with

the specifications of the ABL methodology. The authors classify observing and

supervising student activities, lecturing and explaining verbally, writing on the

blackboard and explaining and giving dictation as 'teacher-centric activities however it

is not clear why these would be teacher-centric as they are as important in students

learning as demonstrations and projects.

Jaya kumar et al. (2008) discusses the study showed less time being devoted for the

teacher-centric activities. Supportive instructional activities were 'correcting

homework or test papers and giving homework or assignments. Student activities

were classified as active, passive, mechanical, class management and off-task

activities. Of these maximum time (57.91%) was spent on active learning activities.

These activities included - studying on their own, doing assignments, peer learning,

seeking clarifications, use of TLE/TLM materials and project and creative work. Of

these, only 0.5% time was spent on project and creative work and most time (24%)

was spent on studying n their own. Based on composite score of grade level, number

of milestones completed in the ladder, current milestone and percentage of ABL

Methodology 23 marks in the latest milestone, student achievement was evaluated. A

satisfactory score was decided to be when a student achieved at least 50% score on the

composite score. It was seen that progress of learning was not much in grade one but

improved tremendously in grade 2,3 and 4 and was best in grade 4.

Munakata et al. (2004) describes the learning outcomes at end of class IV Learning

outcomes has been a very unclear area and it has been studied differently in different

studies. While the National Curriculum Framework, 2005, specified that assessment
 20

of language must be skill based and not syllabus based, it also points to the need for

national benchmarks for language proficiency. The skills mentioned in the NCF-2005

are reading, writing, listening and speech. Similarly, in mathematics, the narrow aim

is to develop useful capabilities relating to numbers and numeracy e.g. operations, and

measurement. The higher aim is to develop mathematical thinking and reasoning

ability, for logical problem solving using appropriate assumptions and to develop the

attitude for problems solving.

Edyburn, D.L. (2003) in order to be more specific about learning outcomes, our

education system came out with specific Minimum Levels of Learning (MLLs) for

each subject, at end of each class. In the ABL methodology, learning outcomes have

been conceptualized based on amount of instructional material covered using a

composite score as a function of card and milestone reached in the ABL

methodology). The Annual Survey of Education Report, however, considers ability to

read class I and class II textbooks as the benchmark for learning achievement (ASER,

2007). Assessments done by Initiatives are by far the most skill based and well tested

assessment of learning outcomes so far (Education Initiatives, 2006). But this is not

free hence is mostly used by private schools in different parts of the country. Inclusion

of students with disabilities in regular education Inclusion of students with disabilities

is a relatively new idea in India and although it has found place in the nation’s law

efforts at many levels need to be undertaken to make it a reality for students with

disabilities. All the same, for students with cognitive disabilities, inclusion has been

the automatic (Mani, 2005) partly due to ignorance of such problems and partly due to

existing low standards of public education.

 21

Dyck et al. (2002) discuss inclusive education basically refers to inclusion of students

with disabilities in general education classrooms. In inclusive education, the education

system and the school makes adaptations in the educational practices to include the

student with disability whereas in an integrated education system, the child is

mainstreamed into the regular classroom and expected to make adaptations to learn

there. An example of how learning difficulties can be addressed by adapting

instructional materials is in reading difficulties. Different adaptations such as

providing shortened passages, more detailed passages and graphically organized text

can help students with different types of difficulties in reading (Dyck and Pemberton,

2002). Further assistive technology can be used in different ways to address the

varying difficulties in reading in the classroom.

Singal, N. (2006) discuss the concept if inclusive education originated in west and has

been brought to India through international laws and presently forms an important

aspect of education of students with disabilities in our country an educational service

for students with special needs in inclusive settings requires one special education

teacher per school. All the same, the concept of inclusion seems to be very different in

our country and not properly understood by all the stakeholders of our education

system.

Garner, R. (1987) has been shown that there are sensitive periods in learning during

development. During these times, learning is high. It is important to be able to provide

rich learning environment during this period. Howard Gardner has described that

students differ ABL Methodology 18 in their intelligences and that there are at least

seven different types of intelligences. Further, according to the Center for Applied

Special Technology, students belong to a range of abilities for learning different skills.
 22

This understanding was based on information gleaned from the fields of neuroscience

and psychology. Based on this, the center promoted the paradigm of universal design

for learning, which asks educational planners to proactively plan for this wide range of

learning needs.

Stoblein (2009) in an active-learning classroom students are active learners not the

passive receivers. This approach provides a way to integrate learning within students’

knowledge, and by exposing them to a variety of activities, helps them learn how to

learn. He describes ABL as a successful teaching model in the field of science. These

activities, if carried out in an effective manner, develop skills like Team-working,

Communication , Design , Leadership, Project management , Research , Problem-

solving ,Reflection and Life-long learning in the learners. These activities, if based on

the real life experiences, can help students to apply the same in their practical life and

hence prepare students for future life. In activity –based teaching /learning

environment, the teacher is a facilitator, motivator, guide and a coach not a sage on the

stage (Stolen 2009).

Hug (2005) .Activity-based learning (ABL) theory is a cognitive-learning theory

which is basically a constructivist learning theory. According to constructivist view of

learning each person, constructs their own knowledge and learning process based on

previous experience. This theory asserts that learning takes place when psychological

environment of an individual interacts with a particular structure. For construction

students it is imperative to have variety of activities in active classrooms. Active

classrooms are basic requirements for construction education. Traditional teaching

methods are not suitable for tactile learning because tactile learning needs direct

experience and involve manipulation of materials.

 23

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

The present research study was conducted in order to understand the ABL

methodology used in government schools and private schools in district Sahiwal with

respect to the nature of activities, nature and use of classroom time for children and

teachers, inclusion of students with disabilities in the classroom, and learning

outcomes. It also aimed at studying the learning outcomes in relation to the traditional

methods of instruction at elementary school level used in public and private schools.

Since the research questions seek to investigate experiences of children in the

classroom implementing a prevalent instructional methodology and the learning

outcomes of students in class IV, both qualitative and quantitative research methods

have been used in this study. Therefore this research study uses a mixed method

approach. Qualitative methods used are classroom observations, study of instructional

materials, collection of achievement data from school records, and case studies.

Learning outcomes were measured by constructing a simple oral and written test

designed to evaluate specific skills and knowledge levels.

Sample Selection
A sample of the research study selected from each markaz of the district Sahiwal.

There are total twenty male markazs in district Sahiwal. In each markaz only one male

school is selected in public sector and twenty private schools are selected in the whole

district. In the sample schools ten primary schools and ten elementary schools are

takes as sample. In the sample schools different features are observe in both private
 24

and public schools. The main purpose is checking the teaching methods which are run

in the sample schools in both private and public sample schools.

Data Collection

Demographic data

Demographic data regarding school, teachers and students was collected from these

schools in the month of September. During this visit, the researcher introduced herself

and the research project to the school heads, gave a copy of the letter of permission

from the planned a schedule for classroom observations and tests.

Private schools Classroom observations

In the month of October, classroom observations were started. Twenty private schools

are visited. Five sessions of 45 minutes each, one for each subject, were done in each

school. Initially, three classroom observation sessions for the whole of one class

session was done. One ABL class was from 9.40 – 12.40 with a ten-minute break at

11.00. During this time, the different activities in the class were noted and it was

observed that these activities were repeated throughout the ABL class. A study used

duration of 40 minutes for classroom observation, which was broken down into ten 4-

minute blocks during which observers were asked to observe for 2 minutes and note

down observations for 2 minutes. This was a highly structured way of observation but

couldn’t gather data on the subjective experiences and phenomenon in the classroom.

Hence, the researcher decided to make three – four slots of 15 minutes each, during

which he would observe and note down essential data as well as note down other

processes in the classroom. The duration of the observation session reduced for
 25

another five sessions to one hour and then to 45 minutes as it was reasoned that one

session of three 15-minute slots would reasonably capture the happenings in one ABL

class. The activities in 45 minutes of a two and half class period would be

representative of educational experience of the child in these classes. So if students are

not attentively working on their learning activity for even 15 minutes during a 45

minute period of their class, then their active engagement in learning in their class

would be questionable. As a corollary to this, if on average, students spend more time

being distracted in a 15-minutes period; this would mean that the method used is

unable to keep students actively engaged in learning for even 15 minutes. A detailed

description of the method of classroom observation used in this study follows. Each

classroom observation session of 45 minutes was divided into three 15- minute slots.

Three columns were made such that one column was for each 15 minute slot. Here,

the number of students who were working with cards (reading from cards, writing in

their slate, notebook or blackboard from the card), number of students who were

keeping the card in their hand but not working with it, the number of students who

were not working with cards at all (talking, walking around, fighting, sitting simply

without doing anything, the number of students who were at the card stand for a long

time, the number of students who were with the teacher, the number of students who

were waiting for the teacher’s attention were noted. With regards to the teacher’s

activities, teacher’s attention to students who needed her guidance, to students who

were away from her but were making noise and being distracted, or not attending to

their cards, the methods used by teachers for class control were noted. In addition, the

use of group time as per the ABL ladder charts and supplementary readers provided..

ABL Methodology total of 50 classroom observations were planned out of which 50

 26

were completed. The data analysis was done for data from the 50 sessions, which is

100% of the planned observations.

Public schools Classroom observations

In the month of September twenty public schools are visited. I visit one school in each

day. I spent five sessions in class IV each school to observe the classroom. Most of the

classroom was run on the traditional method of teaching. Just three to four pubic

school classrooms were run on the basis of activity based learning techniques. Mostly

public school run in the teacher centered ways.

ABL level progress data

In the month of November, I visited all the twenty private schools to obtain the

distribution of class IV students in each ABL level in each subject from each school.

This data was from the achievement records that the teachers maintain as per the ABL

methodology. It is in the form of a huge chart that has the milestones in the columns

and a set of four rows for each child, each row for each ABL level. Teachers have to

make a tick mark in each corresponding square for a child and the milestone

completed by that child in the row corresponding to the ABL level he or he is in. The

levels are indicated by using different colors - red is for level 1, green for level 2, blue

is for level 3 and yellow is for level 4.

ABL materials data

The data for analysis of ABL materials was made by analyzing the instructions and

activities. These activities for information input, processing and expression for each

card were identified. These were then analyzed to find the pattern of types of activities

used for each stage of learning Outcomes assessments. An oral and written test was

administered to all students in class IV who have reached ABL level 4 in at least one
 27

subject. The same written test was also administered to class IV students of twenty

private schools following the syllabus and who were using the ABL methods of

instruction to a large extent. In addition, the private schools were chosen because

these schools offer syllabus and curriculum, which has a reputation in the society as

being the best in our country.

The learning outcomes assessment oral test was for Urdu and English and

written test had separate sections for each subject Urdu, English, Math, Islamyat and

Science. The questions were made such that they were to assess specific skills. In the

ABL Methodology oral tests (Urdu and English) the skills tested were reading words,

simple sentences and speaking skills of questioning and sharing ideas.

In languages, in the written tests, vocabulary, simple and higher-order

comprehension and writing skills were assessed. In math, number concept, basic

arithmetic and advanced math in terms of word problems, application of arithmetic to

time and money were assessed. In environmental science, basic and common

knowledge in science and social science were assessed. The tests were prepared in

Urdu and in English. The Urdu version was for public schools and the English version

was for the private schools. While evaluating the test responses, care was taken to

make sure the skill tested in each question was kept in mind. The test was first created

and piloted with two public school students from another block and the tests were

shown to their tuition teacher and one public school teacher from the block where

study was conducted. The test was revised based on the pilot responses and inputs

received from the teacher and tuition teacher. Oral tests were conducted in Urdu in

public schools and in English in the private schools.

 28

3.3 Research Instruments Used For Data Collection

There are two instruments like achievement and observation schedule are used. By

using the observational schedule I observe the schools in both public and private

schools of the sample where activity based method of learning is used. By using the

achievement schedule I check the achievement and result of the both public and

private sample schools.

 29

CHAPTER 4

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

I visit twenty male schools in district Sahiwal and twenty private schools in district

Sahiwal. Mostly students of the public schools belong to poor families. The students

in the private schools belong to the middle and rich families. Mostly of the students in

the private schools take the pre nursery classes. In the private schools one teacher for

twenty to twenty five students. The private schools contain all the families. All the

activity materials and freshment materials are available in the private schools.

The teacher teach in the private school planned their lesson and used audio

visual aids to teach the lesson. Different activities related to the lesson are done in the

private schools. In the private schools students centered classroom exist. All the

students participate in the activities. Some private schools used multimedia and smart

board in the classroom. All the private schools have white boards.

In the public schools mostly poor children taught. Mostly of the parents of the

children are uneducated. In the public sector students teacher ratio is 1:40 but I visit

mostly classroom contain 50 to 65. Mostly students of the public sectors do not take

pre nursery class. Mostly of the class room run in teacher centered ways. There is no

any activity learning in the public schools. A very few teacher plan their lesson in the

public school. There are not any modern audio visual aids in the public schools. In the

public schools one teacher could not properly concentrate on the all 60 students. There

is no possibility to arrange group activity in the class room. Traditional methods are

applied in the mostly public schools. The overall condition of the private schools is
 30

better to the public schools. The students of the public schools feel hesitation to ask

questions.

I visit the following difference in the public and private schools.

Teaching methods

I visit the twenty private schools of the district Sahiwal located at different places.

Most of the private school teacher used activity based method of teaching in the

classroom. Most of the public schools teacher used traditional method of teaching in

the classroom.

Facilities

Most of the public schools could not contain teaching facilities like, white board,

LED, multimedia, proper building and proper furniture etc. mostly of the public

school one classroom contains two classes.

The private schools contains all the above missing facilities like proper building,

audio visual aids, multimedia, proper furniture and white board .

Staff

In the all private schools proper staff is available and student teacher ratio is 1:20. But

in the public schools proper staff according to the strength is not available. One

teacher teaches 60 students in the mostly public schools. There is very difficult to

properly concentrate on the each student in the public schools.

 31

Activities

In the private schools different activities according to the curriculum are take places.

Cocurruculer activities are properly done in the private schools. In the public school

there is the lack of activities.

Results

I observe the result of the both private and public sectors school. I check the previous

three years results of the sample schools. Private schools results are better than public

schools results. Due to the activity based learning in the private schools in district

Sahiwal, the student’s confidence is high and speaking and writing power is high.

In spite of these aspects, I conduct a test of both sectors sample schools of the same

subject where the students teaches the same subject in both activity bases teaching and

traditional method of teaching the performance and the result of the private schools

students is high than the public schools where student are learn with traditional

method of teaching.

There are fifteen private schools used activity based method in the classrooms.

There are eight public schools used activity based method in the classroom. Five

private sample schools used traditional method of teaching. Twelve public sample

schools used tradition method of teaching. Private sample schools used 75 % activity

based method of teaching. Public sample school used 40 % activity based method of

teaching. There is 25% private sample schools used traditional method of teaching

and 60% public sample schools used traditional method of teaching.

 32

CHAPTER 5

SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary

The research findings about the educational experiences and learning outcomes as

revealed in this study have been discussed below. The main aspects of educational

experience that have been focused upon in this study are the nature of activities in the

ABL methodology, nature of activities in the ABL classroom and the experience of

students with disabilities in the ABL classrooms, which are supposed to be inclusive

in nature.

The activities in the ABL instructional materials that support learning in all

three aspects of the learning process appropriately were analyzed in research question.

Here it can be seen that reading was the predominant activity used for information

input and information processing while talking and writing are the most-used

activities for expression information. This does not seem to take adequate

consideration for the individual differences in each of these learning processes.

Most of the students in the sample observed were found to begin looking in

their cards initially and then drifting away into other learning unrelated activities.

Some of these students seemed bright while others seemed dull or slow. The former

probably lost the challenge for learning while the latter probably found the card too

difficult. There was always a group of students who evaded the teacher’s attention

throughout the 45-minute session. Whenever the teacher would attend to this group,
 33

they would attend to their work for a few minutes and revert back to their previous

activity. It was observed that the teacher was always preoccupied with one student or

a small group and was not able to ABL Methodology 70 pay attention to the students

at the back of the class. This seems to be just similar or probably worse than a

traditional classroom where teachers were at least able to see the backbenchers and

direct them to some work and include them as the teacher had the opportunity to be

more responsive to the entire class. Unfortunately, there is no data on such matters in

a traditional classroom. All schools had supplementary reading materials but they

were seen in use very few times during the course of observations. When the teachers

were asked, they mentioned that students were given the books after lunch hour,

during blank card time, when they had to wait for their card or after the last ABL class

was over. However, during the few times that supplementary readers were used that

were observed, it was seen that most of the students in a particular ABL level were not

able to read readers of that level.

Since the student is in regular school all day, the student just loiters or stays in

the class without actually learning much as the teacher’s attention in the ABL class is

devoted to repeated individual instructions, attention to students to come to seek her

help and is unable to attend to the slow learners as well as students with disability.

Secondly, teachers, naturally, out of care, come up with ways to address the student’s

presence in school and might not be receptive to the special educators counsel as the

latter is a rare visitor to the school. There are fifteen private schools used activity

based method in the classrooms. There are eight public schools used activity based

method in the classroom. Five private sample schools used traditional method of

teaching. Twelve public sample schools used tradition method of teaching. Private
 34

sample schools used 75 % activity based method of teaching. Public sample school

used 40 % activity based method of teaching. There is 25% private sample schools

used traditional method of teaching and 60% public sample schools used traditional

method of teaching.

Findings

The present study shows that basic and advanced levels of learning outcomes in

languages and mathematics are low for government school students compared to

private school students in the same geographical location. Some reasons for these

could be the reduced levels of scholastic advantage afforded to government school

students due to reduced levels of parental education, higher age of beginning

schooling and lack of support for academics at home. It was seen from the initial

demographic data collected that while most of the students in private schools went to

pre-school before entering class I, very few of the public school students had that

experience. Further, many of the public school students went to balwadis or

anganwadis. Further, the private schools used activity methods of instruction and also

sometimes activities and audio-video aids.

There are fifteen private schools used activity based method in the classrooms.

There are eight public schools used activity based method in the classroom. Five

private sample schools used traditional method of teaching. Twelve public sample

schools used tradition method of teaching. Private sample schools used 75 % activity

based method of teaching. Public sample school used 40 % activity based method of

teaching. There is 25% private sample schools used traditional method of teaching

and 60% public sample schools used traditional method of teaching.

 35

Conclusion

The ABL methodology has been an instrument for change in many ways in our

current elementary education system. It has been able to create ways to allow student

progress in these levels at their own developmental rate, not suffer from absenteeism

and make the classroom more child-friendly. However, due to the restrictions of the

way we define primary education classes at the end and beginning of the school year,

students are being promoted to each successive class at the end of the school year,

irrespective of the ABL level they are in. This creates a problem at the end of class IV

and for class V as nearly half of the students are not able to read, do basic

mathematics at class V. It can be seen from the results of research question that in

most of the subjects, reading is an important activity for information input. But the

learning outcomes analysis in research questions shows that the basic and advanced

reading skills of students in level 4 in the languages, especially Urdu, is not developed

to the extent that they can independently read and comprehend what they have read.

Since this comprehension is critical to understanding the material that is to be read, it

determines to a great extent whether the student will engage with his learning

independently from the ABL Methodology or not. Research question shows from

classroom observations that most students did not spend even 15 minutes on an

average working attentively in any subject. This indicates that although the

methodology of ABL plans for a variety of activities for learning at each stage of

input, process and expression information, and even makes it interesting many times,

something more is needed to make learning outcomes more effective. It is important

to understand that the goal of universal elementary education of high quality is the

major focus while the methodology adopted is only a means to the end or the process
 36

for attaining the goal. To this end, it is important to glean the merits of different

methodologies of instruction at elementary level and use them judiciously to achieve

the goal of high quality elementary education for all our country children. The

research instrument shows the following.

There are fifteen private schools used activity based method in the classrooms. There

are eight public schools used activity based method in the classroom. Five private

sample schools used traditional method of teaching. Twelve public sample schools

used tradition method of teaching. Private sample schools used 75 % activity based

method of teaching. Public sample school used 40 % activity based method of

teaching. There is 25% private sample schools used traditional method of teaching

and 60% public sample schools used traditional method of teaching.

Recommendations

On the basis of this study the following recommendations are presented.

 Facilitates the public schools to convert traditional method of teaching to the

activity based method.

 All the basic necessities are fulfilling to use activity based method in the

public schools.

 Provide the proper building according to the strength of the students in the

public schools.

 Proper staff provide to the public schools according to the proper ratio of the

students.

 Bound the teachers to use the activity based method of teaching in public

schools.
 37

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