Activity Based Teaching and

Learning
A Manual for Teacher Trainers

Directorate of Staff Development

School Education Department

Note to the trainer

What follows is intended to serve as a manual for teacher trainers delivering a

lesson aimed at teaching and encouraging teachers to incorporate activities in
their lesson plans
This sign will be placed before instructions to you, the trainer
Text enclosed in these
indicates a script to be followed
Ensure you have the materials required to conduct the session described
Dont forget to distribute the hand-out on the last page to the teachers
Remember to be enthusiastic and cheerful; the intention is to demonstrate that
activities in the classroom can be both instructive and fun!

Introduce the session

Introduce
the session
by making
these points

PD Day is a forum to discuss areas where

teachers require support and assistance
In the past, many PD days have been
devoted to content knowledge
Today, we will follow a slightly different
approach
Earlier this year, we analyzed MVF form
data to identify areas of instruction that
had room for improvement
Activity-based teaching and learning was
one such area
We will devote todays session to
supporting you in incorporating activities
in your lesson plans

Lay out the agenda

We will cover 6 areas in todays session
1 Importance of activity-based teaching and
learning (10 minutes)
2 Explanation of what an activity is and what
it is not (10 minutes)
Lay out the
agenda for
the days
training

3 Explanation of the MVF point system

(10 minutes)
4 Examples of low-cost activities
(50 minutes)
5 Important things to consider when carrying
out an activity (10 minutes)
6 Coming up with activities on your own
through the use of teacher guides
(50 minutes)

1. IMPORTANCE OF ACTIVITY-BASED TEACHING AND LEARNING

Explain the importance of activity-based teaching (1/2)

Announce that you will present 2 scenarios to the group and ask them to
observe carefully
First act out Scenario 1 and then act out
Scenario 2

Scenario 1

Scenario 2

Demonstrate a boring lesson by reading the text below as

Demonstrate an activity-based lesson in the way described

though reading it from a book and then translate it into Urdu

Particles in a solid have the following characteristics:
There are packed very closely together. They are
arranged in a fixed and regular pattern. They are strongly
attracted to each other. They can only vibrate in their fixed
positions. The particles in a solid are unable to move
freely
Particles in a liquid have the following characteristics:
There are packed closely together (not tightly packed).
They are not arranged in a fixed and regular pattern. They
are attracted to one another by weak forces of attraction.
They move over very short distances. The particles in a
liquid are apart from each other, but are still held close
together
Particles in a gas have the following characteristics:
They are far apart. They are arranged in an irregular way.
They move quickly in all directions. There are very weak
forces of attraction among them. The particles in a gas are
far apart from one another.
After this boring reading, announce: Now do this question for
homework State the properties of solids, liquids and gases
and then pretend to leave the room

below
Ask three teachers to come up and read one paragraph
each from the passage in Scenario 1
Make three groups of 4-6 teachers each (all members of a
group should have the same gender)
Ask one group to arrange themselves like solid particles,
one to arrange themselves like liquid particles and one to
arrange themselves like gas particles (solid particles will
be very close together, liquid particles will be further away
from each other and gas particles will be far apart)

solid

liquid

gas
liquid

1. IMPORTANCE OF ACTIVITY-BASED TEACHING AND LEARNING

Explain the importance of activity-based teaching (2/2)

Ask teachers in
attendance to
reflect on what
they just saw with
the aid of this
script
This helps
explain the
responses to
the questions
above

You just saw 2 lessons, Which one was

more interesting in your opinion

Spend a few minutes to take responses

from a few participants

Which one was more effective?

Spend a few minutes to take responses

from a few participants

Confucius, the great Chinese philosopher

said: I hear and I forget. I see and I
remember. I do and I understand
(Translate above into Urdu as well: Note to
trainer)

In short, activity-based teaching and

learning makes the class more
interactive and engaging

Children grasp concepts faster when

they are active participants in the lesson;
the inclusion of activities can improve
the learning process

2. EXPLANATION OF WHAT AN ACTIVITY IS AND WHAT IT IS NOT

Explain what an activity is and what it is not

1

Explain what an activity is

Incorporating activities in
your lesson plan allows
students to learn by doing

Anything involving students

physically is an activity

Examples of activities can

include

Reading and interactive

discussions

Peer work and

assessment

Role playing
Student-led
exercise solving

Explain the distinction between

visual aids and activities

2 Explain what is not an activity

Presentation of visual aids

does not count as activitybased teaching and learning

Show participants a chart

paper with pictures of
animals along with their
names underneath; explain
to the participants that
showing this to them was
not an activity, rather it was
a visual aid

Now show participants a

chart paper with pictures of
animals and their names in
random order on the side of
the chart; explain that
asking students to match
the names to the correct
picture is an activity

Activities performed by the

teacher him or herself do
not count as activity- based
teaching and learning

Anything not requiring the

active participation of
students is not an activity

Presentation of visual aids

does not count as activity
based teaching

If the teacher carries out the

process of filtration, is it an
activity? (correct answer is
no, because the students
are not performing it)

writing

Team work and

Focus

Physical demonstration
by students

Any hands on work

3. EXPLANATION OF THE MVF POINT SYSTEM

Explain MVFs scoring system to participants

Explain level 1

A score of 1 will be
attained if the
lesson includes a
basic reading
activity involving
students
Usually teachers in
a teacher-centered
environment, read
and carry out the
entire lesson
themselves; this
goes against the
idea of including
children in the
learning process

Explain level 2

A score of 2 will be
attained if in
addition to a
reading activity,
the lesson includes
an activity
performed by
students which is
instructive and
relevant
to the SLO

Explain level 3

A score of 3 will be
attained if, in
addition to a
reading activity,
the lesson includes
2 or more relevant
and instructive
activities
performed by
students

Explain level 0

If even level 1 is
not met, the score
attained will be 0

4. EXAMPLES OF LOW-COST ACTIVITIES

Conduct 3 activities with the group to show that activities can be low cost,
fun, and instructive

Introduce the section by telling participants that the myth that activities have to be expensive is false
Tell the group you will now ask them to participate in some activities that will be relevant to specific SLOs, instructive, and fun!
Conduct the activities described ahead; mention the relevant SLO before starting

1: SLO: Determine if
enough money is
available to make a
purchase
Pick a group of 10
teachers

2: SLO: Differentiate between vertebrates and invertebrates according to

key characteristics

Ask half the

teachers to be
buyers and half to
be sellers
Give the sellers toys
or items with price
tags on them (these
can be made on
paper and attached
with string) and give
fake currency (can
be made with paper)
to the buyers
Ask the buyers to
visit sellers and
determine if they
have enough money
to make the
purchase

Divide all the participants into 3-4 groups; ask one of them from one
group to come sit on the teachers chair; tell that teacher he/she is
on the hot seat in Kaun Banega Crorepati
Ask a question; give the teacher 1 minute to answer; once the
answer is given give the teacher the option of either a) choosing that
as the final answer or b) using the one and only lifeline his/her team
has available (choosing someone from his/her team and asking
them); the teacher can either use the answer provided by their teammate or choose to disregard and give a final answer
Reward correct answers with 10 points and incorrect answers with 0
The process is repeated for each group; and then repeated again for
the groups with the highest scores in that round (those with 10), until
only one group, the winner, remains; ensure that different members
of the group get a chance to be in the hot-seat and remember there
is only one lifeline per team for the entire game
Possible questions could include
Q1: What is the difference between vertebrates and
invertebrates? (Answer: vertebrates have a back bone whereas
invertebrates do not)
Q2: Give any two examples of animals that belong to the group
of invertebrates (possible answers jellyfish, earthworm, snail,
octopus, starfish, butterfly)
Q3: Name the three groups of vertebrates that live on land
(Answer: reptiles, mammals, birds).

3: SLO: Recognize
compound words

Make flash cards of

compound words from used
paper; put 1 part of a
compound word on each
card
Compound words could
include armchair, moonlight,
sunshine, handshake,
postman, teaspoon,
honeybee, etc.
arm

chair

moon

light

sun

shine

hand

shake

post

man

honey

bee

Distribute the cards randomly

amongst a group of 8-10
participants and ask them to
find their partner

5. IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CARRYING OUT AN ACTIVITY

Give teachers some pointers to maximize the impact of activitybased teaching

Raise these
points with
session
participants

Reading involves students in the lesson;

teachers should identify weak students in
advance and encourage them to read

Clear instructions should be given before

every task. Many activities result in
confusion due to unclear or vague
instructions

Students should be seated in groups such

that every group has a mix of good, average
and weak students; this will make things
easier for the teacher since groups will not
have to be formed every time an activity has
to take place and will be especially helpful in
classes with a higher strength

Classroom norms and routines should be

established; this will help ensure that
activities dont result in chaos; be sure to
congratulate the students when activities are
completed

10

6. COMING UP WITH ACTIVITIES ON YOUR OWN THROUGH THE USE OF TEACHER GUIDES

Wrap up the day with some more interactive activities

1 Ask teachers to design
their own activities

Follow this
script to help
teachers
practice
developing
activities

Distribute SLOs from the

Taleemi calendar (one each)
to all teachers present and
ask them to design relevant,
instructive activities
Provide clear instructions
10 minutes to complete
Describe activity on a
sheet of paper; include
your name and school
details on the paper; DO
NOT WRITE THE
ENTIRE LESSON PLAN
Must not use activities
already demonstrated in
the session
Come up with activities
individually; no talking!
The activity should be
cost effective (less than
Rs. 25) and teachers
should list the materials
required
After ten minutes, select 5
teachers (ensure there is
representation across 3-4
subjects) to come up and
describe their activity briefly
Discuss all responses and
then collect sheets of paper
from all participants

2 Conduct activities from

teacher guides

Point out to teachers that

teacher guides already have
activities planned out for
teachers to conduct during
lessons
Reinforce the idea that
teacher guides are an
important tool and teachers
should be familiar with them
Conduct some activities from
teacher guides with the
session participants;
examples of good activities
include
Teacher guide grade 4
mathematics pg. 48
(differentiate between
prime and composite
numbers)
Teacher guide grade 4
mathematics pg. 234
(read time in hours and
minutes)
Teacher guide grade 4
science pg. 130 (explain
how one state of matter
dissolves into another?)

3 Ask teachers to prepare

activities for upcoming
lessons

Distribute teacher guides and

Taleemi calendar for
September

Ask teachers to form groups

based on subject and plan
out activities for at least 3
lessons they have to teach in
September

While they can discuss the

activities they should each
come up with 3 activities of
their own to write on cards
or paper

Collect all the cards and stick

them to the wall; congratulate
the teachers on coming up
with these activities and ask
them to look at all of them on
the wall out and choose their
favorites to incorporate in
lessons

11

Handout: Please provide to each participant at the end of the session

Importance

I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand. Confucius
Activity based teaching and learning is task-based teaching where students learn by doing. Children grasp things considerably faster by being
involved in the lesson rather than being passive recipients and so inclusion of activities can improve the learning process. Anything that involves
student physically doing a task is an activity e.g. group work, student led exercise solving and role-plays. Visual aids, activities performed by
teachers himself and anything not involving students physically is not an activity

There is a myth that activities cant be conducted due to lack of funds in schools and that most activities require a lot of funds. However, many
activities involving little or no costs are as follows:
Buying and selling: Assume a market setting. Pick a group of students. Ask half of them to be buyers and half of them to be sellers. Give the
sellers some toys with price tags on them. Give fake currency (made from used paper/old cards) to the buyers. Can be used to teach SLOs
on addition and subtraction, money, and social interaction.
Divide all the participants into 3-4 groups; ask one of them from one group to come sit on the teachers chair; tell that teacher he/she is on
the hot seat in Kaun Banega Crorepati. Ask a question; give the teacher 1 minute to answer; once the answer is given give the teacher the
option of either a) choosing that as the final answer or b) using the one and only lifeline his/her team has available (choosing someone from
his/her team and asking them). The teacher can either use the answer provided by their team-mate or choose to disregard and give a final
answer. Reward correct answers with 10 points and incorrect answers with 0. The process is repeated for each group; and then repeated
again for the groups with the highest scores in that round (those with 10), until only one group, the winner, remains. Ensure that different
members of the group get a chance to be in the hot-seat and remember there is only one lifeline per team for the entire game
Finding partners: Make flash cards from used paper/old wedding cards/wrapping paper. Distribute these randomly to all students. Ask them
to stand up and find their partners. Can be used for SLOs such as compound words, antonyms, synonyms etc
Role playing games: This can be used for spoken English, topics in social studies such as resolving conflict, importance of cleanliness and
for topics in Islamiat such as importance of prayer, zakat, etc.
Ludo: Ask your class to bring 3-4 ludo boards from their homes. Make teams and ask them to play the snakes and ladders game for a while.
This can be used to teach addition and subtraction.
Student led exercise solving: Ask students to come on the board to solve questions, match the columns, label the diagrams etc
Letterbox: Ask the students to decorate an envelope with their name written on it and put all of them on a chart paper. Tell them that it is their
post box now. Tell them to write letters/short notes to each other in English and post them in the relevant letterboxes. This can be an ongoing exercise and very useful in improving their written language and communication skills.
Brainstorming exercises: Put a topic on the board and ask the students to give their thoughts on it either individually or in groups. This will
encourage them to think creatively. It is very useful for writing essays in both English and Urdu and also for generating adjectives
and adverbs.

Reading involves students in the lesson; teachers should identify weak students in advance and encourage them to read.
Students should be seated in groups such that every group should have some good, some average and some weak students. This will make
things easier for the teacher since the groups will not have to be formed every time an activity has to take place and will be immensely helpful in
classes with a higher strength
Classroom norms and routines should be established. This is very important to ensure that the activities dont result in chaos . Examples of norms
include raising ones hand to ask a question etc
Clear instructions should be given before every task. Many activities result in confusion due to vague instructions .
Teacher guides already have activities planned out that teachers can conduct during lessons. It is important for teachers to consult teacher guides
in making lesson plans

Some
examples of
low cost
activities

Some things
to consider
while
carrying out
an activity

12