ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE : MODERN METHODS 271
Limitations of Project Method
- Less Knowledge
While children taught by the project method often show astonishing knowledge of
details in odd things but they reveal real ignorance outside the projects. For example, while
an Environmental Science project may deal with construction of an ancient house with great
thoroughness yet the pupils may have no knowledge of the administration of Chandra
Gupta Maurya.
- Difficult to Formulate
At a later stage of education, it is not easy to formulate projects having a satisfactory
degree of width and comprehensiveness.
- Lack of Progress in Instruction
There is much difficulty in ensuring any kind of systematic progress in instruction.- Requires High Qualification of teachers
Very highly qualified teachers are required for success in this method. Teachers should
be zealous and well prepared.
The spirit of the project method is, in the words of Raymont, “whole-hearted purpose
on the part of the pupil.” It gives a wonderful practical approach to the learning of both
theoretical and practical problems. The responsibility of the success or otherwise of project
method rests with the teacher.
- SOURCE METHOD
According to source method, pupils build up historical, political, social and economic
accounts, with the help of available sources, documents, historical accounts, biographies and
inscriptions, coins, travel accounts, religious and secular literature, etc. Pupils learn to know
about particular events to understand the process through which they arrive at the product.
Use the source method does not aim at converting the school children into full-fledged
historians and social scientists.
Objectives of Source Method
- To enable the pupils to develop critical thinking by using the Sources and weighing
the evidence.. - To enable the pupils to form their own independent judgment through a critical
analysis of sources. - To develop skills of collecting data, sifting the relevant data organizing them and
interpreting them. - To create proper atmosphere to make the people and events of bygone times more
real to students. - To stimulate the imagination of the students for reconstruction of the past.
- To develop and promote proper interest and right perspective inthe study of
Environmental Science.