available in the school or could easily be obtained. These studies analysed
the curriculum and the teacher guides related to the concerned lessons and
found that most of the teaching methods and materials suggested in the
teacher guide are covered in the training manual, and if the teacher had
followed the suggestions provided in the teacher guide, the lessons would
have been delivered more effectively. Thus, the issue is not a lack of curriculum
or teaching guides, but an inability of teachers to apply the skills they learned
during training and/or a failure by teacher training institutes to train teachers
to implement teacher guides effectively in the classroom.
A study by CERID (2002, p. 47) noted that normal teacher practices in
classrooms were as follows:
- On entering the classroom, the teacher asks students for a copy of the
textbook if he or she does not have one with him or her. - The teacher asks the students where they were (page number or lesson
number) or asks students to turn to a specific page number. - The teacher asks one of the students to read the text or the teacher reads it,
adding his or her own interpretations here and there, mainly in a paraphrasing
manner. - In the lower grades, the usual practice is for the students to repeat the text
in chorus, while in the upper grades, the students are told to memorize the
questions and answers. - In English language classes, the ‘translation method’ is the most common
practice.
This CERID study found a small number of teachers (12 per cent) who involved
students actively. The classroom practices of the better performing teachers
were as follows:
- Teachers used real objects to demonstrate concepts (e.g. pebbles for
multiplication). - Teachers explained and demonstrated first, then asked one of the students
to demonstrate the same, and then got the whole class to practice it. The
teacher also went around the class and provided individual feedback. - The teacher used objects in the classroom and around the school to teach
English words rather than just giving the meaning in Nepali. - The teacher encouraged students to ask each other questions in English
(CERID, 2002, p. 47).