Activity Based Teaching Method

Activity method is a technique adopted by a teacher to emphasize his or her method of teaching through
activity in which the students participate rigorously and bring about efficient learning experiences. It is a
child-centered approach. It is a method in which the child is actively involved in participating mentally
and physically. Learning by doing is the main focus in this method. Pine G (1989) mentions that in an
activity based teaching, learners willingly with enthusiasm internalize and implement concepts relevant to
their needs. It requires active problem solving by students in finding patterns in the information through
their own investigation and analysis. With continued practice in these processes, students learn not the
content of the lesson but also develop many other skills.

It enhances creative aspect of experience.
It gives reality for learning.
Uses all available resources.
Provides varied experiences to the students to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge, experience, skills
and values.
Builds the students self-confidence and develops understanding through work in his/her group.
Gets experiences, develop interest, enriches vocabulary and provides stimulus for reading.
Develops happy relationship between students and students, teachers and students.
An activity is said to be the language of the child. A child who lacks in verbal expression can make up
through use of ideas in the activity.
Subjects of all kind can be taught through activity.
Social relation provides opportunity to mix with others.


Learner-centered teaching is an approach to teaching that is increasingly being encouraged in higher
education. Learner-centered teachers do not employ a single teaching method. This approach emphasizes
a variety of different types of methods that shifts the role of the instructors from givers of information to
facilitating student learning.

Student-centered teaching methods shift the focus of activity from the teacher to the learners. These
methods include active learning, in which students solve problems, answer questions, formulate
questions of their own, discuss, explain, debate, or brainstorm during class; cooperative learning, in
which students work in teams on problems and projects under conditions that assure both positive
interdependence and individual accountability; and inductive teaching and learning, in which students
are first presented with challenges (questions or problems) and learn the course material in the context of
addressing the challenges. Inductive methods include inquiry-based learning, case-based instruction,
problem-based learning, project-based learning, discovery learning, and just-in-time teaching. Student-
centered methods have repeatedly been shown to be superior to the traditional teacher-centered approach
to instruction, a conclusion that applies whether the assessed outcome is short-term mastery, long-term
retention, or depth of understanding of course material, acquisition of critical thinking or creative
problem-solving skills, formation of positive attitudes toward the subject being taught, or level of
confidence in knowledge or skills.
What is Critical Pedagogy ?
The requirement for mastering English as a means for written and spoken communication and study has
grown due to our interconnected global environment. This linguistic demand requires English as a Second
or Foreign Language educator to comprehend not only a variety of methodologies for instruction but also
apply a culturally sensitive framework in the classroom. Therefore, teacher education is needed that
supports critical reflection and pedagogy. Educators must reflect upon content which attempts to erase
miscellany in the name of a democratic society or first world mind-set. Teaching strategies should be
adapted to maintain a student's cultural identity as well as foster resistance to oppressive policies dictated
within English language curricula. This requires the need to take into account the liaison between
language and culture. One should commence with a clear understanding of critical pedagogy and apply its
principles in the classroom to avoid implementing ethnocentric dominance on English language learners.
Critical pedagogy has its origin from the Frankfurt School, yet the North American School viewpoint can
be traced back to the traditions of progressivism as exemplified in the writings of John Dewey (Biesta,
1998). Yet, it is through the work of Paulo Freire (1993), which infuses critical pedagogy into present-day
education.

In essence, within Freires critical framework is an aspiration for emancipation and freedom from
oppression. Thus, the teaching and learning environment must be dialogic, provide empowerment and
incorporate the concept of voice (Haque, 2007). Crookes and Lehner (1998) specify that critical pedagogy
should be carefully considered as goals in the teaching of ESL and EFL. As such, three goals must be
considered: (1) Simultaneous development of English communicative abilities (2) Application of
knowledge to develop a critical awareness of the world (3) Ability to act on knowledge and awareness to
improve matters. In like manner, an understanding and respect of the student's culture without the
execution of ethnocentric dominance is paramount to classroom success.