Today the world has progressed through and through. Few years back students used to write an essay on ‘Are we happier than our forefather?’ May be that time it was true in many senses, but day by day that question doesn’t arise at all. The world is progressing in the field of technology in such a way that without that world stand still.

Though growth and development are abundant, problems are immense in the mind of the people. In this condition motivation is necessary. Motivation of students is a requirement of the present century.

Motivation is innate or inborn  behaviour or as acquired from the environment. It is a psychological or internal process initiated by some need or want. Some kind of activity  satisfies these needs or wants.

In every walk of life, motivation plays an indispensable role. Human being is guided by some forces or drives. Each and every activity has some or the other motive. The act of accomplishing demand is also dependent on motivation. It is said  that the motivation is the heart of learning. Adequate motivation results in promoting attention, interest and bring enthusiasm in pupil for better learning. Learning can not be completed without consistency, persistency and purpose.

Motivation is derived from the word ‘movere’ means to move. As per physics Work is done if a thing is moved or else any amount of Energy expended is useless. It is the process of stimulating, encouraging and directing pattern of activity through energy transformations within the cells of a being. It is done through praise, encouragement, love and trust. Motivation can be stressed by some incentives i.e. reward or punishment.

According to Lowell, “Motivation may be defined more formally as a psychological or internal process initiated by some need, which leads to the activity which will satisfy that need”

Who can be Motivated

The person who has some need or wants to satisfy himself can be Motivated easily. This need gives direction to the behavior to satisfy the person to achieve his goal. The following behaviour may be motivated :

1) Desirous: Some people are very much desirous to achieve something in life. They can be motivated easily.  They  may be ready to do the work in any situation.

2) Devotion: If a person is having ardent love for anything, he achieves it  at any cost. He makes variety of efforts to achieve his goal.

3) Attention: An object of thought is clear before the mind, if attention is towards the goal. The idea of making efforts is present in attention. Interest creates attention.

4) Perseverance: If the person is having steadiness in  his work, it is easier to achieve the goal. Through motivation they show the diligence in work.

5) More energetic: When the person is motivated, he becomes more energetic to do the work faster. E.g.  the child can be motivated by telling the story of Hanumaan, he does his work faster. Activeness through right Food. Body and Mind are related.

6) Discipline: Through motivation, a person can be disciplined e.g. understanding of the value of time-table, uniform, story of Army, Air force, etc. take the person close to his goal.

7) Determination: Motivation helps to determine the person’s crave to acquire his goal.  Determination can be brought by inducing reward.

8 ) Improvement of self image: Self respect is the step towards achieving goal. Motivation helps in improving the self image. ‘I am the Best’. “Faith will move mountains”

9) Efficiency: Through proper motivation the person can be made more efficient. ‘Build-up Confidence’

10) Pleasure: The motivated person gets pleasure from success. ”Happiness is the most important thing in Life’”

‘Devotion, Determination and Discipline’ is the resolution of success.

A perspective on learning/teaching is an inter-related set of belief and intention that gives direction and justification of our action.

What is co-operative learning?

“Two are better than one ” According to Johnson and Holubec– Co-operative learning is the instructional use of small group through which students work together to maximize their own and each others learning.”

Co-operative learning involves structuring classes around small groups that work together in such a way that each group member’s success is dependent on the group’s success.

There are three psychological perspective of co-operative learning

1) Motivational Perspective—-Small group can be rewarded. It is mainly focused on reward or goal.

2) Social cohesion Perspective— Rely on one another for success. Help each other to learn. Know the team properly and individual’s importance.

3) Cognitive Perspective—-This can be divided into two parts–

a) Developmental Perspective— Interaction among the group increases and their mastery of the concept is clear and long lasting. Discussion will take place in the group and team will learn from each other. Develop better critical skill.

b)Cognitive elaboration Perspective—Lear nee must engage in  learning. They must learn the topic together for better result. Remember better and longer.

Characteristics of Co-operative learning

There are Five Characteristics of co-operative Learning.

a) Team Formation: In co-operative learning ,there should be 2 to 4 students in a   group. Two to four student will discuss properly and learn the given topic successfully.

b) Positive interdependence: Team should trust each other to achieve their goal.

c) Individual Accountability: Every member of the team should know each one‘s ability. Every member should know the importance of each individual. Everyone should learn in that process.

d) Social skill: Every member should listen to others view, resolve conflicts. Unity among the team is very important.Team spirit is needed in co-operative learning.

e) Structuring and structure:Some of the simplest structures are:

i) Think-pair-share—Students think of answers individually,then form pair and answer jointly, then share with the class.

ii) Numbered head together—A team of 4. Each one is given 1,2,3,4. Questions are asked. Group will work together and answer the question.

iii) Round table–Can be used brainstorm ideas, discussion among the group.Pen and paper is required. One of the group members will answer. When the the time is called, group stops.

iv) Jigsaw—Group with 5 students. It is a puzzle.

Thus it can be concluded that co-operative learning is successful when every member of the team  has learnt the material or has understood the given material . The students grow socially, intellectually and positively.

Dynamics means changing.   Group dynamics began as an identifiable field of inquiry in the United states at the end of 1930′s. Kurt Lewin had popularized the term Group Dynamics. Teacher can change the behaviour of the child through interaction in the group. He/she deals with the child for five to six hours daily. In order to make the teaching effective , the teacher must study group dynamics in a small group. e.g stars children are liked by majority of the students. The teacher should make a combination of stars and isolates or rejected students together and try to change the behaviour of isolate or rejected pupil.

It refers to the forces which operate in group situation. It studies the structure of the group and other phenomena which emerge out of group interaction.

View of Krech and Crutchfield—-Group dynamics implies changes that takes place within group.

According to Cartwright and Zander-”Group dynamics is a field of inquiry dedicated to advancing knowledge about the nature of the groups, the laws of their development and their interrelations with individuals, other groups and larger institutions.”

Class is a collection of pupils coming from different socio-economic background. Teacher should have the knowledge of the process of interaction among students. If the teacher is well equipped with the basic knowledge of group dynamics, it can provide better guidance for adjustment. Teacher can improve the emotional and social atmosphere of the class.

The knowledge of group dynamics is important as our joint family system is dying out. The nuclear family is not able to provide the sense of security,co-operation,affection due to busy schedule of life . Adolescents need shelter,love, recreation and motivation from the group. The teacher should know how adolescents form groups and what is the structure of groups in general.

Mental health is an important factor in the learning process. If there are conflicts, rivalry,fear, anxiety in the group, learning will be disturbed. The teacher can find out the reason of emotional and social anxiety of the pupils and can use remedial measures to maintain a conducive environment in the classroom.

The teacher should understand the students and make the proper sitting arrangements. The teacher must also see that the groups are not formed on the basis of caste , creed and religion.

The teacher can change the behaviour of the group and maintain a conducive environment.These are the reasons why a teacher should study  the group dynamics.

B.F Skinner’s Ope rant conditioning theory is a kind of learning process where a response is made more probable or more frequent by reinforcement. According to this theory, an individual learns to behave in a different manner if the new behaviour is rewarded and the old one is ignored. Then the reward behaviour gets conditioned.

This theory is based on reward and punishment,hence it has much importance in education.

1) This theory helps in changing the behaviour of a child.

It remind me an incident in the classroom when I was teacher in the primary section. The boy was a repeater in the class  and used very filthy languages in the class. One thing I noticed in that boy was some hidden talents. I made that boy the monitor in the class and asked all other children to praise him when he is controlling the class. With the help of other children ,within  a month  his behaviour changed and he was promoted to next class in second rank.

2) This theory helps in the formation of good habit.

A mother with a child came to me with the complaint that the child is very lazy to brush teeth in the morning. I told her mother to give him some rewards. The mother got angry with me and said , in this manner the child will  get spoil more. I just told her to keep some conditions.I asked her to give him attractive pencils or eraser which does not cost much. After a week she thanked me.

3) The rewarded behaviour encourages the students to learn more successfully.

When students get star, excellent ,v.good etc, their interest grow and it is easier for the teacher to teach in a proper manner.

4)  It enables the teacher to  change the environment and control the behaviour of the students.

When the child does not like the teacher , school authority should change the class or division of the child so that he improves.

5) This theory is helpful in social learning and learning of skills.

By arranging some programme of different festivals, celebrations, annual day etc.may be helpful in developing the social skills.

This theory can bring  a fruitful change in the behaviour of the students and make the classroom lively.

Pavlov’s theory is known as conditioning theory. According to this theory, the learner learns to transfer a response from one stimulus to purely neutral stimulus.

Four elements of this theory

This theory is useful in classroom teaching:

1.      Through conditioning good habits can be formed.

E.g. ‘Star’ ¤ against the Name, if previous day’s lesson revised and answered correctly.

2.       Through conditioning emotion, a teacher can make teaching-learning effective.                                                  E.g. Frowning or Smiling Face

3.     Teacher can bring interest for the school subjects by some conditioning.                                                   E.g. Displaying of Subject charts.

4.    It develops positive attitude.

5.      Conditioning enables the students to change his outlook.

6.      Develop Sympathy.                   E.g. Through pictures and stories of moral values

7.      Uproot the false belief.                                                                                                                                E.g. Stories of Saints proving the misconceptions.

8.      Fear, love or hatred created towards an object or events.

9.      Most of the learning is associated with the process of conditioning from the beginning.                           E.g. “Stand-erect” command or National flag display before a Prayer or Anthem.

10.   Parents at home and teachers at school show affection, loving attitude, and sympathetic treatment produce a desirable impact on children through the process of conditioning.

During Vedic period, teacher was regarded  as Guru and teacher’s wife as Guru Maa (mother). Guru is the person who shows the path to improve in life. Guru is given the place of ( Brahma, Vishnu & Maheshwara ) God. So it was the purest relationship on earth. One can imagine how much responsibility the person should have to become a Guru. He had to control his vices. Guru in those days, used to teach the disciple to become a complete man.

When man started progressing slowly, school and college were established and teachers were appointed. Students bow their head, heart and soul to the teacher. They fully surrender themselves to the teaching community. They treat them as their parents in the schools or colleges.  Small children believe their teacher more than their mother in many contexts.

Parents protect their children. They save them from unwanted events. They protect them from devil’s hand. They want their offspring to grow and blossom like flower. Everyone recognizes the beauty, fragrance and service of the flowers. Parents want their offspring to flourish like flower and spread the fragrance everywhere.

When a teacher does not play the role of Parent and indulge in immoral, corrupt, devil like behaviour, the Society will go to hell. Students fearlessly surrender to the Teacher and the teacher in turn build up their character. The biggest sin is committed when this Trust is broken.

Small children learn Social values, Moral values, Humanity, Brotherhood, etc. in school and colleges. They apply everything they learnt in school later in their life as they grasp from 2.5 years to 15 years the most.

At the end, why people choose this profession. Now-a-days it has become easy to take up this profession when no other course is possible. They did not have the talent to grasp those values which right education can give. While selecting Teachers in Schools and Colleges, spiritual, emotional and moral quotient has to be given importance.  Questionnaire should be set to evaluate. If they can’t keep the value of relationship, it is not correct to be in this noble profession. Divinity should not be affected by unwanted act.

Attention means fixing the mind or thoughts on something. Attention is the basic need for all successful teaching. Attention is always present in conscious life and is common to all types of mental activity. It is a necessary condition for all types of mental activities. It is the concentration of consciousness upon one object or other. According to Ross,” Attention is the process of getting an object of thought clearly before the mind”

Domville has defined attention as—“It is the concentration of consciousness upon one object rather than upon another”. It is the weapon of teaching –learning process. It is the duty of a teacher to create interest, so that the child should be attentive in the class. If the child is attentive in the class, the teacher can motivate him to study well.

Involuntary Attention: It is a spontaneous attention. It does not require any effort on the part of an individual. E.g. sudden loud noise, a bright flash of light, mosquito bite, painful stimulation of any kind.

Voluntary or volitional attention: There is a conscious effort on our part. If a child takes pain to understand difficult sums, he voluntarily pays attention to the sums. In the examination hall, a student concentrates on the answer of a question and keeps away mind from distraction element like movement of the supervisor.

Non-volitional or Enforced attention: This type lasts as long as there is a stimulus. It is sustained because it appeals to our instinct. This type of attention is very common in small children. Curiosity attracts attention.

Spontaneous non-volitional attention: This type of attention develops on interest. The teacher has to just develop the desirable sentiments for things in the children.

Implicit volitional attention: This type of attention is obtained by introducing some motives such as rewards or punishments.

Explicit volitional attention: Repeated efforts are made to obtain the types of attention. E.g. preparing for an examination, a student makes repeated efforts to learn the portion.

Habitual Attention

During the course of our experience with several things, we are conditioned to attend certain stimuli. This type of attention is seen when one develops interest in the subject. His attention is always attracted towards the subject of his interest. The person who is having interest in singing will be attracted towards the concert. A naturalist is habituated to look for plants.

Teacher is the backbone of education. It is the duty of a teacher to encourage the student to create something new and appreciate. If it is so, an innovative character is created.

Following are the educational implication of Imagination.

1)      Various types of imagination—creative, pragmatic, aesthetic and fantastic are helpful for intellectual growth and self development. These help to form the ideas and accordingly the ambition can be fulfilled.

2)      Education should aim at healthy form of imagination and avoid their growth into harmful channels.

3)       Learning by doing helps to develops pragmatic imagination. Clay modelling, practical work, project work, painting should be encouraged. Doing itself is a kind of thinking and gives the children the higher imaginative thought.

4)      The teacher should encourage the story telling, story competition and explanation of ideas.

5)       Outline should be given for essay writing as this stimulates the imagination of the children. Such exercises encourage creative imagination in the form of aesthetic, pragmatic and fantastic.

6)      History should be taught by telling the stories, using the map. Pictures etc. It will enable them to imagine the different places and time.

7)      Geography should be taught with the help of map, so that the children can imagine the people, climate, different kinds of food, etc.

8)      Aesthetic imagination can be developed by giving the opportunities to pupil to appreciate a poem. To paint picture and to compose a poem.

9)      Dramatization, picture composition, computer graphics, etc. enhance reproductive or creative imagination.

10)  Teacher should provide variety of opportunities for role play as this helps to develop their imagination.

11)  In maths, pupil may be encouraged and asked to frame problems, while in science, scientific problem may be encouraged. This will enable them to imagine in a fruitful manner.

12)  Teacher should begin with reproductive imagination. In the beginning, they will learn to reproduce accurately; later on this will help to produce a creative work.

Imagination has given the world, a Poet, Scientist, Explorer, Painter, etc.

This is a Creative Adventure.

The meaning of the word ‘Forgetting ‘ is fail to retain in memory. It is a Spontaneous or gradual process in which old memories are unable to be recalled from memory storage. Forgetting is also important in life. If forgetting does not take place in life, unpleasant situation or experience will grab us and our life will be miserable.

According to Munn,” Forgetting is the loss, permanent or temporary, of the ability to recall or recognize something learned earlier “.

“Forgetting means failure at any time to recall an experiences, when attempting to do so, or to perform an action previously learnt”—- Drever.

Causes of Forgetting

1) Theory of Disuse : This theory is accepted by Hermann Ebbinghaus. According to him, if the learning material is not used for a long period of time we tend to forget it. Through his experiment he has proved that forgetting takes place due to lapse of time.

2) Repression theory: This theory was ascertained by Sigmund Freud and other psycho analyst. According to them, people do not want to recall the unpleasant or unwanted event which occurred in their life time.

3) Theory of interference:  This theory has been supported by Woodworth, Gular and others. According to them , if any work comes in between learning and recall  it is difficult to remember the already learnt material. This is called Retrospective Inhibition. E.g. as we grow we tend to forget the poem learnt in our childhood.

General causes

Nature of learning Material :  If learning materials are pleasant, simple and meaningful then we do not forget them easily.

Amount of Learning  Material: If the learning material is too long, it takes more time and needs practice.  Due to more practice , we can remember it for a long time.If the learning material is short ,we learn it faster and tends to forget faster.

Degree of learning : We tend to forget the under learning material faster. If we learn for a long time we remember it better.

Defective method of learning : If the proper method is not used while learning , forgetting take place faster.

Lack of interest and attention : Attention and interest are two sides of a coin . If there is no interest in learning there will be no concentration and forgetting will be faster.

Lapse of Time : Time is very precious. If there is a long gap between learning material we tend to forget easily. e.g after a long gap of study ( graduation) if anyone wants to do a new course (e.g M.A ).

Age and Intelligence : Forgetting depends on age and intelligence. Elderly people and sharp intelligent tend to forget faster.

Lack of Repetition : If the learning material is not repeated for a long time ,it can not be recalled properly.

Desire to Forget : Unpleasant moment of life should not be brought to the memory. e.g if the child learns without his will , he tends to forget it easily.

Doubt : Self confidence become less if the person is having a doubt in his mind ,he tends to forget faster.

Brain Injury : If a person meets with an accident and injured his brain, he tends to forget.

Mental shock : Sudden mental shock is injurious to  mental health (memory etc )

Mental conflict : Mental conflict is also a sign of forgetfulness.

Use of intoxicants : The person who smokes, drinks alcohol or take intoxicants forget faster compared to general people.

Mental Disease : Mental disease or disorder makes the memory power weak.

Emotional causes : Emotional breakdown causes forgetting.

Forgetting  is also a necessary aspect of learning like memory.

Learning occupies a very important place in one’s life. Whatever is learned needs to be somehow stored in mind, so that it can be utilized whenever required in future.

There are many ways where we can improve our memory. We will discuss these in proper manner.

1) Will to learn :There must be firm determination or strong will to learn effectively and successfully. Where there is will there is way.

2) Develop interest :Interest and attention are essential for useful learning and memorization.Attention and interest are the two sides of a coin.

3) Adopting proper methods : There are several effective methods of memorization, but all are not suitable on all occasion and for all individuals. Therefore, proper selection should be made in choosing a particular method in a given situation.

4) Following the principles of association: It is always good to follow the principles of association in learning. A thing never be learnt in an isolated manner. e.g When we sing our national anthem we associate with Rabindranath  Tagore.

5) Grouping and rhythm : Grouping and rhythm facilitate learning and help in remembering the fact. e.g the telephone number 567345234 can be remembered  and recalled if make in group as567, 345, 234. Rhythm also proves to be  an aid in learning and memorizing e.g multiplication table by reciting. ( Sixteen five’s are eighty etc )

6) Arranging better learning situation : Environmental factors also affect the learning process and due care should be taken to arrange favourable situation. A calm and quiet atmosphere stimulate an effective learning.e.g good family situation .

7) Learner’s internal factors : Besides the various external factors, there are things within the learner which affect learning and capacity to recall. It depends on the I.Q ( Intelligent Quotient) of a person.

Proper rest :Rest and sleep are required for relieving fatigue and monotony. Sleeps makes the man fresh.

9) Repetition and practice : Repetition and continuous practice adds to effectiveness of memorization. Drill work, practice and review are the process of memorization and learning. e.g after repeating the tables for several times.

10) Utilizing as many as senses : Senses are the gateway of knowledge .  Things can be better learned and remembered, if presented through more than one sense.e.g audio- visual aids.

11) SQ4R technique : Thomas and Robinson developed this strategy for effective learning and memorization . Sequence steps are survey, questions, read, reflect, recite or recall and review.

12) Learning by doing: As it is said “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand “. If it done  by the learner, it retains for a longer time.

13) Motivation : If the person is motivated by rewards , he remembers better.

Practice may be the first learning, but it may be remembered for a short period of time , so teacher has to choose a proper method for remembering for a long time.