In line with the Royal Kasho on education reform, Monggar’s education sector will implement transformative pedagogy in schools more effectively. The decision was taken during its annual education conference. Transformative pedagogy is a teaching method that focuses more on engaging students in the learning process rather than a teacher giving lectures.
The teaching method emphasizes student participation, ownership, and making learning fun and exciting. For instance, a teacher identifies a topic and students do basic research on the topic. Students will also be encouraged to work in groups and carry out various projects.
The education ministry introduced transformative pedagogy in 2016.
“These teaching approaches are not new to us. We have been practising it for a long time. It’s just that we could not implement it consciously. So, it seems like we have not used it,” said Dawa Gyeltshen, the Vice Principal of Kidheykhar CS in Monggar.
“We have been following the inquiry learning method in our school, but it is time for us to do more. We also have the cooperative learning method. We need to accelerate the implementation of these new teaching and learning methods,” added Sherub Dorji, the Vice Principal of Mongar HSS.
It was highlighted during the annual conference that not all schools in Monggar could adapt to and practice the new method.
The Kidheykhar CS’ vice principal says while basic facilities like projector, smartboard, tablets and good internet connectivity should be in place to implement the teaching approaches effectively, “adopting the new learning methods would enhance the education quality and make learning easier.”
The schools following transformative pedagogy said the teaching method has helped in improving their students’ academic performance and critical thinking.
“In our school, we have cooperative learning where we learn in a group. For instance, we do project works in groups. Working together helps us clear doubts and learn from each other,” said a student in Monggar.
“When we are asked to do project work, we look for a relevant topic. So, we end up researching, discussing and browsing the internet. And this, in turn, helps us acquire more knowledge,” said another.
Studies and research show that transformative pedagogy has a positive impact on Bhutanese classroom teaching. However, curriculum design and classroom structure among others limit the practice.
Sonam Tshering, Monggar
Edited by Sonam Wangdi
