Activity-based learning hazards

Following the example of Tamil Nadu, many states in the country are experimenting with Activity Based Learning (ABL) in primary education. Education administrators in Tamil Nadu, encouraged by admiration of their programme, nationally and internationally, have expanded ABL to middle schools. This effort and attention to improve education quality needs to be encouraged and applauded.However, the prime objective of all education is to improve learning outcomes. Therefore, it is important to conduct a no-holds barred evaluation of ABL before this revolutionary pedagogy programme is rolled out nationally and extended to middle schools. Undoubtedly the positives of ABL are numerous. This pedagogy/programme has forced educators and administrators countrywide to focus on the quality of teaching dispensed in primary classrooms. It has highlighted the importance of transforming the ordeal of education into joyful learning in a hitherto teacher-centric system characterised by teacher absenteeism and indifference. Anecdotal evidence suggests that students, irrespective of potential and ability, have a greater sense of belonging in ABL class-rooms than they did in traditional classroom sett-ings. ABL is child-centric and supports all students with varying degrees of potential. Mixed grade classrooms offer excellent opportunities for peer group learning. They are also the second best solution to the acute nationwide scarcity of primary teachers, the best solution being a massive recruitment drive of well-trained teachers. Unfortunately, there is little evidence that ABL has improved pupils learning outcomes. The most liberal evaluations of the programme indicate that it has had a modestly positive effect on learning outcomes in primary classrooms. More rigorous evaluations, however, suggest nil to negative improvement. The proof of the pudding is in the eating and clearly, ABL lacks several basic ingredients. The features of ABL which distinguish it from traditional teaching have their strengths as well as weakness. Take for instance, mixed-grade classrooms with children aged five-nine in classes I-IV. The range of ability and potential in such diverse classrooms is so high that the benefit of group learning is unlikely to be realised. Students just beginning to become familiar with numerals are mixed with students who are ready for the challenges of three or four digit multiplication. There is always a risk that in such a system, older and more advanced children will not be as challenged as they were in the previous system. There is also some risk that younger and less advanced children may not receive sufficient motivation to learn. In the traditional school system, academic rigour increases as students learn and enter higher grades. In same-age classrooms, teachers often challenge more gifted students by giving them tougher assignments. However, in a mixed-grade system which relies on peer and group learning, such challenges are unlikely to be posed to older and advanced students. Therefore one wonders if ABL pedagogy will work better if classes were divided into I-II and III-IV? The pilot programmes of ABL for grades I-II which many states are introducing, will undoubtedly generate valuable data to understand why ABL spanning classes I-IV has not been successful. Tamil Nadu educators…