The role play approach of teaching sets apart Mrs. Tanuka Bagchi from her counterparts
We had a brief conversation with Mrs. Tanuka Bagchi about her views on modern age teaching. She has taught in renowned schools of India and has over 5 years of teaching experience. As a teacher she believes in role play and often implements this technique to make her classes more interesting.
1. How long have you been tutoring? Where do you see yourself 5 years down the line?
Tanuka bagchi: I have been in the teaching profession for the last three years. I taught at Lion’s, Kolkata for 1 year and at Ryan’s International, Bangalore for 2 years. And I have conducted private tutoring classes for two years. Five years down the line, I would like to see myself as a teacher and a contributor to the art of teaching.
2. Do you think students nowadays tend to overlook the subject English due to an increased focus on Science subjects?
Tanuka Bagchi: To some extent it very true, as children are sometimes over-burdened with Science projects. In our time, we were not burdened with project work like today and it mainly started from the 9th standard. But today the scenario is totally different. From second standard onwards, students start preparing projects and sometimes, it creates a lot of pressure on the child. But at the same time it also depends on the teacher on how he/she actually makes the subject, especially English interesting to the students. Because in English we have stories, poems etc which we can relate to our daily life, where children can share their experiences and learn something from the character. When I used to teach, I observed that English classes were a pleasant getaway for the students. After a hectic Chemistry or a Math class, English was more of a fun filled class for them. So, I strongly believe that it purely depends on the teacher how he/she makes the subject interesting and convincing to the students.
3. Do you think students taking up English as their subject in higher education have lucrative job prospects?
Tanuka Bagchi: For an English graduate there are various job prospects. In the 21st century we require a very strong proficiency in English. An English graduate is capable of working in various places, for example, schools, colleges, offices, MNCs etc. Even when we appear for government service exams we need to answer the questions in English, so at the end of the day a candidate has to have a good command over the language. Today in corporate sector too, a candidate who has good grasp of English language is preferred over others. So in today’s world communicative English has become a part and parcel of life.
4. Describe a few techniques that you have adopted to keep your students actively involved in your lessons.
Tanuka Bagchi: When I was teaching lower classes, I used to ask my students to enact the character from the story which has been taught in the class. For this I used to divide my class into various groups and each group consisted of students from different categories; viz excellent, good, average and below average. I used to divide my class in a way to provide every student an opportunity to perform in front of the class. This prevents passive learning and only encourages active learning. When a child is enacting a particular character, it is evident that the child has actually understood the character. Another technique which I often use in my classroom is that, after teaching a short story I ask my students to describe that character. This also enhances the speaking skill of the student. Another most important teaching method is to encourage students to write short stories. This is given as a part of homework and on completion of the homework, the student reads out his story in front of the class, where he is graded by his fellow classmates. This helps them work on their writing skill as well.
5. Share a few success stories of your students.
Tanuka Bagchi: One remarkable success in my career as a teacher is reducing the spelling errors that students often tend to make. In ICSE board half a mark is deducted for every spelling mistake. So if a student makes 20 to 25 spelling errors then he/she is unable to score well in the exams. So I decided to conduct a spelling test very week. This resulted in minimizing errors and students were able to score more in their exams. My second achievement as a teacher is, I was able to make Shakespeare interesting to students. My students often used to ask me the importance of reading Shakespeare in today’s world as Shakespeare dates back to the 15th century. But I made them understand that during that time entertainment was in the form of theatres and plays in contrast to movies that has taken its place, today. Later, my students found Shakespearean literature so interesting that we started having debate in our classes.
6. How has MyPrivateTutor helped you with your tutoring?
Tanuka Bagchi: MyPrivateTutor has given me the opportunity to teach my students. It has been a bridge between me and my students. I hope in the coming days I will get the opportunity to teach more students and also share my experiences.
About the tutor: Based in Bangalore, Mrs. Tanuka Bagchi holds a M.A B.Ed degree. She has mainly taught in ICSE schools. She has a very modern and practical approach towards teaching and that has given her a mileage over other teacher. Not always going by the bookish knowledge, Mrs. Bagchi believes more in practical application. You would find her tutor profile here.
