Activity Based Learning in Commerce Education Essay Example

each topic or concept. This understanding is vital in deciding how to approach and teach the content. Therefore, when teaching commerce, it is important for the teacher to fully comprehend the objectives at every level. Commerce is a subject that greatly impacts our daily lives; therefore, effective teaching in this area requires active listening, questioning, responsiveness, and acknowledging the uniqueness of each student and class.

In order to develop the oral communication skills of quiet students and push all students to excel, teachers should adopt a Socratic instruction approach. This approach allows for eliciting responses from students. In commerce teaching, it is important for teachers to effectively use various methods such as lecture, discussion, role playing, seminar, supervised study, independent study, project method, field trip, etc. However, a major concern is ensuring that teachers actually utilize these methods during classroom teaching.

The activity method is suitable for teaching Commerce as a Vocational Subject, as stated by Rousseau, who suggests that children should be engaged in workshops where their hands contribute to the development of their minds. This approach emphasizes learning through doing and gaining experience, which is considered the most natural form of learning. While some argue that these methods require more time, using different methods aligned with the content can aid in achieving higher order thinking skills without being time-consuming.

Field trips can be used as a teaching method for banking, taking students to a nearby bank to observe the employees and their functions. Afterwards, the teacher can discuss these observations in the classroom, effectively concluding the chapter. This approach aids in retaining knowledge for a longer period and helps relate

the curriculum to students' lives. To enhance the teaching of commerce, it is important to connect the subject to students' daily experiences, using examples and project-based learning. Commerce is a practical subject closely aligned with real life, so encouraging student participation is crucial for effective teaching.

In order to increase student involvement, teachers should permit them to ask and respond to inquiries, present stimulating ideas, arrange interactive activities, express approval for their ideas, integrate their ideas into the lessons, and assess their comprehension of the concept before proceeding. Given the importance of activity-based learning in commerce education, this paper is titled "Activity Based Learning in Commerce Education – With Special Reference to Vocational Commerce Education".

This paper aims to explore the significance and meaning of activity-based education in commerce-based vocational education. It will discuss the importance of activity-based learning and evaluate service activities, internship/on-the-job training activities, and production-cum-training activities in commerce-based vocational education. Furthermore, it will analyze the role of education-business partnerships and institute-industry linkages in commerce-based vocational education.

Activity-based instruction is a teaching method that goes beyond lectures and incorporates hands-on approaches and engages multiple senses. Instead of solely relying on listening to lectures, this type of instruction includes activities and manipulatives. For instance, in one lesson, note cards were used to teach complete subjects and predicates. These note cards had separate complete subjects and complete predicates, which students had to find matches for. This approach enables students not only to learn about the differences but also visually perceive them, assess them, and combine the information.

Activity-based instruction is focused on students learning through hands-on activities. This method benefits

tactile learners by providing a break from traditional teacher-led lectures. Not all students can effectively learn by passively listening to their teacher for extended periods. The activity-based approach allows students to demonstrate their understanding of the material and often involves working with a partner or group, promoting socialization. In contrast, activity-based learning encourages children to connect their education with real-life situations and stimulates creative thinking.

Creativity is crucial for groundbreaking discoveries and inventions. Hands-on learning, which involves actively engaging with things, is the key to better education. Hands-On Learning is essentially learning by doing, understanding concepts through active engagement. It can be achieved through simple activities and toys that simulate real-life situations based on scientific principles. These activities foster innovation and excitement, making the process of learning science enjoyable.

Vocational education has acknowledged the significance of offering hands-on experience for skill acquisition. For instance, in order to educate about automobile repair, an actual automobile is required for practical application. Likewise, when instructing cooking, students are immersed in a kitchen environment. It appears impractical to teach swimming within the confines of a conventional classroom setting. Similarly, effective science instruction necessitates active participation in scientific practices. The term "hands-on learning" is subject to varying interpretations among individuals and has become widely utilized to describe any classroom activities involving material utilization.

Hands-on learning, also known as inquiry learning, involves more than simply manipulating objects. It encompasses conducting thorough investigations with objects, materials, phenomena, and ideas in order to derive meaning and understanding. Through well-planned activities within a well-designed program, students are encouraged to rely on evidence rather than authority figures such as encyclopedias, ministers, doctors,

textbooks, teachers, or parents.

Many students are living in an oppressive environment where they have limited autonomy. They constantly receive instructions on tasks and deadlines, which restricts their independence. Consequently, we graduate students who lack the ability to perform basic experiments with controlled variables, analyze evidence, and draw accurate conclusions from it. Our objective is to establish a fair platform that allows all students, regardless of their socioeconomic background, to participate in discussions equally.

The text emphasizes the importance of not giving special advantages based on wealth or background, as this would result in some individuals having more experiences. It promotes a learning method that encourages students to interpret observed events instead of memorizing correct answers. This approach is applied in vocational commerce education at the +2 level Vocational Education Programme, where curricula and instructional material are developed. We seek input from professionals, university departments, vocational commerce teachers, and industrial experts to create activity-based curricula for vocational commerce.

In this curricula, we provide not only the syllabus but also various activities including course introduction, job opportunities, job description, and job analysis. The job analysis covers knowledge, skills, and personality traits. Additionally, we include course objectives, scheme of studies and examination, on-the-job training site and syllabus, as well as inputs for the course. We also provide information about the agencies for procurement of inputs and a suggested list of collaborating organizations. Furthermore, we mention the teaching staff and their qualifications, a suggested list of reference books, career mobility options, and a list of experts involved in the development of the curriculum.

We have developed activity-based instructional material to involve industrial experts in

our curriculum transactions. We utilize their services for various aspects such as curricular transactions, skill/practical training, on-the-job training, apprenticeship training, evaluation of student performance, and conducting campus interviews for student placement. In order to implement activity-based learning in vocational commerce education, we mainly focus on service learning activities alongside theory and practical activities.

Service learning is a teaching approach that enables students to learn and develop by actively engaging in organized academic and practical activities for their communities. This method integrates these activities into the school/college curriculum, allowing students to apply their academic skills in real-world situations. In addition to acquiring knowledge, service learning also enhances critical thinking, communication, teamwork, civic responsibility, mathematical reasoning, problem-solving, public speaking, vocational skills, computer skills, scientific method application, research abilities, and analysis.

Service learning can take place in different environments, including schools, colleges, community organizations, non-profit agencies, private businesses, and government agencies. Its main objective is to educate students about democratic citizenship skills. By giving students opportunities to engage with the outside world and address the challenges they encounter, service learning fosters in young people the belief that they have the capacity to improve their communities and the world as a whole.