T

he art of learning comes by self-observation and self-discovery. There is no magical power to make students learn, it's their willingness and interest that lead them toward a rich and smooth learning. Teachers are the ones who can work out miracles and decide whether to make a heaven or hell out of the topic he or she is dealing with.

Learning can be a challenge, be it in any form or in any situation. Any classroom consists of a creamy layer that has a group of students with remarkable ability to absorb any information, but it also has a set of students with a very short concentration span. It all depends on the teachers how to engage each and every student for any particular topic by accepting new learning processes. A teacher needs to explore the potentials and the hidden talents of each and every student and let the student choose his or her own learning strategies.

Taking into account the education psychology of individual differences, students should be given an opportunity to express their own way of learning and choose their own way of presenting it.

Firsthand experience always attracts students' attention and interest. Before introducing any new topic or subject, we should have a well-structured plan with activities. Students easily lose interest if the teacher doesn't have thorough knowledge of a subject or if there is a lack of planning. Teacher's enthusiasm and personal interest works as a catalyst in students' learning process. Introducing a topic with an activity acts like a fertilizer to their curiosity and prompts their inquiry, which further leads to strengthening their interest and research.

After this, a teacher should take a backseat and just lead the inquiry. As rightly stated by Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher: You cannot teach a man anything. You can only help him discover it within himself.

Group discussions and teamwork always help to get full involvement of the class and gives them a sense of responsibility.

By relating the ideas and the concepts to daily life makes it easy for them to prioritize their importance and contribution to society.

This leads to a better inquiry-based learning. Each and every question asked by a student has to be handled with care as every question prompted by them leads to the construction of their personality. A discouraging look, a negative answer or a discouraging gesture kills the quest for knowledge and blocks their academic growth.

Motivation and appreciation play key roles in encouraging students. Regular feedback encourages students to learn how well they are doing and where they need to focus more. Teachers should make students feel important and make them feel that their contribution is valuable.

While giving a suggestion to a student regarding his work, teachers should be more specific in relation to the topic or their performance; students easily get discouraged when the comments are negative and when certain things are imposed on them. A student is like a sapling that has to be nurtured; their growth depends on the way nourishment is provided by their teachers, who are their gardeners.