Claims:We claim the following from our invention,

Claim:
1. A Six sigma model for effective teaching comprising.
a) Content stage and confidence stage occupies the base level in the model which requires lower order teaching skills (LOTS).
b) Communication, critical thinking, collaboration and creativity stages occupies the higher level in the model which requires higher order teaching skills (HOTS)
2. As mentioned in claim 1, having good subject/core knowledge is the foundation for any teaching. Faculty’s confidence in their abilities can highly influence student’s growth.
3. According to claim 1, effective communication is the next important stage in the class room teaching. In order to make teaching effective one has to make conscious choices of the pedagogies that can be done with critical thinking. , Description:Field of Invention
The present invention relates to, improving the performance of the teachers by identifying the major factors affecting the teaching efficiency.
Background of the invention
What we teach and how we teach are intertwined completely. Progress of one doesn’t enhance the result of the other. There is a serious shortage of effective teachers. Expecting faculty to impart 21st century skills without changing the pedagogy will not give any desired outcome. (Christine Redecket et al. [2011], Publications office of the European Union, JRC66836).
With all educational policies focusing on transforming the fundamental basis of educational approach it is very necessary to review and revise the teaching methods followed. It is clear that there is a gap between the industry requirements and the capabilities of the graduates. Many policies have been framed on how technical education must change but little focus is laid on effective teaching. For effective teaching a teacher must know the “tricks of the trade”, skills to efficiently construct and manage classroom activities and communicate well (US20060147882A1).
Bloom’s taxonomy was originally designed for assessment, but it also laid foundation for developing the learning objectives. (David R Krathwohl et al. [2002], Theory into Practice, 41, p. 212-2180). The six sigma emphasizes on effective teaching to get the desired outcomes. The objective of this invention is to implement six sigma concepts in teaching methodology to get the desired outcomes.
Summary of the invention
In the present innovative invention, the effective teaching methodology is proposed for improving the students’ performance by implementing six sigma.
The ultimate aim is to increase the students’ performance by identifying the factors affecting conventional teaching methodology. The importance of implementing six sigma concept in teaching was found in this invention.
The six sigma asserts that continuous efforts to move towards HOTS are of vital importance and special training is needed for all the faculty to ensure that they follow the pedagogies to make teaching more effective.
Brief description of Drawing
In the figures which are illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention.
Figure 1 Schematic Illustration of Six Sigma for Effective Teaching
Detailed description of the invention
As described above the present invention relates to effective teaching by implementing six sigma. The schematic illustration of six sigma is shown in figure 1. The first two stages are called the Lower Order Teaching Skills (LOTS) which most of the faculty have. The next four stages are called the Higher Order Teaching Skills (HOTS) which need higher levels of commitment.
First C – Content: Having good content (Subject) knowledge is the foundation for any teaching. Since many other areas / pedagogies of teaching depend on the content, it is placed at the first level. Shulman provides a list of the various types of knowledge that a faculty requires to teach effectively [Shulman, L. (1987) Knowledge and teaching: foundation of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review, 7 1, 1-22]. Teachers should have good mastery of the subject. Though pedagogy is also important, it cannot makeup for insufficiency of content knowledge. With adequate content and pedagogical knowledge faculty can make their teaching interesting.
Second C – Confidence: Faculty’s confidence in their abilities can highly influence student’s growth. Research indicates that faculties with good self-confidence tend to be better planners with unbiased support to the students. The visibility of self-confidence is present from day one or over some time. Faculty with higher self-confidence “tend to be more organized, display greater skills of instruction, questioning, explaining and providing feedback and maintain student on task”. It is observed that most of the faculty have the first 2 C’s in common that are considered as Lower Order Teaching Skills (LOTS).
Third C- Communication: Effective communication is the next important stage in the class room teaching. Being a faculty it is very important for comprehending, breaking down complex information and conveying it clearly to the students. Sustaining the attention of the students requires good presentation. The way a faculty communicates with students can influence the perceptions and abilities of the students. All the four LSRW skills must be effective in order for effective teaching. Faculty with good writing skills can devise good assignments, convey the requirements for creative projects precisely. It is noted that most of the faculty lack good written skills. Effective communication of a faculty can be a model for improving students communication skills, which are one of the graduate outcomes as per ABET.
Fourth C-Critical Thinking: The next important step to progress towards Higher Order Teaching Skills is critical thinking. In order to make teaching effective one has to make conscious choices of the pedagogies that can be done with critical thinking. One of the graduate attributes given by ABET is critical thinking. “Faculty cannot push students to think more deeply unless they do so themselves”. Effective teaching takes place when subjects are taught creatively using different pedagogies. Practicing critical thinking allows one to come up with new and innovative ideas both in teaching and learning.
Fifth C – Collaboration: Engineers generally deal with products that are complex and needs multidisciplinary teams to assess, plan and collaborate. Bringing industry into classroom is beneficial since it enriches the students understanding of the subject. But not every aspect can be discussed by the industry expert due to time constraint. To overcome the barrier it is recommended that faculty dealing the subject give real time application while teaching the topics. To spark students interest faculty need to connect curriculum to real-life applications. For this collaboration is the primary step. For this the faculty need to collaborate with industry as well with other discipline faculty to understand the application of the concept.
Sixth C- Creativity: Class room creativity correlates to more involved and self confident learners. Faculty who use creativity and technology in teaching reap better results. Faculty who fuse creativity with assignments that employ transformative application of technology see better graduate outcomes. Although teaching methods that stimulate creativity may require more work, ,they give better payoff for the students.
The six sigma asserts that (a) Continuous efforts to move towards HOTS are of vital importance. (b) Special training is needed for all the faculty to ensure that they follow the pedagogies to make teaching more effective.
3 Claims & 1 Figure