Science and technology are playing an important role in our lives. They have become

an integral part of our social and cultural life. Various activities are controlled and

governed by science. Science education equips students with the knowledge and

skills to navigate and thrive in a technology-driven world. Teaching is a process that

facilitates learning. Effective teaching is based on some important principles. These

principles act as a guiding force to make the teaching-learning process effective.

Here some general principles of teaching science are-

Principle of direction: A principle of goals and objectives is the most

important principle of teaching because objectives give direction to our

teaching. It states the purpose and tells what the learner will be able to do

after these teaching acts.

Principle of Learning by Doing: This principle states that self-learning is the

best way to learn. Teachers must opt for engaging and self-activities to

enhance the learning outcome.

Principle of interest and linking with life: By generating interest among the

learners, the effectiveness of the teaching-learning process can be increased.

This interest can be created by giving real-life examples and situations to

students while learning.

Principle of making provision for individual differences: Every student is

unique in terms of intelligence, abilities, attitudes and socio-economic

background. Every child is different from each other. The teacher should keep

in mind individual differences while teaching.

Principle of selection: The scope of knowledge is expanding every single day.

The teacher should be able to pick contents that can be relevant, concise and

updated to the learners’ objectives.

Principle of planning: Every teacher has certain time-bound objectives, and

hence teaching should be systematic, to make optimum use of resources

within the time limit. Planning includes lesson plans, teaching aids, strategies

and methods of teaching.

Principle of creation and recreation: This principle is a must to make the

classroom environment more conducive to humor and creativity.

Principle of division and revision: To make learning easier, the subject matter

should be divided into such units and there should be a link between the units.

So that learners can understand easily. But for enduring that knowledge

revision is needed.

Principle of active participation and involvement: teaching and learning must

be child centeredness so that children can actively participate in learning. It

helps in developing self-confidence among the learners.

Some psychological principles should be followed by the teachers. These are as

follows

Principle of Readiness: This principle state that a teacher should pain he is on

her instructions on teaching as per the psychological and mental level of the

people. He or she should keep in mind the majority level of the student to

understand the concept in a better way.

Principle of Attention: To be successful in the teaching-learning process a

teacher should use appropriate stimulus variation to fetch the attention of the

student. This wholly depends on interest. Hence, a teacher should try to

identify the interest of the students in order to set attention and have a better

learning outcome.

Principle of Motivation: Motivation helps children to learn in a better way.

When a child is motivated during the learning process, half of the battle is won.

Hence, a teacher should create a situation via which a sense of motivation

and interest can be inculcated among students.

Principle of Group Dynamics: Teachers should follow diverse methods of

teaching. Understanding group dynamics can help a teacher to synergize the

efforts of students in a better way. The project method is an appropriate method for inculcating desirable group behavior among students. It

produces a democratic climate in the classroom.

Principle of multi-sensory approach: It has been evident from past research

that using the multi-sensory approach in teaching better learning outcomes can be generated. A teacher should focus on using different teaching aids like

projectors, Motion Pictures, printed materials and audio aid than simple

blackboard teaching to make learning interesting.

Principle of Tolerance, Cooperation and Praise: In order to create a good

socio-emotional environment in the class a teacher must use the principle of praise cooperation. There is a need to appreciate the feelings and ideas of the

students. A good teacher needs to be tolerant towards the students’

responses.

Hence, effective teaching is based on some well-defined principles.

Understanding the principles of teaching can make the teaching-learning process

effective through diverse instructions and teaching aids. They help teachers to

work on a student-centered approach to teaching