Originally, before the advent of the invention of paper, knowledge was solely passed on by word of mouth. And so we can trace down the importance of communication and interactivity from thousands of years ago, especially with regards to the transmission of knowledge. “Viva voce” literally means by or with the ‘living voice’, that is, by word of mouth as opposed to writing. This
means that viva is a process of elaborating on the importance of communication/ interaction for effective learning. The broadcast method of teaching has proven to be less effective than the one to one communication or discussion methods in small groups. Because as humans, it is ingrained in us, that we prefer to hold discussions for the flow of information to continue and
remain prominent in our minds. This also correlates back to evolutionary human psychology and learning theory of cognitive neuroscience.
Back and forth communication is essential to keep the process of transmission of knowledge active and alive rather than just having one person lecture and the other distracted due to short attention spans.
Viva acts as a means for interaction among two or more people leading to the exchange of knowledge. The students have to delve deep into their minds for answers and reply to the questions asked by the conductor. It has been a long-established part of the examination process. It is a process in which the student has to answer the given questions (orally) in a manner so as to demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the topic/subject being discussed.
Vivas help analyze the overall knowledge of the student with regards to the particular subject, topic, etc. The educators can then help the student in all those areas where they’re facing difficulties or finding it difficult to comprehend. In this manner, academic learning is done effectively. Hence viva is a key integral part in letting us know what the student knows and what they don’t.
The learning process at Paathshala also encompasses the hosting of viva sessions. They are conducted in the following manner:-
● Firstly, it is important to understand the type of content different subjects hold:
For inorganic, organic chemistry, and biology it’s mainly factual. In biology, there might be certain mechanisms. Mechanisms are basically logical or rationale content, but are not as robust as mathematical equations. Physical chemistry involves chapters known as surface chemistry, and solutions and colligative properties, apart from these two chapters the remainder of physical chemistry is pretty mathematical in nature- equation oriented. Physics and Math are completely numerical, logical, and puzzle-based.
● Now depending on the subject and its content the vivas need to be conducted accordingly.
For every objective question, the students will also have to explain the concepts behind the answers as to why it is the answer and not only explain as to how they got the solution but also the theory behind it.
Physics- In physics, the student would be required to give brief explanatory answers. The student giving the viva might have to picture himself/herself as the teacher and should answer in a manner of how the teacher would be explaining to the students. (This is the same for all subjective questions regarding any subject). Spatial reasoning and logic behind the answers of
the questions need to be explained during a physics viva- why was a particular equation applied and what do they understand by that?
Mathematics- In math they have to first talk about the format of the question, then about the algorithms, formulae, etc. They have to scan their brain for what type of questions are present in math, mismatch- co-relate, sometimes trial and error might need to be carried out, etc, to get to the conclusion of their answers.
Physical chemistry- It is pretty similar to mathematics since it is numerical in nature.
Inorganic-organic chemistry and biology- Both the mechanisms along with the other factual
content, need to be explained.
● The vivas can be conducted by either the parents, our educators, or our ACRMs, or another student.
Every viva conducted shall be recorded for us to analyze the progress
of the student later on. The viva conductor or the student will have to submit the recorded videos of the viva to a particular google drive folder that would be assigned specifically for the students’ submissions, which otherwise also includes their homework, assignments, etc. Tutorials of the conduction of vivas and other demo viva session videos shall be uploaded and demonstrated to every involved in the learning process.
And so in this manner, we are capable of reaching in the depths of the students’ brain, analyzing every minute detail required for guiding the student towards attaining exceptional marks in their final exams, and thus, the conduction of viva is carried out for an effective learning process, here, at Paathshala.