The student teachers:

Assimilate the need and importance of teaching Tamil as a first language in schools.
Develop an understanding of the content area of Tamil language included in the school syllabus.
Understand the qualities of Tamil teacher and the need of recurrent training.
Understand the aims and objectives of language learning.
Understand the need for a scientific approach to the teaching of Tamil so as to develop Tamil instruction in a meaningful way.
Analyse the language skills and their interrelationship.
Realise the implications of the linguistic and psychological principles of language learning.
Effectively teach the vocabulary structures, poems, prose lessons and develop the students' skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing in high school classes.

The place of the mother tongue in curriculum - aims and values; Mother tongue as the medium of thought and communication of ideas, emotions and experiences for development of imagination and aesthetic taste, as the key to social and cultural heritage; vocational and moral values.

Objectives of teaching Tamil - concept of objective-based instruction - Instructional objectives and specification of Tamil language -General methods of teaching language - Observation and its values - lesson plans and its importance.

Methods of teaching the mother tongue -traditional and modern method: lecture method, rote memorization method, project method, heuristic method, play-way, inductive and deductive methods, supervised study, dialogue method, programmed learning, computer-assisted learning.

(1) Listening: - definition -learning by listening - development of listening habits - reading a passage and developing comprehension questions -lingua phone and radio listening as well as T.V. news and lectures.

(1) Oral work: Importance of clear and correct speech in all stages; special attention to correct pronunciation.
Stage (i): Conversation topics of interest, story telling, dialogue, dramatisation, use of pictures.
Stage (ii): Dialogues, narration, dramatisation, description, discussion.
Stage (iii): Debates, discussions, speeches, etc.

(2) Reading: - Creating interest in reading, choice of books, suitable topics
in connection with other subjects, illustration etc. - role of humour.
Stage (i): Prose and poetry lessons - introducing literary pieces, extensive reading, non-detailed textbooks - their selection and treatment; class-and school-libraries.
Stage (ii): The teaching of literature; style, figures of speech, poetic diction, rhyme, rhythm, etc; drama, short story, novel, etc. for literary expression.
(iii) Expression: The basis of accurate and effective expressions with the study of grammar, idiom; the relative importance of each - different situations of expression.
Devices for reading - Silent reading and paced silent reading - initiation to extensive reading - intensive and extensive reading - training, skimming and skipping literary work - training in the use of reference books -further training in effective loud reading.

(3) Writing: (i) Writing short paragraphs on different subjects (ii) Writing reports of what they have seen, experienced and witnessed (iii) Writing while listening (iv) Writing with speed (v) Significance of composition (vi) Precis writing

Aim of teaching grammar; formal and functional grammar; deductive and inductive methods; inquiry method of teaching grammar; analysis and synthesis of sentences; transformation of sentences; detailed study of punctuation. - The place of grammar in language study - universal grammar.

The student teachers:

Apply the strategies of teaching and evaluation of Tamil language in actual classroom situations.
Acquire the new issues related to the methodology of teaching and evaluation.
Acquire skill in using audio-visual aids and language laboratory.
Develop the skill to collect, prepare and use proper teaching aids.
Develop the ability to organize co-curricular activities and community resources for promoting Tamil language.
Understand the principles of preparing curriculum for Tamil language and textbooks.
Critically analyze the syllabus, prescribed for standards VIII to X.
Compare the traditional methods of teaching language and new methods of teaching.
Prepare Lesson Plans, Unit Plans and Year Plans - Format of different plans - prepare micro teaching lessons for development of teaching competency.
Understand maxims of language teaching.
Locate the place of bilingualism in teaching Tamil in Kerala.

Development of linguistic abilities; enriching of vocabulary (passive and active); knowledge of the structure of grammar and idioms of the language; the language as a vehicle of thought and means of expression; effective use of the language; knowledge and appreciation of different styles leading to the acquisition of a style of one's own.
Development of abilities in silent reading and reading aloud. - Development of literary taste by extensive reading - introduction to the history of Tamil literature. - Extension of the world of ideas and development culture.

First Stage: Comprehension, retention and reproduction of sounds, letters, words, sentences and ideas.

Second Stage: How to teach different types of prose lessons -methods of explaining the text; enriching pupils' vocabulary - detailed exposition; various devices of,explaining the meaning of words, phrases, synonyms and antonyms; stress on linguistic and literary peculiarities.

Third Stage: Intensive study of the textbook, different types of prose lessons -Methods suited to the teaching of each - Essays, narrative composition, dialogue, drama, etc.; analysis of the lessons -Subject-matter and language – Emphasis on language; objectives and specifications; Learning activities; Evaluation covering content; linguistic abilities - Methods and strategies for learning Tamil.

Aims and methods of teaching poetry at various stages -prosody and poetics as a means to appreciation of poetry - appreciation of beauty of sound - rhythm diction, ideas, emotions, imagery, expression, suggestion. In the lower classes, location and identification of these several features of poetic composition may alone be attempted. In the higher classes pupils may be trained to give expression to their appreciation and thus lead to literary criticism. In the first stage, training in musical recitation suited to simple forms of poetry and in the second stage appreciation of poetry and composition suggested.
Prosody and poetics as means to the appreciation of poetry metre as indications of the style of recitation and Alankaram as beauty of expression giving rise to vividness of ideas and depth of emotions, Metre as expression of emotions.
Exercise for aiding and testing comprehension and appreciation; linguistic training to be kept out of poetry classes.
Recitation according to the style of each metre. Musical recitation, chorus recitation in the lower classes - Dramatic dance presentation of poems.

A collection of famous saying from Tamil poets - one ancient, one medieval and one modern.
Preparation of an Anthology in poetry for one of the high school classes.
One critical appreciation of poetry in any period.

Definition, aims and methods of teaching drama - poetry form as well as prose form - Isainatakam -beauty of form and colour.

Aim - training for independent and extensive reading - methods of teaching non-detailed text in the lower and higher classes - characteristics of; non-detailed textbook.

Aims and general principles
Guided and free composition -oral work to precede written work -ideas to be developed and organised through discussions, choice of subjects to suit the pupils' interest; stages of development and environment.
Type of- narrative, descriptive - paraphrase, expansion, summarising, letter writing, precis, essay etc. Model to be shown and discussed -correlation of composition with intensive and extensive reading with detailed and non-detailed text - library work, preparation of class and school magazines.
Correction of exercises - mistakes to be tabulated - common mistakes to be pointed out and corrected in the class and individual mistakes outside the class. How to avoid spelling mistakes -Applauding good composition so as to encourage the pupils.
Types and topics for various stages - preparation of personal magazines, class magazine and school magazine.

1. Cognitive models - Gagne's model of teaching Advance Organizer model Information Processing model - Concept Attainment model
2. Thinking models

Inductive models - Deductive models - Inquiry training model - Principles of language testing - Characteristics of a good test - Types of questions - Types of tests - Achievement test - Diagnostic test.