Teaching strategies.

Effective and Efficient Teaching Strategies

1. Cooperative Learning: The Jigsaw

Cooperative learning gives students the opportunity to work with others and see different points of view. Research shows that students learn more effectively when working together rather than apart, and it is also known to improve self-confidence in students. The jigsaw technique is especially effective because each student is responsible for one another’s learning, and students find out really quick that each group member has something equally important to contribute to the group in order to make the task a successful one. Students are exposed to and use many skills throughout this strategy: Communication, problem-solving skills, cognition, and critical thinking all of which are essential for a successful academic career.

2. Inquiry-Based Instruction

Inquiry-based learning implies involving students in the learning process so they will have a deeper understanding of what they are learning. We are born with the instinct to inquire, as babies we use our senses to make connections to our surroundings. Inquiry-based learning strategies are used to engage students to learn by asking questions, investigating, exploring, and reporting what they see. This process leads students to a deeper understanding of the content that they are learning, which helps them be able to apply these concepts they are learning in new situations.  In order for our students to be able to be successful in the 21^stcentury, they need to be able to answer complex questions and develop solutions for these problems. The Inquiry-based learning strategy is a great tool to do just that.

3. Differentiated Instruction: Learning Stations

Differentiated instruction strategies allow teachers to engage each student by accommodating to their specific learning style. According to Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory, every person has a different mind, and therefore each person learns and understands information differently. Differentiating instruction offers a way to meet all students’ needs. One helpful strategy to differentiate instruction is learning stations. Learning stations can easily be designed to enable students with diverse learning needs. Teachers can set up each station where students will be able to complete the same task, but at the level and style that is specifically designed for them.

4. Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers are a simple and effective tool to help students brainstorm and organize their thoughts and ideas in a visual presentation. Simply put, they help students organize information so it is easier for them to comprehend. Graphic organizers can be used for any lesson; to structure writing, brainstorming, planning, problem solving, or decision-making. The most popular organizers are the Venn diagram, concept map, KWL chart, and T Chart.

5. Utilizing Technology in the Classroom

Integrating technology into the classroom is a great way to empower students to stay connected in this technological era. Technology-rich lessons have been found to keep students motivated and engaged longer. Some examples of utilizing technology in the classroom is to create web-based lessons or a Web quest, multimedia presentations such as a video, animation, or some type of graphic, utilizing a tablet or an iPad, taking your class on a virtual field trip, participating in an online research project, or even creating a class website. Any of these technology integration strategies will have a positive impact on student learning.

An experienced teacher knows that not every teaching strategy that you use will be an effective one. There will be some hits and misses, and depending upon your teaching style, and the way your students learn, you will figure out which strategies work and which do not. It may take some trial and error, but it doesn’t hurt to try them all.

 New Teaching Methods Improve the Educational Process

 The traditional “chalk and talk” method of teaching that’s persisted for hundreds of years is now acquiring inferior results when compared with the more modern and revolutionary teaching methods that are available for use in schools today. Greater student interaction is encouraged, the boundaries of authority are being broken down, and a focus on enjoyment over grades is emphasized. As teachers, it’s necessary to be able to teach and remain engaging. It puts a greater level of responsibility on creating lesson plans that truly work. Here are three teaching methods that are making an impact.

Spaced Learning :Spaced Learning is a learning method in which the condensed learning content is repeated three times, with two 10-minute breaks during which activities such as physical activities are performed by the students – I think, that PE and lessons can be combined. Spaced learning involves encouraging students to quickly switch through activities. For example, providing ten minutes of knowledge on the nervous system with a PowerPoint presentation and then having 15 minutes of basketball would be the way to get the better grades. It helps them to create the connections that they need to actually remember the knowledge. Furthermore, it has the additional benefit of allowing people to relax. If they are compressing sections of the syllabus into such small sections then there’s no time to worry. It’s all about the learning before moving on to another session of activity.

Flexible Fridays: Sometimes conventional lesson blocks just don’t work as every student is different and they all have their problematic subjects. The concept of Flexible Fridays is that an in-depth session of a subject can be acquired by simply having a whole day of mathematics or some other subject. At Flexible Friday’s lessons a teacher try to help each student to study and learn what is the most difficult for him/her personally. Somebody repeats, somebody learns. It makes it more convenient for students as now they can focus on one thing while in school. It means that students don’t have a breaking point by spending hours struggling with a subject along at home.

Teachers also find it easier as they can keep their lesson plans and simply go over them again with a more personal touch. Flexible Friday lessons are more in-touch with students and gives focused study time that can help students grasps difficult concepts.

Teachers are also able to aid students by simply having fast-track weeks. Having a whole week of mathematics or English can help students to get through the subjects in a shorter amount of time.

Engagement: Under a new teaching method called “engagement” students are urged to engage with the real world, analyze everything that happens in different life spheres (not only internship but also economical, business, social spheres, etc Instead of conventional teaching methods, students were taken to visit local businesses where they were able to witness how the knowledge that they were learning applied to the real world.

New methods of teaching have the purpose to improve the quality of education and involve students in educational process. Innovations mean a progress and development.

1. Simulation

What is Simulation Teaching?

Simulated teaching is the technique of learning and training, which develops the ability in an individual regarding problem solving behavior. It has been defined as a role playing strongly in which learner performs the role in an artificially created environment The word 'Simulated' means to imitate exactly. Interest is aroused in the pupils through 'Role playing' while teaching. This skill is used by teachers and pupils in the classroom by playing some role without any preliminary training i.e. extempore or without any rehearsal. So, it can be safely concluded that simulation is a form of Role playing wherein pupil-teachers display this skill spontaneously.

In the simulated teaching method, the pupils are only acquainted with the conditions. Therefore they discuss and go ahead with the subject matter. Groups of four or five pupils are made in such a method. Simulation in teaching has recently entered the field of education. It is used at different levels of instruction. The teacher is trained practically and also imparted theoretical learning. The pupil teacher needs to be trained in simulated situations before sending him to the school for teaching practice. He has to play the role of teaching in artificially created environment. After that he should be sent to the school. In this way the teacher will be able to teach in an excellent manner. Simulated play is an area in which specific communication skill is developed or educational process is carried on in artificially created situations. Simulation skill which is a form of role playing is used in the subject of history science and literature. Imitation is done or some role in play with the help of various teachers.

Significance of Simulation Teaching Dr. Stone has pointed out the significance of this method in the following words. "Simulation on techniques for all their artificiality can often be preferable to putting students in classroom to learn on their own or lecturing to them in classroom. In other spheres, pilots trained in the artificial circumstances of the link trainer or driving schools have their traffic simulators and the medical students their cadavers. And this is eminently sensible. By the same token classroom simulation removes the risk from the first steps of a new type and enables him to come to terms with demand of complex skill learning without the stress of the real situation. At the same time it is to be preferred to merely 'telling' the student, for much the same reason as it is better to allow beginning pilot to practice operating the dummy controls rather than telling him how to do it when he finds himself in the air".

Therefore, it is clear that a pupil cannot become successful teacher till he acquires the teaching skill though 'role playing' in the classroom e.g. soldiers are put to face and fight artificial war. Stone has cited the example of a pilot under training who is made to face and pass through all the conditions, which he has to face in the air in artificially aircraft model in Air Force Training centre. "The pilot should be this, should do that" has no practical value. He is trained to understand and to control his problems in artificial air craft model. Same is the position of a teacher. Simulation in teaching pals a great role, instead of telling him does and do not he should be put to simulation or role playing so that he could prove to be a successful teacher. Therefore, following the arts of simulation in teaching. Solo-acting Mimic, Development of expression, Development of all aspects, Emotional organization, Bodily expression.

Advantages of Simulated Teaching

Cruick Shank has described the following advantages of simulated Teaching,

1. Student-teachers are helped in a variety of ways through simulated training. It helps in developing self-confidence among them.
2. This technique helps in linking theory with practice of teaching.
3. Student-teachers are given an opportunity to study and analyze critical teaching problems.
4. Student-teacher understands the behavioral problems of the classroom and develops insight to encounter them.
5. Simulated training provides feedback to student teachers to modify their behavior.
6. It helps in developing social skills like social manners and etiquettes among the student-teachers.
7. There is self-monitoring in simulated-training. It reinforces the student-teachers for the desired behavior.
8. It helps in developing efficiency in student- teachers and in predicting consequences of teaching before going to actual classroom
9. As a result of role-playing, it helps in the development of critical-thinking in student-teachers.

Disadvantages of Simulated Teaching Method

1. In simulation role-playing is done in artificial situations which are un-psychological and impracticable.
2. Simulation is like socio-drama or sort of gaming, which reduces seriousness of learning.
3. No emphasis is given on teaching skills or content-taught only the social behavior is considered.
4. It requires the supervision by training personnel which are generally not available or not devoted to their duties.
5. Simulation attempts to portray the real situations in simple ways, which in general, are very complex and difficult.

2. Team Teaching

Team teaching involves a group of instructors working purposefully, regularly, and cooperatively to help a group of students of any age learn. Teachers together set goals for a course, design a syllabus, prepare individual lesson plans, teach students, and evaluate the results. They share insights, argue with one another, and perhaps even challenge students to decide which approach is better.

Teams can be single-discipline, interdisciplinary, or school-within-a-school teams that meet with a common set of students over an extended period of time. New teachers may be paired with veteran teachers. Innovations are encouraged, and modifications in class size, location, and time are permitted. Different personalities, voices, values, and approaches spark interest, keep attention, and prevent boredom.

The team-teaching approach allows for more interaction between teachers and students. Faculty evaluates students on their achievement of the learning goals; students evaluate faculty members on their teaching proficiency. Emphasis is on student and faculty growth, balancing initiative and shared responsibility, specialization and broadening horizons, the clear and interesting presentation of content and student development, democratic participation and common expectations, and cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes. This combination of analysis, synthesis, critical thinking, and practical applications can be done on all levels of education, from kindergarten through graduate school.

Working as a team, teachers model respect for differences, interdependence, and conflict-resolution skills. Team members together set the course goals and content, select common materials such as texts and films, and develop tests and final examinations for all students. They set the sequence of topics and supplemental materials. They also give their own interpretations of the materials and use their own teaching styles. The greater the agreement on common objectives and interests, the more likely that teaching will be interdependent and coordinated.

Teaching periods can be scheduled side by side or consecutively. For example, teachers of two similar classes may team up during the same or adjacent periods so that each teacher may focus on that phase of the course that he or she can best handle. Students can sometimes meet all together, sometimes in small groups supervised by individual teachers or teaching assistants, or they can work singly or together on projects in the library, laboratory, or fieldwork. Teachers can be at different sites, linked by video-conferencing, satellites, or the Internet.

Breaking out of the taken-for-granted single-subject, single-course, single-teacher pattern encourages other innovations and experiments. For example, students can be split along or across lines of sex, age, culture, or other interests, then recombined to stimulate reflection. Remedial programs and honors sections provide other attractive opportunities to make available appropriate and effective curricula for students with special needs or interests. They can address different study skills and learning techniques. Team teaching can also offset the danger of imposing ideas, values, and mindsets on minorities or less powerful ethnic groups. Teachers of different backgrounds can culturally enrich one another and students.

Advantages

Students do not all learn at the same rate. Periods of equal length are not appropriate for all learning situations. Educators are no longer dealing primarily with top-down transmission of the tried and true by the mature and experienced teacher to the young, immature, and inexperienced pupil in the single-subject classroom. Schools are moving toward the inclusion of another whole dimension of learning: the lateral transmission to every sentient member of society of what has just been discovered, invented, created, manufactured, or marketed. For this, team members with different areas of expertise are invaluable.  Of course, team teaching is not the only answer to all problems plaguing teachers, students, and administrators. It requires planning, skilled management, willingness to risk change and even failure, humility, open-mindedness, imagination, and creativity. But the results are worth it.

Teamwork improves the quality of teaching as various experts approach the same topic from different angles: theory and practice, past and present, different genders or ethnic backgrounds. Teacher strengths are combined and weaknesses are remedied. Poor teachers can be observed, critiqued, and improved by the other team members in a nonthreatening, supportive context. The evaluation done by a team of teachers will be more insightful and balanced than the introspection and self-evaluation of an individual teacher.

Working in teams spreads responsibility, encourages creativity, deepens friendships, and builds community among teachers. Teachers complement one another. They share insights, propose new approaches, and challenge assumptions. They learn new perspectives and insights, techniques and values from watching one another. Students enter into conversations between them as they debate, disagree with premises or conclusions, raise new questions, and point out consequences. Contrasting viewpoints encourage more active class participation and independent thinking from students, especially if there is team balance for gender, race, culture, and age. Team teaching is particularly effective with older and underprepared students when it moves beyond communicating facts to tap into their life experience.

The team cuts teaching burdens and boosts morale. The presence of another teacher reduces student-teacher personality problems. In an emergency one team member can attend to the problem while the class goes on. Sharing in decision-making bolsters self-confidence. As teachers see the quality of teaching and learning improve, their self-esteem and happiness grow. This aids in recruiting and keeping faculty.

Disadvantages

Team teaching is not always successful. Some teachers are rigid personality types or may be wedded to a single method. Some simply dislike the other teachers on the team. Some do not want to risk humiliation and discouragement at possible failures. Some fear they will be expected to do more work for the same salary. Others are unwilling to share the spotlight or their pet ideas or to lose total control.

Team teaching makes more demands on time and energy. Members must arrange mutually agreeable times for planning and evaluation. Discussions can be draining and group decisions take longer. Rethinking the courses to accommodate the team-teaching method is often inconvenient.

Opposition may also come from students, parents, and administrators who may resist change of any sort. Some students flourish in a highly structured environment that favors repetition. Some are confused by conflicting opinions. Too much variety may hinder habit formation.

Salaries may have to reflect the additional responsibilities undertaken by team members. Team leaders may need some form of bonus. Such costs could be met by enlarging some class sizes. Nonprofessional staff members could take over some responsibilities.

All things being considered, team teaching so enhances the quality of learning that it is sure to spread widely in the future.

The learning outcome is the same for all students; however, the instructional methodology is different. Team taught lessons that are well planned exhibit an invisible flow of instruction with no prescribed division of authority. Using a team teaching strategy, both teachers are actively involved in the lesson. Team Teaching where the members of the team co-teach alongside one another and share responsibility for planning, teaching, and assessing the progress of all students in the class. Some co-teaching approaches (e.g., complementary and team teaching) require greater commitment to, comfort with, and skill in collaborative planning and role release (i.e., transferring one’s specialized instructional responsibilities over to someone else). It is recommended that collaborative teams select among the co-teaching approaches, as needed, based up the curriculum demands of a unit or lesson and student learning characteristics, needs, and interests.

3. Problem solving

Problem-solving is a tool, a skill, and a process. As a tool is helps you solve a problem or achieve a goal. As a skill you can use it repeatedly throughout your life. And, as a process it involves a number of steps.

It is not unusual for problems to arise when you are working towards a goal and encounter obstacles along the way. Students usually have many and varied goals, both related to school and to other areas of their lives, and it is likely that you will encounter barriers to your success at times. As these barriers are encountered, problem-solving strategies can be utilized to help you overcome the obstacle and achieve your goal. With each use of problem-solving strategies, these skills become more refined and integrated so that eventually their use becomes second nature.

4. Role-play

Role-play is any speaking activity when you either put yourself into somebody else’s shoes, or when you stay in your own shoes but put yourself into an imaginary situation!

Imaginary people – The joy of role-play is that students can ‘become’ anyone they like for a short time! The President, the Queen, a millionaire, a pop star the choice is endless! Students can also take on the opinions of someone else. ‘For and against’ debates can be used and the class can be split into those who are expressing views in favor and those who are against the theme.

Imaginary situations – Functional language for a multitude of scenarios can be activated and practiced through role-play. ‘At the restaurant ‘checking in at the airport’, ‘looking for lost property’ are all possible role-plays.

Why use role-play?
It is widely agreed that learning takes place when activities are engaging and memorable. Jeremy Harmer advocates the use of role-play for the following reasons:

It’s fun and motivating. Quieter students get the chance to express themselves in a more forthright way. The world of the classroom is broadened to include the outside world – thus offering a much wider range of language opportunities .In addition to these reasons, students who will at some point travel to an English-speaking country are given a chance to rehearse their English in a safe environment. Real situations can be created and students can benefit from the practice. Mistakes can be made with no drastic consequences.

5. Brainstorming:

Brainstorming is a large or small group activity that encourages students to focus on a topic and contribute to the free flow of ideas. The teacher may begin a brainstorming session by posing a question or a problem, or by introducing a topic. Students then express possible answers, relevant words and ideas. Contributions are accepted without criticism or judgment and usually summarized on a whiteboard by the teacher or a scribe as the ideas are called out. These ideas are then examined, usually in a open class Discussion format.

Brainstorming is a process one goes through in an effort to generate ideas, let the creative juices flow, and problem solve. It can be applied to a variety of activities including conflict resolution, writing, developing a search on the Internet, and figuring out math problems. Brainstorming is an effective way to think of new ideas individually or within a group. First, the steps are outlined with a group in mind. Second, ideas for brainstorming are presented with an individual in mind. Follow the steps in the group strategy, but use the individual strategies to widen your scope for ideas, creativity, and solutions.

How to Brainstorming?

Write down every thought and idea. Every thought and idea has value. Record thoughts and ideas very quickly. Keep things moving with a rapid flow of ideas?  Do not interrupt the flow to judge any thoughts or ideas. Record all thoughts even if they seem off topic, unrelated, or even dumb.  Remember that ideas that do not seem worth recording might prove to be important after all. At the very least, they may lead to other valuable ideas.  Brainstorming can be done alone, but the more people involved in the process, the more ideas will be generated. Keep brainstorming until the ideas slow down. Take a deep breath, pause, and be ready to record some more ideas. They will still trickle in for a while.  When the ideas finally seem to slow to a stop, look over what was generated. Use the best ideas

Why use brainstorming?

By expressing ideas and listening to what others say, students adjust their previous knowledge or understanding, accommodate new information and increase their levels of awareness. Brainstorming main purposes are to:

Focus students' attention on a particular topic ,Generate a quantity of ideas ,teach acceptance and respect for individual differences, encourage learners to take risks in sharing their ideas and opinions, demonstrate to students that their knowledge and their language abilities are valued and accepted ,introduce the practice of idea collection prior to beginning tasks such as writing or solving problems ,provide an opportunity for students to share ideas and expand their existing knowledge by building on each other's contributions.

Common issues using brainstorming

Initially, some students may be reluctant to speak out in a group setting, but brainstorming is an open sharing activity which encourages all students to participate. Teachers should emphasize active listening during these sessions. And should be encouraged to:

Listen carefully and politely to what their classmates contribute, tell the speakers or the teacher when they cannot hear others clearly and, think of different suggestions or responses to share.

Effective brainstorming: how do I achieve it?

 In a small or large group select a leader and a scribe (or this may be the teacher).  Define the problem or idea to be brainstormed. Make sure everyone is clear on the topic being explored. Set up the rules for the session. They should include: letting the leader have control, allowing everyone to contribute, suspending evaluation of ideas until all ideas are gathered

Recording each answer, unless it repeats, setting a time limit and stopping when that time is up.  Start the brainstorming. Have the leader select members of the group to share their answers. The scribe should write down all responses, if possible so that everyone can see them. Make sure not to evaluate or criticize any answers until the brainstorming is complete.  Once you have finished brainstorming, go through the results and begin evaluating the responses. This can be done quickly by a show of hands to rank the ideas.

 Important for the teacher to:

Establish a warm, supportive environment, emphasize that a quantity rather than the quality of ideas is the goal, and that it's okay for students to think outside the box, discourage evaluative or critical comments from peers during the ideas-gathering phase, encourage and provide opportunity for all students to participate .initially emphasize the importance of listening to expressed ideas, and model printing and recording of the ideas, then read each contribution to the group.

How to adapt brainstorming?

Use this procedure to plan a classroom activity such as a research project, a field trip, a concert or a party. Groups and individuals can use brainstorming to generate pre-writing ideas for projects or assignments. Categorize brainstormed words, ideas and suggestions. Use brainstormed words and sentences for exploring discipline-based jargon.

6. Survey

Teaching students how to design a survey can be tricky because the process is deceptively easy. Students think, “Hey, I have taken tons of surveys before. How hard can it be?” They then proceed to break every rule of good design that you discussed in class.

A simple, quick, yet effective activity to teach good survey design is to have your students take a survey that is horribly designed. I tell my students that I want no talking and then pass out a survey about internet usage (download it here). Every question on the survey is either double barreled, leading, biased, or has response options that make no sense or overlap. After a few minutes I tell them to stop and ask what they think of the survey. They uniformly say it’s awful. Students really like this activity. Typically they laugh out loud when reading the questions. I have them pair up and identify everything that is wrong with the questions. As a class we go through each question picking it apart. We then formulate new questions that don’t violate any of the basic survey design rules.

The activity is also beneficial because students get to take home an example of what not to do that they can compare their work against when creating their own survey. Pedagogically I really like this activity because it has the students playing an active role in their education. Also, the “bad survey” is formatted well so you can tell your students that their survey should look like the example you gave them, but with much better questions.

References

https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/printpdf/608

Mayer, R. E. (1992). Thinking, problem solving, cognition. (2nd Ed.). New York: W. H. Freeman and Company.

Schooler, J. W., Ohlsson, S., & Brooks, K. (1993). Thoughts beyond words: When language overshadows insight. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 122, 166-183.

http://www.goldsim.com/Web/Introduction/Simulation/

DAVIS, HAROLD S. 1967. Team Teaching Bibliography. Cleveland, OH: The Educational Research Council of America.