Most educators want to use the latest teaching methods. They look for new and innovative ways to bring content into the classroom. They want the students to be excited about learning.
Educators give purpose to a project, provide time for discussions, and give feedback as needed. They assess and reflect on the learning.
Teaching Techniques
Techniques and methods used by educators:
• Individual White Boards – This allows students to explore various methods. The boards can be wiped clean for a new idea.
• Notebooks – These enable students to see previous work.
• Student Editing – Students like to find mistakes made by a teacher. Concepts are learned through the discovery of errors.
• Pair Share – Students love to talk to their neighbor.
• Flexible Fridays – Friday is used for group or individual help as needed.
• Real World Activities – Students engage with the real world. They analyze what happens in other parts of the world.
• Project Based Learning – Students explore real world or community based problems. They develop content knowledge while they discover possible solutions.
• Guided Inquiry – Students are given a question to explore. They use text and experiments. Teachers facilitate the process through asking questions.
• Flipped Classroom – Topics are introduced at home instead of in the classroom. Class time is used for activities.
• Gaming – This method is mostly used in elementary and preschool. A variety of games are either teacher or student generated and used.
• Social Media – Students use Twitter, blogging and #Hashtags in class for communication.
Educators need professional development on research based teaching methods. One teaching method is not better than the other. Each student has individual learning needs, interests and styles. Educators have a style that fits them best.
Teaching methods have evolved in the last decade. No longer do teachers stand in the front of the classroom and lecture. Today students are encouraged to be involved in the lesson. Attention is focused on curiosity and desire. The choice of teaching methods depends on what fits the educator, the student, and the parent.
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