With so many topics to be taught by different kinds of teachers, there is no single strategy that guarantees success in the classroom. Different teachers use different teaching methods in various situations and for different topics. However, there are certain evidence-based teaching approaches that can improve the effectiveness of your teaching. Most especially, your classes should be interesting and captivating as far as your content delivery is concerned. Here are the ten most effective teaching strategies that can keep your learners active and well educated by the end of your class.
1) Class Discussions
At the top of the list is class discussions. In a competency-based system of learning, teachers are mere facilitators of learning. As a teacher, you no longer need to use the lecture method to deliver content to your students. A student-centered approach is needed whereby the learner is given the opportunity to drive their own learning through discussions with other learners. The role of the teacher in class discussions is to give students the topics and questions to discuss and guide them during the discussion. This helps students to concentrate and apply what they learn in real-life situations.
2) Inquiry-based teaching approach
Teachers can also use the inquiry method where students are encouraged to ask questions related to the course topic and work together to solve problems. Encourage learners to be inquisitive, and that will drive their creativity to another level. The aim of inquiry-based learning is for students to discover ideas and concepts on their own by being inquisitive. It encourages their curiosity and helps them to apply theories learned in class to their problems.
3) Student-led teaching
This method involves inviting a student to become the teacher for a specific section of the lesson. Students may also team teach. Each group discusses a topic, which they will then have the responsibility of teaching the topic to the rest of the class. This way, learners become active in class and learn things that they might not have otherwise learned.
4) Modelling
In this approach, the teacher shows the students what to do. The students will then copy exactly what the student does. This is based on the social learning theory of learning whereby students learn by observing what other people are doing. As a teacher, you should model how you expect your learners to do certain things such as completing an assignment. This method is particularly appropriate for science lab lessons where the teacher demonstrates what needs to be done to the students.
5) Identifying and fixing mistakes
Another effective teaching method is to address common mistakes. This is particularly useful in teaching languages. For instance, a teacher can write common mistakes that students often make when answering vocabulary questions or writing common spelling mistakes. This way, students learn the mistakes that they need to avoid.
6) Giving Feedback
Providing feedback is not a teaching method per se, but it is an important aspect of effective teaching. In whichever method you use as a teacher, you should always provide constructive feedback to your students. This involves identifying the strengths and weaknesses of students to reinforce positive behavior and help them correct their mistakes.
7) Cooperative Learning
Cooperating learning occurs when students learn together as a group. In this case, the teacher should prepare activities that will help learners to work together and share ideas. Apart from learning course content from their peers, they also develop problem-solving skills, creative skills, and communication skills.
8) Presentations
The use of graphic presentations on a whiteboard or using projectors can be one of the most engaging teaching methods a teacher should use. This teaching method is highly effective because it keeps learners active and interested in learning. The visual and audio aspects of a presentation makes the class more interesting and capture the attention of learners.
9) Visualization
Another effective teaching strategy is the use of visual aids such as pictures, tables, charts, and graphs. Whatever lesson you teach, students learn more effectively by looking at a visual representation of concepts. It makes the lesson easier to master and also easier to memorize. For instance, when teaching parts of speech, you can tabulate the different parts of speech with their examples to show clear distinctions between each one of them.
10) Use technology
Technology is inevitable nowadays. It has made learning easier at all levels of education. Computers, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones are becoming a necessary part of our society. We can use them to our advantage as teachers by giving our students the chance to access digital content. Students can access free content online through Google search and mobile apps. Some of them include images and videos which encourage audiovisual learning.
In conclusion, the most effective teaching strategies in the classroom include those methods of learning that capture the learner’s interest and improve their mastery of content. Your teaching approaches should enhance the learner’s interest and attitude towards learning.