Strategizing: Teaching Approaches

To be an effective teacher, you would need to use different methods and strategies. Teaching strategies, of course would depend on how receptive your students are, topic and of course whatever is appropriate to the subject or course.  

Here are some teaching strategies that you could use:  

• Lecture

This is among the leading teaching method or strategies, if you think about it, there are about 80 percent of educational institutions who would use this kind of method.  Although, there are new strategies can be used as medium of instruction, lecture method is still one of the most important ways to teach.  

There are pros and cons for using lecture as your mode of instruction. It is advantageous since it allows you to convey as much information and knowledge as possible to a big number of students.  But with this kind of setup, student participation could be weak and students may have issues with the retention of the what they have learned. 

If you plan to use lecture as method of instruction, then it would be important to prepare an outline and make the lecture concise.  You would also have to pay attention to the participants, so that you can get their feedback and points of clarification.  You do not have to perform magic tricks to catch your participants attention, but would have to be excited and at the same time, deliver the topic well. 

• Cooperative Learning

Another great teaching method that would give you benefits would be cooperative learning.   It can also be called Collaborative Learning.  Students are divided into groups and they are given tasks that they should accomplish as a group. With this kind of instruction, it is important that the facilitator or the teacher would monitor the groups to ensure that everyone is participating.  

To get rid of this obstacle, teachers could give each member of the group a specific task that would be based on their ability levels.   The groups do not have to be permanent.  The teacher just needs to have adequate plans to accommodate all the groups and its members. 

• Inquiry-based learning

This teaching method is slowly becoming popular in classrooms.  In this method students would be able to learn by practicing problem solving and critical thinking.  This method would entail planning, time, energy and patience.  But the results are said to be very effective.  

Students are responsible for learning concepts.  They are encouraged to do research and improve their research skills.  It can be used for different kinds of subjects and modified based on the age-group being taught. 

• Distance learning/education

This is a new strategy brought about by development in our technology.  Teacher and student, usually are not in the same place.  Most distance learners are tied down because of numerous reasons, family or work.  But even in these conditions they would like to pursue their education.  Thus, universities and colleges started offering classes outside the classrooms. 

Communication through e-mails, e-groups and online messengers are the primary means of communication.  In this kind of teaching approach, the students and the teachers should be knowledgeable with recent computer technologies, especially for online messaging and the likes.  

• Informal instruction

As the name itself says, this teaching approach uses methods which are less formal than usual teaching methods.  If you are a teacher and you know your student’s interests very well, then this would be an ideal way of teaching.  If you do not yet, then you can always ask them whether it is by group or individual.  
