Teaching Strategies

Strategic Teachings

Strategic teaching is a way of making decisions about a course, an individual class, or even an entire curriculum, beginning with an analysis of key variables in the teaching situation. These variables include the characteristics of the learners, the learning objectives, and the instructional preferences of the teacher. Once these variables have been analysed, informed decisions can be made about course content, structure, methods of assessment, and other key components.

The process of planning a course is not an easy one. (Although 'the course' is the unit of analysis being discussed, the process of creating an instructional strategy works equally well for an individual class or an entire curriculum.) As a teacher, you need to make decisions about what topics to include and which to leave out; the order in which those topics will be presented; which pedagogical methods to use (e.g., lecture, discussion, hands-on experiments); appropriate means of assessing the students; materials and technology to employ; how to get feedback; etc.

When considering their approach to instruction, teachers are always looking for the method that is most beneficial for all of their students. Teachers want their students to enjoy the learning process, and they want the classroom to be orderly and controlled. As a result, the debate of teacher-centered vs. student-centered education has been in the forefront of educators’ minds for many years. Though many people have a specific idea of which type of education is best, there are both advantages and disadvantages to each approach.

Teacher Centered Strategy

Examples of this are:

Teachers talk (lecturing)

If the traditional lecture method of “chalk and talk” with the teacher talking and pupils taking notes is your idea of teaching, you will find yourself with an inordinate amount of classroom management problems.

Lecturing (AKA direct instruction and teacher-centered instruction):

·         Teacher is THE primary communicator of knowledge.

·         Teacher directly manages the pace and sequence of instruction.

Includes:

·         Lecturing to students (formal).

·         Talking with students (informal).

Thus saying this, teachers need to lecture more today due to time constraints in meeting academic standards

Remember that:

You can “teach at” students, but this does not ensure students have learned the material.

You must monitor students to ensure that you have not lectured too long.

Improving Teacher Talk

Newer approaches to teacher talk:

Feedback lecture.

Guided lecture.

Responsive lecture.

Demonstration lecture.

Pause procedure lecture.

Think/write/discuss.

Lecture with graphic organizer.

Socratic method lecture.

In teacher-centered education, students put all of their focus on the teacher. The teacher talks, while the students exclusively listen. During activities, students work alone, and collaboration is discouraged.

Pros

• When education is teacher-centered, the classroom remains orderly. Students are quiet, and the teacher retains full control of the classroom and its activities.
• Because students learn on their own, they learn to be independent and make their own decisions.
• Because the teacher directs all classroom activities, they don’t have to worry that students will miss an important topic.

Cons

• When students work alone, they don’t learn to collaborate with other students, and communication skills may suffer.
• Teacher-centered instruction can get boring for students. Their minds may wander, and they may miss important facts.
• Teacher-centered instruction doesn’t allow students to express themselves, ask questions and direct their own learning.

Occasionally you might want to provide your students with a form like the one below to

encourage them to reflect on their strategic thinking.

Using Strategic Thinking to Complete a Task Name ________________________________ Date ________________________________ Task ________________________________ Plan What are some goals I can set before beginning the task? How can I plan to complete the task (materials, time, etc.)? Monitor How can I check my progress? Manage What are some possible problems I could face, and how can I solve them? Evaluate How can I decide if I have completed the task successfully (i.e. Have I reached my goals)? Expand What are some other activities in which we use these four processes?

Student Centered Strategies

When a classroom operates with student-centered instruction, students and instructors share the focus. Instead of listening to the teacher exclusively, students and teachers interact equally. Group work is encouraged, and students learn to collaborate and communicate with one another.

Pros

• Students learn important communicative and collaborative skills through group work.
• Students learn to direct their own learning, ask questions and complete tasks independently.
• Students are more interested in learning activities when they can interact with one another and participate actively.

Cons

• Because students are talking, classrooms are often busy, noisy and chaotic.
• Teachers must attempt to manage all students’ activities at once, which can be difficult when students are working on different stages of the same project.
• Because the teacher doesn’t deliver instruction to all students at once, some students may miss important facts.
• Some students prefer to work alone, so group work can become problematic.

These are some examples:

Collaborative learning

Collaborative learning is an educational approach to teaching and learning that involves groups of students working together to solve a problem, complete a task, or create a product. According to Gerlach, "Collaborative learning is based on the idea that learning is a naturally social act in which the participants talk among themselves (Gerlach, 1994). It is through the talk that learning occurs."

There are many approaches to collaborative learning. A set of assumptions about the learning process (Smith and MacGregor, 1992) underlies them all:

1. Learning is an active process whereby students assimilate the information and relate this new knowledge to a framework of prior knowledge.
2. Learning requires a challenge that opens the door for the learner to actively engage his/her peers, and to process and synthesize information rather than simply memorize and regurgitate it.
3. Learners benefit when exposed to diverse viewpoints from people with varied backgrounds.
4. Learning flourishes in a social environment where conversation between learners takes place. During this intellectual gymnastics, the learner creates a framework and meaning to the discourse.

Project-Based Learning

Project-based learning (PBL) is considered an alternative to paper-based, rote memorization, teacher-led classrooms. Proponents of project-based learning cite numerous benefits to the implementation of these strategies in the classroom including a greater depth of understanding of concepts, broader knowledge base, improved communication and interpersonal/social skills, enhanced leadership skills, increased creativity, and improved writing skills.

Conclusion

In recent years, more teachers have moved toward a student-centered approach. However, some students maintain that teacher-centered education is the more effective strategy. In most cases, it is best for teachers to use a combination of approaches to ensure that all student needs are met. When both approaches are used together, students can enjoy the positives of both types of education. Instead of getting bored with teacher-centered education or losing sight of their goals in a completely student-centered classroom, pupils can benefit from a well-balanced educational atmosphere.