Teaching Strategies

Introduction

Teachers are a country's most valuable asset because they build the country. Teachers and education systems play an important role in shaping an individual's character, and great teachers have set examples of how to change the lives of their students. To succeed, one country should invest more in its educational institutions and teachers. There are numerous stories about how effective teaching methods and strategies have made a significant difference in the lives of students. The art of teaching is extremely important. To be a successful teacher, one must be familiar with all possible teaching methods and strategies, as well as how to apply them correctly. Students learn better when their teacher knows which teaching method will engage them the most.

Read More: Methods of Teaching

Types of Teaching Strategies

Before moving to the teaching strategies, I would like to add a quote from Benjamin Franklin, which says:

‘Tell me and I forgot. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.’

And this is how the teaching strategies work on students.

• Classroom Management

The management of a class is the first strategy for engaging all of its students. The etiquette of a class is important, as is the management of the entire class. If you start listing classroom management strategies, the list will grow because each class has its own set of techniques and strategies for keeping the class under control. Before beginning the teaching method, the teacher or instructor should review the entire class management rules in terms of dos and don'ts.

Read More: Objectives of Curriculum

• Develop an Atmosphere of Learning

The learning environment is most important because no matter how well the teacher or instructor delivers the lecture, it is pointless if the environment does not support all students' willingness to learn or excitement to begin the new chapter or topic. To create a learning environment, the expert should capture the attention of the entire class and inform them of the facts and purpose of reading the lecture. The greater their interest in a subject, the more they will learn.

• Celebrate Achievements

Teachers should assign different levels of achievement with a reward to keep the entire class motivated to learn and do better. And the prize could be anything from the winning student displaying their work at the school assembly to reading the entire chapter and receiving candy from their teacher. It doesn't matter if the celebration is small or large; the results of celebrating success will make a huge positive difference in a student's life.

• Flexible Seating

The most important teaching strategy is to provide appropriate seating in the classroom that keeps students comfortable. It is important here for both the teacher and the learner to have flexible seating. Many flexible seating ideas should be implemented in institutions of all levels. Because if the students are uncomfortable, they will be unable to concentrate on the lecture.

Because students spend so much of their day at schools or colleges, it is more of an institution's responsibility to ensure their sitting comfort and posture.

• Active Learning

Active learning is one of those strategies that benefit not only students but also teachers. The discussion break between lectures and asking students to submit the clearest point after the lecture keeps the entire class attentive, which is known as active learning. Their participation helps the teacher determine which parts of the lecture have received the most attention. Such clever tactics, such as quick questions in between lectures, help students learn better and faster.

• Focus on Students’ Interest

When teachers focus on a student's interests, they gain a better understanding of their students' personalities and, as a result, choose a more effective teaching method. And the constructive feedback on what students did and did not master helped them figure out how to improve their mastery. This strategy strengthens the bond between student and teacher and improves the learning environment.

• Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated instruction is one of the most effective teaching strategies. The teacher uses this strategy to assign tasks to each student based on their abilities and interests. Students who are struggling will receive appropriate support or assistance, and students with academic skills or capabilities will be assigned tasks that match their calibre. It ensures that teachers are dedicated after learning about everyone's learning gaps and that no student falls behind.

• Personalized learning

Teachers should place an excessive emphasis on personalised learning strategies. Once students have learned their material, they should go over it again. Sometimes, students' questions go unanswered, causing all students to struggle with their studies. Teachers should assign tasks to each student based on their learning ability and learning style. This instructional strategy will assist students in developing dependability, motivation, self-learning, self-advocacy, and self-reflective skills.

• Peer Teaching Method

The teacher should use the peer teaching strategy on occasion. It is said that 'to teach is to learn twice,' and this strategy is no exception. Peer teaching has advantages and disadvantages, but it is worthwhile to pursue a disciplined classroom environment because it builds students' confidence and improves communication skills.

• Project-Based Learning

Experienced teachers agree that it is critical to have students recap the information learned during the lesson. When it comes to project-based learning, it is also critical to educate students on what they need to know in order to complete the assigned project. It is also critical to get them to actively engage with the content. To increase their engagement, project-based learning in groups should be encouraged. Teachers should carefully and selectively group students because each student's learning style and ability differ.

• Classroom Technology

Classroom technology is the most effective teaching strategy for keeping the entire class engaged. Because students get excited when they have to experience something new for the first time, this strategy can be used at any level or year of education. This teaching strategy is used in video lessons, virtual trips in geography or history class, animations to help kids learn basic skills, and many other ways. Smart whiteboards and projectors should also be used in classrooms.

• Blended Teaching and learning

Teachers in the modern era should employ a blended teaching strategy. It combines online and offline instruction and employs digital strategies. Some students are afraid to speak up in class, so blended learning is ideal for them. They make contributions to an online class. The blended teaching and learning strategy is popular among teachers because it ensures that all voices are heard.

• Inquiry-based teaching

Through regular teacher-student interaction and student-student interaction, interactive teaching allows students to be instructed by actively involving them in their learning process. Taking time out of class for inquiry-based questions also helps students improve life skills like communication and problem-solving. The quality of questions is very important, and a teacher should encourage students to inquire with subject-based or other appropriate questions. The inquiry-based teaching strategy, on the other hand, includes guided inquiry, structured inquiry, open inquiry, and confirmation inquiry. All of these encourage both teachers and students to use their long-term memory.

• Convergent and Divergent Thinking

One of the most important teaching strategies that all teachers should be aware of is the difference between convergent and divergent thinking methods. Teachers should educate their students about the distinction because convergent thinking implies that there are multiple paths to a single solution. The divergent teaching method, on the other hand, requires students to learn and understand the fundamental concepts required to answer the given question or problem.

• Problem-based Learning

One of the essential teaching strategies a teacher or an instructor should follow is problem-based learning. They should prepare a list of problem-based open-ended questions before a class and ask the class to solve them in groups or teams. This technique helps in developing and improving the transferable and teamwork skills of students, respectively.

• Cooperative Learning

One of the most important teaching strategies that all teachers should be aware of is the difference between convergent and divergent thinking methods. Teachers should educate their students about the distinction because convergent thinking implies that there are multiple paths to a single solution. The divergent teaching method, on the other hand, requires students to learn and understand the fundamental concepts required to answer the given question or problem.

• Behaviour Management

Teachers, like teaching methods, should be properly acknowledged regarding the behaviour management teaching strategy. Mutual respect between teachers and students is essential for maintaining a productive learning and disciplined environment in the classroom. Institutions or teachers should reward students for their classroom behaviour and overall interaction with their teachers and classmates. Teachers must be strict with this strategy because a noisy, disrupted, or disorganised classroom cannot promote productive learning.

Conclusion

In this rapidly changing world, teachers must be given clear guidelines for instilling smart, creative, and technological knowledge in their students. And the teacher's personality should inspire students to learn from them and become better members of society. Because teaching is the profession that teaches all other professions, educational institutions should invest in providing proper guidelines on different types of teaching methods and teaching strategies on a regular basis to keep their teachers up to date with the modern world.