Specific Methods and Strategies

Testing and questioning are always known to be effective methods due to its interactive nature. The questions are asked by the teacher with an intention to know what the student has learned from earlier discussions. It helps in deciding what should be taught further. This can even be vice-versa - students questioning the teachers to clarify the doubts that would enhance their understanding of the subject. Testing differs in one aspect from questioning. A test is taken in order to know about the previous knowledge, what has been already taught to the students.

Explaining. Sometimes, the experiences can also be shared as a part of knowledge that would work as a source of inspiration for the students. While adopting this method, the teacher should give an introduction and a proper summary. Make sure that the information is specific to the audience. The explanation should be accompanied with suitable examples for a better understanding of the students.

Modeling is a type of visual aid for teaching as well as learning. It is a known fact that the human brain absorbs more, and understands better, when visual aid facilitates explanation. This method works on three criteria - observing, retaining, and replicating. The students learn more by observing the things, and acquire it by imitating it time and again.

Demonstrating. With the help of demonstrative teaching, students get an opportunity to explore the various aspects and understand the theory from a different perspective. Demonstration is a step-by-step explanation, along with their reasons, and significance for the better understanding of the student. Practical experimentation is a very good method used for demonstrating the subject.

Collaborating. Teamwork is a contemporary form of collaboration. The students are taught to work in a group that makes the instructing easier for the teacher. This method of teaching promotes a sense of mutual responsibility among the students. They learn to put in more effort to research for the topic, and apply effective techniques to get the result. This inculcates patience and develops an ability to critically analyze a subject. It gives an opportunity to the students to solve the problem by a healthy discussion and co-operation.

Apart from these defined methods, nowadays many other methods are being adopted to give quality education. Methods like role-play, story or games, seminars, presentations, workshops, conferences, brainstorming, problem-solving, case study, educational trips and modern audio-visual aids like documentary films, computers, Internet, etc., have been introduced in education. These new methods have increased the pace of learning and understanding. This also enhances the capability of the students to research and think logically about a given problem.

Questions:

1. What is method?

2. What is questioning?

3. What is testing?

4. What is explaining?

5. What is collaborating?

6. What is modeling?

7. What is demonstrating?

8. What innovative methods do you know?

9. What games do you know?

2. Explain the meaning of the following words (give the translation):

Share experience –

Improve professional skills –

Colleague –

Create –

Pay for –

Professional training –

Encourage –

Observe –

Observer –

Try –

Blind observation –

Scheme –

Community –

Article –

Research –

Take notes –

Resource -

Choose –

Develop –

Developing –

Compare –

Think –

Important –

Give –

Staff room –

Personal goals –

Classes –

Feedback –

Plan –

Decide –

Workshop –

Activities –

Projects -