Teaching Strategies
There are a variety of teaching strategies that
instructors can use to improve student learning. The links below will show you
some ways to make your classes more engaging.
- Active Learning - Active Learning is anything that students
do in a classroom other than merely passively listening to an instructor's
lecture. Research shows that active learning improves students'
understanding and retention of information and can be very effective in
developing higher order cognitive skills such as problem solving and
critical thinking.
- Collaborative/Cooperative Learning - Cooperative and collaborative learning are
instructional approaches in which students work together in small groups
to accomplish a common learning goal. They need to be carefully planned
and executed, but they don't require permanently formed groups.
- Critical Thinking - Critical thinking is a collection of mental
activities that include the ability to intuit, clarify, reflect, connect,
infer, and judge. It brings these activities together and enables the
student to question what knowledge exists.
- Discussion Strategies - Engaging students in discussion deepens
their learning and motivation by propelling them to develop their own
views and hear their own voices. A good environment for interaction
is the first step in encouraging students to talk.
- Experiential Learning - Experiential learning is an approach to
education that focuses on "learning by doing," on the
participant's subjective experience. The role of the educator is to design
"direct experiences" that include preparatory and reflective
exercises.
- Games/Experiments/Simulations - Games, experiments and simulations can be
rich learning environments for students. Students today have grown
up playing games and using interactive tools such as the Internet, phones,
and other appliances. Games and simulations enable students to solve
real-world problems in a safe environment and enjoy themselves while doing
so.
- Humor in the Classroom - Using humour in the classroom can enhance
student learning by improving understanding and retention.
- Inquiry-Guided Learning - With the inquiry method of instruction,
students arrive at an understanding of concepts by themselves and the responsibility
for learning rests with them. This method encourages students to build
research skills that can be used throughout their educational experiences.
- Interdisciplinary Teaching - Interdisciplinary teaching involves
combining two different topics into one class. Instructors who
participate in interdisciplinary teaching find that students approach the
material differently, while faculty members also have a better appreciation
of their own discipline content.
- Learner-Centered Teaching - Learner-Centered teaching means the student
is at the center of learning. The student assumes the responsibility
for learning while the instructor is responsible for facilitating the
learning. Thus, the power in the classroom shifts to the
student.
- Learning Communities - Communities bring people together for shared
learning, discovery, and the generation of knowledge. Within a learning
community, all participants take responsibility for achieving the learning
goals. Most important, learning communities are the process
by which individuals come together to achieve
learning goals.
- Lecture Strategies - Lectures are the way most instructors today
learned in classes. However, with today’s students, lecturing does
not hold their attention for very long, even though they are a means of
conveying information to students.
- Online/Hybrid Courses - Online and hybrid courses require careful
planning and organization. However, once the course is implemented,
there are important considerations that are different from traditional
courses. Communication with students becomes extremely
important.
- Problem-Based Learning - Problem-based Learning (PBL) is an
instructional method that challenges students to "learn to
learn," working in groups to seek solutions to real world problems.
The process replicates the commonly used systemic approach to resolving
problems or meeting challenges that are encountered in life, and will help
prefer students for their careers.
- Service Learning - Service learning is a type of teaching that
combines academic content with civic responsibility in some community
project. The learning is structured and supervised and enables the
student to reflect on what has taken place.
- Teaching Diverse Students - Instructors today encounter a diverse
population in their courses and many times need assistance in knowing how
to deal with them.
- Teaching with Cases - Case studies present students with real-life
problems and enable them to apply what they have learned in the classroom
to real life situations. Cases also encourage students to develop
logical problem solving skills and, if used in teams, group interaction
skills. Students define problems, analyze possible alternative
actions and provide solutions with a rationale for their choices.
- Team-Based Learning - Team-based learning (TBL) is a fairly new
approach to teaching in which students rely on each other for their own
learning and are held accountable for coming to class prepared.
Research has found that students are more responsible and more engaged
when team-based learning is implemented. The major difference in TBL
and normal group activities is that the groups are permanent and most of
the class time is devoted to the group meeting.
- Team Teaching
- At its best, team teaching allows students and faculty to benefit from
the healthy exchange of ideas in a setting defined by mutual respect and a
shared interest in a topic. In most cases both faculty members are
present during each class and can provide different styles of interaction
as well as different viewpoints.
- Writing Assignments - Writing assignments for class can provide an
opportunity for them to apply critical thinking skills as well as help
them to learn course content.
