Effective Teaching and Learning Strategies

26.06.09

Following are a series of strategies and practices to try with our classes that may be quite beneficial to enhancing the learning environment and building relationships in our classes: 

• be assertive, accommodating and definite without being hostile or aggressive; give loud and we will get louder back; be receptive and perceptive to our students’ needs and feelings
• when initiating discussion, a brain storming session on what the class already knows about the topic is a good way to stimulate interest; their perspectives are valuable and valued by them; learning is the lighting of the fire, not the filling of the bucket. Ask open questions such as:  Why is it important and what does it mean in our lives? What is the best way to approach it and what problems might crop up?
• ask students to create their own questions about areas of the topic that interest them
• encourage students to question the answers and not just answer the questions

Try storytelling and open questioning:

• when questioning, ask “how” and “why” open questions that necessitate students to explain, describe, justify, forecast and give reasons for their thinking
• encourage them to “think outside the square”; be sure that students first understand what the square is all about
• there are no rights and no wrongs, just different views on things; relating their experiences of the world and creating new connections and understandings; it is authentic learning
• digressing from content and storytelling often stimulates students to dream and inspires creative thinking; the more wonderment and awe, the better
• when designing class activities bear in mind the variety of learning styles and mixes of multiple intelligences in the class
• ask ourselves, “ am I only using my own dominant multiple intelligences in my teaching?” if so, then there will be students with differing intelligences disengaged from the start  
• we must be inclusive; every student can learn
• consider a number of approaches which the students may choose to take in their learning
• visual – posters, powerpoint presentations, diagrams, idea maps, podcasts
• auditory – talk, debate, discussion, question/answer, tele-conferencing 
• kinesthetic – a play, demonstration, a model, hands on activity, excursions

Often, due to the competing demands on our time, deep reflection about our professional practice is neglected. Often, low level student indiscretions in class are borne out of their frustration with our inconsistency in approach; we must concentrate on our core business, we are the professionals and must adapt for our students, not vice versa.

• aim to find as many positives as possible in every class; sometimes our busyness tends to narrow our attention to negative behaviours; students behave well about 90% of the time 
• use positive body language with interested voice tones, positive eye contact, respect for personal space
• our students are digital natives and the internet is the 21st century learning paradigm; encourage and empower them to learn through using their strengths - technology. It may be difficult for us to change our teaching styles to incorporate more immersion in the internet, but the reality is, should we not embrace it, our teaching will become irrelevant in our students learning; ask them how to use it, we will be amazed.

“Mix a little foolishness with your serious plans; it’s lovely to be silly at the right moment” Horace