The ten (10) teaching strategies below are some of my personal favorite, and I have used them quite frequently in my lessons. They are meant to be used in different combinations or alone depending on the needs of your classes. Some strategies can be integrated/embedded in your daily lessons (i.e., re-looping of previously learned content). Hence, use your discretion when determining what works for you and your class. Try it out!!!
- Daily re-looping of previously learned material: It is important to review material/content learned in previous classes before starting on a new topic. The time contributed to this strategy will be rewarded later. This strategy should not take up a lot of your class-time, if that is your concern as an educator. It is simply reviewing with your students what was covered yesterday, and how today's lesson is tied to it and if required, clarify any confusion/concerns your students may have before proceeding to a new concept. This strategy can be implemented in a number of ways (i.e., oral questioning, word wall, having a student summarize).
- Ecological approach - Involve all aspects of a student’s life: Students tend to focus or are more engaged when they see a direct correlation between their learning and its application in their daily existence. Hence, taking an ecological approach is a MUST. Ecological approach is nothing more than involving every aspect of students lives (i.e., their community, the playground, etc). For example, if you're teaching your students about ecosystem, then take your student on an excursion to a near by school property and have students work outside rather than having them work on a sheet of paper at their desk. Also, if there is a hospital in nearby community, take your students on a field trip. Making a better use of students' surrounding is critical and students would be more inclined to pursue the field if it interests him/her.
- Hands-on, active participation: I'm a strong proponent of hands-on, active participation of students as part of their learning. If possible, students should be given frequent opportunity to actively participate through hands-on activities. This may not be possible for all your lessons given time limitations, and the amount of time it is required in prep-work, however, it is highly effective if you from time-to-time incorporate your lessons with hands-on activities. Students will look forward to attending your classes, and they will be more enthused and active throughout the class.
- Individual conferencing: Every teacher should from time-to-time meet with each of his/her students to determine their needs and how they can work in partnership to help the student succeed. This will give students a sense that you care for them and their well-being, and if you continue to follow-up on their student success plan, they will be obliged to remain true to it as well. Often, there is a break-down of communication between the teacher and the students, and/or plan is followed through in spirit. Hence, regular communication with students will ensure students are held accountable for their learning and asked to provide evidence of their work to determine their level of success in the course. Individual conferencing also helps in early detection of issues, if there is any and early resolutions measures can be put in place to help students succeed.
- K-W-L Chart or Exit Ticket: Everyone has their own way of assessing their students understanding of the content. These are two techniques I've often seen to work in the classroom. Based on experience, I would not recommend this technique to be used everyday, but rather once every week(s). Boredom hits students very easily, hence, as a teacher you always want to be as unique as possible. Try to differentiate your strategy everyday.
- Model-Lead-Test strategy instruction (MLT): This strategy is excellent to use, if you feel a concept is complex in nature, and students are having a rough time grasping it. First, you model for your students what it is, and then you let your students demonstrate or explain what you modeled and help along the way if they struggle to do it, and lastly once your students feel comfortable, you test them on what you've taught. MLT is a phenomenal strategy I've seen work in my classroom.
- Modeling/teacher demonstration: This strategy is based on the principle that teacher is equally a partner in carrying out the activity. This sends out a message in the classroom that completing the activity/project is important and it also increases the interest of the students when they see their teacher participating in the process like a student. They see the teacher struggle trying to model a demo, and this will send a very positive message among the student body that it is OK to fail or struggle, it is part of a learning process. The key philosophy of my education is to allow my students to TRY and FAIL and not be judgmental.
- Reciprocal Peer Tutoring (RPT): This is an excellent strategy to use for any courses you teach. This will save significant of your teaching time. You can set up a Buddy System in the classroom. In reciprocal peer tutoring, the partners helps each other out with course work, briefing the partner of missed assignments due to absence etc. This will significantly cut-down on the amount of time you spent on reviewing material with students who missed the lesson. This is an efficient and effective strategy you can implement in each of your classes. Students can exchange information with partner of their choice.
- Teaching pre-, during-, and post- reading strategies: This is very important strategy that I learned in India. Our teachers used to walk-us through pre-, during-, and post- reading strategies. It is a very simple strategy that anyone can implement in their classroom, however, such techniques must be taught to students. We as educators make many assumptions in terms of what students ought to know or know.
- Students generate word/case problems: This strategy or technique is not limited to generating word/case problems, but any type of critical questions. It is very important for your students to learn to develop a good questioning skills. Every major research is based on a question or curiosity, and students needs to learn to master it. Every test I give out, I ask my students to generate a list of questions and I've a section at the end of the test as a BONUS, which draws questions from student generated problems. This gives students an ability to practice questioning skills. I also give BONUS marks to students whose questions gets selected to prevent students from generating questions that are knowledge/understanding based and/or are very easy to answer. I would provide a list of sample questions to demonstrate the level of expectations. And, soon students realize it is not as easy as they think. It is not meant or supposed to be EASY!!!