Ways of Teaching without Talking

Presenting Students with New Material in Theory Lessons
Draft 1.0 Feb 2002- Geoff Petty

Introduction
Teaching falls into three phases, Present, Apply, and Review, each requiring appropriate methods.
(See PAR model)

 

Using the list of teaching strategies

Consider creating a teaching strategy manual for
your team:

A subject, unit, or course team can use the list as
part of a strategy to:

  1. Find methods which work in your subject


  2. Choose particular strategies for particular topics or lessons etc
  3. Pool your team's best teaching strategies to add to the list


  4. For given lessons, topics, sections of the syllabus or units etc, develop a Teaching Strategy Manual to go with the Scheme of Work. Share out the work to develop the strategies and their resources in detail. Ideally the Manual has a (suggested or required) activity for every lesson or at least every topic on the Scheme of Work.


  5. Publish your Manual in electronic and/or document form.
Choose an active learning strategy

Assisting in the development of an ‘Active Scheme of Work' or ‘Topic Plan' which gives a student activity for every topic or substantial sub-topic so that students process the information given them. You can create an Active Scheme of Work in your team: You can create a Scheme of Work or Topic Plan which gives suitable activities for each stage in teaching a topic. This can be created by your team, so that your best methods are available to the whole team.

Tip1 - Assisting in the development of an ‘Active Scheme of Work' or ‘Topic Plan' which includes an activity for every topic or substantial sub-topic so that students process the information given them.

Tip2 - You can create a Scheme of Work or Topic Plan which gives suitable activities for each stage in teaching a topic. This can be created by your team, so that your best methods are available to the whole team.

Why use Active ‘presenting' Strategies?

Research shows that it works:

All research shows that we learn by doing . That is, by applying what we have learned, in order to answer questions for example. This makes learners process the information and make their own sense of it. This is called ‘constructivism'.

Research emphatically shows that active methods:

  • create deeper learning and higher achievement
  • create better recall by students
  • develop high order reasoning skills in students
  • are more enjoyed by students

Active learning makes students form their own meaning of the material and come to their own understanding of it. This is what we call learning It checks learning:

  • You get feedback on whether students understand the material and can correct misunderstandings.
  • Students develop their reasoning skills, as well as the factual knowledge of the subject and practise the skills they will be assessed by. It makes your life easier:
  • It fosters active, constructive student participation
  • Your lessons have more impact, and are more interesting
  • It may give you a break, and a chance to mark the register!