What Teaching Methods Should I Use?

Quora Question: Which method of teaching should I use in my classroom?

I used a variety of strategies because people learn in different ways and I wanted to do my best to support all types of learners. The most important method is to get students “doing” something with active participation as often as possible.

Old adage: Be the “guide on the side” not the “sage on the stage.”

I learned from experience that as a new teacher I was doing too much for my students. That did not help them. I needed to let them do more so that they would learn more. This does not mean that I didn’t coach them and spend a lot of time carefully planning lessons. I did. It means I let them do enough on their own to ensure that they were learning. I set up the learning experience for them and then helped them.

Here are my favorite, most effective teaching strategies:

1. Start each lesson/unit with a curiosity stimulating “hook.” This opens the learners mind to wanting to learn. This is critical. If your student isn’t interested then they will not learn much because they are tuned out instead of being tuned in.

   
   

2. Partner Shares-This is the “turn to a partner” strategy where 2 students quiz each other about material just presented, discuss questions posed, etc.. (typically works better than a 3–4 person share)

   
   

3. Review games-These can be online or at tables. I made/created many different quiz games involving dice and students loved this. They were having fun learning/reviewing the content. I still like Kahoot as one of my favorite online games also.

   
   

4. Role Play-Setting up role-plays as learning tools is fun for students because they are actively involved. Ex. Students role play atoms/molecules as a solid, liquid or gas. This is a quick role play and they understand immediately because they are playing the part. There are as many different role play options as your creative mind can think of! This can be fun, silly and effective. (I’ve had my students wear signs around their necks to indicate their “role.” This makes the information clear and this is also where students can get a little silly but I love that.

   
   

5. Socratic Seminars-I have found that a well organized socratic seminar with structure is very valuable to get students actively engaged and learning at a deeper level. I require an up front reading and provide the questions that the students must support. For example: My Environmental Science students read Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and their first statement to respond to was, “Some thought that Rachel Carson was a villain and some thought she was a heroine. Choose a position and support this with evidence from the book.”

   
   

6. Debates-A well-organized debate can be a very organized learning experience for students. If you want some help with this go to my TPT store and I have a structured guideline available there.

   
   

7. Art Gallery Walk About-Students put their work on side counters (tables if you don’t have side counters) and students walk around the room silently reviewing the work and putting questions/comments down on a post-it note. Then students return to their seats, review the comments and make any edits that they now want based on those comments. (No unkind comments are allowed-only constructive and/or positive).

   
   

8. Labs/hands-on activities-Hands-on activities are generally welcomed by all students because most of us learn the best when we are “doing” something with our hands.

   
   

Final Thought: The more students get to “do” (I don’t mean a worksheet) the more they will learn and enjoy.