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 Premises of Teaching
- There is no one right teaching style.
- Your teaching style is an extension of your personality,
thus some techniques will appeal to you more than others.
- Teaching may appear easier and "more natural" for
some than for others, but there are no "born teachers" who don’t need to
improve or others who can never improve regardless of effort.
- Good teachers work at being good and are constantly looking
for ways to improve.
- Not all techniques are effective in every setting, in every
situation of the same setting, and with every group.
- A new approach should not be tried only because it is
new, nor rejected for the same reason.
Selecting the Instructional Format
No one
instructional format is best for all course objectives. Learning can
often be enhanced by providing the instructional process through a variety of formats.
Since a major goal of Curriculum 2000 is to help students become seekers of information,
not merely receptacles of information, instructional formats should be selected with this
goal in mind. Since using the same format throughout can cause students to become weary of
the approach, if not the content, course directors are encouraged to provide as much
variation in instructional format as is educationally appropriate. Some instructional
formats are as follows:
- Independent reading (textbook, journal article, explanatory
handout)
- Computer-assisted instruction
- Demonstration
- Small-group discussion for real or hypothetical cases
- Lecture
- Laboratory
- Individualized
Teaching & Learning: Points to Consider
Effective teaching should be thought of as helping students
learn, and every student encounter should be thought of as a student's opportunity for
learning.
Foster a good learning atmosphere.
- Be serious without creating excessive tension.
- Be prepared---have a flexible teaching plan in mind, but be
ever on the lookout for the "teachable moment".
- Be positive toward learners---guard against sending
unintentional messages (disdain, condescension, racism, sexism, etc.).
- Be confident (not arrogant) but comfortable in not knowing
everything.
Use effective teaching techniques.
- State what should be learned here.
- Situate the topic in the "bigger
picture"---provide adequate context.
- Involve learners in the process by having them, for example,
present the problem, respond to questions, summarize the findings and discussion, and
research and report on unanswered questions.
- Use questions
effectively.
- Summarize the "take-home" points at the end of the
discussion/activity.
- Use follow-up research and reporting to the group as an
"inquisitive" exercise rather than a "punitive" exercise for not
having the answer initially.
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