Teaching strategies for effective learning

June 9th, 2011

A question often raised is “what is effective teaching and learning” and how is the best way to show this. The simplest way of answering this is to say that effective teaching and learning takes place when a variety of teaching strategies are used in the classroom. When using different teaching methods the emphasis should still be gaining understanding, rather than just getting the answer right.

There are a number of reasons for the need to vary teaching methods as not everybody learns the same way.  All students will have their own way of learning, with some being more visual learners, others who prefer to work in a group and the student who prefers to use the written word. Using the same style of teaching method and not taking into account each persons learning style will hold back learning due to a lack of understanding and often lead to students giving up.  Even the most talented student will get bored if you use the same type of method every day as they feel the need to be challenged so will often embrace different learning styles when you use them.

In addition to the different styles of teaching another thing that student’s value is contact with the teacher. It is often very difficult when teaching a large class to give one to one support for students so breaking the class into small groups and giving them each a task will mean that you can go around the classroom and give each group its own little piece of attention. This will give those that are less confident within a large class environment to open up and ask questions where otherwise they would have stayed silent.

Effective learning activities include those that require the student to process information and build understanding rather than just answering questions on a sheet of paper without really understanding what they are doing. Strengthening your student’s motivation is a great way of getting them to understand and complete the objectives set for them.

To be an effective teacher you need to have a passion for your subject as this is a crucial factor in student motivation.  If you become bored with the subject you are teaching it will come across to the students that way in your voice and the way you deliver the lesson.  How can you expect your students to push themselves and drive on to do the best they can if they see that you are not really bothered. 

If you find this happening to you as a teacher then you must think back to what first attracted you to this subject field. You need to devise ways to rekindle the excitement and then your confidence and genuine pleasure will be portrayed when delivering your lesson and that will more often than not be mirrored by your students.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Command Respect in the Classroom With These Eleven Simple Suggestions

May 16th, 2011

Command Respect in the Classroom With These Eleven Simple Suggestions

Author: Jennifer Dobson

It can be extremely difficult to teach a class of students who do not respect you. Not only will it keep students from learning, it can also grow into a serious safety issue. It’s best to start the school year with clear rules and expectations. However, if you’re halfway into the year and problems are beginning to develop, it’s never too late to teach students a little about R-E-S-P-E-C-T!
Make sure your students understand exactly what respect is. Ask them to think about what daily life would be like if no one showed respect to others. Give everyday examples of how we use respect to interact and get along with the world.
Tell your students exactly what kind of behavior you expect from them. Make the rules of the classroom crystal clear, simple and easy to understand. Rules and expectations should always be age and developmentally appropriate. Be reasonable. Students will respect you even when you’re tough – if you’re fair.
Model respect. Demonstrating good behavior is probably the most effective way of getting your students to respect you. Use only constructive criticism in the classroom and never yell at or use disrespectful language to students. Be fair and consistent with all students, all the time. Listen to what they have to say and don’t be quick to judge them for what they tell you. Don’t ever joke about a student to get a laugh out of the class and never dismiss or ignore a student. Be careful not to show favoritism. If you do feel disapproval or contempt for a student, don’t demonstrate it through words, actions or body language.
Show respect to other adults. Students will not respect you if they see you disrespecting other teachers, administrator or parents. Avoid gossiping about other people.
Offer little opportunities for your class to show respect — not only to you, but to other students, as well. Help them make respect a habit and one they will use often.
Broaden students’ idea of who deserves their respect. Whether it’s a senior citizen they walk by in the mall or the janitor who keeps the school buildings well-maintained and clean, make sure they understand that everyone deserves respect – even nature. Remind your students to be kind to animals and be careful to not litter or do other things that can damage or destroy the earth.
Good manners and respect go hand in hand. Saying yes ma’am, please and thank you are not only good manners, but also demonstrate respect. A good place to practice these skills is in the school cafeteria. Just as good manners are expected in a nice restaurant, they should also be expected during lunch at school.
Focus on one skill at a time and give immediate feedback about students’ performance. Be tolerant as they learn, but don’t overlook mistakes. Practice respect with your students often.
Create a student-centered classroom. Let students write classroom rules and decide what consequences will occur when someone breaks a rule. When students are directly involved in the process, they will feel more important, powerful and respected.
Get real. Let kids get to know who you are personally. Tell them stories about your pet, your childhood, your mistakes and your successes. Even though you are their teacher, you can become someone they can relate to and respect.
Above all, give it time. Respect doesn’t always come easily to students. Don’t demand respect – earn it!
In need of history teacher supplies or other subject-specific resources? Looking for a new bulletin board book for inspired classroom decorations or pre-made bulletin board trimmers and cutouts? MPMSchoolSupplies.com offers high-quality school and teacher supplies for competitive prices! Visit today and get 10% off your first order!
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1625548_22.html

Posted in Teaching advice | No Comments »

Improve Your Teaching Strategies With These 5 Simple Tips

May 16th, 2011

Improve Your Teaching Strategies With These 5 Simple Tips

Author: Jennifer Dobson

Being an effective teacher requires that you have a variety of skills, including being able to manage and organize your classroom, connect with your students, provide activities that are engaging, understand individual learning styles, and so much more. When these aspects come together, they create a learning atmosphere that is fun and rewarding. The modern classroom does not come with an instruction manual, and oftentimes teachers learn alongside their students when it comes to improving their teaching strategies.

Organizing Your Classroom

Facilitating the learning process is easiest when your classroom is well organized. The old adage, “a place for everything and everything in its place” rings ever-so-true when it comes to classroom organization. Before the beginning of each school year, organize all of your supplies, equipment, desks, smart boards or whiteboards, displays, etc., and update your organizational scheme throughout the year. Your desk should be well organized as well so that you can quickly find everything that you need.

Manage Your Classroom

Classroom management can be a big concern for many teachers, especially those who are new to the profession. It is difficult to teach if there is disruptive behavior in the classroom, but there is a fine line between being Mrs. Push-Over Patterson and being overly authoritarian with your students. While you want to be somewhat permissive and yielding, you certainly don’t want your students controlling the class and you. Discipline has a direct correlation with trust, and students often misbehave more when they do not feel connected with their teacher. Which brings us to the next tip…connecting with your students.

Connect With Your Students

One of the most rewarding parts of teaching is connecting with your students, and although it sounds difficult, it doesn’t have to be. Building trust between you and the student is the formative aspect of connecting with the student. Listen to what they say, and remember what they say. Engage them in simple small talk, and be fair and consistent with all students. And never pick a teacher’s “pet”. Choosing favorites or giving preferential treatment to one student or a group of students will alienate the others in your classroom.

Take Continuing Ed Classes

Most states now require that teachers take continuing education classes in order to keep their teaching credentials current, so taking classes that will introduce you to new teaching techniques can sometimes help to improve your teaching strategies. You might also check to see if your local university or community college offers any workshops on teaching strategies – which are often free or low cost.

Observe Other Teachers

Collaboration with others teachers can be invaluable, and you can actually learn a lot by observing other teachers in action. Much like the days when you were doing your “student teaching” before you became certified to teach, you should listen, observe, and take notes about how other teachers handle their classrooms and present their lessons. You should also ask a trusted teacher in your school to observe you as you teach in order to gain insight into anything that you might be doing that is negatively impacting your effectiveness; be open to constructive criticism.

Teachers set themselves up for success when they have teaching supplies on hand when they need them. MPMSchoolSupplies.com is a great place to find high-quality teacher supplies at affordable prices! They offer everything from school & teacher rubber stamps and ink pads, to furniture and helpful organizers like the classroom pocket chart and plastic bins! Save 10% on your first purchase when you shop today!
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1625602_22.html

Tags:
Posted in Teaching advice | No Comments »

Effective Teaching: How to Enhance Your Instructional Methods

May 16th, 2011

Effective Teaching: How to Enhance Your Instructional Methods

Author: Adam Singleton
At times, even the most exceptional teachers feel that certain aspects of their teaching could use some enhancement or revision. Whether it’s getting students more excited about learning, encouraging them to participate in class, or perhaps helping them better understand lessons, there are a number of ways you can enhance the effectiveness of your teaching.

Many teachers, for instance, would like to get their students more involved in class activities – and rest assured, there are various creative methods to achieving this.  To begin, why not include your students in the actual planning of lessons? This is a great way to get students to identify their learning needs, as well as to help students develop attainable objectives. You can also adopt teaching strategies that require your students’ direct involvement, such as role playing, or perhaps calling on each other to answer questions.

Ultimately, the goal is to get students to test their ideas and to get creative with what they learn.

When it comes to helping students better understand classroom lessons, it’s a good idea to build on what the students already know. Linking familiar information with new leanings will help students grasp the new information more effectively. Similarly, students usually respond best when teachers move from simple ideas to more complex concepts.

This is because it’s usually more rewarding for a student to master a simple idea then apply it to a more complex learning. However, keep in mind that students will differ in their capabilities to understand various concepts. That is, something that’s simple for one student might be difficult for another. As a result, teachers need to carefully assess their students’ learning needs and plan lessons accordingly.

Your students will also likely vary with regard to their learning styles. While some of your students will be visual learners who perform best when they see or read something, other students will be auditory learners who gain the most knowledge by listening. Of course, many students are also psychomotor or tactile learners, which means they learn best by doing. Because your classroom will likely include a mix of all types of learners, it’s a good idea to involve activities and assignments that cater to every type of learning. While you might not always be able to incorporate all three types of learning methods into one assignment, you can always switch your focus of learning styles – which means your students will gain experience with all types of learning.

Finally, don’t hesitate to increase your usage of classroom teaching tools. For instance, many students respond well to teaching tools like IWBs – or interactive white boards – which are known to help teachers deliver more effective lessons, as well as help students get more involved in class.

So, while there are many more methods to enhancing the effectiveness of your teaching, these few simple tips will undoubtedly help you and your students improve your classroom performance. Remember that you don’t necessarily need to make drastic changes to your teaching style in order to help your students perform; even minor modifications can make a big difference when they’re applied appropriately.

Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency.  This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency.  This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1334826_22.html

Posted in Teaching advice | No Comments »

The Four Essential Skills for Reading and Learning

March 2nd, 2009

The Four Essential Skills for Learning and Reading

Neuroscience and educational research have clearly identified the key skills that we need for effective learning. Have a look and see if you feel that any of these critical areas could be improved in your own children

The four importance cognitive processes are Memory, Attention, Processing and Sequencing. We call these skills Learning MAPsâ„¢:  Memory, Attention, Processing and Sequencing and use them to improve the essential cognitive processes that a student needs for reading and learning.

Improved Memory
We assist students to improve their working memory. This provides them the capacity to retain information for a short time, while actively processing or working with it. Users report improved working memory, moving their abilities into the higher range, and show significant improvements compared to before.

Attention
Focused and sustained attention provide the ability to concentrate on a task without being distracted. On average, our Fast ForWord ® users show major improvements in attention and focus.

Processing Skills
Auditory processing skills, including the ability to discriminate the fast changes that distinguish many phonemes, provide the foundation for acquiring strong verbal language skills and for learning to read. After using the Fast ForWord Language product, users move well into the average auditory processing range in both quiet and noisy conditions.

Sequencing
This is a cognitive skill that relies on memory, attention and processing and is essential for phonics, word fluency, reading and oral comprehension. Sequencing places information in a logical order which in turn allows for improved memory attention and processing.

These four skills help children to have several strong outcomes including, phonological memory, improved sentence memory and word discrimination as well as higher attention levels in class and at home, greater ability to remember and carry out instructions and better auditory processing.

These skills matter for all types of students including those with learning difficulties, education, dyslexia, aspergers, autism, cognitive deficits, literacy issues, language impairment, sen, spld, sld or whether in the school system or outside.

The good news is that neuroscience research indicates clearly that brain processing abilities can be improved. Take a look at our research on http://www.neuronlearning.eu

The

mastery of these attributes clearly enables better reading and therefore easier learning. Students feel a corresponding improvement in self confidence and sense of esteem.

John Kerins is a Director of Neuron Learning. Neuron Learning specializes in improving reading and learning skills. He can be contacted on UK 020 7193 6595 or john@neuron.ie http://www.neuronlearning.co.uk

 

Article

Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_845590_22.html

Posted in Essential skills | No Comments »