Teaching Methods
First of all, be aware of your own learning style, which will probably be your favorite teaching style. You will need to add strategies for other types of learners to the strategies that come naturally to you.
Deductive Strategies
Generalizations and rules are taught from the beginning (e.g., these are the characteristics of the Baroque era and these are how they differ from Renaissance music).
Lectures are deductive in nature because the teacher presents information and the conclusions about it. A large amount of information can be presented to a large group of people in lecture format, which is an advantage. Lecture is how human doctors and veterinary doctors learn all the anatomical systems and the effects of disease in four short years. Effective lecturing techniques include keeping it as short as possible, not using it all the time, and asking high level questions.
Inductive Strategies
Students move from the specifics to figuring out the rules for themselves. For example, students listen to several examples of Renaissance and Baroque music and figure out the differences between the two types of music. This works for smaller groups of students and it requires more class time. The major advantage is that when students figure out generalizations for themselves, they are more likely to remember them and to internalize the knowledge. Inductive teaching is more interesting than lectures.
Cooperative Learning Strategies
Can be both deductive and inductive. Deductive strategies include practice and review of information through games. Inductive activities include research, analysis, and synthesis of information.
Discussion Strategies
Discussions are not simply unstructured talk. You can plan discussions. Your discussions can be deductive or inductive. Deductive are more structured with clearer answers. Inductive lessons may appear less structured but are no less well planned. Inductive discussions include more open-ended questions and the teacher will accept answers that are supported by information or inferences from whatever textual information is the center of the discussion. Plan a variety of questions and keep learner outcomes in mind. Lead the discussion but don’t dominate it. Try to make certain that all students have a chance to participate. Eventually, you can have students plan and lead discussions. This strategy takes time but it does result in students feeling ownership over the information.
Comparison/Contrast
Student need to be able to compare and contrast two things or concepts. You can compare something new with something familiar, which is helpful for students to grasp the new.
Teaching Styles
Silver and Hanson describe 4 types of teachers:
· Nurturers who value interaction and collaboration and tend to stress role-playing, teamwork, or team games, group projects, and so forth.
· Trainers, who value knowledge and skills and stress drills, observations, demonstrations, and time on task.
· Intellectuals, who value logic and critical thinking and who stress inquiry, concept development, problem-solving, and analysis.
· Facilitators, who value creative expression and flexibility and who stress inductive learning, divergent thinking, hypothesis formation, and metaphoric expression.
You should probably figure out which one is closest to you and then take some of the good characteristics of the others and add them to your repertoire.
Direction-giving
Your personal style will determine how you give directions. Some teachers are directive, giving commands and orders and leaving less room for student choice. Other teachers are less directive in nature, giving few commands and allowing for more student choice.
Know yourself and then add some of the strategies of the other side so you are more capable of reaching more students. If you are directive, find some way to offer a real choice to students. If you are less directive, be sure you figure out which students need more direction and give it to them.
Some kids need step by step, clear directions (and they eventually need to learn how to accomplish something with less direction—but you can work on that over time). Other kids need little direction (they might need to be reigned in once in awhile). The goal is to accomplish your teaching goals, so choose the direction-giving strategies that help you to accomplish your goal.