Today, the scope of knowledge in the field of technology and science is increasing rapidly. The upcoming generation would be experiencing high-tech and more automated office spaces. Likewise, they will have to deal with technology in every step of life. To keep pace with the knowledge-driven era of technology, adopting modern teaching methods is the only means to thrive. After all, the conventional chalk-talk approach no longer helps students sharpen their skills.
The new teaching techniques focus on demonstration, collaboration methods, and practical implementation. Likewise, these strategies also foster interactions. The teachers ask students to form groups, complete tasks together, and produce the desired results. Thus, students gather knowledge from one another and develop a sense of cooperation, learning how to work with peers.
Besides this, instructors can adapt teaching styles beyond the one-size-fits-all approach by catering to individual students’ needs. They stretch academic capabilities for those who need appropriate support to ensure no one gets left behind. If you don’t know much about the work of education innovation and improvement, have a look below. Here we highlight five new teaching methods that outweigh traditional methods.
1. Project-Based Learning
Unlike old times, teachers don’t have to do all the legwork as students can take an active role in their learning. Project-based learning lets students immerse themselves in a real-time problem that has real-life implications. They have to work in groups to identify issues and find their way to the solution. Surprisingly, undertaking different projects can also unfold new career pathways for students.
For instance, students might develop an interest in human resource management while doing conflict resolution activities. Similarly, completing community-related projects can let students learn about the benefits of being a social worker and how they can help others. In addition to developing critical thinking skills, project-based learning allows students to widen their horizons.
2. Gamification
Undeniably, incorporating gamification in the classroom is the ideal way to attract students towards learning. It helps students focus better while keeping them motivated and engaged in school. Teachers can replace conventional math lectures with fun games such as math goodies or bouncing sums. Similarly, teachers can use thousands of websites as a part of the game-based learning approach and get students excited about learning.
However, before introducing gamification in the classrooms, teachers must structure problems effectively. They have to ensure progress is visible so that students can see how far they have come. Likewise, they also have to create a manual that explains the game rules and scoring system. After all, gamification only works when students get clear rules and expectations.
3. Growth Mindset
It might seem like a corporate term, but the philosophy of growth mindset has penetrated in classrooms. The teachers encourage students to determine the effort, persistence, and risk in their learning environment. They praise and encourage positive behavior such as efforts and curiosity and stimulate conversations. Simultaneously, they also push students to learn new concepts and experience new things. However, since it is a new concept, many teachers struggle to implement it strategically. Here we are listing some of the practices to develop a growth mindset in students.
- More than rewarding the results, teachers have to praise students’ efforts and hard work.
- Teachers have to promote a diverse learning environment so that students can embrace distinguishing perspectives in learning goals.
- Encourage students to set specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-oriented (SMART) goals for optimal results.
4. Flipped Classrooms
As innovators focus on the practical implementation of knowledge, flipped classrooms have become an emerging trend in schools and colleges. Students learn all the new lessons and chapters at home by themselves and practice them at school. They watch video tutorials, lookup on the internet, and work on content shared by the teacher. Thus, instead of completing work at home, they finish the lessons at school. As a result, they get enough time to grasp the topic, improving learning outcomes.
The main objective of this teaching approach is to optimize the time in the classroom. Teachers can guide students on cooperative projects, meet the unique needs of every student, and work on specific tasks. Above all, students get a chance to implement their knowledge in real-world situations, setting them up for future success.
5. Interdisciplinary Teaching
The interdisciplinary teaching methods encourage students to draw information from various academic disciplines, using their creativity. In classrooms, teachers ask students to collaborate with peers and make connections between different subjects. It usually includes activities like news analysis, where teachers play a new clip or hand out a news article. Then, the students have to solve a related question using skills they learned in other subjects.
Moreover, teachers also combine creative writing and history in interdisciplinary teaching. The students have to adopt the role of a historical figure and write about challenges he/she faced. It fosters learning while helping students improve their research skills.
Final Words
Educators are upgrading the education system with new curriculums and learning methods. As a result, instructors also have to adopt new teaching strategies to fit students’ learning needs. They can connect teaching with real-world examples and projects to demonstrate how things happen outside of books. Likewise, teachers can focus on developing student’s problem-solving and critical thinking skills to prepare them for the tech-savvy professional world.
