Teaching Strategies

Mini Lecture: The mini-lecture is a concise way to provide participants with background information, research, findings, or motivational examples to spark interest and give them a framework for discussion or activity to follow. Mini-lectures should be brief and targeted, setting up an activity or discussions.

Experiments and Demonstration: Experiments and demonstrations can be used to show how something works or why something is important. These activities also provide a way to show the correct process for doing something, like a procedure. They should be carefully planned and conducted. They often involve the use of supporting materials.

Class Discussion: A true discussion occurs when a GROUP of people including the leader, share experiences, debate ideas and theories, discuss experiences, and work together on common problems. It is not: a teacher asks a question and a participant answers. Class discussion can be used to initiate, amplify, or summarize a session.

Continuum Voting: Continuum voting is stimulating discussion technique. Students, participants express the extent to which they agree or disagree with a statement read by the leader. The room should be prepared for this activity with a sign that says agree one wall, and a sign that says disagree on the opposite wall. There should be enough space to move to either sides of the room. A position in the middle between the two signs indicates a neutral stance.

Student or Participant Experts: This is another way of having active learning. Give the participant information and let them read, and learn what they will then present to the class. They can also do research outside of the classroom, training, and prepare to teach what they have learned. Participants enjoy hearing from each other, and the experience stimulates positive interaction.

Small Groups: Participants working together can help stimulate each others activity. Small group activities are cooperative, but have less formal structure than cooperative learning. These activities encourage collective thinking and provide opportunities for participants to work together and increase social skills.

Games & Puzzles: Games and puzzles can be used to provide a different environment in which learning can take place. It can also be used in cooperative learning groups. Many types of games and puzzles can be adapted to present and review concepts. Games such as Bingo, Concentration, or Jeopardy are easily formatted for different subjects. They can be used for review, reinforcement, critical thinking, problem solving, and decision-making. Watch the competitiveness, as this is a learning tool to be used as for fun.

Artistic Expression: Participants may be offered a choice of expressing themselves in art, or through writing. Such a choice accommodates the different learning need and talents of students. Completed work should be displayed.

Student or Participant presentations: Individual student or groups of participants can present information to the rest of the class. Be sure to have clear guidelines for participants to follow, including time and objectives. This strategy also goes very well with adult learning theory and teaching others for retention.

Creative Writing: This strategy can take many forms, from poems, stories, written role-play (scripted), and journal written reflective thoughts. They can be shared or not. This form gives participants a creative outlet to the subject taught or discussed. One can also see transfer learning happen in this form of expression.

Dramatic Presentations: Dramatic presentations may be in the form of skits, plays, mock news, radio or television shows. They should be videotaped, for the participants to see themselves, as well as others not in the classroom or training session. If this is used with students are sure to have the appropriate permission forms.

Cooperative-group work: Cooperative group is a special form of small group work. All small-group activities are not necessarily cooperative groups. For a group to be cooperative, a "sink or swim together" mentality must be created. Students , participants work in small heterogeneous groups (2-6 members) where each member is accountable not only for his/her learning (or task completion) but for helping other members of the group do the same thing. The success of each individual depends on the success of the entire group. For a group to be cooperative, a sense of positive interdependence among the group members must be established. The leader must help the group establish mutual goals, joint rewards, assign specific roles, and shares materials. Cooperative-learning situations promote the development and practice of higher-level reasoning, critical thinking, decision making problem solving, communication, and interpersonal skills. The leader, teacher manages the activity by setting up the groups, and clearly explaining the tasks that must be accomplished. The teacher also serves as a consultant.

Celebrations: Activities that focus on the joy of completion and accomplishment. These activities serve as reminders and markers. It is appropriate to stop and acknowledge and appreciate their accomplishments.