6 Best Teaching Strategies for 2023

1. Visualization
Visualization is very simply put, the ability to create mental images based on the
words we hear or the text that we read.

This strategy, if used well, can drastically help students focus on the concept or
subject matter at hand. It brings concepts to life and encourages students to make
connections to the real world.

Some of the methods of implementing this strategy in the classroom include:

 Use of audio visual aids like photos, videos, audio clips, songs etc
 Diagrams, charts and mind maps
 Modeling as you teach for the visual learners who might need to see a visual
representation to understand as opposed to hearing the concept being explained.

2. Cooperative Learning
Virtual learning has led educators to understand the importance of a key part of the
learning process – cooperation.

Cooperative learning is an instructional strategy in which a small group of students

collaboratively work on a given task. The task can be as simple as solving a quiz or as
complex as writing a story.

SplashLearn inspires lifelong curiosity with its game-based PreK-5 learning program
loved by over 40 million children. With over 4,000 fun games and activities, it’s the
perfect balance of learning and play for your little one.

In such activities, students of different learning abilities come together and help
maximize each other’s potential. It nurtures shouldering the responsibility to
contribute to successfully finishing the task. It also encourages students to support one
another and pitch in wherever required to achieve the end goal.

3. Differentiated Instruction
Every classroom is a dynamic learning space with learners of varied abilities and
personalities.

Differentiated instruction is a teaching strategy that takes into account that students
from a single classroom may be at different starting points in their learning process.

Differentiated instruction needn’t just mean different content to suit individual needs.
It can mean a combination of different content, products, teaching aids, methods, or
even a different learning environment to help learners succeed.
For example, in an ELA lesson, a teacher might choose to divide the students into two
groups based on their decoding and comprehension capacities.

Each group might receive a text that is suited to the group’s ability to grapple with it.
While one group may read and discuss their text independently, the teacher might
choose to work with the second group to help them read. The two groups may also
receive differentiated assessment tools such as worksheets of varying complexity.

This helps address diversity in learning experiences and cater to all the students in an
equally engaging way.

4. Using Technology to your Advantage

Technology in the classroom is a great way to keep students actively engaged,
especially since education has changed drastically in the recent past with the rise of
remote learning.

Introducing online interactive games encourages student participation, which in turn

ensures a fulfilling learning experience. Educational games serve as a platform for
children to learn through play.

You can find many educational games for math and ELA to help your students
understand and apply the concepts they learn in a fun and enjoyable manner.

5. Student Centred Inquiry

Student-centered inquiry is a method that focuses on the student’s role in the learning
process. So, in an inquiry-based classroom, one would see students exploring the
material or concept, making sense of it, sharing thoughts and ideas, and asking
questions rather than the teacher just orally explaining the concept.

This strategy is a great way to generate curiosity among young learners and engage an
inactive class. Through such an approach, children develop skills of researching, co-
relating, and reflecting on information through independent exploration and
engagement with the content.

6. Professional Development
Teaching is a dynamic and demanding profession. Investing some time to take
up professional development courses is a great way to keep up with new research and
methods relevant to the classroom.

With educational practices and policies constantly getting upgraded, such courses are
perfect to interact with like-minded teachers to share inputs and ideas (your own
version of cooperative learning!) that can be used in your teaching practice!

Every teacher is unique and so is their classroom. So, what might work for your
classroom may be entirely different than what may work for your colleagues. By
using a combination of teaching strategies and changing the mix every once in a
while, your classroom is sure to become an enriching environment for you and your
students.

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1. Know Your Pupils and Develop Their Respect

This may sound basic, but the basis of all good teaching is an
understanding of your pupils and their learning needs. Allied to this is
the respect you are held in by your pupils. The relationship between
teacher and student is a vital element of the learning experience. Take
time to get to know a new class from the first day, understand what
motivates them their barriers to learning. This is an often overlooked
teaching strategy.
All our one-to-one tutors are made aware before working with a pupil if
they have any special educational needs, and take the time to get to
know each pupil throughout the 1-to-1 lessons by asking about their
hobbies and interests or the kinds of things they’ve been learning in
school.

In this way, whenever possible a tutor can personalise a lesson or a

teaching technique as appropriate to the child with a real world
example.

2. Appropriate use of Summative and Formative

Assessments

The first stage here is making sure you know the difference between
formative and summative assessment. It may sound obvious but you’d
be surprised how many teachers don’t use each appropriately.
To cover them quickly:

Summative assessment refers to an assessment that takes place after

a block of work has been completed, whether this is a term or a year.
They are best thought of as assessments of learning.
Formative assessments are those that take place day-to-day and
are used to gauge pupils’ understanding of a topic – they are
assessments for learning. Formative assessment is often used in a
diagnostic capacity, to help us identify whether pupils are struggling
with a topic in the moment. This then guides and adapts our
instruction during the lesson, to better meet children’s needs.

Diagnosis of children’s gaps using formative assessments

We advocate the use of these kinds of diagnostic assessment to
identifies a child’s misconceptions. Usually this is best achieved
through a set of multiple choice questions.

As well as the correct answer, we can include multiple distractors –

answers that are incorrect based on a misconception a child may have
e.g. around multiplying. If a child chooses an incorrect answer
therefore, we can easily identify exactly where their thinking has gone
wrong.

You can download our sample diagnostic quizzes (all including

distractors and explanations of them) for free.

An example page from one of our

Diagnostic Quizzes
For pupils on our one-to-one maths interventions, we use a diagnostic
quiz a the start of the intervention which is responsive based on
answers to an earlier question. This helps us more clearly identify not
just misconceptions and weaknesses, but also where a child’s
strengths lie and what therefore needs less time spent on.

3. Teach the Vocabulary

With the new focus in the curriculum on knowledge organisers, there’s

no excuse for children being without the relevant topic vocabulary.
They need the words to be able to create the thoughts and the
sentences to confidently speak about a given topic.

This is why our tutors will always talk through any specialist maths
words at the start of a lesson with their pupils, explaining any new
terms and checking for understanding of previously covered ones.

A
slide from the intervention lessons, showing the vocabulary that tutors
may highlight to pupils.

We recommended co-creating your maths vocabulary lists with your

pupils. This Maths Vocabulary List is a great start.
4. Explicit Instruction

Also known as direct instruction, this teaching strategy is highly

teacher-led, and focuses on frequent questioning and guided practice
to help pupils learn a topic.

The backbone of explicit instruction is the use of the worked example

in an Example-Problem Pair. This involves demonstrating a
worked example in its entirety in silence alongside a problem that
pupils will then attempt.

A worked example from How

I Wish I’d Taught Maths by Craig Barton

Silence is important in order to ensure pupils’ attention is not split

between the example and the spoken explanation, making it more
likely that both will be more fully absorbed and retained.

A pupil on a Third Space Learning’s online maths intervention

programme will necessarily have all other distractions eliminated so
they can focus entirely on the information on their screen and what the
tutor is asking them to do; tutors can present a worked example in real
time in a learning environment without any visual or auditory
disruptions.

5. Effective Questioning Techniques

While we are all aware of the importance of questioning as a tool to

gauge pupils’ understanding of a topic, there are definite techniques to
improve the efficacy of your questioning in the classroom.
 Questions such as “Are you sure?” and “How do you know?”
encourage pupils to engage in some basic critical thinking to establish
how confident they are in an answer and why, while others such as “Is
there another way?” help to highlight where multiple methods to derive
a solution may exist.
Our tutors encourage pupils to verbalise their reasoning and ask
questions to ensure pupils have really got to grips with the topic at-
hand: “How do you know that answer is right?”, “Can you tell me how
else you could work it out?” or “What do you need to do first to answer
this question?” are all questions that come up frequently during our
lessons!
Goal free problems are another questioning strategy worth
considering using in your classes.

6. Deliberate Practice

One of the most effective ways of introducing new concepts to a class,

Deliberate Practice involves breaking learning down into a series of
sub skills, each of which is deliberately practiced in turn.

The 5 steps involved in deliberate practice are:

1. Isolate the skill

2. Develop the skill
3. Assess the skill
4. Final performance
5. Retrieval practice later
You can find a full explanation of each of these stages in our blog post
on deliberate practice in education.
But as an example, when teaching long multiplication method at KS2
we might use deliberate practice thus:
 Identify (isolate) each specific sub skill involved in the long
multiplication method;
 Practise (develop) each of these one by one;
 assess pupils’ use of these skills before moving on;
 have pupils put them all together for a final performance – in this
case a full long multiplication problem;
 return to this topic in later weeks and months to check pupils still
retain those skills.
At the beginning of every Third Space Learning intervention session
pupils are given a warm-up question related to a previously covered
topic; this enables tutors to check that they have retained the relevant
skills (and where they have not, to return to the topic).

Warm up as part of Third Space Learning’s retrieval practice

7. Differentiation

Far more than simply “splitting the whole class into small groups
based on attainment”, positive and effective differentiation at the
primary school level can be difficult to achieve – poor differentiation
strategies risk actually widening the attainment gap we’re attempting
to close.
But there are plenty of impactful differentiation strategies; techniques
such as interleaving and phased learning, as well as the use of maths
manipulatives and formative assessment, are among those proven to
have a beneficial impact on pupils when properly employed.
As we’ve already discussed, formative assessment is a significant
aspect of how Third Space’s tutors gauge pupil progress. But we also
make use of several other differentiation strategies during lessons,
such as spaced practice, interleaving and a mixture of direct
instruction and inquiry-based learning.

8. Reinforcing Effort/Providing Recognition

Helping pupils make a link between putting effort into a task and
receiving recognition is an important step in developing a classroom
environment that fosters active learning.

Encouraging pupils to put more effort into activities only goes so far
without something to provide them with the motivation to do so. Praise
and recognition are motivators that pupils are already familiar with;
shifting them from being correct to giving full effort can be highly
effective.
Third Space Learning’s tutors establish an effort-focused environment
right from the first session, encouraging pupils to talk through their
answers and celebrate their mistakes as learning opportunities,
ensuring they approach each intervention as another chance to try.

Since we began our intervention programmes, our tutors have

celebrated and rewarded pupil effort by awarding over 32 MILLION
Effort Points!

9. Metacognition

Literally ‘thinking about thinking’, metacognition has been recognised

by the EEF as one of the most effective, lowest cost teaching
strategies there is, with pupil making an average of seven months’
additional progress.

Metacognition in primary schools often incorporates some of the other

effective teaching strategies, such as questioning in the classroom –
“How do you know?” not only asks pupils to justify their solutions, but
has them thinking about their own thought processes for deriving that
solution.
Teaching pupils how to learn maths, plan, monitor and self-evaluate
their learning also improves pupil motivation and encourages them to
work harder in lessons. Metacognition is also one of the most
effective intervention strategies for schools.
All our tutors are trained to use a variety of metacognitive strategies
as standard during sessions, and we provide pupils with numerous
moments for self-reflection both during and after sessions.

10. Personalized Learning

It might sound obvious, but pupils are more likely to engage with
learning when is more targeted to them and appeals to their interests!
This may be difficult to achieve early on – especially with a full class of
30 pupils – but as familiarity and rapport builds throughout the year it
should become easier to make activities and even questions more
personalised to individual children.

At Third Space, we’ve built our online interventions on personalisation;

all our pupils undertake an Initial Diagnostic Assessment when they
begin their programmes, which identifies their strengths and
weaknesses in maths and allows us to design a lesson plan that helps
them make progress where they need it.

An example question
from Third Space’s diagnostic assessment
Our tutors then build on this by adding a personal touch to those
lessons, incorporating pupils’ interests into lessons with ease thanks
to our online platform.

11. Collaborative Learning

Also referred to as ‘cooperative learning’, the idea of having pupils

work in groups for certain classroom activities won’t be new to most
teachers.

But the EEF notes that the impact of group work can vary widely, and
that to make it most effective teachers should focus on well-structured
tasks that promote talk and interaction between pupils.
The concept of ‘competitive’ collaborative learning (where groups of
students compete against one another) has been shown to have some
impact, but caution is advised in case pupils focus more on the
competition rather than the learning.

12. Explicitly Teach Thinking Skills & Problem Solving

Techniques

Mathenatical problem solving techniques don’t always come naturally

to pupils; while metacognitive strategies such as those mentioned
above make it more likely that pupils will be able to apply critical
thinking to a problem, there is no set way to ensure that this will
happen.

Research into the topic suggests that context-agnostic deployment

of problem solving techniques only occurs once pupils have secure
domain knowledge, and the opportunity to practise.
Without these, pupils often fall into the trap of attributing importance to
the so-called ‘surface features’ of a problem, which we naturally
discount as irrelevant to the actual maths involved.

That said, explicit teaching of thinking skills is still of considerable

importance; once domain knowledge has been (relatively) secured,
teaching pupils how to recognise and focus on the ‘deep structure’ of
problems enables them to apply their knowledge more effectively.
Try using several ‘Same Surface Different Deep’ SSDD problems in
lessons – where the surface features of the questions are the same,
but the deep structure varies (e.g. division, multiplication, addition
etc.).
These questions eliminate any confusion regarding surface features
and thus allow pupils to focus on differentiating the deep structures.

An example SSDD question,

taken from ssddproblems.com

In the run-up to the SATs, your Year 6 pupils may unintentionally

revert to focusing on the ‘surface features’ of questions when
encountering the reasoning papers.
To help combat this, make sure you and they are aware of the
different types of maths reasoning questions in year 6 to help them
identify not just the maths problem solving techniques they need to
know, but the types of questions that are likely to require certain
techniques.
13. Modelling and Scaffolding

You may already be familiar with the “I do, We do, You do” method of
scaffolding, but it’s worth taking some time to dive into why it’s as
effective as it is.

Modelling is one of the most important factors in ensuring student

learning of a particular topic, but it is most impactful when it can
introduce new concepts without increasing pupils’ cognitive load –
hence the ‘I, We You’ approach.

By building from teacher-led, to joint construction, to independent

working, we create a structure that presents learning as less of a step-
change and more of an actual process. It also allows us greater
flexibility; more time can be spent on one stage e.g. joint construction
is it becomes necessary.

Gradual scaffolding with support slides

All Third Space Learning intervention lessons make use of this kind of
gradual scaffolding method, and our online platform lends even more
flexibility to the scaffolding structure – tutors can pull from a bank of
‘support slides’ if spending more time on a concept or process is
necessary.
1. Behavior management

Behavior management strategies foster an atmosphere of mutual

respect, reduce disruptive behavior and ensure students have an equal
opportunity to fulfill their potential in the classroom. It's crucial to
provide them with both a positive and productive learning
environment. Examples include establishing a reward system with an
interactive chart where students move up or down depending on their
performance and behavior in class.

2. Blended learning

With a blended learning teaching strategy, technology is incorporated

with traditional learning. This allows students to work at their own
pace, research their ideas and become more physically engaged
during lessons. Examples include providing interactive tablets or
whiteboards with engaging activities and posting classwork online for
easier access.
3. Cooperative learning

Group work is a cooperative learning strategy that allows students

with various learning levels to work together. By encouraging them to
express their own ideas and listen to others' ideas as a group, you help
students develop communication and critical thinking skills. Examples
include solving math puzzles together, performing skits as a team or
working on group presentations.

4. Culturally responsive teaching

Culturally responsive teaching links lessons and context with

students’ contemporary and ancestral cultures. Diverse classrooms
require you to reach students with dramatically different backgrounds
and/or different learning styles.

Through this teaching strategy, explain how your topic relates to

different cultures and make sure your classroom is a place where all
students feel empowered. Encourage all students to ask questions and
share unique answers.

5. Differentiation

Differentiation is a teaching strategy that lets you assign tasks to

students based on their specific academic abilities and their learning
needs. Effective classrooms are often inclusive settings so it's
important to teach to a range of learning levels simultaneously.
Examples include worksheets that vary in complexity or letting
students choose from activities or stations related to a particular
lesson.

Here are some ways to use differentiation:

 Provide books or other materials at different reading

levels
 Create custom spelling lists for students with different
spelling skills
 Host small groups to provide tailored advice to students
 Offer one-on-one after-school help to students
encountering challenges
 Discuss student progress and at-home educational
strategies with parents
 Measure progress in different ways, through projects,
portfolios and participation

6. Experiential learning

Experiential learning uses real-world experience to learn by doing.

While traditional lesson plans tend to focus on the teacher, this
strategy focuses on students participating in activities they may not
immediately recognize as educational.
Examples include games, experiments and/or simulations. A common
form of experiential learning is a field trip combined with practical
lessons outside of the classroom that connect to your current
curriculum.

7. Formative assessment

A formative assessment is used periodically to monitor student

learning incrementally. This can more effectively measure the process
of learning as opposed to end-of-unit tests and can help you to improve
your teaching methods throughout the year. Examples of this teaching
strategy include self-evaluation exercises and summarizing a topic in
multiple ways.

8. Game-based learning

If you want to help students become more excited about learning,

consider developing and implementing educational games and/or
challenges, whether in-person or online. These games can inspire
children, especially kinesthetic learners, to participate more fully in
the learning process, as well as keep them motivated and focused on
their class lessons. This teaching strategy can also help them solve
problems and reach a goal.

9. Growth mindset

A growth mindset is a strategy designed to help students see the value

of effort, persistence and risk in trying new things and learning new
concepts. It focuses on praising students when they try new methods
and/or embrace different perspectives on learning goals. A growth
mindset also encourages students to set goals using the Specific,
Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Based (SMART) method.

10. Inquiry-based instruction

Inquiry-based instruction uses thought-provoking questions to inspire

students to think independently and discuss meaningful topics. This
lets you present academic concepts in a way that invites students to
reconsider their perspectives and ask questions. Inquiries can be math
or science questions with a complex answer, such as "Why is the sky
blue?" or questions that result in a more subjective response, such
as "Do poems have to rhyme?"

There are four types of inquiry-based instruction:

Confirmation Structured
Guided inquiry Open inquiry
inquiry inquiry
You give students You let students
You give You give students
an open question develop original
students a an open question
and they design questions that they
question and a and investigation
investigation answer through
way to answer it. method.
methods. their own methods.
11. Modeling

Teachers can use a modeling teaching strategy by generating their

own example as an acceptable answer. For some students, it's easier
to learn when you tell them what to do and then show them how to do
it.

This teaching strategy will be especially helpful for students who

identify themselves as visual learners. Among younger age groups, you
may model appropriate classroom behaviors, for example. In older
grades, it's more common to provide sample answers to complex
equations or other challenging tasks.

12. Response to intervention

Response to intervention (RTI) is a strategy for accommodating a

student who may require extra support. This teaching strategy focuses
on early and continuous identification, assessment and assistance for
students with learning or behavior needs.

The RTI strategy helps you respond proactively to students who may
learn more effectively with a personalized plan. Examples include
adjusting your instructional methods to re-engage students or
contacting parents to discuss one-on-one support.

13. Student-led teaching

The student-led teaching strategy lets students become the teacher.

In a classroom with learners at different levels, you can better engage
those learning faster by showing them how to teach and give feedback
to their peers.

They may team-teach or work in groups to teach a new topic.

Examples include letting a student teach an entire lesson or having
advanced writers lead a peer-editing session as well as provide
constructive criticism.

14. Summative assessment

Summative assessments are exams and/or projects designed to

evaluate students' understanding of specific material. While these
assessments may not be effective for measuring learning ability, they
help identify class-wide learning gaps and encourage students to
remain attentive to their lessons. Examples include end-of-unit tests,
final projects or standardized tests.

15. Visualization

Graphic organizers are a simple, effective visualization tool to help

students brainstorm and organize their thoughts and ideas in a visual
presentation. Visual aids like pie charts, Vygotsky
scaffolding and Venn diagrams spur students to think about
information through connections and comparisons.
This helps them organize the information in their minds to better grasp
new concepts. You might ask students to make their graphic
organizers so they can learn to apply their knowledge more creatively.

A
sample support slide from TSL’s online platform.

Other Teaching Strategies To Consider

The teaching strategies above form the basis of our one-to-one
lessons, but some other teaching practices you’ll need to consider in
your own classroom include :
Use of education technology
Knowing when and where to bring technology into the classroom is a
delicate balancing act. While children tend to react well to technology-
based lessons, there’s always the risk that they focus on the tech over
the learning.

Behaviour management
Effective classroom management is its own topic, but there’s no doubt
that a well-behaved class (not necessarily a perfectly-behaved one) is
far more likely to engage with lessons.
Inquiry-based learning
While triggering the curiosity of your pupils for a topic is the necessary
first step in inquiry-based learning, presenting them with the
opportunity to research and report on the topic is where learning really
occurs.

How you manage class discussions e.g. ‘Think, pair, share’

Somewhat related to behaviour management, class or group
discussions are most beneficial when they have a clear, well-
established structure to them. Students should not only feel they have
the opportunity to share their thoughts, but understand that others’
thoughts also have value.

Feedback process and understanding

The single most impactful teaching strategy when used correctly,
feedback (whether from the teacher or another source e.g. peer
marking) needs to be specific, encouraging and actionable – pupils
need to be able to understand where they could improve, and how.

Growth Mindset
Separate from praise and rewarding effort, developing growth
mindset can be a very valuable tool in developing pupils’ resilience
and fostering a more positive attitude towards both maths specifically
and learning in general.

List Of Teaching Methodologies Primary

School
1. Teacher-Centered Instruction

Recognized as the most conventional approach, the teacher-centered methodology is based

on the idea that the teacher has the main responsibility in the learning environment. Teachers
are in charge of the classroom and direct all activities. Typically, in this approach, students are
seated at individual desks that face the teacher. While group work may take place, most
classroom time is spent with the teacher explaining concepts and assigning individual work. In
other words, students passively absorb the information while the teacher actively delivers it.

Advantages:
1. It highlights the importance of the teacher’s role as facilitator. Although the teacher-
centered approach has been criticized for encouraging passive learning, no one can deny that
students need the assistance of a teacher to develop their skills.
2. Having been built on behavioral theory, this teaching method facilitates control over
changes in student behavior through direct instruction. It might be helpful to use the core of this
approach and modify it depending on the teacher’s and students’ needs, gradually shifting the
focus from the former to the latter.

Disadvantages:
1. Critics cite lack of stimulation student motivation. Indeed, the teacher-centered method,
used blindly, may not allow students enough freedom of mind and creativity.
2. It is poor at promoting analytical thinking and problem solving skills. Not having enough
opportunities for students to make their own choices may result in lack of decision making skills
and even inability to think critically.

This and other comparativist theories developed and proven by many scientists are
described and analyzed in “A Comparison of Teacher-Centered and Student-Centered
Approaches in Educational Settings” article.

2. Small Group Instruction

Small Group
Small group instruction (SGI) usually follows whole group instruction and provides students
with a reduced student-teacher ratio, typically in groups of four to six students. SGI allows
teachers to work more closely with each student on a specific learning objective, reinforce skills
learned in whole group instruction, and check for student understanding. This teaching method
is based on constant activities around workstations: groups working with the teacher and groups
working independently on varied activities, such as using manipulatives or computer/online
resources.

If you liked the article and want to find more effective small-group instruction strategies for your lessons,
check out the activities and ideas provided by Happy Numbers and start a free trial (which is available
only this week) right now!

Speaking of digital resources, they have been showing their huge potential lately, and Happy
Numbers is no exception. The platform has been effectively used by many experienced
teachers to improve their small group instructional techniques. The Happy Numbers curriculum
perfectly integrates the main principles of the approach and helps teachers to plan their lessons
accordingly.

Happy Numbers meets each student's individual needs, provides direct instruction, and
always keeps them in their zone of proximal development, which allows them to independently
close learning gaps. Moreover, its digital framework keeps students engaged throughout the
whole course, letting them work independently and carefully monitoring their progress.

Advantages:
1. Lessons are adapted to each student’s level. This allows teachers to provide targeted,
differentiated instruction to small groups of students in a natural way. It helps the instructor to
more closely evaluate what each student is capable of and construct strategic plans around the
assessments.
 2. It promotes students’ social adaptation skills. Students who find it difficult to ask
questions and participate in a large group setting may benefit from working in a small group
setting, where they feel more at ease and less overwhelmed.

Disadvantages:
1. It takes more time and effort to prepare materials and organize workstations for each
student group. Teachers need to think through each type of activity that will be provided at
workstations: they should be equally engaging and effective.
2. Students might feel pressure to always be involved, always contributing to lessons, and
always taking some kind of role in group work.

3. Student-Centered / Constructivist Approach

As we consider shifting the focus from teacher to students, the rest of the approaches from
this list are considered to be student-centered or constructivist. With the development of the
educational sphere and society in general, the idea of a student-centered approach has become
more popular, and there are good reasons for that. Student-centered classrooms include
students in planning, implementation, and assessments. Involving the learners in these
decisions places more responsibility and ownership on them rather than on the teacher. Also,
teachers must become comfortable with changing their leadership style from directive to
consultative. Meanwhile, students may work in small groups, access centers, and move about
the classroom freely.

We hope that the ideas shared in this article will help you and your students to succeed in this potentially
challenging topic. If you do find these tips helpful, check out what Happy Numbers offers its users by
setting up your class and starting a free trial which is available only this week!

Advantages:
1. Students play a more active role in their learning and develop a sense of responsibility.
2. Thanks to teachers avoiding transmission of knowledge directly, students have a
chance to stimulate their analytical thinking, by “making sense of what they are learning by
relating it to prior knowledge and by discussing it with others,” according to American
educational psychologist J. Brophy.

Disadvantages:
1. There is a risk of facing some behavioral problems by giving students independence,
especially when it comes to young children. To avoid such problems, teachers must lay a
groundwork by creating a model of correct behavior: having the freedom to do what you want
means being ready to take responsibility for the process and the results.
2. This method works best when the instructor makes the lesson interesting. Without this,
students may get bored, their minds may wander, and they may miss key information.

The student-centered approach can be difficult for teachers to master or perfect, and it doesn
´t always guarantee a 100% outcome. However, the results can be very positive if teachers still
employ the approach partially, blending these techniques with other types of lessons.

4. Project-Based Learning

A relatively new teaching method, project-based learning falls within the student-centered
approach. As the name suggests, in project-based learning students complete projects.
However, these are big, meaty projects in which students acquire knowledge, research, think
critically, evaluate, analyze, make decisions, collaborate, and more.
 Typically, projects are created in response to an open-ended question such as “How can our
school be greener?” or “How was our city planned in the past and how could it be planned in the
future?” Another important part of the projects is that they relate to real-world problems. The
projects shouldn’t just apply to the classroom but have an impact, too. For example, students
might make a radio show for the whole school to hear. Or, they might write a letter to the town
council and attend a meeting to express an opinion.

Advantages:
1. Between projects, the teacher may provide scaffolding and smaller bite-sized projects
to help build skills such as how to research, how to solve division problems, how to write a
letter, etc. Thus, students build on what they know by asking questions, investigating, interacting
with others, and reflecting on these experiences.
2. Cooperative learning is enhanced by letting students organize their work in groups.

Disadvantages:
1. It’s quite time consuming and requires good classroom management skills (from
equipment availability to organizing and controlling the usage of it).
2. Students without experience in group work may have difficulties adapting roles and
negotiating compromise.

5. Montessori

This type of teaching is based on a methodology that’s over 100 years old. Yet, it continues
to offer a novel approach to creating a student-centered classroom.

Today, the Montessori method is most popular in preschools, kindergartens, and lower
elementary grades. In this method, the teacher prepares an ideal classroom environment full of
activities that children may pick from to work on. Moreover, the teacher guides the children to
ensure that they choose an adequate number of lessons from all of the subject areas.

The Montessori method also encourages the use of “materials” or carefully curated objects
designed for learning. For example, there are trays containing different types of triangles or
cards with definitions explaining the parts of a bird. Furthermore, the Montessori method
includes areas of the curriculum that teach social skills and practical life skills, such as cooking
and cleaning.

Advantages:
1. Strong intrinsic motivation and a strong sense of responsibility are important qualities
that the Montessori method strives to instill in students. Children often work independently and
have their choice of what to work on and where to work in the classroom.
2. It creates a positive learning environment. The multi-age learning environment is unique
and a key factor to this educational method. Younger children have a great opportunity to
develop their social, communication, leadership, and emotional skills by working with older
children. Older children also benefit from this approach.

Disadvantages:
1. It can be expensive. For Montessori schools, it is very hard to keep their prices low.
2. Some teachers and students may find it difficult to get used to the looseness of the
curriculum compared to familiar methods of teaching. It’s important to keep that in mind before
deciding to incorporate some ideas of Montessori or even implement it into teaching.

Here’s a good scientific review written by Chloë Marshall, one of the researchers of
University College London, in which she describes Montessori education’s effectiveness and
key elements of it that are shared with other educational methods for those who are interested
and want to start implementing it into their teaching.
6. Inquiry-Based Learning

What if learning was question-driven? This is exactly what inquiry -based learning is about: it
engages students by making real-world connections through exploration and high-level
questioning.

Advantages:
1. Teachers guide students to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. To learn
these skills, the teacher helps students think through their processes, teaches them possible
approaches, and encourages them to try various methods.
2. Students are encouraged to fail as a part of the process and then improve their
performance in subsequent activities.
3. Instead of repeating answers students have been taught, students learn to seek their
own answers to questions. So, students develop strong research skills.

Disadvantages:
1. Because students are always encouraged to speak up, participate, and not be afraid to
fail, there is always a risk of embarrassing students who may not be quick thinkers (or who
suffer from learning disabilities and processing issues). This leads to a higher level of anxiety
and loss of motivation.
2. It may result in poorer standardized testing performance. When too much time is
dedicated to student inquiries, there’s always the risk that important “core” topics could be left
out. Naturally, this hurts standardized testing performance.

Still, one may find some useful techniques and ideas of inquiry-based learning for carefully
implementing them into the lesson and benefiting from them, as the approach gives a lot of
opportunities to promote students’ problem solving abilities

7. Flipped Classroom
The concept of delivering online lectures that students can view from home to
substitute lecturing in the classroom is known as flipped learning. The letters FLIP
represent the four pillars included in this type of learning: Flexible environment,
Learning culture shift, Intentional content, and Professional educator. This technique, in
theory, allows for more time in class to be devoted to active learning rather than
instruction.

Advantages:
1. Students have more control over their learning. When viewing video content or other
materials at home, students have the option of learning at their own pace.
2. It promotes student-centered learning and collaboration.

Disadvantages:
1. It is difficult to implement: unequal access to technological resources disadvantages
certain populations.
2. Being based mostly on auditory perception of students, it leads to less effective
comprehension.
3. It depends highly on students’ compliance: the approach assumes that students will
complete the out-of-class preparation and always be prepared for participation in class. There’s
a risk though that not all students will always be prepared for the lesson.
 Multiple case studies prove that the positive effect of this method outweighs shortcomings
that may be easily avoided through the use of a partially flipped classroom. We’re sure that
teachers are likely to find some useful techniques of flipped learning and incorporate them into
their own lessons.

8. Cooperative Learning

As the name suggests, cooperative learning involves a lot of group work. However, it also
requires a lot of structure and intervention on the part of the teacher to make learning as
effective as possible. Some commonly used cooperative learning strategies include “think-pair-
share.” Discussions in small groups or pairs can also be effective, as can a “jigsaw” approach.
In the jigsaw model, students are broken into small groups to read or learn from a certain
perspective. Then, changing their groups, members spread the information and share it with
others.

Advantages:
1. It improves social skills through cooperative work, recreating real-world work situations
in which collaboration and cooperation are required. One of the most vivid results of cooperative
learning is described in American psychologist and professor of the John Hopkins University
Robert E. Slavin’s essential work “Cooperative learning: Theory, Research, and Practice”.
2. It improves critical thinking: during the group work process, students will express their
opinions or ideas with the other students in the group providing feedback. This feedback to each
student will include critique as well as the interpretation of the opinions or ideas expressed.

Disadvantages:
1. There may be difficulties with distributing social roles among group members and, as a
result, the detachment of one student from the group. There are risks of possible conflicts
between group members, which demands more attention from the teacher.
2. Students working in the same group may have different speeds of learning.

9. Personalized Education

Personalized education takes the student-centered approach to a new level by, as much as
possible, responding to each individual learner’s unique needs, strengths, and weaknesses.
Each student gets a learning plan that's based on what he or she knows and how he or she
learns best. Through individualized instruction, learning is tailored to the student. It provides
numerous and yet-to-be-discovered advantages for both teachers and students.

Advantages:
1. Personal attention is given to ensure that every child develops his or her intellectual
and creative talents.
2. Studying in a supportive and caring environment promotes respectful student-teacher
relationships and even teacher partnership with parents.

Disadvantages:
1. It can be time- and organization-demanding: teachers have to modify their pace, do a
lot of preparation, and learn to comprehend and attend to each student's needs.

1.4 Teaching Approaches, Methods, and Techniques

1.4.1. Approaches, Methods, Techniques
We will view an ‘approach’ as a way of looking at teaching and learning.
Underlying any language teaching approach is a theoretical view of what
language is, and of how it can be learned. It contains a set of theoretical
principles about teaching with practical applications.

An approach gives rise to ‘methods', the way of teaching language items, e.g.,
via classroom activities or techniques.

A method is how a language is taught. A method is made up of a set of

techniques that usually reflect a particular view of language teaching.

Example

The Communicative Approach is the most popular and most current approach to
language teaching. Task-based teaching is a methodology associated with
teaching the Communicative Approach. Other methods are also associated with
teaching the Communicative Approach.

However, to confuse matters, some methods have also been labelled

‘approaches’.

1.4.2. Most Recent Methods/Techniques

Here is a list of the most popular methods of teaching ELT:

1. Presentation, Practice and Production (PPP)

In this method, the teacher presents the new language item for learning, using a
situation (presentation stage). Then the teacher gets the learners to practice the
new language via exercises or other controlled practice activities (practice stage).
And then he asks learners to use or produce the same language in a
communicative and less controlled way (production stage).
2. Audiolingual Method (mentioned above)

In this method, language learning is all about habit formation, mainly by repetitive
drilling. Error correction is considered essential to prevent bad habits.

The Audiolingual Method is largely discredited in academic circles, though in

some places it is still practiced.

3. Lexical method (often termed ‘lexical approach’)

The word lexis is used to signify both the teaching of vocabulary and areas of
grammar together. Vocabulary is typically seen as individual words, whereas
lexis is a somewhat broader concept and consists of words, phrases,
collocations, chunks, and formulaic grammatical expressions.

These words, chunks, and patterns are now often called lexical items.

Instruction focuses on fixed expressions that frequently occur in dialogues.

We’ll explore lexis further in module 4.

4. Task-based method

In Task-Based Learning, the learning is designed around a series of authentic

tasks which give learners experience of using the language in ways in which it is
used in the 'real world' outside the classroom. In this method, there is no pre-
determined language syllabus, and the aim is for learners to learn from the tasks
the language they need to participate successfully in them.

A task could be working out the itinerary of a journey from a timetable or

requesting information from a travel agent.

5. Principled Eclecticism Method

This method involves the use of a variety of language learning activities, a mix of
all the different activities above and other teaching methods. Proponents
(supporters) of this method say that there are weaknesses as well as strengths in
other methods. Thus, it's best to use a mix of methods to ensure the learning
does not become mechanical and, therefore, the learners will benefit from
several methods.
6. Communicative Method (often termed the ‘Communicative Approach’)*

 In this method, the focus is on authentic, meaningful communication, not

structure.

 Students accomplish tasks using language. They do not study the

language, as happened in the past.

 The syllabus focuses on functions (e.g., asking permission, asking

directions, etc.), not grammatical/structural development (tenses,
conditionals, etc.).

 Fluency and communication are more important than accuracy.

 The class becomes more student-centered (or learner-centered). Students

accomplish their tasks with other students, while the teacher plays more of
a facilitator/observer role.
*************************************************************************************************************

DIFFERENT APPROACHES AND METHODS

Teaching Approach, Strategy, Method, and Technique
Shared with love by LET Review University - the best online review platform for LET
Teaching Approach - set of principles, beliefs or ideas about the nature of learning
-springs from teacher's own philosophy of education
Teaching Strategy- long-term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal
-example military strategy, economic strategy
Teaching Method-systematic way of doing something
-more procedural
-orderly logical arrangement OEM steps
Teaching technique- well-defined procedure
-teacher's particular style or trick
-an art
Examples of Teaching Approaches
Teacher-centered - teacher is the only reliable source of information
-learner is a passive recipient of instruction
Learner-centered - learner is also an important resource because he/she knows something and capable
of sharing something
-teacher makes adjustments in LPs to accommodate learner's interests
Subject Matter-centered - subject matter gains privacy over the learner
-ex. sticking to course syllabus or lesson plan
-also teacher-dominated
Constructivist approach - students are expected to construct knowledge and meaning of what they are
taught by connecting them to prior experience
Banking Approach- teacher deposits knowledge into the empty minds of students
Integrated Approach
Intradisciplinary - teacher connects what she teaches to other lessons of the same subject
interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary- connecting lessons with other subjects
1. DIRECT DEMONSTRATION METHOD (Expository Approach)
a.Direct Instruction/Lecture Method
-helps students acquire procedural knowledge
-procedural knowledge refers to the skills needed in the performance of a task
-ex. focusing the microscope, doing powerpoint presentations, playing basketball, sewing a pair of
pajamas
-also used for factual and non-controversial
-lesson objective has something to do with skill and therefore the assessment tool must be a
performance test
-used in teaching facts, principles or laws
b. Demonstration Method
-employed in presenting lessons that use sophisticated equipment and technical know-how
2. INDIRECT/GUIDED/EXPLORATORY APPROACH
1. Inquiry Method
- core of inquiry is spontaneous and a self-directed exploration
-sometimes termed discovery, heuristic and problem solving
-defined as a teaching method which is modeled after the investigative processes of scientists
-obtaining infirmation through direct experiences
-Investigative
-promotes first hand experience
2. Problem Solving Method
-employs scientific method in searching for information
-also known as investigatory process
3. Project Method
-learners solve a practical problem over a period of several days or weeks
-ex. organizing a fund raising campaign for flood victim
-focuses on applying, not imparting, specific knowledge or skills, and on improving student
involvement and motivation in order to foster independent thinking, self confidence and social
responsibility
-sometimes referred to as self-directed study
-emphasizes learning by doing
-develops manipulative skill
4. Cooperative Learning
-students work in groups or teams
-learning environment is characterized by strong motivation and smooth interpersonal interactions
-use heterogeneous grouping
- students must exhibit necessary social skills to work cooperatively in group situations
5. PEER TUTORING/PEER TEACHING
-employed when the teacher requests the older, brighter and more cooperative member of the class to
tutor (coach, teach, instruct) other classmates
6. PARTNER LEARNING
-study buddy
7. DEDUCTIVE METHOD VERSUS INDUCTIVE METHOD
1. Deductive Method - direct method; demonstration
-teacher tells directly what she wants to teach
-example, teacher begins by stating the rule in adding fractions. Then she will give examples. After
which, she will give written exercises
-teacher-dominated
-teacher begins with abstract rule, generalization, principle and ends with specific examples and
concrete details
-cove inning of the lesson
Disadvantages
-not an active process
-less involvement on the part of learners
2. Inductive Method - inquiry method, problem-solving method, and project method
-indirect, guided and exploratory
-also called indirect instruction
-begin with questions, problems and details and end up with answers, generalization, conclusions
-example, teacher will give examples of added similar fraction. Ask the student to study the example
and ask them to explain how they arrived at the sums. Then ask them to state the rules.
-develops HOTS
While the methods are diametrically opposed, they complement each other. Learner must grow his
understanding inductively and apply the principle learned deductively.
OTHER APPROACHES
A. BLENDED LEARNING
-combination of different modes of delivery, models of teaching and styles of learning, and is based
on transparent communication
-also described as integrative learning, hybrid learning, mobile learning and on-line learning
B. REFLECTIVE LEARNING
-through analysis and evaluation of past experiences
-strategies:
Self analysis-a record of ones success or failure may help
Writing Journals
-reveals feelings about the days activities including what could have enhanced or inhibited their
learning.
Keeping a Portfolio
-a portfolio is a very personal document which includes frank, honest and on the spot account of
experiences
-instant thoughts, first hand observations and personal knowledge
"Reflective teaching is best described as one borne of experiences that have been deeply thought of,
analyzed and evaluated. Reflection is inseparable from experience. Experience is not yet best
learning, reflection is".
3.METACOGNITIVE APPROACH
The prefix meta means beyond. Therefore, metacognitive approach is an approach that goes beyond
cognition.
Thinking about thinking
Has something to do with students monitoring their own cognitive processes
According to Linda Darling-Hammond, students learn more effectively when they are aware on their
learning of how they learn and how to monitor and reflect.
To promote learning, teachers should do metacognitive and reflective teaching.
Research indicates that effective problem-solvers subvocalize; that is they talk to themselves
frequently..(Orlich 1994)
Subvocalizing- includes constantly restating the situation, rechecking progress, and evaluating
whether one's thinking is moving in an appropriate discussion.
4. CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACH
One principle of learning that should guide teaching in the 21st century emphasized by Hammond
and colleagues is that "students come to the classroom with prior understanding and experiences and
to promote student learning, teachers must address and build upon this prior knowledge. " The
constructivist approach is anchored on this.
Constructivist view learning as an active process that results from self-constructed meanings. A
meaningful connection is established between prior knowledge and the present learning activity.
The constructive approach is anchored on the belief that every individual constructs and reconstructs
meaning depending on past experiences. They continue reflecting and evaluating accumulated
knowledge with sn end view of constructing new meanings.
Inquiry teaching suits the constructivists
Reflection is an important activity
5. INTEGRATED APPROACH
-interdisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary
Intradisciplinary approach- observed when teachers integrates the subdisciplines within a subject
area.
Ex. Integrating listening, reading, writing, speaking and viewing in language arts
Math teaching integrates number and number sense, patterns and algebra, geometry and probability
Araling Panlipunan integrate history, geography, sociology, economics and government.
Science in the k to 12 curriculum integrates biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science.
Interdisciplinary- teaching is done when I teach science concepts in teaching reading skills in
language and when I teach Araling Panlipunan concepts in teaching reading and writing skills in
Filipino.
- this is also known as the content-based instruction (CBI)
Transdisciplinary approach - teachers organize curriculum around student's questions and concerns.
Students develop life skills as they apply interdisciplinary and disciplinary skills in a real life context
as shown below.
Problem-based Learning (PBL) - learning that results from the process of working toward the
understanding of the resolution of a problem.
-also known as project-based learning or place-based

********************************************************************************
What are the types of assessment?

Pre-assessment or diagnostic assessment

Before creating the instruction, it’s necessary to know for
what kind of students you’re creating the instruction. Your
goal is to get to know your student’s strengths, weaknesses
and the skills and knowledge the posses before taking the
instruction. Based on the data you’ve collected, you can create
your instruction.

Formative assessment
Formative assessment is used in the first attempt of
developing instruction. The goal is to monitor student learning
to provide feedback. It helps identifying the first gaps in your
instruction. Based on this feedback you’ll know what to focus
on for further expansion for your instruction.

Summative assessment
Summative assessment is aimed at assessing the extent to
which the most important outcomes at the end of the
instruction have been reached. But it measures more: the
effectiveness of learning, reactions on the instruction and the
benefits on a long-term base. The long-term benefits can be
determined by following students who attend your course, or
test. You are able to see whether and how they use the
learned knowledge, skills and attitudes.

Read more about formative and summative assessments.

Confirmative assessment
When your instruction has been implemented in your
classroom, it’s still necessary to take assessment. Your goal
with confirmative assessments is to find out if the instruction
is still a success after a year, for example, and if the way
you're teaching is still on point. You could say that a
confirmative assessment is an extensive form of a summative
assessment.

Norm-referenced assessment
This compares a student’s performance against an average
norm. This could be the average national norm for the subject
History, for example. Other example is when the teacher
compares the average grade of his or her students against the
average grade of the entire school.

Criterion-referenced assessment
It measures student’s performances against a fixed set of
predetermined criteria or learning standards. It checks what
students are expected to know and be able to do at a specific
stage of their education. Criterion-referenced tests are used to
evaluate a specific body of knowledge or skill set, it’s a test
to evaluate the curriculum taught in a course.

Ipsative assessment
It measures the performance of a student against previous
performances from that student. With this method you’re trying
to improve yourself by comparing previous results. You’re not
comparing yourself against other students, which may be not
so good for your self-confidence.

1. Diagnostic Assessment (as Pre-Assessment)

One way to think about it: Assesses a student’s strengths, weaknesses, knowledge, and skills
prior to instruction

Another way to think about it: A baseline to work from

Tip: Done at the beginning–of the school year, beginning of a unit, beginning of a lesson,
etc.

2. Formative Assessment

One way to think about it: Assesses a student’s performance during instruction, and usually
occurs regularly throughout the instruction process

Another way to think about it: Like a doctor’s ‘check-up’ to provide data to revise instruction

Tip: Using digital exit ticket tools like Loop can be an easy means of checking whether
students have understood lesson content, while also promoting student reflection.

3. Summative Assessment

So what are the different types of assessment of learning? The next time someone says
‘assessment,’ you can say “Which type, and what are we doing with the data?” Summative
assessment, for example.

One way to think about it: Measures a student’s achievement at the end of instruction. It’s
like talking to someone about a movie after the movie is over. : )

Another way to think about it: It’s macabre, but if formative assessment is the check-up, you
might think of summative assessment as the autopsy. What happened? Now that it’s all
over, what went right and what went wrong?

Tip: By using measurements of student performance, summative assessments can be useful

for teachers to improve units and lessons year over year because they are, in a way, as much
of a reflection on the quality of the units and lessons themselves as they are the students.

4. Norm-Referenced Assessment
One way to think about it: Compares a student’s performance against other students (a
national group or other ‘norm’)

Another way to think about it: Place, group or ‘demographic’ assessment. Many
standardized tests are used as norm-referenced assessments.

Tip: These kinds of assessments are useful over time in student profiles or for placement in
national-level programs, for example.

5. Criterion-Referenced Assessment

One way to think about it: Measures a student’s performance against a goal, specific
objective, or standard

Another way to think about it: a bar to measure all students against

Tip: These can be a kind of formative assessment and should be integrated throughout your
curriculum to guide the adjustment of your teaching over time. Mastery or competency-
based learning would use criterion-referenced assessments.

6. Interim/Benchmark Assessment

One way to think about it: Evaluates student performance at periodic intervals, frequently at
the end of a grading period. Can predict student performance on end-of-the-year
summative assessments. A benchmark assessment is a type of interim assessment so it
could be useful to think of them as distinct even though they function in a similar way.

Another way to think about it: Bar graph or chart growth throughout a year, often against
specific ‘benchmarks’

Tip: Benchmark assessments can be useful for communicating important facts and data to
parents, district officials, and others to, among other goals, inform the allotment of
resources (time and money) to respond to that data.

************************************************************************************************

Formative Assessment
Formative assessment is a term for any type of assessment used to gather student
feedback and improve instruction. Formative assessments occur during the learning
process, often while students are engaged in other activities. Anecdotal records,
periodic quizzes or essays, diagnostic tests and in-class or homework assignments are
all types of formative assessment because they provide information about a student's
progress.

2Summative Assessment
Summative assessment occurs at the end of a unit of study in order to measure the
amount of information the students have learned. Most traditional assessment types are
considered summative. Summative assessments reflect students' learning and the
teacher's ability to communicate information effectively.
3Observational Assessment
Observational assessment is the most common form of formative assessment.
Teachers can circulate the room to monitor students' progress. If students are working
independently or in groups, teachers should intervene when the students are not
understanding the material. Teachers can also take note of students' comments and
participation levels during class discussions to gauge their learning.

4Selected Response
Selected response assessments are any type of objective exam where there is only one
correct answer for each question. Multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching and
true/false questions are all types of selected response assessments. This type of
assessment allows the teacher to score exams quickly and with a large degree of
reliability in scoring from one exam to another.

5Constructed Response
Constructed response assessments require students to generate their own response
rather than selecting a single response from several possible ones. These exams are
much more subjective as there is not a single correct answer. Instead, teachers must
grade either with a rubric or holistically to maintain a fair degree of reliability.

6Performance Assessment
Performance assessments require students to perform as a means of showing they
understand class material. The types of performances can include actual performing, as
in a class debate, or performance by creating, as in making a brochure or TV ad. These
assessments evaluate complex cognitive processes as well as attitude and social skills,
and students often find them engaging.

7Portfolio Assessment
Portfolio assessments evaluate a student's progress over the course of the semester. It
is more than a one-time picture of what a learner has accomplished. Portfolios include
all of a student's work in a particular area. For example, a student in an English class
could have a portfolio for a research paper that includes note cards, outlines, rough
drafts, revisions and a final draft. The teacher would evaluate the portfolio as a whole,
not just the final draft, to see how the student has grown.