Monday, December 26, 2011

Teaching Strategies - 7 Secrets of a Master Teacher

Great teaching comes from great teachers. Teachers who have control of their classroom, mastery of their material and the respect of their students. However becoming a master teacher isn't easy. It takes hard work, perseverance and determination.

In order to help you teach better, here are 7 STRATEGIES for a master teacher.

1. Know Your Why

It has been said that if you have a big enough "why" you can accomplish anything. So, know why you want to be a teacher. The reason must be bigger than life if you are going to stay motivated.

2. Prepare Your Priorities

In order to make decisions you need to develop a set of predetermined priorities. Knowing your priorities will help you focus on doing first things first. Most people don't do what is important, they do what is urgent. So, decide what is most important to you and prepare your priorities.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Developing Teaching Strategies With Interactive Whiteboards

Familiarization, utilization, integration, reorientation, and evolution are the five different levels. In the first level the teacher familiarizes with an interactive Whiteboard.

The schools teaching staff get a detailed training session on the use of IWB. The teachers get a detailed instruction on the technology but yet to access the same. In the initial stage the teacher might give simple display with the help of audio visual devices to the students. As teachers' know-how increases the utility of Interactive Whiteboard is more. In this level the projector is used connected to a PC or flip chart. The teacher's ability to add footnotes, the skill to save the text, to amend the resources all depends on improved knowledge on the usage of Interactive Whiteboard. The third stage or 'integration' is characterized when teachers make the IWB technology an indispensable part of the pedagogic system.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Teaching Strategies - 12.5 Rules for Teaching the Learner

In order to be a great teacher you must be able to connect with your students. Connecting isn't easy, but if you prepare and present your lessons with the learner in mind you will connect.

Use these 12.5 strategies to help you prepare and present your lessons for the learner.

(1) Gain their Attention

Always get the attention of your students before you begin your lesson. Observe their faces to see if they are mentally as well as physically present.

(2) Remember to Pause

Pause whenever the class' s attention is interrupted or lost and wait until you have completely regained it.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Resources in Teaching Music Highlight Teaching Strategies

Music teaching and its themes encompass pedagogical skills as well as matters of character, disposition, value, personality, and musicality. It reflects on musicianship and practical aspects of teaching while drawing on a broad base of theory, research, and personal experience. Although grounded in the practical realities of music teaching, many educators and music specialists have been urging music teachers to think and act artfully, imaginatively, hopefully, and courageously toward creating a better world.

The concept of teaching strategy is mainly identified with only one of the teacher's activities - giving information. The contemporary approaches give additional meanings to this concept broadening its contents: the planning of educational activities, their implementation, the assessment and control of the process and its results.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Teaching Strategies For Developing World Literature Appreciation

There are many wonderful teaching strategies educators can use to cultivate and develop an appreciation of world literature within their students. Initially, developing an appreciation for world literature in high school students requires that teachers select reading material with themes that are relevant to the modern era in which we live.

Interest and appreciation for the book To Kill A Mockingbird for example could be generated by having a brief class discussion on race relations. The teacher and students could collaborate to create a detailed timeline of 15 to 20 social, cultural, and political events that occurred in the 1930s. The activity would familiarize students with the attitudes and issues of the Depression era in the deep South, while simultaneously teaching students how African-Americans overcame such prejudicial attitudes.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Discover 7 Essential Core Teaching Strategies You Need to Become a Terrific Teacher

At times, teachers may feel inundated with theories, methodologies, teaching strategies, etc.etc.etc.

Please keep in mind that this is your class, your students and only YOU know your own limits.

As I have told my student teachers, and new or inexperienced teachers that I have mentored; observe, if you can, different teachers and take note of their teaching strategies and read about advice that experienced teachers have written. Then, decide which strategies are best and which fit your teaching style with your students.

Here are my top "7 Essential Core Teaching Strategies" that have held true for me throughout my 30 plus years of teaching from K-6.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Teaching Strategies - 9.5 Strategies for Successful Teaching

Do you really want to be a successful teacher? If so, these 9.5 strategies will help you develop the skills, techniques and processes needed to become a master teacher.

But it won't happen just because you read each strategy, you must take action and put each strategy in to use.

Strategy #1 - Prepare for each lesson. You need to master the material in order to inspire your students to learn it. If you haven't learned it, why should they?

Strategy #2 - Find ways to make connections to more familiar information already mastered. Using connections to illustrate the new concepts serves as a glue to help new information stick.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Teaching Powerpoints - Teaching Strategies & Methods For Effective Teaching

Have you ever stood in front of a new class of expectant students, with a killer lesson all planned out, only to find the projector or whiteboard has chucked in the towel? Technology is an ever present part of today's classroom, and that means teachers are having to get better at using it, even if your technological prowess usually stops at setting the video timer.

If you are new to interactive whiteboards, or trying to make the most of your electronic white board set-up, then we have some effective teaching strategies on presenting & Powerpoint to share.

1. Keep it simple
This refers to the hardware set-up, but especially to the message in the presentation itself. Overly hierarchical structure or complex slide layouts will confuse you along with your class. Make one main point, reiterate it, and then recap it at the end. Even if you have a very able class, it's always best to make one point at a time.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

English Language Classroom Teaching Strategies For New Teachers

Many newcomers to teaching become a little overwhelmed when they suddenly find themselves thrust into a classroom for the first time, with 50 or more kids to teach!

Yes, it's true many teacher training programs fail to mention this when you're taking their courses. Depending on where you work and who you work for, your classes could be anything from 20 up to a whopping 60 kids!

I myself have had experience of both ends of the scale and I can tell you right now, I prefer the 20 odd end of it!

Well such is life and such is teaching! Think of it this way, if you can handle 50 to 60 kids then less is a should be a walk in the park for you. It will over time actually make you a stronger teacher and you'll gain more experience and pick up more classroom techniques and skills.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Teaching Strategies

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.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Teaching Strategies - Don't Sacrifice the Field Trip

Children with autism learn best with an educational program that is flexible or tailored to their needs. They also thrive in an environment that is loving, accepting, and nonjudgmental. Lessons need to be inviting and fun. For example, teach with excitement, enthusiasm and energy while engaging in with them. Some of these methods are from the Son-Rise program that works very well among the community with autism.

Unfortunately, when children with autism fail to learn, many therapists or educators give up and label them as ineducable. The problem was their teaching style and not addressing underlying problems such as foods that cause brain allergies or sensory processing difficulties. Some use rigid teaching methods that are demanding or forceful among this population. They want them to comply at their demands. These professionals mistakenly believe this method will reach them. In fact, it can cause psychological harm. These children usually go further into their own world.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Effective Teachers + Effective Teaching Strategies = High Student Achievement

It's amusing now to think back to the 1960s and early 1970s when there was so much talk about replacing teachers with televised learning, computers and programmed learning systems. I remember reading articles titled, "Will teachers become obsolete?" Times have changed! We now know that the classroom teacher has even more impact on student achievement than we ever imagined.

As teachers we are always looking for ways to improve our instruction. But it can difficult to know which teaching strategies will be the most successful, when there are so many programs and systems to choose from. How do you know what's best? One set of strategies has been extensively tested and has a strong track record of success. These strategies come from Robert Marzano and the McREL institute. Their 1998 analysis of instructional strategies and their effectiveness makes it easy for teachers to use techniques that WILL increase the achievement of their students. If you are trying to improve student achievement, and we all are, these nine teaching tools are a simple and effective way to go and can be incorporated into any classroom. They are listed below in order of academic effectiveness.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Atypical Teaching Strategies - Subconscious Joining and Mental Prompts For Autistic Learners

This page is devoted to my personal opinions and strategies for developing communication skills with a subgroup of individuals - primarily with severe autism. Most are nonverbal, and demonstrate significant motor and sensory impairments. These strategies have also proven effective with those who have some verbal capability but who have difficulty accessing their words.(Mental prompts help with word access as do sentence closure techniques.)

When engaging a child with these obvious challenges, it is important to acknowledge his often overlooked incredible gifts. The gifts referred to are; the ability to join with others at a subconscious level, access the universal field of thought, and pick up on subtle mental prompts. Keep your energy, calm yet assertive. Make sure the child feels safe and protected.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

An Effective Teaching Strategy Is Essential For Effective Lessons

There are many new teachers who failed badly in conducting interesting and effective lessons, because they lacked an effective teaching strategy. Being a teacher can be a very challenging and enriching career for a lot of people. To many people who aspire to be one, it may seem to be a simple and easy task to achieve.

However, being a teacher who is able to conduct effective teaching lessons is definitely not an easy task to achieve. This is mainly because it's very difficult to capture the full attention of the students throughout the whole day. For a typical student, the time to concentrate fully can only last up to two hours. This means that schools are spending more efforts to employ teachers who can engage their students in interesting lessons and helping their teachers to learn effective teaching strategies.

Monday, October 10, 2011

The Relevance of Teaching Strategies in the 21st Century

Admittance to a good university or college is not what it used to be. The benchmark to get accepted into post-secondary institutions keeps rising and the pressure to get the high marks that meet the pre-requisites are felt on the parents and students alike. Naturally, parents and students today are well aware of the highly competitive nature of getting into their institution of choice in order to receive a good education and eventually embark on a good career. But what really defines a good education these days? Is it based on the reputation of the school or is it based on how the school's teachers implement their teaching strategies?

Good education includes many different variables such as a proper learning environment, equipment and teaching tools that can enhance or stimulate the learner and one of the most important but often ignored are good teachers. Of course a teacher should be qualified to teach their given subject and to implement a wide range of teaching strategies but that does not define a good teacher. A good teacher knows how to communicate and pass on knowledge and skills to their students. These teachers usually have an honest rapport with their students and know how to challenge them. They know how and when to utilize certain teaching strategies to compliment each class and have good classroom management. Such traits are instinctively recognized amongst teachers but this is not the same case for parents, especially high school parents.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

5 Practical Uses for Errorless Teaching Strategies

1) The first time a piece of music is played.

As a musician, I was taught that it is extremely important to play a new piece of music very slowly - which would allow me to avoid making mistakes. The idea being that if I made a certain error, for the first couple of times I practiced a piece, it has more of a chance to become engrained into my future performances. Of course, after the piece is sufficiently mastered at this pace, the tempo should be increased at an appropriate rate.

"The secret of success is 'Practice'... Practice slowly and critically - examine it."- Lloyd J Reynolds

2) When introducing complex concepts such as higher level Physics or advanced Chemistry.

Simple lab experiments or group activities involving a straightforward activity or task are a wonderful way to introduce more complex concepts. While dry-ice and semi-volatile chemistry experiments are usually good attention grabbers - they also offer an easily understandable (and executable) example of the concept being taught. Adding a group element to these teaching opportunities provides even more of an errorless nature - since three or four learners teaming-up are much less likely to miss an important step. The confidence resulting from the successful completion of these mini-experiments will hopefully lead to further explorations into the subject.