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Choosing teaching strategies – an overview
Matching teaching methods to course objectives is an essential, good teaching practice. Preparing your course has parallels to preparing your research. You wouldn’t choose a research method without first knowing your research questions; you should treat choosing your teaching strategy with the same mindset.
Here is the teaching/research analogy:
Research |
Teaching |
Questions, Aims |
Course objectives |
Research Methodology |
Teaching methods |
Data Analysis |
Student assessment
Faculty assessment |
Here is an example of matching your teaching methods to your course objectives:
Objective |
Possible Teaching Methods |
Recalling, recognizing facts |
Lecture |
Applying facts |
Active learning techniques
Lecture with case study
Lecture with lab
Lecture with discussions |
Creating new information from old
Evaluating someone else’s information |
Active learning techniques |
Here is another explanation and some examples:
- If you need to cover 50 years of research in ten weeks, and your primary goal is that students be able to recall the facts, you will probably use the “lecture and test” approach.
- If you want your students to be capable of applying course material, you will not only have to present factual material through readings and lectures, but also show them how to develop generalizations from the background knowledge. Discussion, study problems and assignments can help you do this. In addition, you will need to provide them with multiple opportunities to apply newly learned principles in novel situations. Laboratory experiments, papers, case studies, and small group projects can help here.
- In general, for students to learn and remember a concept, they must see an example (and possibly even multiple examples), gain knowledge of the generalization, and apply the concept through an application activity that is as close to the real world as possible.
To further help you select teaching strategies compatible with your objectives, ask yourself some of the following questions:
- When should I tell students something and when should I let them discover for themselves?
- When should I lecture and when should I hold a discussion or other activity?
- When should I show students how to do something and when should I encourage them to try it themselves?
- When should I ask students to do something alone and when should I ask them to work together (collaborative learning)?
- When should I respond to students’ questions (give information) and when should I encourage other students to respond (give opportunity for students to practice skills)?
- If I see someone make a mistake in a lab or during a performance, when should I correct the mistake and when should I let the student discover her/his own mistake?
- When should I review concepts orally and when should I use handouts?
- If I need to show students a lot of formulas or graphs, should I derive or draw them during class or prepare handouts/overhead transparencies before class?
- When should I rely on my own expertise and when should I seek outside sources?
In this chapter we will be discussing common teaching practices in greater detail. We'll also pass along tips on teaching large classes and enhancing your teaching with technology.
