Top Unusual Teaching Methods

 

System of education is often discussed. It causes many argues and disputes. Today we won’t talk about this wide topic, but about its basis: lessons. Today you will get to know that lesson contains some other, smaller parts in its structure and that success of the whole lesson depends on quality of these smaller parts. We will talk about teachings methods. Although many people claim teachers that they kill education with dull and boring classes and way of teaching, some teachers still try to invent something. Can you exactly say how do you take online classes? These lessons may be extremely interesting.

The goal of our article for today is different methods of teaching, which are not usual. All of us knows that type of lesson when pupils just sitting and reading the book or writing something during the whole time. Everybody will agree that it’s not an interesting lesson. That’s why it is important to know some great methods, that may help not only teachers in school but parents at home, to help their child with home task. If you are looking for good university where old methods and traditions of teaching are alive, then you should pay attention to CSU or California State University.

What methods shouldn’t be used?

Of course, we all want to know unusual and innovative methods with explanation: why them but not others? However, at first, let’s single out couple of examples of methods, which shouldn’t be used.

1. Method of assessment the students

Grades and marks probably the most painful part of studying for every student or pupil. It can both help child to believe in his skills and success and ruin his desire to study anything. So, every teacher can choose his own methods of assessment however there are some things nobody should ever do:

- when you put a mark to student, don’t compare him with other student, who received better mark. It can ruin student’s desire to know something. Remember that differentiating people for some things may be as strange and bad as black and white segregation.

- never underestimate student: he or she will feel it and as a result may just miss your classes constantly, because there is just no reason to try, if result is always the same.

- be very tolerant and patient and feel free to give explanation why you give that or another mark to definite student. Never say something like “I give you 90 but only because I like your sweater” even if you are trying to make a joke. It will cause strange attitude of other students and doubts about your competence. However, sometimes student may do his best to prove that he is better than others. Sometimes it can change people’s lives. For example, you can look here: https://onlineclassmentor.com/blog/two-real-stories-about-people-who-changed-their-lives.

2. How to work during the lesson?

There may be different methods during the lesson and different activities, but here are some advice that every teacher should remember:

- writing is good activity, but if students write during the whole class, they won’t remember it better and they won’t be interested in what you are saying at all.

- reading for the whole lesson is not a good idea too. Of course, in primary school, child may read a rule or something aloud, but try not to use only reading as a way for students to acquire new information. Read good methods for acquiring new information quickly and without unbearable effort: https://onlineclassmentor.com/blog/how-to-grasp-new-information-in-few-minutes.

- speaking by yourself is a good way of giving information, but if you speak during the whole lesson, students will be hardly ever able to concentrate on your speech and remember everything from the beginning until the end.

These are only couple of methods that shouldn’t be overused. Unfortunately, there are many other methods, which are just remnants of the past; however, some teachers still use them. Stay with us and you will know methods that can make every lesson great.

To make a break you can read these articles:

Now it’s time to look at outstanding methods, which should be used at every lesson if you want it to be successful.

Methods to make lesson powerful:

1. New knowledge through game

Everybody knows that children like to play games. Even adults like to play games. So there are two ways: make a lesson dull and boring steam of information, or make it a bright game. Of course, it requires more sources time and effort to plan such lessons and use this method, but children will remember more information, spend time with pleasure and will be happy to come to your classes again and again.

If it is science lesson for example, you may give brief information at first and then organize a practice. Children will definitely like this. Moreover, there is another plus. When child hear your voice for forty minutes, he begins to fall asleep or just becomes detached. When activity is changing, child will get new information better and won’t be detached. Feel free to read more about the examples of teaching methods.

2. Video game lessons

Somewhere in Scotland, there is a school, which uses this method of teaching. Children come to school and play console. Of course, it’s not a common shooters or simulators, but special games. Results showed that such innovational method increased students’ success in math and similar subjects.

If earlier we knew times when consoles were just a game and many parents forbade children to play, now everything is changing and even console can be used as powerful method of teaching. For example Xbox and Project Scorpio, may be not only a game now, but way of developing brain.

3. Method of innovative technologies

Of course, you may not have consoles for all children and you may not have console at all. However, there are other good methods except console. Even using of multimedia screen and presentations can give good results. Remember that presentation with images and bright form, will be always interesting, especially if to choose between it and forty minutes of monotonous reading of the book. Of course, there is nothing bad in books, for example in good books by Stephen King or educational ones, but they shouldn’t be the only source of information for children.

Another good idea is to show videos, which corresponds the theme of lesson, of course. It is especially good decision at nature study lessons or at history lessons. Think about it: is it more interesting to hear one voice talking about battle, or look at it at the screen, brightly and with effects? The second variant looks better, of course.

4. Group working method

It may be hard to organize students to work in groups, however if you do it be ready to receive great results and effect. Group work has many pros. First of all students learn how to express their thoughts clearly. They also share different ideas and therefore their world outlook becomes wider. Finally, it is more interesting to hear different people’s thoughts and opinions than only one (when only teacher is always talking).

There also exist different methods to make group work vivid and interesting. You can read more about them. Of course, in such work, teacher should pay special attention to organization and control of audience, because group work can be easily turned into doing nothing.

5. Make usual things unusual

Imagine a situation when student has a report. As usual, it means that he reads it or speak about it and that’s all. However, why not to create an interesting situation, where speaker will become a journalist, for example. While learning some historical event, for example, one student may be a military journalist and other may ask him different questions about the situation and possible consequences.

Or another variant is when students may become definite historical personalities and act the events as they were. If you want to find unusual ways of studying or help feel to read more about class mentor. Probably this is the most hard thing in education: to make common and usual things unusual. You can create new methods, but it’s harder to make old methods work.

6. Nature can help in studying

There was a pedagogue Vasil Sukhomlinsky and his method, which is called school under the sky. The main principle was that children should study outdoors. As the result, they learn how to take care about nature and evaluate it. Children are naturally curious and like to spend time under the open sky. As Suknomlinsky’s school showed, results were also great. So why not to take your class to the park, especially if this is a lesson connected with nature. If this this a lesson connected with art you can go to the gallery or exhibition with your class.

Try to change the atmosphere and place and you will be surprised to see how it influences children and helps in studying. If you have any problems with studying and especially with exams or tests, you can ask mentor for help with exams online and be sure that you will pass it.

To sum up we can say that unusual methods shouldn’t be something rare, but at the same time they shouldn’t be too frequent, because in this case they will be as boring as common methods. Another thing that we can say is that every teacher should be able to create some interesting methods and use them – the only thing, which is needed, is patience and imagination. So if you want to become a teacher, develop creativity in yourself and then you will be able to help students become creative and your lessons will be interesting.

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