Effective Teaching Strategies - Essay Example

Discussions have been known to be the best way to learn and teach a particular as the participants can converse and thoughtfully deliberate on issues. The practice is familiar in many schools where the students participate in collaborative or cooperative discussions as explained by Killen (2009). It has been observed that students learn best when they get actively involved in the learning process. Researchers report that students in discussion groups learn more and retain the content for a longer time than when they learn through other instructional formats. Cooperative learning is a successful teaching strategy at the various levels of the student’s development and abilities as suggested by McInerney and McInerney (2006). Piaget observed that children were coming up with ideas on their own and they were not limited to receiving education from their parents and teachers. His ideas formed a foundation for the constructionist theories as explained by McInerney and McInerney (2006). The theories claim that learners are more engaged in the learning process when they are actively involved. His theory of cognitive development studied children and adolescents in four stages that every child passes through before advancing to the next level as stipulated by Rathus (2007). The process of cognitive development was mainly concerned with how an organism adapts to the environment which he described as intelligence. Cavanaugh and Kail (2008) explain that the processes occur throughout a person’s life as the individual adapts to the environment in a complex manner. The four stages in cognitive development identified by Piaget include: i) Sensory motor stage (0- 2years) The stage is characterized by demonstration of intelligence through motor activity without the use of symbols in the early stage. At this stage knowledge of the environment is limited as it is based on physical interactions. They then acquire a memory and eventually develop intellectual and symbolic abilities. ii) Pre-operational stage (2- 7 years) Intelligence is demonstrated in this stage by the use of symbols and language. The memory and imagination develop and egocentrism is predominant at this stage. iii) Concrete operational (7- 11 years) Intelligence in this stage is characterized by logical and systematic manipulation of symbols that are related to concrete objects and egocentrism decreases at this level. iv) Formal operational (11 years and above) Intelligence is demonstrated by the use of logical symbols that are related to abstract concepts and egocentrism returns in the early stages. The present day pre-school and primary programs are based on Piaget’s theory which provides instruction for constructivist learning as suggested by McInerney and McInerney (2006). There are instructional techniques that can be used by the teachers and parents to support discovery learning and supporting the development interests of the child. The parents and teachers are encouraged to challenge the abilities of the child according to the level of development according to Coon and Mitterer (2007) This can be done through a wide variety of concrete activities including working in groups to experience different perspectives of their teammates. His research methods were based on case studies meaning they were descriptive in nature. Through this the children were constructing knowledge based on their own ideas. Learning through group discussions has multiple benefits to both the teacher and the students and leads to the overall improvement of the primary school education. According to Killen (2009) they promote students’ learning and overall learning achievement. They increase the students’ content retention since they are more involved in the learning process. It improves their social wellbeing since it helps them to develop proper communication skills, promotes their self-esteem and helps to promote positive race relations. Teaching in a diverse classroom in the current times means that one has to address various issues including multiculturalism, language, cognitive and emotional developments of the children as explained by Clauss-Ehlers (2006). These challenges are caused by rapidly changing demographics and low performance by the students as stated by Hollins (2008). Teachers need to appreciate that students learn in different ways and there are accepted theories and in depth research illustrating the learning disparities. Most educators analyse the learning differences according to cognitive styles, psychological types, learning styles and multiple intelligence abilities. Cognitive psychologists have been studying the diverse learning styles over the years. Hollins (2008) stipulates that the impact of education on the socio-cultural and cognitive differences is undeniable. Some sources address cognitive diversity alone since it is the major factor that affects the method of teaching in a classroom. Findings from recent reports show that there is a positive relationship between different diversity experiences and cognitive outcomes. The effect varies depending on the type of diversity experienced and the study design. The teachers need to analyse the cognitive abilities of different students and devise a favorable teaching style as explained by Killen (2009). Many students enroll to the learning institutions with negative beliefs and attitudes about race. The students are usually resistant to beliefs which are not supported by credible evidence. If there is any information in a classroom setting to support racism, this serves as a way to advance the students’ cognitive ideas. The teachers should establish a class atmosphere that facilitates meaningful debate about race. Varying cognitive abilities, linguistic, socioeconomic backgrounds, developmental and learning abilities are all caused by cultural diversity. This poses daunting challenges to the teachers in teaching the social skills that are required to benefit an inclusive classroom. The instructor should employ strategies that are beneficial to all the students in the class. The most fruitful strategy is the cooperative learning technique for inclusion of all the students. Gaining of knowledge and content retention is affected by the cognition abilities of the individuals. The methods of learning vary from reading, listening, use of abstract sources and concrete experiences. There are different ways of acquiring information and gaining knowledge and the most effective is cooperative learning according to Cohen, Brody and Sapon- Shevin (2004). The teachers should develop cooperative learning and principles. Cooperative learning rapidly improves the students’ performance in a classroom as explained by Killen (2009). The socio-cultural perspective is based on the assertion that children with varying cognitive abilities and other forms of diversity can profit from the cooperative learning techniques that are applied in an inclusive classroom setting. References Cavanaugh, JC & Kail, RV 2008, Human development: A life-span view, 5th edn, Cengage Learning. Clauss-Ehlers, CS 2006, Diversity training for classroom teaching: A manual for students and educators, Springer. Cohen, EG, Brody, CM & Sapon- Shevin, M 2004, Teaching cooperative learning: The challenge for teacher education, SUNY Press. Coon, D & Mitterer, JO 2007, Psychology: A journey, 3rd edn, Cengage Learning. Hollins, ER 2008, Culture in school learning: Revealing the deep meaning, 2nd edn, Routledge. Killen, R 2009, Effective teaching strategies: Lessons from research and practice, 5th edn, South Melbourne, Victoria: Thomson, pp. 211- 41. McInerney, D & McInerney, V 2006, Educational psychology: Constructing learning, 4th edn, Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson Education, pp. 350-57, 360-65, 368-69. Rathus, SA 2007, Childhood and adolescence: Voyages in development, 3rd edn, Cengage Learning. Read More