Teaching methods and media
What is it?
There is no single 'best way' to teach. The question teachers must ask themselves is ... What methods are most appropriate for my students and the topic I wish to cover. Once this question has been answered then teachers must design an appropriate curriculum to meet their identified aims and objectives.
When asked about teaching methods most people quickly identify two main approaches; teacher-centered and student-centered. Educators find these two categories quite useful for classifying their delivery, but it is, as you will see when reading the links below, a bit more complicated than just placing all delivery into two categories.
Why use it?
Any teaching method a teacher uses has advantages and disadvantages, and requires some preliminary preparation. Which teaching method is 'right' for a particular lesson depends on many things; the age and developmental level of the students, the students prior knowledge, the skills and knowledge a student needs to acquire within the lesson, the subject content, and the available people, time, space, resources and the physical setting.
Media is just another way we can enhance our delivery. Its usefulness lies in its appropriate use within the curriculum. This is perhaps best summed up by Diana Laurillard (1993) when she says...
"The development of media-based materials is important, but delivery is paramount. The most stunning educational materials ever developed will fail to teach if the context of delivery fails."
See also
Some great sites for you to check out:
Teaching Methods
Taxonomies of Learning
Learning style questionnaires
Information on Instructional Design
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