Using Your Teaching Degree: Creative Teaching Strategies

The first strategy is Peer Coaching. Peer coaching engages student’s participation and encourages active learning. Decide on the concept that you want the students to learn through the activities in the kit. The ideal here is to give one kit to each pair of students. The kit is a prepared packaged box with materials the educator has selected for the class to work with. Ashbrook a science Professor used kits in order to teach procedural science to her/his class. The same principle can be applied in other subjects. Peer Coaching is a teaching strategy I would incorporate in future classes. In Peer Coaching it gives students the ability to learn from one another. When two students work together it increases the student’s opportunity to grasp materials. When learners work together, what one learner may not understand the other learner can assist his fellow classmate, by helping to explain a particular point this will reinforce learning to both learners.

The same principle can be applied in other subjects. Peer Coaching is a teaching strategy I would incorporate in future classes. In Peer Coaching it gives students the ability to learn from one another. When two students work together it increases the student’s opportunity to grasp materials. When learners work together, what one learner may not understand the other learner can assist his fellow classmate, by helping to explain a particular point this will reinforce learning to both learners.

In comparing and contrasting Peer Coaching with Debates they are similar in respect to two learners either working together, or working in opposition, but toward a common purpose. In college debates students are stating their position on a topic, and arguing their point of why their argument is the better view. Class debates are an excellent teaching strategy. The class has the opportunity to learn from two opposing views. This type of teaching strategy stimulates class attention; it is a great tool to use in combating class boredom.

In classes such as Journalism Role Playing is a perfect situation for Role Play. Role Playing can be used in a multitude of subjects in teaching students the “what ifs” in certain situations. Another prime example for Role Play is law classes. Educators use this type of in class coursework to prepare law students for careers in the legal profession. In contrasting Role Play, college debates, and Peer Coaching all have similar dynamics, with an edgy appeal to keep an educator’s tool box of strategies sharp, and fresh.

As a student my favorite type of in class learning was open class discussions. Discussions were my favorite for the following reasons:

A.) Each learner participates by volunteering

B.) Everyone benefits from peer learners opinions

C.) Gives students the opportunity to learn one another’s

Personality and common interests

Class discussions do present the challenge of the shy students who are afraid to voice their opinions in fear of being wrong. In open class discussion one way of combating students fears is letting students know it’s a discussion that there are only opinions. In discussions if a student gives an off color, or off topic remark it can be handled by saying, “that’s interesting” and continue to steer the class back on topic. However; some off topic remarks are not to be encouraged. For example, during an Ethics and Law class (oh what a boring class) there was one student who always gave off-colored remarks to stir up the class. It was not long before the class had insight to see the student wanted attention, and stopped putting fuel to the fires which he tried to ignite.

One strategy educator’s use in teaching to enhance the clarity of materials is visual aids. Visual Aids are excellent tools to give students clarity in making lectures more vibrant, and crystal clear.   For example, a class I registered for as an undergraduate, Molecular Biology was a very technical, but interesting class.  The lectures were enhanced by the educator use of visual aids.  Not only did the visual aids help the class to understand how certain cells function in the body, but we were able to see what the cell looked like.   In contrasting visual aids with presentations the difference with visual aids is the visuals speak for the educator.  Presentations are orally given by the student in order to exercise knowledge of the materials covered during a lecture.

An interesting, but delightful teaching strategy is using music to help motivate the class with writing exercises.   For example, during a writing class the educator used different pieces of music from different genres to encourage the class to produce different styles of writing.