Innovative Teaching and Learning

Many of the innovative learning strategies we discussed are active learning strategies. Active learning methods encourage students to discuss, contribute, participate, investigate, and create. Active learning challenges students by questioning them, requiring problem-solving and critical thinking. Most importantly, active learning engages students and requires them to be active in the classroom. Students that participate in their learning are more likely to succeed in your class.

Project-based learning is an effective method that helps students drive their own learning journey. In a PBL exercise, students identify a real-world problem then develop a solution. Project-based learning relies on developing key skill sets such as research, critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. Project-based learning is an active method of learning where students gain mastery through the application of their knowledge rather than rote memorization. Like the flipped classroom, the teacher’s role becomes that of a guide and the students take ownership of their learning.

Personalized learning adapts what, when, and how we are teaching each student. Instead of selecting a singular method or strategy to teach the whole class, teachers adapt to the strengths of each student to help them succeed. The personalized learning experience is like how we experience different online tools where algorithms tailor our online experiences to meet our interests. When you go to one site, you may see certain content float to the top where I will see something different based on my viewing history or searches. Personalized learning provides a catered learning experience and methods that are optimized for individual students. Though these individualized learning journeys are different for each student, the end goal is subject mastery or meeting standards for their grade level. So, we can think of these as different paths leading to the same place.

Jigsaws are another active learning method. Most importantly, jigsaws introduce the opportunity for students to teach other students. And, as Seneca said, “While we teach, we learn.” Explaining something to someone is often considered the best way to truly understand it . With jigsaws, students are divided into groups and given different pieces of information. Students in each group are then tasked with learning the information enough to be able to explain it to someone else. The students are then assigned to different groups where they explain their information to the other members. They complete this process until each group has the full picture of information to complete the puzzle.

Students, especially successful students, may rely too heavily on textbook answers. They may develop over time the tendency to think there are only right and wrong answers. But most questions don’t have right or wrong answers. In today’s divisive public sphere, students need to exercise conversational skills and empathy. Students need to learn to communicate and collaborate. By asking open-ended questions, teachers encourage vibrant in-class conversations. Students can piece together different information learned or experienced in their life to stitch together cohesive points. This can encourage students to not only find their voice but express themselves as well.

As we mentioned when discussing jigsaws, students exhibit mastery when they explain or teach others. Have students choose an area of interest within the scope of the subject being taught. Provide them with the opportunity to independently research the topic and create a presentation on it. Set aside class time for students to present to the class to teach their peers about their topic. With peer teaching, students learn skills such as independent study, presentation skills, and confidence.

“Teamwork makes the dream work.” A cooperative teaching method is where the teacher groups students and encourages collaborative learning within the groups. Here, the classroom is divided into groups of 3-6 members, where each student has a designated responsibility. Members of the group need to fulfill their respective duties to achieve the objective given to the group. The central ideology of this model is that when students work in groups, peer influence helps to improve attention, involvement, and knowledge acquisition.

Visuals help anyone to remember things for a longer period. In school, visual learning can help teachers light up dull subjects that may seem less interesting for students. This teaching method will help keep the students engaged in learning the subjects better with better knowledge retention.

Competency-based learning is a method where students progress through learning objectives at their own pace. The main characteristic of this model is that only when a student has mastered a topic are they allowed to continue to the next.

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a method where open-ended problems take centre stage for students to solve. This method enables students to think continuously with motivation and determination until the problem is solved. The student journey for solving the problem requires them to 1) Examine the problem, 2) Explore resources where they can find the solution, 3) Evaluate the ways to solve the problem, 4) Solve the problem, and 5) Report on their findings.

Design thinking is the process of finding meaningful ideas to solve a particular real-world problem that exists in a community or an organisation. It uses a creative, systematic approach to teach problem-solving. When induced into education, it enables students to be innovative and create solutions for others. Here, knowledge is gained only through exploration.

The student-centred approach is all about making learning matter to the students. Here students are the ones who plan, implement and evaluate. They get to decide what they learn and how they learn it. The main motive behind this approach is to build leaders within students.