The landscape of education and the mode of learning have changed drastically such that it has given birth to so many popular teaching trends today. Online tutoring , blended teaching, flipped classroom and so many other unique ways of teaching and learning have arisen. Students benefit from these methods of learning in different ways.
One method of teaching cannot offer the same as another. Hence, tutors incorporate several teaching methods into their tuition session or classrooms so that all kinds of students would be able to benefit equally.
While there are so many teaching methods out there, let’s take a look at the most popular ones that are being utilised for effective teaching by our tutors!
1.ONLINE TEACHING
Especially after the pandemic, this mode of learning has been given the spotlight. Now it seems as though nothing can ever be done without the aid of technology. Learning and teaching has been made so much more accessible, even at a distance, with the help of the internet.
Students these days are also tech savvy and prefer their learning experience to be more visual as well. With a shortened attention span for children these days, online learning is a good way to keep students up on their toes and make learning interesting and engaging. Online quizzes and educational videos go a long way in enabling information to seep into one’s mind.
2.The digital divide
The digital divide was one of the biggest concerns that tutors, students and parents were concerned about during the pandemic. No child should ever be deprived of opportunities due to a lack of wealth. This was especially an issue in developing countries where corruption and a lack of strong education policies cause the digital divide.
In a country like Singapore, it was made sure that equity is achieved such that all children are able to access the internet and utilise the necessary technological devices to learn effectively from home. The playing field must be levelled for everyone, and no one should fall short because of their own life circumstances which they cannot do anything about.
3.BLENDED LEARNING
As the name of it speaks for itself, it is a blend of both online learning and face-to-face learning. This has been a strategy that tutors follow for teaching even before the pandemic. However, this has gained more attention recently as tutors have gotten more creative with the ways in which they incorporate online learning into in person classes.
Blended learning cuts down the monotone of a mundane teaching session. The classes after a lunch session or towards the end of the day may cause students to fall asleep or just stop being attention due to sheer exhaustion. A bunch of topic related videos or a “spin-the-wheel” question and answer session would make sure that students are up on their toes and excited about learning.
5.HANDS-ON LEARNING
Hands-on learning in the form of projects, field work and research is an amazing way of enabling students to take responsibility and ownership for their own learning. The experience that students gain while engaging themselves in the activities would teach students to improvise, adjust and adapt to unforeseen circumstances.
Some students are introverted and prefer not to interact with others; however, this is a characteristic that can be a detriment in the workplace. Everyone must be proactive and engaged in teamwork and be able to respect one another’s opinions. One of the most important learning points from teamwork would be to compromise and make sure no one is left out. Such values can only be learnt through experience; no textbook can ever teach them.
6.SEMINARS
When something is being taught by our own friends, rather than hearing from the teacher or a lecturer, that information tends to get stuck in our minds much more easily. We would have a better time retaining the information and recalling it as opposed to reading it by ourselves or sitting through a class in a hot sunny afternoon.
7. The Protégé effect
The greatest philosophers in history have always said that we teach better when we learn. The protégé effect is a phenomenon where teaching, pretending to teach, or preparing to teach something to others will help one to learn much better due to effective metacognitive processing. Seminars are premised on this effect and students will have a great time learning!