Author: Masum Ahmed
Learning is the beginning of wealth. Learning is the beginning of health. Learning is the beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins
The ability to ‘SEARCH’ beyond the boundaries to intensify
the teaching-learning equation is accompanied with unanswered questions. You
too are reading this article after a Google search and your ability to be
curious.
Educational paradigm has
seen a transitional shift in instructional strategies. These transformations
has opened new avenues for students and challenges for educators. In the last
two decades, with the advent of technology swarming across nook and corner of
the world, the mode of education has seen huge transformation in terms of textbooks,
boards, methodologies etc. With the digital age, teachers too have the pressure
to camouflage with the new-age teaching techniques. Educators require sacrificing
their comfort zone with traditional mode of teaching confined to classrooms. To
make a mark in the educational arena, teachers are bound to integrate the new
instructional strategies. A number of different teaching techniques have
emerged due to this change in education.
Are we educators worried
with this disruption? Many of these teaching techniques are not actually new!
The use of technology in the classroom has simply given education a new lease
of life allowing us to approach old ideas in new ways.
Outlined below are some
popular teaching techniques that have arisen from the integration of technology
in education.
1.
Flip Learning
Flipped Learning is an approach that allows teachers to
implement single methodology or variety of methodologies, in their
classrooms.
Flipped Learning is a
pedagogical approach in which direct instruction moves from the group learning
space to the individual learning space, and the resulting group space is
transformed into a dynamic, interactive learning environment where the educator
guide the students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject matter.
In a Flipped-learning model the students has the content
for learning beyond classrooms, which can be accessed anytime. E.g., the student may have the flexibility to
learn from videos at home and ask questions to teacher when they come to class
next time. This allows teacher to free up time and give more attention to
individual students.
Flipping a class does not necessarily, lead to Flipped Learning.
Many teachers may already flip their classes by having students read text
outside of class, watch supplemental videos, or solve additional problems. To
engage in Flipped Learning, teachers must incorporate the following four
pillars into their practice.
a.
Flexible
Environment
b.
Learning
Outcome
c.
Intentional
Content
d. Professional Educator
2.
Mastery Learning:
Mastery learning focusses on mastering a topic before you move
on to a more advanced one.
Mastery learning is
about providing a range of differentiated instructional support to students in
order to help each student achieve mastery (rather than just leaving them
behind when the unit is over). Mastery learning is an instructional strategy
and educational philosophy, first formally proposed by Benjamin Bloom in 1968. It requires more differentiated perspective, giving students more time
to go over the learning material, giving them extra explanation and support by
the teachers. The learning dashboards that help teachers see
patterns and flaws in the learning material or identify which students are
struggling and falling behind.
3.
Blended Learning
Blended learning is a term increasingly used to describe the way
e-learning is being combined with traditional classroom methods and independent
study to create a new, hybrid teaching methodology.
Blended learning
represents a much greater change in basic techniques than just adding computers
to classrooms. It represents, in many cases, a fundamental change in the way
teachers and students approach the learning experience. There is a consensus
among education innovators that blended-learning has three primary components:
· In-person
classroom activities facilitated by a trained educator.
·
Online learning materials, often including pre-recorded
lectures given by that same instructor.
· Structured
independent study time guided by the material in the lectures and skills developed
during the classroom experience.
Facilitators focus on four key areas:
a.
Development of online
and offline course content.
b.
Facilitation of
communication with and among students, including the pedagogy of communicating
content online without the contextual clues students would get in person.
c.
Guiding the learning
experience of individual students, and customizing material wherever possible
to strengthen the learning experience.
d.
Assessment and grading,
not unlike the expectations for teachers within the traditional framework.
By putting an emphasis
on learning through supervised activities, blended learning has proven to be
very adaptable.
4.
Personalized Learning
Personalized learning refers to instruction in which the pace of
learning and the instructional approach are optimized for the needs of individual
learner.
Learning objectives,
instructional approaches, and instructional content (and its sequencing) may
all vary based on learner needs. In addition, learning activities are made
available that are meaningful and relevant to learners, driven by their interests
and often self-initiated.
Personalized learning
can be categorized as follows:
i.
Adaptive learning: technology used to assign human or digital
resources to learners based on their unique needs.
ii.
Individualized learning: the pace of learning is adjusted to meet the
needs of individual students.
iii.
Differentiated learning: the approach to learning is adjusted to meet the
needs of individual students.
iv.
Competency-based learning: learners advance through a learning pathway
based on their ability to demonstrate competency, including the application and
creation of knowledge along with skills and dispositions.
Personalized learning
has the potential to radically transform ‘how we teach and learn’ and ‘how we
create more equitable opportunities for students’. Today, however, most in the
education community would agree that while each of these learning approaches
shares attributes with personalized learning, none is synonymous.
5.
Gamification
Learning with games is one of the teaching methods prominently used in elementary and preschool education. By using games, students learn without even obvious realization. Therefore, learning through play or ‘Gamification’ is a learning technique that can be very effective at any age. It is also a very useful technique to keep students motivated.
The teacher should design projects that are appropriate for their students, taking into account their age and knowledge, while making them attractive enough to provide extra motivation. One idea may be to encourage students to create quizzes online on a certain topic. Students can challenge their peers to test themselves and see who gets a higher score. In this way, students can enjoy the competition with peers while also having fun and learning.
Summary
These new age instructional strategies have revolutionized the educational platform bringing in a plethora of innovative techniques to execute the concepts to the students in a way so that they can soak in the world of knowledge.
About the Author
Ms.Masum Ahmed is an
educator by choice and a blogger by passion. A postgraduate in English
literature with a professional degree believes in integrity and guiding young
kids towards the right path is an educator’s moral responsibility. Learning is
the beginning of wealth. Learning is the beginning of health. Learning is the
beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning is where the miracle process
all begins
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