Introduction to the
Methods of Teaching
Career Orientation
By David Agnew
Arkansas State University
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will be able
to:
1. List 10 methods/techniques of teaching
2. Compare the advantages and
disadvantages of various methods.
3. Select methods/techniques appropriate
for CO
Your Foundation
• Most of you already have a good
understanding of methods of teaching.
• Most of this is going to be review.
• However, as we have already discussed
there are some methods that are
recommended for CO.
Teaching Methods:
My preferred way of looking at
the subject is that there are 5 or
6 different methods or grouping
of methods.
There are methods and then there are
techniques. The larger category is Methods.
Generally a technique falls under one of the
methods.
Audio visual materials then go with the lesson in
support of any technique or method.
My five common methods are:
• Presentation (Lecture)
• Job instruction (Demonstration)
– Usually leads to a project of some kind – Sometimes
referred to as the project methods
– Also hands-on activities would fall under this category
because usually the teacher gives instruction for how to
complete a task or job skill from one of the clusters.
• Teacher lead discussion
• Supervised study -• Cooperative learning -- Small Group activities or
projects
Remember the state department
Philosophy?
Hands-on
Is the number way to teach
"What I hear, I forget; What I see, I remember; What I do,
I understand." (Confucius, 451 B.C.).
The methods appropriate to CO
according to my list would be:
• Job instruction or demonstration– Since you will
show them how to do an activity.
• Supervised study – Since after you give them the
demo you would normally expect them to give it a
try.
• It might be a cooperative learning project (group
activity) with different members contributing to
different parts of the activity in some way.
• Lecture and teacher lead discussion could be used
in the introduction to the activity or it could be
used in the follow-up afterwards.
Other approaches recommended
by DWE
• Hands-on Activities (Not really a method itself– the implied
philosophy is that the learning will result in students doing something at the
end like performing an activity rather than just doing a paper and pencil test)
• Resource Speakers (usually a presentation or teacher lead
discussion)
• Job Shadowing and Interviewing (like supervised learning
and job instruction)
• Audio/Visual Aids and Career Magazines (support or props
for any method) Career Magazine might be used in supervised study.
•
•
•
•
Field Trips (like a presentation, just off cite and walking)
Student Organization Activities (not really a method)
Lecture Self-assessments (supervised study)
Career Research (supervised study)
To see other people’s list of methods go
to the following websites and review the
references to methods/techniques
• Article on Methods of teaching
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/curriculum-planning/teaching-methods/48355.html
• A comparison of methods
http://www.adprima.com/teachmeth.htm
http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/comteach.htm
Read these before completing the Blackboard activity
Remember when Selecting
Teaching Methods
POINT # 3
POINT # 2
POINT # 1
Consider the Practical
Requirements
Consider the Learners
Consider the Learning Objective
Objectives are important to the
whole process of learning
• What are the three major parts of an objective?
– Condition – circumstances under which the student will
demonstrate knowledge or skill
– Criteria – Level of success expected
– Behavior -- The actual knowledge skill or attitude to be
assessed
• Also note the old saying that “we teach to the objectives
and we test to the objectives.”
– T2O for short
• Objectives are just as important in testing/assessment as
in planning for instruction.
• There are three types of instructional content found in
objectives according to Bloom. These are called
domains.
– Cognitive– Thinking, problem solving, involves the brain
– Psychomotor – the doing, performing of a physical task
– Affective -- Involves feelings, attitudes and values
Remember even selecting the
right method is not enough…
You are the means of implementing
the method or technique.
Much of the weigh of success is on
your shoulders.
Teaching or Facilitation Skills
BRIDGE
Content
Attending
Observing
Listening
Four Basic Skills
Learners
Questioning
Teaching or Facilitation Skills are the
bridge between the content and learners
Attending Skills/Behaviors
There are four attending behaviors to consider:
1. Face the learners.
2. Maintain appropriate eye contact.
3. Move toward the learners.
4. Avoid distracting behaviors.
Observation Skills Steps
STEP 3
STEP 2
STEP 1
Take appropriate
action.
Try to determine the
person’s feelings.
Look at person’s face,
body position, and body
movements.
Remember you need to “Monitor and Adjust”
Listening Skills
Listening involves two key steps:
1. Listening to the words being expressed.
2. Paraphrasing what was said to demonstrate
understanding.
Step 1: Listen to the Words
There are major roadblocks to this step:
• Internal distractions.
• External distractions.
Step 2: Paraphrase
Paraphrasing requires you to verbally
interact. The interaction is either to...
• Get additional information.
• Verify what you think was said.
Questioning Skills
There are three skills associated with the
questioning process:
1. Asking questions.
2. Handling answers to questions.
3. Responding to questions.
Questioning Skills:
Asking Questions
1. Two Basic Types:
- Closed -- one short and right answer
- Open – maybe not one answer and one that leads
to more discussion
2. Phrasing: The way it is worded is important.
consider restating and clarifying when needed
3. Directing: who gets to answer?
- Group
- Individual
Questioning Skills:
Handling Answers
Maximum learning
requires
maximum participation.
Good Questions Promote Participation
Questioning Skills:
Responding to Questions
Acceptable ways to respond:
1. Confirm an answer – Always reinforce a right answer
and be gentle in dealing with wrong answers.
2. Provide the answer yourself.
3. Redirect the question to a learner.
4. Defer the question.
The End