Different Approaches and Methods

Teaching approach- is a set of principles, beliefs or ideas about the nature of learning which is translated into the classroom.
Teaching strategy- is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal.
Teaching method- is a systematic way of doing something. It implies an orderly logical arrangement of steps.
Teaching technique- is a well-defined procedure used to accomplish a specific activity or task.

Examples of Teaching Approach

TEACHER- CENTERED LEARNER- CENTERED

Subject matter- centered Learner- centered

Teacher- dominated Interactive

“Banking” approach Constructivist

Disciplinal Integrated

Individualistic Collaborative

Indirect, guided Direct

Teacher- centered- the teacher is perceived to be the only reliable source of information.
Learner- centered- is premised on the belief that the learner is also an important resource.
Subject matter- centered- teacher finishes teaching subject matter as scheduled even if learners have not learned it.
-the teacher does what s/he planned without necessarily considering learner’s interest, concerns & situations.
Teacher- dominated- only the teacher’s voice is heard. S/He is the sole dispenser of information.
Interactive- more student talk and less teacher talk. Students are given the opportunity to interact w/ teacher & other students.
“Banking” approach- teacher deposits knowledge into the “empty” minds of students for students to commit to memory.
-The students perceived to be “empty receptacles” waiting to be filled.
Constructivist- students are expected to construct knowledge and meaning out of what they are taught by connecting them to prior
experience.
Disciplinal- limits the teacher in discussing his/her lessons within the boundary of his/her subject.
Integrated- makes the teacher connects what s/he teaches to the other lessons of the same subject (intradisciplinary) or connects
his/her lessons w/ other subjects thus making his/her approach interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary.
Individualistic- want individual students working by themselves.
Collaborative- group work, team work, partnerships, group discussion.
Guided- teacher guides the learner to discover thing for himself/herself.
Direct- teacher directly tells or shows or demonstrates what is to be taught.

Other teaching approaches cited in education literature are:

1. Research-based approach- as the name implies teaching & learning are anchored on research findings.
2. Whole child approach- learning process itself takes into account not only the academic needs of the learners, but alsotheir
emotional, creative, psychological, spiritual and developmental needs.
3. Metacognitive approach- the teaching process brings the learner to the process of thinking about thinking.
4. Problem-based approach- the teaching-learning process is focused on problems.

On the basis of student and teacher involvement, these are categorized as direct/expository and guided/exploratory.

 DIRECT/ EXPOSITORY APPROACH

1.) Direct Instruction/ Lecture Method
- Is aimed at helping students acquire procedural knowledge exercised in the performance of some task.
 Steps in Direct/ Lecture Method
In teaching skills: In teaching facts, principles or laws:
a. Provide the rationale a. Give a short introduction by providing the rationale
b. Demonstrate the skill b. Present your lesson
c. Provide guided practice until mastery c. Develop the lesson by explaining & illustrating it w/ diagram
d. Check for understanding & provide feedback d. give application of the lesson
e. Provide extended practice & transfer e. Check for understanding & provide feedback
f. Assess learning at the end

2.) Demonstration Method

- The teacher or assigned student or group shows how a process is done while the srudents becoe observers.

 INDIRECT/GUIDED/EXPLORATORY APPROACH

1.) Inquiry Method

- Is also called discovery or problem-solving method. The teacher guides the students as they explore and
discover.
- May become a problem solving method when the focus of the inquiry is a problem to be solved.
2.) Problem- solving Method
- Teaching strategy that employs the scientific method in searching for information.
3.) Project Method
-learners solve a practical problem over a period of several days or weeks. Project work focuses on applying, not
imparting, specific knowledge or skills, and on improving student involvement and motivation in order to foster independent
thinking, self-confidence, and social responsibility.

Cooperative Learning- make use of a classroom organization where students work in a groups or teams to help each other learn.

Peer tutoring/ Peer Learning- it is said that” the best way to learn something is to teach it”, make students teach each other in a “think,
pair, share” manner.
- It is commonly employed when the teacher requests the older, brighter, and more cooperative member of
the class to tutor other classmates.

Tutoring Arrangement:
a.) Instructional Tutoring- older students help younger ones on a one-to-one or one-to-a group basis.
b.) Same Age Tutoring- thus arrangement work well with children who can act as interactive pairs, i.e., more able ones to assist
the less able.
c.) Monitorial Tutoring- the class maybe divided into groups and monitors are assigned to lead each group. This frees the
teacher from whole class monitoring to attend to others while the assigned tutor monitors and supervises the rest.
d.) Structural Tutoring- here a definite procedure is followed. Highly structured tutoring is administered by trained tutors.
e.) Semi- structured Tutoring- is a combination of unstructured and structured where the tutor guides his/her tutee through a
carefully-planned learning guide but is free to modify it according to the tutee’s own interests and skills.
Partner Learning- learning with a partner. A student chooses partner from among his/her classmates. This may also mean “study
buddy.”

DEDUCTIVE METHOD VS. INDUCTIVE METHOD

Deductive- involves the direct method and the demonstration method.

Inductive- involves the inquiry method, problem-solving method, and the project method.

Deductive Method - the teacher tells or shows directly what s/he wants to teach. This is also referred to as direct instruction.
- Is teacher-dominated. Teacher begins w/ the abstract rule, generalization, principle and ends w/ specific
examples and concrete details.
Inductive Method - also called indirect instruction.
 -instead of the teachers giving the rule in adding similar fractions at the outset, s/he will give them at least five
examples of added similar fraction at one time.

OTHER APPROACHES
1. Blend Learning – facilitated by the effective combination of different modes of delivery, models of teaching and styles of
learning , and is based on transparent communication among all parties involved.
2. Reflective Teaching – students / teachers learn through an analysis and evaluation of past experience.

Strategies
1. Self –analysis - a student /teacher engages himself/herself in self analysis when she reflects on why she succeeded or failed at
some task.
2. Writing journals – a journal reveals feelings about the days activities including what could have enhanced or inhibited for learning
.
3.Keeping a Portfolio – a portfolio is a very personal document w/c includes frank , honest , and on –the –spot account of
experiences .

3. Metacognitive Approach – “meta” means beyond

- is an approach that does beyond cognition .
-it is an approach that makes our students think about their thinking .
4. Constructivist Approach – view learning as an active process that results from self – constructed meanings .
- is anchored on the belief that every individual constructs and reconstructs meanings depending on past
experience.
5. Integrated Approach – is intradisciplinary , interdisciplinary and transdiscplinary.
- there are no walls that clearly separate one subject from the rest.
Intradisciplinary approach- is observed when teachers integrate the subdisciplines within a subject area.
Interdisciplinary approach- is also called content-based instruction.
Transdisciplinary approach- teachers organize curriculum around students’ questions and concerns.

Problem-based Learning – is a concrete example of transdisciplinary teaching. It is the learning that results from the process of
working toward the understanding of the resolution of a problem. This is also known as project-based learning or place-
based learning.

After studying approaches and methods, let’s put together the characteristics of teaching methods that have been proven to be
effective. They are given below:

1. Interactive- you make learners interact with you, with their classmates, and with learning material.
2. Innovative- your teaching is fresh because you do introduce new teaching method/s. You don’t overuse one teaching
method.
3. Integrative- you connect your lesson to one another, to other disciplines and to life.
4. Inquiry-based- you ask questions and the learners look for answers.
5. Collaborative- you make learners work together.
6. Constructivist- you make learners construct knowledge and meaning by connecting lesson with their past experiences.
7. Varied- you don’t stick to just one teaching method. You have a ready repertoire of teaching methods from which to draw
any time.
8. Experiential- (hands-on, minds-on, hearts-on) you engaged learners in varied activities.
9. Metacognitive- you make learners think about their cognitive and thought processes.
10. Reflective- you make your students reflect on what they have learned and how they have learned.

DIRECT/EXPOSITIVE/INSTRUCTION APPROACH GUIDED/EXPLORATORY APPROACH

 Direct Instruction * Inductive * Constructivist

 Deductive Method * Inquiry * Reflective teaching
 Demonstration Method * Problem solving * Cooperative learning
*Project * Peer tutoring/teaching
*Metacognitive * Partner learning