The biggest challenge for teachers, especially those who are new in academe, is capturing students’ attention and bringing proper discipline into the classroom.
To be a successful teacher, innovations and lots of trial and error must be done, since no two students are alike. Some effective teaching innovations include:
Audio-video and smart phones—Incorporate audio-visual materials in your sessions. Supplement textbooks with models, filmstrips, movies and pictorial materials. Use infographics or other mind-mapping and brain-mapping tools that will help their imagination thrive and grow. These methods will not only develop their ability to listen but will also help them understand the concepts better. For example, you can get some oral history materials; conduct live online discussions; or play back recordings of public lectures. There are a lot of smart apps for students that you can use to create awesome slideshows or presentations.
Brainstorming—Make time for brainstorming sessions into your classrooms. These sessions are a great way to get the students’ creative juices flowing. When you have multiple brains focusing on a single idea, you are sure to get numerous ideas and will also involve everyone in the discussion. These sessions will be a great platform for students to voice their thoughts without having to worry whether they are right or wrong.
Computer-assisted teaching—This technology has been around for some time, but it has been slow to develop because, in the past, each school district offered different instructional content at each grade level.
Basically, computer-assisted instruction allows teachers to spend more time with individual students who are having learning difficulties. Meanwhile, other students in the class can work through their lessons at their own pace. This improves classroom efficiency and allows for one-on-one attention in larger classrooms.
Social-media and educational sites—A commonly overlooked trend in education technology is the use of web sites and social media. Students, teachers and parents are all connected through social media and the Web. This allows parents and teachers to maintain communication about classroom events and assignments. Some teachers have used these technologies to create a homework blog, a classroom website or student blogs. Another innovative use of social media and the Web is the creation of education-related Pinterest boards. Each of these technologies expands the classroom and facilitates communication between students, educators, parents and the broader community.
Learning through argumentation—Students can advance their understanding of science and mathematics by arguing in ways similar to professional scientists and mathematicians. Argumentation helps students attend to contrasting ideas, which can deepen their learning. It makes technical reasoning public, for all to learn. It also allows students to refine ideas with others, so they learn how scientists work together to establish or refute claims.
Computational thinking—Computational thinking is a powerful approach to thinking and problem solving. It involves breaking down large problems into smaller ones (decomposition), recognizing how these relate to problems that have been solved in the past (pattern recognition), setting aside unimportant details (abstraction), identifying and developing the steps that will be necessary to reach a solution (algorithms) and refining these steps (debugging). Such computational- thinking skills can be valuable in many aspects of life, ranging from writing a recipe to share a favorite dish with friends, through planning a holiday or expedition, to deploying a scientific team to tackle a difficult challenge like an outbreak of disease.
The aim is to teach children to structure problems so they can be solved. Computational thinking can be taught as part of mathematics, science and art or in other settings. The aim is not just to encourage children to be computer coders, but also to master an art of thinking that will enable them to tackle complex challenges in all aspects of their lives.
Creativity and innovation bring about interest and motivation to learners and teachers. This is the best way to bring out the best in our students and make them world-
class students.
The author is Master Teacher 2 in Turod Elementary School in Solana, Cagayan.