The 5 Most Effective Teaching Techniques I Used This Year | by Joseph Blake Smith Little Rock AR

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5 Most Effective Teaching Techniques

The 5 Most Effective Teaching Techniques I Used This Year | by Joseph Blake Smith Little Rock AR http://josephblakesmithlittlerockar.com/5-most-effective-teachingtechniques/ These new tactics worked for this teacher, so perhaps it’s time to try them yourself. “What are the best teaching strategies I’ve utilized this year?” I like to ask myself at the end of each school year. I can ensure that my finest teaching strategies are properly incorporated into next year’s sessions by analyzing my practice and identifying them. Here are five tactics that worked exceptionally well in my classroom.

1. Discussions that are centered on the students Although I enjoy being the “sage on the stage” in my classroom, I recognize that this accomplishes little to engage my students in critical thinking. I want my kids to be in charge of their education.


I used to ask the entire class questions after we read a book or short story. I’d presume everyone understood because the same five or six students would always answer the questions. Now, I divide the kids into small groups of three or four, and they answer the questions in those groups first, allowing all students to participate. Comprehension, speaking and listening abilities, and test scores have all improved. Creating thought-provoking questions that go deep into the subject is a simple way to implement student-centered conversations. The benefits are well worth the effort.

2. Establishing Links It is critical that the instructional strategies you employ assist pupils in making connections to their learning. For students, real-life connections make learning more fascinating and meaningful. When I teach Macbeth, for example, I emphasize the importance of creating goals. They investigate how ambition can be both positive and destructive, and I have them research current world leaders to help students grasp the concept’s realworld ramifications. In his classroom, a history teacher hosts a G20 meeting, with pupils representing countries and concentrating on specific concerns. The student’s purpose is to investigate the difficulties that each region faces and develop partnerships with other countries to address them. This allows students to relate to the subject. Students create their physical models in physics class to apply theory to real-life situations. Therefore, examine your curriculum to determine what applications you might bring into the classroom that are relevant. Students will be considerably more interested, and the real-world connections will help them understand the subject and theories you’re teaching far better than if they just read a textbook.

3. Increased Control I intended to improve student autonomy in my classroom after reading research on the subject. This year, I gave my students the option of choosing from a variety of prompts while writing an essay. Because it’s critical to connect learning to students’ particular interests, I allow students to choose their research paper subjects and projects to investigate. I make sure to set clear learning goals for my students, but they are free to make their own decisions within that framework. My kids are more engaged and empowered when they have autonomy over their learning.

4. Relationship Building Building classroom relationships is tremendously beneficial to students’ behavioral and academic achievement. Teachers can help students form bonds by meeting with them during office hours and organizing team-building activities.


Attending student sporting events and after-school activities is often a terrific way to start a conversation. Finally, each week in my classroom, I try to have a few minutes of “real conversation” for kids to share subjects that are significant to them, which helps to tear down barriers and develop unity.

5. An emphasis on literacy I’m constantly working to enhance my students’ reading skills. However, providing kids with reading content that they enjoy allows them to appreciate the pleasures of reading. I make sure my classroom has plenty of novels that I know young adults will love. Furthermore, if I come across an excellent op-ed item online or in the newspaper, I will share it with my students. My students now come to me when they read something interesting and thought-provoking, and as a result, they’ve grown as readers and writers. So, above are the 5 Most Effective Teaching Techniques that I used this year.


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