Change up your method in the madness that is teaching

Every individual starts off the new year with tons of resolutions and goals they aim to achieve. For teachers, this shouldn’t be any different. Education has evolved drastically and learners no longer enjoy sitting and taking notes and listening to monotonous recitals from a textbook.

Going back to basics and sticking to them has never done any harm, but shaking things up and making learning material more interesting doesn’t hurt either. In our digitally advanced world that we live in, it is of the utmost importance to change up teaching methods to challenge the way that learners think and their approach to education and their future careers.
Technology is your friend in the classroom and some amazing new teaching methods are becoming more popular by integrating the one thing that traditional teachers fear the most. Have a look at how you can make your classroom a place that your learners will look forward to visiting and broadening their knowledge and horizons.

1. Flipped Classroom

This trend stands out head and shoulders above all the rest and is definitely one of the most popular ones in classrooms all around the country. This method will literally turn things on their head. Instead of dragging a lesson out and asking learners to answer questions that you will mark the next day based on what you have told them, why not give them a topic to research at home and base your lesson on the feedback you get from them the next day. This will spark curiosity and encourage learners to actually prepare for class.

2. Social Media

There is nothing more annoying than the youth being joined at the hip with their mobile devices. When they are not constantly on Facebook,Twitter or Instagram, they are texting their lives away on the other side of the screen. Believe it or not, you can integrate social media into your lessons. Let each learner pick their favourite celebrity and review their social posts for spelling and grammar errors. Nothing like a good old English lesson that trumps fame and fortune.

3. Mobile Learning

Where there is a will, there is a way and a new app every day. When it comes to languages for example, translator and dictionary apps will help learners look up definitions etc. at the touch of their fingertips. Flashcard decks are one of the best tools in e-learning and now your deck is available on your phone or table at any time. If you can’t beat them, help them use technology to their advantage and not just for social status.

4. Blended Learning

Even though some people might get confused by its name, the reality is that this trend is already in place in the majority of schools. It consists of splitting learning between the online and offline world. Apps such as ExamTime makes learning fun, different and interactive.

5. AR/VR/MR 

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality is absolutely amazing to put a whole new spin on subjects such as Science and Math. There is nothing more interesting for learners to be able to grasp difficult concepts in a visual manner that takes them back to the core of the world we live in – technology.
As time goes on the world evolves, we need to be careful that we don’t get stuck in a rut when it comes to education. The good old foundations will always remain untouched, but all teaching and learning methods are there to be constantly improved upon. Give each learner the head start they deserve by painting them a picture of a colourful technological world with endless possibilities!