Teaching and Learning Approaches
Learning Module
- Creator(s):
In any academia and educational setting, teaching and learning approaches need to be explored to make learning more conducive and teaching enjoyable and worth its time and effort. As there are several different approaches to teaching, there are several approaches to learning as well. I work with military linguists learning foreign languages. It is worth exploring how these learners may learn to become one of the best a their jobs. Different Pedagogies are prescribed by research and studies. We will explore one at a time below. The audience of the learning module are instructors of foreign language teaching who are well versed in English. This module is designed for students that are teachers who are experienced teachers and who are able to assess their teaching style and make appropriate decision/s based on that.
Classrooms are either teacher-centered or learner/student-centered based on the classroom management. It is very important critical decision for teachers before each class that they have to teach. The decision on which teaching approach to adopt is actually the most fundamental decision that predertermines the results of the class. We will look into different points and circumstances that seperate a student-centered class from that of teacher-centered classroom. This module will help teachers assess their teaching style and make appropriate changes in their teaching approaches to help their students benefit from the class and classroom instruction the best way possible.
Make an Update: Using your personal experience and research. Which method do you think is the best for teaching and why?
Comment on Peers' Updates: Comment on three other peer updates.
Post the content to students section.
According to (Teaching Methods) "Teaching theories can be organized into four categories based on two major parameters: a teacher-centered approach versus a student-centered approach, and high-tech material use versus low-tech material use" (2019).
A blog by the University of Concordia describes Teacher-Centered and Student-centered with its cons and pros. Where teacher centered class is controlled by the teacher. Students are fully focused on teacher. Collaboration does not take place because students are encouraged to work alone. While in student centered classroom collaboration is encouraged and students and instructor share the focus instead of being exclusively focused on the teacher. The focus of this module is Teach vs Learner-centered classroom. The content of High-Tech and Low-Tech will be explained at a later lesson. The blog can be accessed below:
The PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production) approach is the traditional approach that works best for any teacher especially in language learning. This approach is specially beneficial when teacher introduces a grammatical feature, brings practice activities and students produces sentences and responses based on their learning.
PPP (Practice, Presentation and Practice) is a teaching approach that covers the traditional method of teaching where teacher takes control of the class and introduces a concept - typically grammar in second language acquisition. Followed by practice and production. It is described in the following video:
Critiques of PPP say that teacher is doing most of the work while it could be students who are doing most of the work and thus learn effectively. A paper published in Japan at Nara University states that PPP still has many benefits in English as a foreign language learning especially when students in a foreign country do have the chance to practice English language outside of classroom. They have to do most of the learning inside of the class from the teacher. The paper can be accessed below.
http://jalt-publications.org/sites/default/files/pdf-article/perspectives.pdf
The Presentation part of the PPP requires the teacher to present a concept - either grammar or vocabulary which could be done through elicitation. A good example of elicitation is given in the below video:
Update: Make an update. From your experience what has been effective teaching/learning method for you. What are the pros and cons of the method. Which approach is PPP similar to?
Comment on Peers' update: Comment on three of your peers' updates.
Teacher should start with introduction of a grammatical aspect taking control of the classroom. This is the first "P" (Presentation) of the "PPP" approach where teacher introduces grammar or vocabulary by either modeling or elicitation. Following the presentation in a controlled setting teacher get students to practice the grammatical aspect by either creating sentences or dialogue or by asking and answering questions. This is the second "P" (Practice) in the PPP. For the third "P" the teacher asks students to use the newly learned grammatical feature freely in sentences or roleplay or similar tasks.
Once the above exercise is complete, teacher can take some time to introduce PPP. The students just went through a teaching approach called Presentation, Practice and Presentation (PPP). In week 1 teacher can display the following article or assign it as reading so students can understand the ins and outs or the approach.
After an introduction and the article, teacher can introduce the following critical view on PPP approach to give students a better understanding of the approach.
Differentiated Instruction proposes the idea to differentiate instructions based on individual needs. Differentiated instruction started gaining popularity in the U.S after the 1975 Individual with Disabilities Education Act where every kids was ensured to have access to public education (Teaching Methods, 2019). Differentiated Instruction is a paradigm that requires rethinking of the structure. " This model proposes a rethinking of the structure, management and content of the classroom, inviting participants within the learning context to become engaged in the process, to the benefit of all (Subban, 2006).
"Though differentiation is focused on individual student needs, it is mostly planned and implemented by the teacher. And technology, though a potential aid, is not a hallmark of the differentiated teaching style, making it a fairly traditional, low-barrier method to adopt" (Teaching Methods, 2019). Teaching methods can be divided into Hiigh-Tech and Low-Tech based on how much technology is involved.
Differentiated Instruction is not only tailored to individual needs but it is also self-paced learning as depicted in the following video:
Comment: In your Opinion is differentiated instruction the solution and answer to all situations? Why or Why not?
Update: Find similar research or teaching methodologies that you think can fit real-life scenarios and can answer our classroom questions.
Comment on Peers: Comment on three other peers' updates.
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A study conducted in Turkey by two associate professors of English states "New technologies including digital game-based language learning have increasingly received attention. However, their implementation is far from expected and desired levels due to technical, instructional, financial and sociological barriers" (ALYAZ & GENC, 2016).
Update: Can language learning be done via Game-based teaching? Is it feasible to create technological games for langauge learning or simple games can do the job?
Comment: Comment on three other updates.
Post the Content to student's Community.
Similar to a book which is simply a medium of learning. Digital games and visuals could be another means or medium of learning or teaching. Why not make teaching fun?
An elicitation question for students can be: Can games be a medium of learning?
Task-Based and Project-Based Learning
The British Council defines both Task-Based and Project-Based learning as follows:
Task-Based Learning TBL:
"In task-based learning, the central focus of the lesson is the task itself, not a grammar point or a lexical area, and the objective is not to ‘learn the structure’ but to ‘complete the task’. Of course, to complete the task successfully students have to use the right language and communicate their ideas" (TBL and PBL: Two learner-centred approaches, 2019).
Project-Based Learning PBL:
"The PBL approach takes learner-centredness to a higher level. It shares many aspects with TBL, but if anything, it is even more ambitious. Whereas TBL makes a task the central focus of a lesson, PBL often makes a task the focus of a whole term or academic year" (TBL and PBL: Two learner-centred approaches, 2019).
More information can be accessed at the following link:
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/tbl-pbl-two-learner-centred-approaches
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Project- Based Learning Presentation (UNESCO) https://player.slideplayer.com/25/7666135/
Write a reflection paper about the teaching and learning methods you have applied. Rubric is provided. Make sure to address the following points:
1. Your personal thoughts and reflection on the topic
2. Have your ever had a "Watershed Moments" where you paused in teaching and changed the direction because you realized the method of your teaching was either not working or wrong?
3. Why do teachers need to adjust their teaching from time to time?
Post the questions and Rubric to student's Section.
ALYAZ, Y., & GENC, Z. (2016). DIGITAL GAME-BASED LANGUAGE LEARNING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION. Turkish Online Journal Of Distance Education, 0(0). doi:10.17718/tojde.44375
A Student-Centered Model of Blended Learning. (2019). Retrieved 7 October 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrR-KIoggf4
Cloudfront.net. (2019). Project-Base Learning [PDF file]. Retrieved 7 October 2019, from https://d1311w59cs7lwz.cloudfront.net/attachment/234828/8ab338b69f623ab4e775a9173ebda70f2ec0115a/Project-Based_20Learning-_20Tesol.org.pdf?Expires=1570423245&Signature=SCOdPNCvqVRJIrv3Tik5wQoGNp80ux7Ah-FxQ6sDCTvZiv8xgUTUjtcacbQWiXAgJEXsIcGvZgX4zPmi58~zmIe2Sbr0yvgJR0fleTAxco2vJVkQIXqtwanA2xD0x2lv3iNBjlFNPeSK1FLb8A6C5CsnPMc-yn96vNVbX6M5wn-olyVx~QDjYNfhGrxrf1otEIZeogkyDAfgqOqCMHdQQXSsFebI8yfwpqOOgxb2BlfeyINopTIUkhbhvLqx7Z15YjS95D3FjFMknu9s6pdb-uWDYH8I3bgTYGwwlE81kAsHR2CqPcgHcw5UiXZ~VlstIdgR3~Jev49ScJZIU4vpOA__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJELYXGUCCDL7FUQA
Differentiating Teaching and Instruction: What, How, Why. (2019). Retrieved 7 October 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1neGAogFAw
Eliciting and Concept Checking at Transworld Schools. (2019). Retrieved 7 October 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPNT3WLKrBk
Maftoon, Parviz & Sarem, Saeid. (2012). A Critical Look at the Presentation, Practice, Production (PPP) Approach: Challenges and Promises for ELT. Brain : Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience. 3. Retreived from:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/297702625_A_Critical_Look_at_the_Presentation_Practice_Production_PPP_Approach_Challenges_and_Promises_for_ELT
PPP TEACHING METHOD. (2019). Retrieved 7 October 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GMzgQNgEvU
Project Based Learning: Explained. YouTube, YouTube, 9 Dec. Retrieved October 6, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMCZvGesRz8
Subban, P. (2006). Differentiated instruction: A research basis. International Education Journal, 7 (7), 935-947. http://iej.com.au
TBL and PBL: Two learner-centred approaches. (2019). Retrieved 7 October 2019, from https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/tbl-pbl-two-learner-centred-approaches
Teacher-centred strategies. (2019). Retrieved 7 October 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4K0JwhaCi8
Teaching Methods. (2019). Retrieved 6 October 2019, from https://teach.com/what/teachers-know/teaching-methods/
Teaching Methods for Inspiring the Students of the Future | Joe Ruhl | TEDxLafayette. (2019). Retrieved 7 October 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCFg9bcW7Bk
The Effective Use of Game-Based Learning in Education | Andre Thomas | TEDxTAMU. (2019). Retrieved 7 October 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X1m7tf9cRQ
The Power of Gamification in Education | Scott Hebert | TEDxUAlberta. (2019). Retrieved 7 October 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOssYTimQwM
Warren, A. (2016). Project Based Learning Made Simple Through 1 Pedagogy. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a2_rIDx-OU
Wordpress.com. (2012). Presentation, Practice, Production (PPP) [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://achilleaskostoulas.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/ppp.pdf