The Changing Trends in Teaching Strategies

The strategies of teaching differ from states to states and countries to countries. So far, there has been no certain formula that can be termed as the perfect strategy of teaching as many things go into consideration while forming it. The social, economic, political and statistical factors play an important role while forming a particular teaching strategy that can develop the young minds to be the bright future of tomorrow. 

However, there are certain criteria which need to be fulfilled while preparing any teaching strategy. We may also call it the foundation on which the teaching system exists. Here are some of the important factors that should be considered while preparing it.

How to retain the interest of the students?

A successful teaching strategy is that which can constantly engage the children and retain their interest in the learning process. The strategic planners will have to keep in mind that the content has to be understandable, up-to-date and educating. Usually, children in the growing stage face a lot of attention problems which should be addressed in the teaching strategy planning.

Consider the understanding capacity of the learner

While planning the teaching methodology, the most important point to keep into consideration is the learning ability of the learner. The methodology shall enhance the learning skills of the students using various techniques depending upon the social, economic and political conditions that the student lives in. 

Importance of suitable evaluation 

Most of the teaching strategies face problems when it comes to the assessment part. The circle of teaching can be completed only if the evaluation process is done based on the teachings. Various research organizations have proposed that the age-old exam method is not sufficient to complete the learning process. Instead, this only tests the remembering capacity of the student. There should more qualitative and experiential methods to evaluate the learning capacity of the students. Fortunately, many of the Indian schools, especially some of the Bangalore IB schools have adopted such progressive methods of evaluation to complete the learning circle.

Well set objectives and challenges

Every teaching method should have a well-defined objective to achieve at the end of the academic year. Those goals should be the mental and physical growth of the children to be the responsible citizen of the state who has the potential to drive the country forward. Unfortunately, in many of the cases, the objective remains self-centered as it focuses more on educational achievements and professional growth. A successful teaching strategy shall focus on the greater benefits and overall growth of the individual along with their society.

The World of IB

The other day my son asked me a question…. Why do we call a honey bee by that name?” I replied with overweening confidence and with an air of finality that it is because it collects honey. Pat came the next question… “Why do we call a butterfly by that name?” This time I was stumped!

This incident bears testimony to the kind of inquisitive minds that children today are born with. We would be doing grave injustice to them if we were to put them through a curriculum that stifles this curiosity which is so imperative to research, discovery and culmination of all learning – invention. It is a sad commentary on our so called “time-tested” methods of education, that we have hardly had Nobel Prize winners. That we pride ourselves on being the “heroes of zeroes” seems to be a dubious distinction.

Any parent who has run the gauntlet of those never-ending questions from a young toddler would swear by the fact, somewhere along the way the “formal education” that a child is put through ends up writing an epitaph on this natural inquisitive mind that a child is gifted with. The International Baccalaureate Organisation, a non-profit educational organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, founded the IB Programme to overcome this pitfall. The focus in this program is on “how” and “why” rather than “what”. It is meticulously designed to foster creativity and build the global skills that today’s young globe-trotters need. Though it has its headquarters in Switzerland, the IBO is an international organisation, not associated with any particular country and free of national or political intervention. This course stands out as one that steers clear of political incursions.

In today’s globalised workplace, we operate on a global platform, making the cultivation of global mindedness and intercultural understanding indispensable. We have to carefully instil intercultural respect in the minds of young learners bearing in mind the fact that today’s students will be tomorrow’s corporate honchos shaking hands or perhaps bowing to the leaders from many countries across the world. A parochial education that gives a laundry list of concepts to be merely committed to memory, limiting the child’s perspective to the national frontiers, will no longer suffice.

As the diagram above shows, IB focuses on breadth and depth of knowledge and takes learning outside the classrooms. Learning is more application-oriented leading to the creation of individuals who are highly employable. It bears reiteration that if we do not ivory-tower scientists or arm-chair theorists, IB is the way out.