Teaching Methods

Teachers can use a variety of methods to reach students and help them comprehend the curriculum. Some methods are best for young students, others encourage advanced understanding of the subject, and some are ideal for reaching children with disabilities. Here we look at three of the most popular teaching methods in use today.

Collaborative Learning

Collaborative learning encourages students with different levels of abilities to work in small groups. Together, these students explore and discuss the course material in more depth instead of just listening to a teacher's presentation. The collaborative nature of the learning process helps students become active participants in the intellectual process. Pros of collaborative learning include improved teamwork, building leadership skills, and helping to build relationships between students of diverse ethnic groups and backgrounds. Potential cons of collaborative learning can occur when groups are too large to allow everyone to equally participate or when the method is used for activities more suited to individual learning.

Socratic Learning

The Socratic or questioning method teaches not by telling but by raising open-ended questions to get students to seek out the answers. The method is often used in law school and in lecture-based classes. Its practice promotes the use of critical thinking and reasoning, aiding students in overcoming contradictions to reach logic based conclusions. One of the biggest problems with Socratic learning is the ability for it to embarrass or humiliate students who do not know the answers and turn them off from engaging or participating.

Multi-sensory Learning

Visual learning focuses on the use of graphs, flow charts, pictures, and diagrams to increase knowledge. Auditory learning requires information be presented through speeches, reading directions aloud, music, and even the tone of voice. A multi-sensory learning approach, however, combines several senses to engage students, primarily hearing, visualization, and touch. The method has proven to be very successful for students who are bored by more traditional learning methods and is suitable for a diverse group of learners. In fact, it has been used with much success in students suffering from learning disabilities such as dyslexia. A potential problem with multi-sensory learning is the additional materials that may be needed and the extra time and focus that teachers may have to spend with each student. The method usually works best in small classes or when additional teaching support is available.