Using Various Teaching Strategies in the 21st Century

       Learning Styles:  What is your learning style?  I found this very evident when working with my youngest daughter when she was in Kindergarten.  We would work and work on her memory verses only to find that she still didn't remember them when it came to her needing to say them at school on Fridays.  About half way through the year when she started to be able to read, she began to remember them if we studied together while she looked at the paper.  She definitely is a visual learner!

Daily teachers need to choose strategies and avenues in which to reach their students to meet their learning style needs.  When only one or two strategies are implemented then the possibility of only a small percentage of students will be reached.  When a variety of teaching strategies are used then the possibility of higher percentages of students will understand the content and excel.  Students learn in many different ways.  Many teachers choose lecture or presentation as a mode to teaching.  I prefer the term 'direct instruction' which allows for teaching the class as a whole so that it will only have to be said once.  The best way to do this is in providing interaction with PowerPoint, pictures, slides, etc.  It is the best practice to use as many different strategies as possible to reach as many students in your class as possible.  Sometimes this is in lecture (direct instruction), hands on, collaboration, etc.  Lessons need to be taught and retaught more than one time as well in order to solidify the knowledge.  The more exposure of a skill or standard the more likely the student will learn and be able to process and apply that information.  Variety is also important.  Using different strategies at different times allows for the teacher and students not to be stuck in a rut doing the same thing over and over.

I have read through and learned about so many teaching strategies.  There are teacher taught strategies and student lead strategies.  Technology is important in that students will need to be aware of how to be a good digital citizen.  Students will be using computers more and more and need to learn how to use the technology and how to access what they need to learn.  Teachers can use PowerPoint and other similar presentation programs to keep the students engaged.  Simulations, learning centers, demonstrations, and discovery strategies keep students wanting to come back for more and make learning interesting.  By using collaboration software like Edmodo (http://www.edmodo.com/home ) students get a chance to discuss and communicate with each other.  These provide higher order thinking and critical thinking skills among students.

My Second grade students are young, but can still learn how to be digital citizens, use different types of technology (including typing skills: http://www.typingweb.com/ ) so that they will be ready to do more and more on computers when they reach upper grades.  Some sites that I use for math are: XtraMath: https://www.xtramath.org; and TenMarks: http://www.tenmarks.com/teacher/home/ .   I want to give them every opportunity to grow into mature, responsible and well educated adults that can be leaders in their and our futures.

By: Shawn Marie Dauss