16 Effective Methods and Techniques for Increasing Student Learning

A good teacher can really make a remarkable difference in the way students grasp the lessons and how they apply it in real life. Knowing the students and following the right teaching strategy is the key to help them have a productive learning experience. School life is the best phase of every child as it plays a crucial role in moulding them for their future life. Considering its importance, a good teacher should come up with good tactics to help them utilize the best out of their study life.

Not all student groups are the same and it is the role of the teacher to understand their pulse before applying a teaching method. Here are a few effective methods and techniques that can help to improve the student in his/her learning if applied in the right way:

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1. Desire method: This is one of the unique but most effective teaching strategies to grab student attention and interest. Rather than simply starting with a topic during the class hour, first you have to convey the benefits of learning the particular topic. By wisely applying the strategy, you as a teacher should succeed in invoking good interest in students about the topic. So the students would be eager to start the lesson and approach it with a curious mindset.

2. Active learning: The one sided lecture methods are no more fruitful to get the interest of the new generation students. They would better respond well to the active learning strategies. Don’t limit their learning hour to simple note taking and doing assignments. Give them opportunities to express their talents and have some fun time and make learning more enjoyable. Bringing visual tools and proposing age related activities can really make a difference in the way students express themselves.

3. Cooperative learning: Give them a chance to come out of their seats and interact with their peers and have a cooperative learning experience. This would help them to experience a team building activity. Group activities such as group projects and fun elements such as jigsaw approach can do the trick. Shared learning is equally important to self learning time as they would get new ideas and thoughts from other students.

4. Teach with VAK: The visual, audio, and kinaesthetic learning are three key areas that need to be focused to offer an optimal learning experience. This approach simply means giving opportunities for the students to see the knowledge, hear it and feel it to the core. Give them a chance to interact with the lessons rather than sitting passively during the lectures. Watching animated videos with subject relevance can cover the visual and hearing part and getting a chance to create a video or presentation themselves hit the kinaesthetic area too.

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5. Case method: This is a really effective teaching strategy that gives promising outcome. Rather than simply teaching a new topic, share with them a real life example with which they can connect it. This kind of teaching would help them to retain the information for a longer period in their memory. This would also help them to learn how to apply what they learn in real life and not simply study to score marks in exams.

6. Prompt feedbacks: Giving valuable and consistent feedbacks to student is equally important to teaching them new lessons. Prompt feedbacks would help them to know their level of understanding and gives them a chance to clarify on the difficult areas further. Such assessments can also help teachers to give them right directions in the right time so that they can excel better. However, they should make sure that they offer only constructive feedbacks and encourage them to perform better next time.

7. Time management: Teaching them how to manage their time efficiently is the key to successful classroom learning. Give them time bounded activities so that they can challenge themselves to complete a task within the stipulated time frame. This kind of basic classroom learning also teaches them the importance of prioritizing the time effectively in their life too.

8. Flipped classroom: Inverting your class approach has proved to be really effective for all types of classrooms. In this method, students are asked to prepare on the lessons before hand through video tutorials at home. So they can approach the lesson with a better understanding during the class hour. The class time can be used productively for doing some quality assignments or paper works. Teachers can give an additional support in the areas where they lack understanding.

9. Gamification: Learning through games approach is not only effective for elementary students but also for higher classes. When games are made a part of teaching, students would approach the lessons more lightly and this helps them to be closer with the subjects. Classroom games also take away the boredom of one sided lectures. Through competitive games, students can challenge their peers to score higher and motivate each other.

10. Brainstorming: It is good to include some brain storming sessions in the classroom when students can challenge their thinking process. Give them puzzles or interesting activities in which they need to apply their thought process. This would stimulate their brain and makes them active and energized to receive new lessons. Creative sessions can also be included which challenges their critical thinking and logical reasoning.

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11. Distributed practice: The study activities are supposed to be spread over the period which gives significant results. Students usually have a habit of rushing with the lessons when the deadlines for exams are nearing. This type of learning won’t do any good to retain the information in the memory for long. So teachers should encourage distributed practice in which they learn the subject throughout the term. Teachers can evaluate their learning with regular, weekly or monthly tests and mini exams.

12. Teacher student relation: Maintaining a good relationship with the student is important for a teacher to make his/her teaching method more effective. Students should be given a space where they can freely express their concerns and doubts without any inhibition. When teacher becomes a good friend, students would actively participate and engage in the learning session which gives productive results. Certain communication apps even help to bring parents virtually into classroom to make the learning phase more effective.

13. Online tools: Teachers can make use of the online tools to bring fun to the classroom and ensure engagement and maximum participation. The activities such as online quizzes or videos would bring up a dynamic and interactive classroom environment. Education apps are yet another tool they can bring in the classroom to make the overall setting lively. The right mix of social media in classroom settings can also help a lot to improve the collaboration and relationships.

14. Outdoor learning: Students would love it when they are taken out of the four walls of the classroom to spend some quality learning time outdoors. You can either choose a roof top setting or shade of a tree to let them interact with the nature and study. Taking them for field trips in a while can also do the trick to regain their interest for learning. Visiting a museum or library of relevance can help them to learn the subject with a deeper understanding.

15. Student ideas: The learning phase would be more productive only if there is a give and take policy between the teachers and students. Teachers should not be dominant with the strategies and it is important to welcome student ideas as and whenever needed. Give them a chance to come up with some brilliant or interesting ideas that would really lift their spirit of learning. Once others start valuing their ideas, students would take extra effort to think further on improving their thought process.

16. Practice testing: In addition to all these methods, the time invested for self learning counts the most. They should be given some practice tests on a regular basis when they can evaluate or assess themselves on the areas where they lack and need to improve. This can include practice problems, virtual flash cards and more. The self learning phase gives them the independence to take control over their learning and they can have a boost to their confidence level.

There are a lot more teaching techniques and strategies that give impressive results in improving the student learning. School authorities should also offer a helping hand in supporting teachers to implement advanced and creative strategies in classrooms. With the advancements in mobile technology and digital education, smart school software and education apps are taking an important role in student life. Parents also have equal responsibility in giving them a comfortable environment and productive support to help them have a pleasant learning phase.

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