Teaching Methods: Pros and Cons

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ADPRIMAX motto: "Anything not understood in more than one way is not understood at all."

Teaching Methods: Pro and Cons

Bob Kizlik

I hate splitting hairs, so you should be aware that in my opinion instructional methods and teaching methods mean the same thing. Teaching strategies, for all practical purposes, means the same thing. Regardless of what we call such processes, they are primarily descriptions of the learning objective-oriented activities and flow of information between teachers and students. Although some may argue otherwise, to split hairs over whether such methods are meaningfully different adds nothing to the process of learning to be a teacher. Direct and indirect instruction are two main categories that many educators find useful for classifying teaching methods, but it is, as you will see, a bit more complicated than placing all instruction into two categories. Any instructional method a teacher uses has advantages, disadvantages, and requires some preliminary preparation. Often times, a particular teaching method will naturally flow into another, all within the same lesson, and excellent teachers have developed the skills to make the process seamless to the students. Which instructional method is "right" for a particular lesson depends on many things, and among them are the age and developmental level of the students, what the students already know, and what they need to know to succeed with the lesson, the subject-matter content, the objective of the lesson, the available people, time, space and material resources, and the physical setting. Another, more difficult problem is to select an instructional method that best fits one's particular teaching style and the lesson-situation. There is no one "right" method for teaching a particular lesson, but there are some criteria that pertain to each that can help a teacher make the best decision possible. The following teaching or instructional methods relate to the instruction part of the ADPRIMA Instruction System. The methods are not listed in a preferred sequence, no hierarchy of putative superiority of method is intended, and obviously, not all are appropriate for all grades and subject matter content areas.

DIRECT TEACHING

Advantages	Disadvantages	Preparation
Very specific learning targets. Students are told reasons why content is important - helps to clarify lesson objective. Relatively easy to measure student gains. Is a widely accepted instructional method. Good for teaching specific facts and basic skills.	Can stifle teacher creativity. Requires well-organized content preparation and good oral communication skills. Steps must be followed in prescribed order. May not be effective for higher-order thinking skills, depending on the knowledge base and skill of the teacher.	Content must be organized in advance. Teacher should have information about student prerequisites for the lesson.

COOPERATIVE LEARNING

Advantages	Disadvantages	Preparation
Helps foster mutual responsibility. Supported by research as an effective technique. Students learn to be patient, less critical and more compassionate.	Some students don't work well this way. Loners find it hard to share answers. Aggressive students try to take over. Bright students tend to act superior.	Decide what skills or knowledge are to be learned. Requires some time to prepare students. to learn how to work in groups.

LECTURE

Advantages	Disadvantages	Preparation
Factual material is presented in a direct, logical manner. May provide experiences that inspire - useful for large groups.	Proficient oral skills are necessary. Audience is often passive. Learning is difficult to gauge. Communication is one-way. Not appropriate for children below grade 4.	There should be a clear introduction and summary. Effectiveness related to time and scope of content. Is always audience specific; often includes examples, anecdotes.

DEMONSTRATION

Advantages

Disadvantages

Preparation

Gives students excellent examples to follow.
Shows connections between concepts, events, processes.

Poorly organized or ineffective demos confuse students about concepts and processes.
Has little, if any, practical value for subject matter content that is not skill-oriented.

Determine prior knowledge of students.
Determine processes, concepts and skills to be learned.
Determine pointes of similarity and dissimilarity.
Secure any and all equipment and supplies needed for the demo.

LECTURE WITH DISCUSSION

Advantages	Disadvantages	Preparation
Involves students, at least after the lecture. Students can question, clarify and challenge. Lecture can be interspersed with discussion.	Time constraints may affect discussion opportunities. Effectiveness is connected to appropriate questions and discussion; often requires teacher to "shift gears" quickly.	Teacher should be prepared to allow questions during lecture, as appropriate. Teacher should also anticipate difficult questions and prepare appropriate responses in advance.

PANEL OF EXPERTS

Advantages	Disadvantages	Preparation
Experts present different opinions. Can provoke better discussion than a one person discussion. Frequent change of speaker keeps attention from lagging.	Personalities may overshadow content. Experts are often not effective speakers. Subject may not be in logical order. Not appropriate for elementary age students. Logistics can be troublesome.	Teacher coordinates focus of panel, introduces and summarizes. Teacher briefs panel.

BRAINSTORMING

Advantages	Disadvantages	Preparation
Listening exercise that allows creative thinking for new ideas. Encourages full participation because all ideas are equally recorded. Draws on group's knowledge and experience. Spirit of cooperation is created. One idea can spark off other ideas.	Can be unfocused. Needs to be limited to 5 - 7 minutes. Students may have difficulty getting away from known reality. If not managed well, criticism and negative evaluation may occur. Value to students depends in part on their maturity level.	Teacher selects issue. Teacher must be ready to intervene when the process is hopelessly bogged down.

VIDEOTAPES/SLIDES

Advantages	Disadvantages	Preparation
Entertaining way of introducing content and raising issues Usually keeps group's attention Looks professional Stimulates discussion	Can raise too many issues to have a focused discussion Discussion may not have full participation Most effective when following discussion	Need to obtain and set up equipment Effective only if teacher prepares for discussion after the presentation

DISCUSSION

Advantages	Disadvantages	Preparation
Pools ideas and experiences from group Effective after a presentation, film or experience that needs to be analyzed Allows everyone to participate in an active process	Not practical with more that 20 students A few students can dominate Some students may not participate Is time consuming Can get off the track	Requires careful planning by teacher to guide discussion Requires question outline

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION

Advantages	Disadvantages	Preparation
Allows for participation of everyone Students often more comfortable in small groups Groups can reach consensus	Needs careful thought as to purpose of group Groups may get side tracked	Need to prepare specific tasks or questions for group to answer

CASE STUDIES

Advantages	Disadvantages	Preparation
Develops analytic and problem solving skills Allows for exploration of solutions for complex issues Allows student to apply new knowledge and skills	Students may not see relevance to own situation Insufficient information can lead to inappropriate results Not appropriate for elementary level	Case must be clearly defined Case study must be prepared

ROLE PLAYING

Advantages	Disadvantages	Preparation
Introduces problem situation dramatically Provides opportunity for students to assume roles of others and thus appreciate another point of view Allows for exploration of solutions Provides opportunity to practice skills	Some students may be too self-conscious Not appropriate for large groups Some students may feel threatened	Teacher has to define problem situation and roles clearly Teacher must give very clear instructions

WORKSHEET/SURVEYS

Advantages	Disadvantages	Preparation
Allows students to think for themselves without being influenced by others Individual thoughts can then be shared in large group	Can be used only for short period of time	Teacher has to prepare handouts

GUEST SPEAKERS

Advantages	Disadvantages	Preparation
Personalizes topic Breaks down audience's stereotypes	May not be a good speaker	Contact speakers and coordinate Introduce speaker appropriately

VALUES CLARIFICATION

Advantages	Disadvantages	Preparation
Opportunity to explore values and beliefs Allows students to discuss values in a safe environment Gives structure to discussion	Students may not be honest about their values. Students may be too self-conscious. Students may not be able to articulate their values in an effective way.	Teacher must carefully prepare exercise Teacher must give clear instructions Teacher must prepare discussion questions

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