New Approaches to Teaching and Learning: The Next Frontier1. Hip-Hop Education (HipHopEd)HipHopEd is an approach to teaching and learning that focuses on the use of hip-hop culture and its elements in teaching and learning both within and outside of traditional schools. #HipHopEd is also a Twitter chat where educators convene every Tuesday night at 9 p.m. EST to discuss this approach to teaching. HipHopEd involves the use of hip-hop music, art and culture to create philosophies for teaching. It also uses hip-hop to develop and implement teaching tools and helps to create contexts for teaching and learning that youth are comfortable in. In its simplest form, HipHopEd involves the use of rap lyrics as text to be used in the classroom. In a more complex form, it involves raps created by students as classroom assignments that are used to measure knowledge. In its most advanced form, it uses the elements of hip-hop (b-boying/girling, graffiti, deejaying and MC-ing) as ways to describe/explain content, develop classroom activities, and create tools for empowering youth.

Most recently, the use of hip-hop in education has included elements of hip-hop culture like the rap battle to enhance learning and create competitions that spur on learning. This approach has been used to increase student attendance, motivation and content knowledge.

2. Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Lessons (POGIL)Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Lessons are part of a learning strategy that has both a constructivist and social component. In other words, it focuses on using the real life experiences of the learner to create knowledge and considers how students relates to the environment where they are taught.

When engaging in POGIL's, the teacher assigns text to students, and then poses a set of questions that they can only answer by exploring the text that was given. In this process, the teacher has to fight the urge to give students any answers or facts to memorize. Their main role is to pose questions that provoke the students to look more deeply at the text they are given. In a POGIL classroom, students develop conclusions about the text they are interrogating that will increase their knowledge. As students answer questions, teachers "guide the inquiry" by asking supplemental questions that will eventually move the students towards thinking deeply and drawing more complex conclusions. This approach has resulted in increased student interest in the subject being taught and increased mastery of content in the science classes where it is mostly used.

3. Project Based Learning (PBL)Project-based learning is an approach to teaching that focuses primarily on having students engage in explorations of real-world problems and challenges. Through these explorations, they develop their content knowledge, but also develop solutions to problems. This approach to teaching functions to engage students that may be disinterested in traditional

content because it allows them to identify problems in their community or the world at large that they want to solve. It also provides teachers and students with opportunities to be creative. In schools that commit to project based learning, students can engage in a project, and learn all subjects as they complete their project. In this process, the teacher looks for ways to connect the subject to the project. In turn, students look to the teacher for content knowledge so they can complete their project.

4. Reality PedagogyReality Pedagogy is an approach to teaching and learning that focuses on teachers gaining an understanding of student realities, and then using this information as the starting point for instruction. It begins with the fundamental premise that students are the experts on how to teach, and students are the experts on content. Reality pedagogues/teachers believe that, for teaching and learning to happen, there has to be an exchange of expertise between students and teacher. For this exchange to happen, teachers need a set of tools called the "5 C's" to gain insight into student realities, and allow students to express their true selves in the classroom. These tools are:

1. Cogenerative dialogues: Where teachers and students discuss the classroom and both suggest ways to improve it.

2. Coteaching: Where students get opportunities to learn content and then teach the class.

3. Cosmopolitanism: Where students have a role in how the class operates and in what is taught.

4. Context: Where the neighborhood and community of the school is seen as part of the classroom.

5. Content: Where the teacher has to acknowledge the limitations of his/her content knowledge and work to build his/her content expertise with students

5. Flipped ClassroomOne of the most popular new approaches to teaching is the flipped classroom. This approach involves a process where the typical lecture that happens in the classroom occurs at home. Students watch lectures on video, and then return to school to engage in the exercises they would traditionally have for homework, and to ask questions based on the lecture they watched on their own at home. When students watch videos at home, they can stop and go and at their own pace, and take notes a their leisure. When they return to school, they can work in groups to discuss what they watched, and/or have their questions answered by the teacher. In this process, students create, collaborate and learn at their own pace, and apply what they have learned at home in the classroom.

In all of these approaches, the most powerful thing to recognize is that they focus explicitly on engaging both the student and the teacher. When teachers are treated like the intelligent professionals that they are, and given the flexibility to engage in approaches to teaching and learning that go beyond archaic models that they are often bound to, students respond differently, and education is improved.

Teaching & Learning InitiativeSix Approaches to Co-Teaching

In their book, Interactions:   Collaboration Skills for School Professionals , Marilyn Friend and Lynne Cook identify "co-teaching as a specific service delivery option that is based on collaboration." As a service delivery option, co-teaching is designed to meet the educational needs of students with diverse learning options. Students at all academic levels benefit from alternative assignments and greater teacher attention in small-group activities that co-teaching makes possible. Co-teaching allows for more intense and individualized instruction in the general education setting increasing access to the general education curriculum while decreasing stigma for students with special needs. Students have an opportunity to increase their understanding and respect for students with special needs. Students with special needs have a greater opportunity for continuity of instruction as the teachers benefit from the professional support and exchange of teaching practices as they work collaboratively.

Co-teaching involves two or more certified professionals who contract to share instructional responsibility for a single group of students primarily in a single classroom or workspace for specific content or objectives with mutual ownership, pooled resources and joint accountability. (Friend & Cook 2000)

Six Approaches to Co-Teaching

1. One Teach, One Observe. One of the advantages in co-teaching is that more detailed observation of students engaged in the learning process can occur. With this approach, for example, co-teachers can decide in advance what types of specific observational information to gather during instruction and can agree on a system for gathering the data. Afterward, the teachers should analyze the information together.

2. One Teach, One Assist. In a second approach to co-teaching, one person would keep primary responsibility for teaching while the other professional circulated through the room providing unobtrusive assistance to students as needed.

3. Parallel Teaching. On occasion, student learning would be greatly facilitated if they just had more supervision by the teacher or more opportunity to respond. In parallel teaching, the teachers are both covering the same information, but they divide the class into two groups and teach simultaneously.

4. Station Teaching. In this co-teaching approach, teachers divide content and students. Each teacher then teaches the content to one group and subsequently repeats the instruction for the other group. If appropriate, a third station could give students an opportunity to work independently.

5. Alternative Teaching: In most class groups, occasions arise in which several students need specialized attention. In alternative teaching, one teacher takes responsibility for the large group

while the other works with a smaller group.

6. Team Teaching: In team teaching, both teachers are delivering the same instruction at the same time. Some teachers refer to this as having one brain in two bodies. Others call it tag team teaching. Most co-teachers consider this approach the most complex but satisfying way to co-teach, but the approach that is most dependent on teachers' styles.

The Responsive Classroom® Approach

The Responsive Classroom approach is an innovative way of teaching

developed by the Northeast Foundation for Children (NEFC). Since the 1990s it has emerged as a nationally renowned

method of teaching. The NEFC is a nonprofit organization founded in 1981 by a group of public school educators seeking

to share the knowledge, skills, and philosophies they had acquired through years of teaching. The result of their combined

experiences is the Responsive Classroom approach, which emphasizes the social, emotional, and academic growth of

elementary school students in a strong and safe learning environment. The Responsive Classroom approach incorporates

the students’ social and emotional growth into their academic learning, stemming from the notion that children learn best

through social interaction and when they are explicitly taught social and emotional skills along with their academic

lessons. The goal is to enable optimal student learning, and through the implementation and refining of classroom and

school-wide practices, the Responsive Classroom approach has been shown to increase academic achievement in

elementary school students, decrease problem behaviors, improve social skills, and raise the quality of instruction.

INSIDE THE RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM APPROACH

What does the Responsive Classroom approach look like? Across the country, this method of teaching is being

incorporated into classrooms. Any elementary school can incorporate these principles and practices into their curriculum,

thus reaching the widest range of students and transforming already existing classrooms into spaces of optimal learning.

The Responsive Classroom approach builds social and emotional growth into an academic curriculum so that students’

education becomes truly well rounded--shaping every aspect of their lives.

Teachers incorporate practices designed to make the classroom more stimulating, challenging, safer, and happier. Some

of these practices directly foster a sense of community, such as Morning Meetings to start the day, or increased

communication with parents to involve the entire family in their child’s education. The classroom is also often physically

rearranged to fit where children are developmentally and also to be conducive to safe, challenging, and joyful learning.

Teachers incorporate practices designed to make the classroom more stimulating, challenging, safer, and happier.

Elements of this approach also offer students a level of autonomy that involves them more in their own learning and helps

them feel better about their classroom and their place in it. Students partake in shaping the rules of the classroom, and

teachers engage children in discussions that help them understand what will happen when they forget or choose not to

follow classroom rules. No matter which of several techniques teachers choose when responding to a child’s misbehavior,

their goal is always to protect the child’s dignity while quickly stopping the misbehavior and restoring positive behavior so

that all the children can continue learning.

To increase motivation and help get students excited about learning, teachers also give them some structured,

developmentally appropriate choices about what and how they will learn. For example, for an insect study, third graders

may be invited to choose which insect they want to study and whether they will represent what they learn by making a

clay model or a poster.

A classroom where the teacher follows the Responsive Classroom approach is a positive space where students’ voices

are heard and where they play an active role in their education. The teacher also becomes a facilitator, and through

listening to the students and helping them work together, the values of cooperation, independence, responsibility, and

accountability are further instilled.

IMPLEMENTING THE RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM APPROACH

Who uses the Responsive Classroom approach? How can you learn the Responsive Classroom approach? Schools

across the nation from every sort of environment have experienced its benefits. The quality of education, the increased

engagement and performance of their students, and the decline in disciplinary problems all attest to the fact that this

approach works. The NEFC, together with its Midwest affiliate, Origins, trains over 7,000 teachers each year. There are

Responsive Classroom consultants working in over half of all states in the country. Through the Responsive Classroom

Newsletter, a plethora of books and DVDs, and other amazing resources, many more people each year are learning more

about it.

For schools and school districts interested in implementing the Responsive Classroom approach, NEFC offers avariety of

services. Teachers (and administrators) can attend one-day workshops that introduce them to the approach or focus on

particular aspects of it. They can also attend weeklong institutes that enable them to interactively explore Responsive

Classroom principles and practices in depth. NEFC also offers contractual professional development services that can be

adapted to a school’s or district’s needs, assistance in developing Responsive Classroomteacher leaders, a national

conference, and resources for site-based study.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM APPROACH

So how well does it work? The Responsive Classroom approach has been researched by the University of Virginia’s

Curry School of Education, and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 considers the University’s findings from its first study

to meet its rigorous standards for evaluation. Dr. Sara E. Rimm-Kaufman, who led the Social and Emotional Learning

Study, or SALS, found that the Responsive Classroom approach had a noticeable impact on the academic and social

skills of students. Specifically, she found that children in classrooms where teachers were using the approach had higher

test scores in reading and math, better social skills, and a more positive outlook on school. Teachers also benefited. They

felt better about themselves and more positive about teaching because of the effect they had on their students, and they

collaborated with each other more. Both of these outcomes resulted in teachers delivering more high-quality instruction

that ultimately benefited both students and teachers.

Dr. Rimm-Kaufman is currently conducting the Responsive Classroom Efficacy Study (RCES), a multi-year, $2.9 million

randomized controlled trial involving 24 elementary schools, with special emphasis on math teaching and learning.

TEACHING STRATEGIESInstitutions of higher learning across the nation are responding to political, economic, social and technological pressures to be more responsive to students' needs and more concerned about how well students are prepared to assume future societal roles. Faculty are already feeling the pressure to lecture less, to make learning environments more interactive, to integrate technology into the learning experience, and to use collaborative learning strategies when appropriate.

Some of the more prominent strategies are outlined below. For more information about the use of these and other pedagogical approaches, contact the Program in Support of Teaching and Learning.

Lecture. For many years, the lecture method was the most widely used instructional strategy in college classrooms. Nearly 80% of all U.S. college classrooms in the late 1970s reported using some form of the lecture method to teach students (Cashin, 1990). Although the usefulness of other teaching strategies is being widely examined today, the lecture still remains an important way to communicate information.

Used in conjunction with active learning teaching strategies, the traditional lecture can be an effective way to achieve instructional goals. The advantages of the lecture approach are that it provides a way to communicate a large amount of information to many listeners, maximizes instructor control and is non-threatening to students. The disadvantages are that lecturing minimizes feedback from students, assumes an unrealistic level of student understanding and comprehension, and often disengages students from the learning process causing information to be quickly forgotten.

The following recommendations can help make the lecture approach more effective (Cashin, 1990):

1. Fit the lecture to the audience2. Focus your topic - remember you cannot cover everything in one lecture3. Prepare an outline that includes 5-9 major points you want to cover in one lecture4. Organize your points for clarity5. Select appropriate examples or illustrations6. Present more than one side of an issue and be sensitive to other perspectives7. Repeat points when necessary8. Be aware of your audience - notice their feedback9. Be enthusiastic - you don’t have to be an entertainer but you should be excited by your topic.(from Cashin, 1990, pp. 60-61)

Case Method. Providing an opportunity for students to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-life experiences has proven to be an effective way of both disseminating and integrating knowledge. The case method is an instructional strategy that engages students in active discussion about issues and problems inherent in practical application. It can highlight fundamental dilemmas or critical issues and provide a format for role playing ambiguous or controversial scenarios.

Course content cases can come from a variety of sources. Many faculty have transformed current events or problems reported through print or broadcast media into critical learning experiences that illuminate the complexity of finding solutions to critical social problems. The case study approach works well in cooperative learning or role playing environments to stimulate critical thinking and awareness of multiple perspectives.

Discussion. There are a variety of ways to stimulate discussion. For example, some faculty begin a lesson with a whole group discussion to refresh students’ memories about the assigned reading(s). Other faculty find it helpful to have students list critical points or emerging issues, or generate a set of questions stemming from the assigned reading(s). These strategies can also be used to help focus large and small group discussions.

Obviously, a successful class discussion involves planning on the part of the instructor and preparation on the part of the students. Instructors should communicate this commitment to the students on the first day of class by clearly articulating course expectations. Just as the instructor carefully plans the learning experience, the students must comprehend the assigned reading and show up for class on time, ready to learn.

Active Learning. Meyers and Jones (1993) define active learning as learning environments that allow “students to talk and listen, read, write, and reflect as they approach course content through problem-solving exercises, informal small groups, simulations, case studies, role playing, and other activities -- all of which require students to apply what they are learning” (p. xi). Many studies show that learning is enhanced when students become actively involved in the learning process. Instructional strategies that engage students in the learning process stimulate critical thinking and a greater awareness of other perspectives.

Although there are times when lecturing is the most appropriate method for disseminating information, current thinking in college teaching and learning suggests that the use of a variety of instructional strategies can positively enhance student learning. Obviously, teaching strategies should be carefully matched to the teaching objectives of a particular lesson. For more information about teaching strategies, see the list of college teaching references in Appendix N.

Assessing or grading students' contributions in active learning environments is somewhat problematic. It is extremely important that the course syllabus explicitly outlines the evaluation criteria for each assignment whether individual or group. Students need and want to know what is expected of them. For more information about grading, see the Evaluating Student Work section contained in this Guide.

Cooperative Learning. Cooperative Learning is a systematic pedagogical strategy that encourages small groups of students to work together for the achievement of a common goal. The term 'Collaborative Learning' is often used as a synonym for cooperative learning when, in fact, it is a separate strategy that encompasses a broader range of group interactions such as developing learning communities, stimulating student/faculty discussions, and encouraging electronic exchanges (Bruffee, 1993). Both approaches stress the importance of faculty and student involvement in the learning process.

When integrating cooperative or collaborative learning strategies into a course, careful planning and preparation are essential. Understanding how to form groups, ensure positive interdependence, maintain individual accountability, resolve group conflict, develop appropriate assignments and grading criteria, and manage active learning environments are critical to the achievement of a successful cooperative learning experience. Before you begin, you may want to consult several helpful resources which are contained in Appendix N. In addition, the Program in Support of Teaching and Learning can provide faculty with supplementary information and helpful techniques for using cooperative learning or collaborative learning in college classrooms.

Integrating Technology. Today, educators realize that computer literacy is an important part of a student's education. Integrating technology into a course curriculum when appropriate is proving to be valuable for enhancing and extending the learning experience for faculty and students. Many faculty have found electronic mail to be a useful way to promote student/student or faculty/student communication between class meetings. Others use listserves or on-line notes to extend topic discussions and explore critical issues with students and colleagues, or discipline- specific software to increase student understanding of difficult concepts.

Currently, our students come to us with varying degrees of computer literacy. Faculty who use technology regularly often find it necessary to provide some basic skill level instruction during the first week of class. In the future, we expect that need to decline. For help in integrating technology into a course curriculum contact the Program in Support of Teaching and Learning or the Instructional Development Office (IDO) at 703-993-3141. In addition,

watch for information throughout the year about workshops and faculty conversations on the integration of technology, teaching and learning.

Distance Learning. Distance learning is not a new concept. We have all experienced learning outside of a structured classroom setting through television, correspondence courses, etc. Distance learning or distance education as a teaching pedagogy, however, is an important topic of discussion on college campuses today. Distance learning is defined as 'any form of teaching and learning in which the teacher and learner are not in the same place at the same time' (Gilbert, 1995).

Obviously, information technology has broadened our concept of the learning environment. It has made it possible for learning experiences to be extended beyond the confines of the traditional classroom. Distance learning technologies take many forms such as computer simulations, interactive collaboration/discussion, and the creation of virtual learning environments connecting regions or nations. Components of distance learning such as email, listserves, and interactive software have also been useful additions to the educational setting.

For more information about distance learning contact the Instructional Development Office at 703-993-3141 (Fairfax Campus) and watch for workshops and faculty discussions on the topic throughout the year.

Teaching Approaches and StrategiesUntil recently, research into learning and teaching in universities has focused on what the teacher does rather than on what the learner does. However, recent research into student learning indicates what your students do in order to learn is of the greatest importance. Following on from this research, educators have developed "learner-centred" or "Student-Centred" pedagogy that has significantly influenced our understanding of university learning and teaching.As Thomas Shuell has said, student-centred teaching is built on the assumption that "what the student does is actually more important in determining what is learned than what the teacher does" (T.J. Shuell, "Cognitive Conceptions of Learning" (1986), 429 ). Therefore, as an important part of our learning and teaching approach, UNSW emphasises student-centred and active learning approaches to engage students in their learning.If you want your student-centred learning activities to be effective, communicate the objectives, benefits and expectations to students so that they feel prepared and supported in their learning. In particular, students who are used to more traditional (teacher-centred) teaching will need this support.

Teaching strategiesThe following kinds of activities can be used to facilitate student-centred learning and teaching. Use these strategies to give students a chance to actively engage with the content and to provide variety within the lecture or tutorial:

Brainstorming Case Studies Debates Discussion Flipped Classroom Group Work

Questioning Simulations

Orientation

What do we mean by a teaching approach? What learning theories could guide my teaching practice? How can I apply principles of good practice to my own teaching?

Teaching Approaches

You can think of your approach to teaching as a description of how you go about teaching your students. This description explains what you do when you teach.

Typically you might describe:

The sorts of teaching and learning activities that you have planned (lecture, tutorial, self-directed learning, case study, workshop, workplace learning);

Ways in which you try to engage students with the subject matter (provide students with basic facts, relate new knowledge to what students already know, build in interaction, be passionate, be enthusiastic);

The ways in which you support your students (encourage questions, set formative assessments, provide constructive feedback). 

A description of your approach to teaching includes:

The mode or manner of teaching (lecture, tutorial, bedside teaching, laboratory work); Some understanding of how people learn (learning theory); Some understanding of how to facilitate learning (qualities of the teacher such as passion, principles for

good teaching practice such as providing timely and constructive feedback, putting educational theory into practice).

There is no "best teaching approach". However, there are some recognised teaching methods together with a range of learning theories and some principles for good practice in undergraduate and postgraduate education.

Being a reflective teacher and striving for excellence in teaching means considering each aspect of your teaching approach to ensure that you are doing your best to facilitate student learning.

Roger Booth puts himself in the student's shoes: Click to view the video (Requires Flash Player).

 Action

If you haven't already done so, take the time to complete the teaching perspective inventory to get an insight into how you approach teaching. 

The teaching perspective inventory is a 45-item instrument that yields dominant and back-up perspectives on teaching. If you can identify your perspective/perspectives on teaching then you can reflect on your approach, consider the merits and drawbacks of your approach and look at other teaching approaches that might enhance

your students' learning. This will help you if you decide to write a teaching philosophy (see below). It takes 10-15 minutes to complete the inventory.

Learning Theories

We are not going to detail the various learning theories in this resource. There are other websites such asLearning Theories that do this well. Our purpose is just to provide you with a brief summary of three of the main theories. Note also that one can hold more than one theory at the same time. In fact, it is possible to subscribe to all three views, depending on the subject matter being taught to students.

1. Objectivists conceive of learning as a process in which learners passively receive an objective body of knowledge that is transmitted to them. Teaching should be structured to transmit the required knowledge to the learner.

2. Cognitivists view learning as a process of in which learners add new components to their cognitive structure - the structure through which humans process and store information - and/or in which learners re-organise their cognitive structure. Teaching strategies should help students to reorganise their existing cognitive structures/acquire new elements in their cognitive structure.

3. Constructivists believe that learners construct their own reality or at least that learners interpret reality based upon their interpretations of their experiences. This entails that an individual's acquisition of knowledge is a function of their prior experiences, mental structures, and the beliefs that are used to interpret objects and events. Teaching should be structured to help students to relate new knowledge to existing knowledge so that what is learned is meaningful for the learner. When this happens, recall and application of knowledge improves.

 Reflection

You might want to think about these learning theories in the context of what you need your students to know, understand and be able to do by the end of your course(s).

Remember, students need to know basic facts (transmission and factual recall).

They also need to be able to relate new facts to what they already know so that connections can be made between what has been learned and what is being learned (cognitivism and making sense).

Finally, learners need to be able to apply what they have learned in unique situations where the right course of action will not be obvious (constructivism and interpretation).

Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education

7 principles for good practice in undergraduate education have been established on the basis of a review of over fifty years of educational research. Good practice in undergraduate education:

1. Encourages contacts between students and faculty.2. Develops reciprocity and cooperation among students.3. Uses active learning techniques.4. Gives prompt feedback.

5. Emphasises time on task.6. Communicates high expectations.7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

Your "approach" to teaching undergraduate students might make use of these principles.

 Reflection

How many of the 7 principles for good practice in undergraduate education are evident in your teaching?

Principles for Good Practice with Adult Learners

Malcolm Knowles established 7 principles to help adults learn. The term adult covers a wide age range and level of maturity; however, the common denominator is that we expect to see a greater degree of independence and self-direction in adult learners. Our job as a teacher is to facilitate this. Knowles suggested that this can be achieved by:

1. Establishing an effective learning climate, where learners feel safe and comfortable expressing themselves;

2. Involving learners in mutual planning of relevant methods and curricular content;3. Involving learners in diagnosing their own needs - this will help to trigger internal motivation;4. Encouraging learners to formulate their own learning objectives - this gives them more control of their

learning;5. Encouraging learners to identify resources and devise strategies for using the resources to achieve their

objectives;6. Supporting learners in carrying out their learning plans; and7. Involving learners in evaluating their own learning - this can develop their skills of critical reflection.

Your approach to teaching adult students might be based on these 7 principles.

Helen Roberts on good practice for engaging students in the online environment:

Click to view the video.

 Action

Showing that you have used an appropriate pedagogical framework in your teaching is one way in which you might evidence merit in Delivery of Teaching to Facilitate Learning. This page has provided you with theories and principles that might form the foundation of your pedagogical framework.

If you feel ready, you might want to start a record in myEPORTFOLIO to reflect on the framework that you use for teaching a particular course. Completing this record will help you to document where you are and to evidence what you do to apply appropriate pedagogical frameworks to improve your teaching.

Merit in the Delivery of Teaching to Facilitate Learning might be evidenced by innovating through e.g. the use of technologies in teaching. Excellence in the Delivery of Teaching to Facilitate Learning might be evidenced by a contribution to teaching at an institutional level along with evidence of the scholarship of teaching to improve learning outcomes. Distinction might be evidenced by an international standing in the scholarship of teaching to improve teaching and learning.

Teaching Approaches

You can think of your approach to teaching as a description of how you go about teaching your students. This description explains what you do when you teach.

Typically you might describe:

The sorts of teaching and learning activities that you have planned (lecture, tutorial, self-directed learning, case study, workshop, workplace learning);

Ways in which you try to engage students with the subject matter (provide students with basic facts, relate new knowledge to what students already know, build in interaction, be passionate, be enthusiastic);

The ways in which you support your students (encourage questions, set formative assessments, provide constructive feedback). 

A description of your approach to teaching includes:

The mode or manner of teaching (lecture, tutorial, bedside teaching, laboratory work);

Some understanding of how people learn (learning theory); Some understanding of how to facilitate learning (qualities of the teacher such as

passion, principles for good teaching practice such as providing timely and constructive feedback, putting educational theory into practice).

There is no "best teaching approach". However, there are some recognised teaching methods together with a range of learning theories and some principles for good practice in undergraduate and postgraduate education.

Being a reflective teacher and striving for excellence in teaching means considering each aspect of your teaching approach to ensure that you are doing your best to facilitate student learning.

Roger Booth puts himself in the student's shoes: Click to view the video (Requires Flash Player).

 Action

If you haven't already done so, take the time to complete the teaching perspective inventory to get an insight into how you approach teaching. 

The teaching perspective inventory is a 45-item instrument that yields dominant and back-up perspectives on teaching. If you can identify your perspective/perspectives on teaching then you can reflect on your approach, consider the merits and drawbacks of your approach and look at other teaching approaches that might enhance your students' learning. This will help you if you decide to write a teaching philosophy (see below). It takes 10-15 minutes to complete the inventory.

Learning Theories

We are not going to detail the various learning theories in this resource. There are other websites such asLearning Theories that do this well. Our purpose is just to provide you with a brief summary of three of the main theories. Note also that one can hold more than one theory at the same time. In fact, it is possible to subscribe to all three views, depending on the subject matter being taught to students.

1. Objectivists conceive of learning as a process in which learners passively receive an objective body of knowledge that is transmitted to them. Teaching should be structured to transmit the required knowledge to the learner.

2. Cognitivists view learning as a process of in which learners add new components to their cognitive structure - the structure through which humans process and store information - and/or in which learners re-organise their cognitive structure. Teaching strategies should help students to reorganise their existing cognitive structures/acquire new elements in their cognitive structure.

3. Constructivists believe that learners construct their own reality or at least that learners interpret reality based upon their interpretations of their experiences. This entails that an individual's acquisition of knowledge is a function of their prior experiences, mental structures, and the beliefs that are used to interpret objects and events. Teaching should be structured to help students to relate new knowledge to existing knowledge so that what is learned is meaningful for the learner. When this happens, recall and application of knowledge improves.

 Reflection

You might want to think about these learning theories in the context of what you need your students to know, understand and be able to do by the end of your course(s).

Remember, students need to know basic facts (transmission and factual recall).They also need to be able to relate new facts to what they already know so that connections can be made between what has been learned and what is being learned (cognitivism and making sense).Finally, learners need to be able to apply what they have learned in unique situations where the right course of action will not be obvious (constructivism and interpretation).

Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education

7 principles for good practice in undergraduate education have been established on the basis of a review of over fifty years of educational research. Good practice in undergraduate education:

1. Encourages contacts between students and faculty.2. Develops reciprocity and cooperation among students.3. Uses active learning techniques.4. Gives prompt feedback.5. Emphasises time on task.6. Communicates high expectations.7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

Your "approach" to teaching undergraduate students might make use of these principles.

 Reflection

How many of the 7 principles for good practice in undergraduate education are evident in your teaching?

Principles for Good Practice with Adult Learners

Malcolm Knowles established 7 principles to help adults learn. The term adult covers a wide age range and level of maturity; however, the common denominator is that we expect to see a greater degree of independence and self-direction in adult learners. Our job as a teacher is to facilitate this. Knowles suggested that this can be achieved by:

1. Establishing an effective learning climate, where learners feel safe and comfortable expressing themselves;

2. Involving learners in mutual planning of relevant methods and curricular content;3. Involving learners in diagnosing their own needs - this will help to trigger internal

motivation;4. Encouraging learners to formulate their own learning objectives - this gives them

more control of their learning;5. Encouraging learners to identify resources and devise strategies for using the

resources to achieve their objectives;6. Supporting learners in carrying out their learning plans; and7. Involving learners in evaluating their own learning - this can develop their skills of

critical reflection.

Your approach to teaching adult students might be based on these 7 principles.

Helen Roberts on good practice for engaging students in the online environment:

Click to view the video.

 Action

Showing that you have used an appropriate pedagogical framework in your teaching is one way in which you might evidence merit in Delivery of Teaching to Facilitate Learning. This page has provided you with theories and principles that might form the foundation of your pedagogical framework.

If you feel ready, you might want to start a record in myEPORTFOLIO to reflect on the framework that you use for teaching a particular course. Completing this record will help you to document where you are and to evidence what you do to apply appropriate pedagogical frameworks to improve your teaching.

Merit in the Delivery of Teaching to Facilitate Learning might be evidenced by innovating through e.g. the use of technologies in teaching. Excellence in the Delivery of Teaching to Facilitate Learning might be evidenced by a contribution to teaching at an institutional level along with evidence of the scholarship of teaching to improve learning outcomes. Distinction might be evidenced by an international standing in the scholarship of teaching to improve teaching and learning.