Teaching Strategies

As teachers we need to have a diverse skill set.  Access here to find out some more about some of these strategies.

Classroom Management

Being able to ‘manage’ your classroom – in order to provide a safe and productive learning environment for all learners to learn is a key part of teaching.


Guidelines

Portals / multiple links

  • Classroom management (ACHPER / SA)
    Lots of weblinks to sites related to classroom management are provided on this site. You’ll need to consider or define your search in order to make use of these links. Many are American.
  • Classroom Management (National Education Association)
    Highly useful – although you’ll need to search carefully. Provides access to resources about all sorts of aspects of classroom management including how to arrange your classroom, monitoring behaviour, strategies to use at the start of the year, and ways of establishing classroom rules. American.
  • Sites that Help Classroom Teachers
    Useful but you’ll need to search carefully. Lots of links to tips about handling difficult students, developing a discipline plan and anger management.
  • The Really Big List of Classroom Management Resources

Strategies

Literature

  • Hardin, Carlette J. (2008). Effective classroom management: models and strategies for today’s classrooms (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Merrill/Prentice Hall.
  • Overall, Lyn. Sangster, Margaret (2003). The secondary teacher's handbook. London New York: Continuum.
  • Burgoyne, U.&Hull, O. (2007). Classroom management strategies to address the needs of Sudanese refugee learners www.ncver.edu.au/research/proj/nr5l06.doc Accessed October, 2008.

Practice in Schools


Feedback

Giving students feedback on their learning is a key part of teaching. Feedback can be informal – such as a smile - and formal through written comments on assignment. Learning how to give effective feedback – that enables learners to know how they can improve their learning is important.


Guidelines

Feedback Strategies

Websites

Literature

  • Hughes, Carolyn Carter, Erik W (2008) Peer buddy programs for successful secondary school inclusion. Baltimore, Md: Paul H. Brookes Pub.

Practice in schools

Groupwork and Collaborative Learning

As teachers we need to teach our students how to work with others in effective ways. Planning for group-based learning should be embedded within our curriculum planning. (see also Cooperative Learning in Learning Frameworks)


Guidelines

Strategies

Websites

Practice in Schools

Literature

  • Brady, Laurie (2006). Collaborative learning in action. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson, Prentice Hall.

Questioning

As teachers we use questioning to help support student learning. We should plan for and use a range of questioning strategies in our practice – questions that are open, closed and hypothetical, or ‘what if’ type.


Guidelines

Websites

Practice in Schools


Publications

  • Godinho, S.&Wilson, J. (2008). Helping your pupils to ask questions. New York: Routledge,
  • Ash, Eve&Quarry, Peter (2007). The art of questioning [videorecording 29 min]. New York: Ash Quarry Productions, Insight Media (Firm)
  • Larson, Bruce E.&Keiper, Timothy A. (2007). Instructional strategies for middle and high school. New York : Routledge.

Reflection

Students need to be able to effectively reflect on their own learning – to consider knowledge and skills they have learned and how they feel about their own learning. Reflection is a core part of the VELS framework.


Guidelines

Websites

The Reflective Teacher

Literature

  • Artzt, A. F., Armour-Thomas, E.&Curcio, F. (2008). (2nd Ed). Becoming a reflective mathematics teacher: A guide for observations and self-assessment. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  • Boud, D. Keogh, R.&Walker, D. (Eds.) (1985) Reflection. Turning experience into learning, London: Kogan.
  • Schön, D. (1983) The Reflective Practitioner. How professionals think in action, London: Temple Smith
  • Wilson, Jeni (2008). Smart thinking: Developing reflection and metacognition. Carlton South: Curriculum Corporation.