Teaching and Learning Handbook (A Best Practice Guide)
Twenty Learning Strategies
When selecting teaching strategies the importance of variety cannot be overstated. To differentiate for individual students’ learning styles it is vital to combine a number of strategies within a session and over a sequence of lessons.
Consider the following twenty teaching strategies for use in your teaching. Then you could consider whether any of the other methods might be worth a trying.
Examples of good practice using these methods may be drawn from peer observations.
Teaching Method
VAK
Learning Preferences: Intelligence
I am already using(tick)
1
Teacher-led lecture/talk: The teacher gives a talk, usually with the help og visual aids such as handouts, PowerPoint or OHP
V/A
Left
Intrapersonal
Intrapersonal
2
Teacher demonstration: The teacher shows students how to do something. This might be a practical activity or worked example.
V
Left
Visual/Spatial
3
Teacher-led class discussion: The teacher uses questions to involve students. Students may then contribute freely.
A
Right
Intrapersonal
4
Group work/discussion: Students work in small groups to answer set questions or discuss a topic with prompts
A/K
Right
Intrapersonal
Musical
5
Question and Answer (verbal): Teacher asks students a series of questions. Answers might be by volunteer or nomination.
A
Left/Right
Linguistic
Maths/Logic
6
Make leaflet/poster/handout: Students are given the task of representing something visually. They might work in alone, in pairs of in larger groups.
V/K
Right
Visual/Spatial
Kinaesthetic
7
Test (written): Students work individually to complete questions. The answers could be short of extended. Possibly using past paper questions.
V
Left
Intrapersonal
Maths/Logic
8
Play game: Students play against each other either individually or in teams.
K
Right
Linguistic
Kinaesthetic
9
Watch film/documentary: Watching DVD, BBC I player for a set time.
V/A
Left/Right
Linguistic
Visual/Spatial
10
Practical activity: Students carry out the task. They might be given instructions of allowed to experiment using free discovery.
K
Right
Maths/Spatial
Kinaesthetic
Naturalist
11
Written task: this could be any activity from a short piece to an easy, coursework or an assignment.
V
Left
Intrapersonal
Linguistic
Maths/Logic
12
Mind-mapping/summary: Students summarise information or ideas using some form of graphic organiser such as lists or spider diagrams.
V/K
Left
Maths/Logic
Musical
Visual/Spatial
13
Comprehension/case study: Students are given a text with questions or tasks that require analysis of the passage(s).
V
Left
Linguistic
Maths/Logic
14
Role play: Students act out a scenario such as an interview or scene from a text.
K
Linguistic
Kinaesthetic
15
Dictation/note making: Students make their own notes either by coping word-for-word or summarising a text.
V/A
Left
Linguistic
Visual/Spatial
16
Student explaining task: Students work in pairs. One student will talk the other through an answer or topic, explaining the key points.
A
Left/Right
Intrapersonal
Maths/Logic
17
Student presentation/performance: A small group of students present topic or point of view or perform a dramatic scene.
V/A/K
Right
Intrapersonal
Linguistic
Kinaesthetic
18
Research (individual): Students are given a common or individual topic to prepare. They use a range of resources such as books, the internet or interviews to research the topic or discuss and issue.
V
Left/Right
Intrapersonal
19
Research (team); As above, but students work in small groups, negotiating responsibilities.
V/A/K
Right
Intrapersonal
20
Visit/visitor: Students visit a site to support their studies or an expert comes to talk to the group.
V/K
Right
Kinaesthetic
Naturalist
Left / Right