Choosing appropriate teaching strategies to match learning objectives

A strategy of active learning tasks where the pupils are given a degree of control over the learning activity, for example role play simulation, small group discussion or problem solving investigational work (individualised project work or working within a small group), are activities which intellectually stimulate the pupils and spark creative interest in RE. Such teaching strategies are received well from both the kinaesthetic and auditory learners, where it is an opportunity to develop higher order cognitive skills, opinions, attitudes and values. These strategies may be used to develop a concept or process, or build and consolidate existing skills and understanding in RE.

Reading, writing notes, worksheets and memorising key words and definitions are teaching strategies that would suit an auditory learner in RE. There are three levels to reading – the ‘surface level’ reading in which pupils are concerned with finding the correct answers and covering the desired content; the ‘deeper level’ of processing which has been proven to be more effective during examinations and the final level of reading being when the pupil believes that the understanding of that subject will follow after the reading of the text. 

The teaching strategies applied in a class should meet the needs of the pupils in that class. I will demonstrate this by using my own teaching groups from Challney High School for Boys in using both my Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 classes as examples. A teaching strategy for four different lesson objectives for a specific skill, an aspect for subject related knowledge, a key concept and a subject related value will be discussed in regards to my chosen teaching groups.

An example of a specific skill taken from The Luton Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education is to explain the significance of Jesus in the life of Christians today. Skill: Analyse and discuss

My year 8 class (KS3) is generally speaking, of a high ability that are very enthusiastic and motivated to learn. A number of the pupils in the class are potentially gifted and talented. It is also important to note that this class is taught in the last lesson of the day so timings of the lesson need to be considered. For example I would avoid teaching any long detailed teaching strategies, so not to lose them. The pupils preferred learning styles are visual and auditory, but sometimes may learn effectively through kinaesthetic strategies. The lesson objective for my group concentrating for the specific skill given above was ‘to know what made Jesus’ birth special and what Jesus’ birth means for Christians’.

In order for pupils to know the significance of Jesus’ birth for Christians it is important they know about the event that actually took place at the birth and why it was such a special birth. The teaching strategy used here would be visual, such as pictures of Jesus’ birth and video clips portraying the birth shown to the class so pupils can analyse and extract relevant information and make suggestions, leading into a class discussion. This would be effective for pupils who prefer an auditory learning style – as it allows for pupils to analyse the items and give a verbal commentary on them to the rest of the class, allowing everyone to have an input and to share their ideas. Discussion in class also allows all students to listen to others opinions and to voice their views in a certain, tactful way.

The practical role play could have involved groups of 6 pupils working together to carry out a role play of Jesus’ birth, a learning style which would have also addressed the kinaesthetic learners in the class. Pupils may have some aspects of their multiple intelligences less developed than others, thus collaborative group work could improve the interpersonal skills of a pupil. 

It is interesting to note that any practical activity with this class would be an effective strategy, as they are a very enthusiastic and eager to please bunch of pupils, who like to be active. However consistent reminders of high expectations of good behaviour and high quality work would result in further progress; as most pupils will give slightly less until asked.

The second group I will describe is a Year 9 class with a lot of low ability pupils present. This group has also a lot of behavioral issues present so any learning style I decide to implement must focus and challenge the pupils from the start. Kinaesthetic would be my least preferred learning styles as there are more opportunities for my pupils to digress off the work set. Therefore making visual and auditory this class’s preferred learning styles.

To explore teaching strategies for subject related knowledge, such as what makes you ‘YOU’ – pupils will have to use the knowledge learnt previously, to come up with reasonable explanations and answers. The lesson objectives for this class would be ‘to know what makes humans different from animals and what makes you an individual’.

DARTS activities (Directed Activities Related to the use of TextS) can be used to help pupils understand the teacher’s instructions; it is especially useful with a group of pupils who may have learning difficulties. These activities involve pupils in ‘active reading, writing and listening’.Therefore this may well be an appropriate strategy for this group of pupils as it helps focus them and aid them at the same time.

I would start off this lesson by having two pictures up on the white board (for the visual learners and to help focus the boys!) – One of a chimpanzee and the other of a human child. I would reseat the pupils so that the all the SEN pupils, those pupils who need extra help and those with behavioral issues would be at the front of the class, having full view of the pictures without any obstructions. This would also ensure that I had as much teacher control as possible. Having to many open discussions about the difference between the two pictures may become too difficult due to the fact the pupils have a short concentration span, which triggers the misbehaviour to start – making them a generally hard class to manage. It is better to ask closed questions with this group as these types of questions will avoid wasting of time. When reading the related text to what makes humans unique, it is important to go through the key words and to have the pupils write down these words with definitions into their text book for future reference. It would also be ideal to have these key words on the interactive white board so all pupils can visually access the key definitions and words. The strategy of reading and extracting information can help the less able pupils to develop the necessary skills and also help the pupils remember the key differences between humans and animals.

However, reading and writing notes alone will not necessarily result in the pupils learning a great deal, so therefore a strategy of reviewing pupils previous knowledge should be implemented into the lesson. This could be me as the teacher asking the pupils to write down any differences they know between humans and animals for either the plenary of this lesson or for the starter of the next lesson.

The subject related concept: the Trinity – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I will explore possible teaching strategies for my year 11 (KS4) class. The preferred learning styles for this group are visual and auditory styles. There are no EAL pupils or any pupils will emotional or behavioral problems but there are two identified SEN pupils.

The lesson objective for this class is to understand the concept of trinity and to know how Christians view God. There are two ways of explaining a concept, one by simplifying it into key points and giving this information to the pupils, and the other is to make it more understandable and pupil friendly by using examples the pupils can relate to, working from their existing knowledge, using open and probing questioning and most importantly using visual representation allowing the pupil to draw out the important points themselves.

The teaching strategy for this class would include a visual display of how different people view the Trinity (pictures including water, ice and steam, the trinity itself, the three part leaf, etc). Instead of using a ‘teaching by telling’ approach (the traditional didactic teaching), I would use a ‘teaching by asking’ when teaching a new concept as this would be a more effective method. I would give the pupils a brief lecture on the view of Trinity and then read through as a class through relevant Bible and/or other texts. It is better to read text after a theory/explanation because pupils may read at a surface level with little or no understanding at all. I would then go on to ask related open and probing questions to allow the pupils to think through and understand this concept. I would also ask them to draw a visual representation as to how after all the information taught to them, how the pupils see the trinity.

I have chosen my subject related value to be what happens when we die? The class that I have chosen is my year 10 class with no SEN, EAL or any emotional or behavioural issues present, with some very high ability pupils within.

The lesson objective for this class would be ‘to research on your given religion and find out what it teaches about death and after life’ – the pupils will be expected to present to the class using power point and any other resources they may find relevant.

In this case the most appropriate and relevant teaching strategy would be a group presentation. The pupils will be assigned to research in a particular religion about what that religion teaches about death and whether or not there is an after life and a form of judgement. Two lessons will be allocated to the pupils to research on their topic and the ICT suite will be booked for both lessons so the pupils can research and then prepare for their presentation. Another lesson will be allocated to the group presentations, feedback and the pupils assessing each others presentations. This time scale is important for the pupils to prioritise their work and it is helpful for monitoring their progress.

With this teaching strategy pupils are expected to work without a teacher and take responsibility for their own learning, for at least one part of the lesson, therefore clarity of the task and time management is very important for the pupils. When monitoring each group, it is better to assess each group for a small amount of time, allowing the groups to have their independence. However within this class, a little more support would need to be given to certain groups to help ensure that they understand and are on task. Collaborative group work, such as presentations, is an effective method allowing pupils to learn from each other and to use and develop their social skills.

I will first need to allocate the pupils to groups of 6 – each group will be presenting one of the six world religions view on death and after life. This particular class I have are generally very friendly and bright and has several quiet pupils within. It is important for me to remember that when choosing pupils for each group, I allocate a mixture of ability and personalities in each group to get the best out of each pupil. Friendship groups can sometimes be successful, however it can bring many friendship differences and problems into the group, therefore a teacher will need to use a strategy taking into account all the different personalities of the pupils and group them accordingly. 

Each pupil will be expected to contribute to this presentation and no pupil should be left out. In a task such as this group presentation, effective lesson management skills will be required by the teacher. It is important during any activity that there is teacher control and that all pupils make a contribution. The access to the internet in the ICT suite will give pupils the opportunity to research independently and assess their own research in regards to its relevance – thus being solely responsible for choosing the information they will decide to include in their presentation. This research and presentation activity will go down well with the radical approach of flexible learning,, where the pupil learning involves using a range of activities, resources and an opportunity for increased responsibility for their own development, as mentioned above.

When pupils are presenting their findings via PowerPoint and other items and artifacts, the others pupils will be given the opportunity to assess the presentation using given guidelines. Recent research has shown the peer assessment raises the standards by helping pupils become better learners then teaching according to other in class tests. After the presentations, the whole class would be involved in a class discussion, making any suggestions, viewing queries or asking any other groups related questions. This would be useful because the majority of the pupils in this class are not kinaesthetic learners an they would consequently be given the opportunity to develop these particular skills.

There are a various number of teaching strategies available to teacher to implement them in lessons, some of which are mentioned above – such as collaborative group work, the use of visual aids, discussions, explanations with open and probing questioning etc.  It is the teacher’s responsibility to assess the pupils in each particular class and match the appropriate strategies to the pupils to achieve the best out of them. This essay has attempted to give reasons why certain teaching strategies may be chosen by the teacher for certain classes. However it is impossible to address every type of learning style within one classroom so it is important to use different strategies in lessons over the academic year so that all pupils that have different learning styles are addressed with some of the teaching strategies employed. As mentioned above, a didactic approach to teaching is appropriate in some instances but not all. In most cases it is the teacher’s behaviour and attitude that motivates the pupils in learning and the fact that the pupils are challenged from the moment the lesson begins! Pupils have to learn and develop various skills over their secondary education and this may be through teaching strategies that are not their preferred learning styles. There is constantly new research being carried out to discover effective methods of raising standards in the classroom and the teaching strategies centered on pupils learning will hopefully achieve just that!

Bibliography:

• Pollard, A., ‘Reflective Teaching’ 2nd edition, (Continuum:2005)
• Kyriacou, C. ‘Essential Teaching Skills’ (Simon & Schuster Education:1991)
• Vygotsky, L.S., ‘Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes’ (HUP:1978)
• Patty, G. ‘A Practical Guide to Teaching Today’, (2nd edition) (Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes:1998)
• Capel, S., Leask, M. &Turner, T. ‘Learning to teach in the secondary school: classroom teaching and managing pupils’ (Routledge:1995)
• Moon, B. & Mayes, S.A., ‘Teaching and Learning in the Secondary School’, (RoutledgeFalmer, Taylor & Francis Group: Open University (2004)

• Luton Agreed Syllabus for Religious Education Key Stage 3
• Stemler, E. S. ‘There’s more to teaching then instruction’, (Educational Studies, Volume 32, March 2006 – USA)
• DfES 0350/2003, ‘Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools’ Unit 10:Learning Styles

• Kings College London – http://www.kcl.ac.uk/phpnews/vwprint.php?ArtID=225