Factors to consider in choice of techniques, methods and approaches

The following factors should be considered:

 The subject content
 The age and development level of the learners
 What the learners already know and their entry behavior
 Learning activities involved
 Objectives of the lesson
 Space and materials available
 The physical setting, and class management and control routines
 Teacher’s own competence in the use of particular method
Approaches of Teaching
Approaches of teaching are classified in various ways, e.g. direct and indirect approaches or
teacher-centered and learner-centered approaches.

Teacher centered approaches

There are three teacher-centered approaches:
 Individual teaching
 Team teaching
 Deductive approach

Learner-centred approaches
There are four learner-centred approaches:
 Peer teaching
 Individualized teaching
 Group teaching
 Inductive approach

Traditional time-tested methods of teaching

There are some methods of teaching that have been used for many years and have been referred to
as traditional time-tested methods because they have stood the test of time. These methods are:
 The lecture
 The discussion
 Demonstration
 The project
 The study trip

The lecture method

Generally a lecture method is a process of delivering verbally a body of knowledge according to a
pre-planned scheme. In the strictest sense, it is characterized by one-way communication. The
teacher presents ideas or concepts, develops and evaluates them and summarizes the main points at
the end of the lecture while students listen and take down notes. During the course of the lecture,
students’ questions are not normally encouraged and in cases where questions arise they are
usually intended for clarification of facts and information and not for higher level discussion.

When to use lecture

There are instances that lecture methods could be used appropriately in secondary school. The
following are justification for its use at this level:
1) When introducing a new topic or unit – if the teacher’s aim is to introduce a new
topic or unit, a well organized overview in form of lecture may be
advantageous.
2) When presenting important materials not easily obtainable – materials like
reference books, magazines, newspapers, journals are sometimes insufficient or
inaccessible to students. Students are therefore saved from frustration of locating
these materials through lecture presentations.
3) When supplementing textbook materials – when one need to enrich textbook
materials.
4) When developing interest and appreciation – lecture may serve as an effective
means of arousing students’ interest and appreciation in a given topic/content/
area.
5) When summarizing important points after a unit of study – when tying together
the day-to-day lessons of a unit of study, the lecture may be appropriate. When
attempting to cover a lot of materials in a short time – lecture lend itself as a
method that can be use easily to cover large content in a short period of time,
especially if the teacher is running short of time.

Suggestion for improving lecture

Lectures can be improved though:
a) Teacher’s personality – teacher is main person in a lecture and should
therefore strive to take care of personal appearance, manner of dressing,
poise, mannerism etc. a well modulated voice, good diction, correct
pronunciations and proper intonation are certainly essential ingredients
of an effective lecture technique. Teacher’s personality is the most
crucial factor affecting the total teaching/learning process.
b) Talk to the students – teacher should maintain eye contact with the
learners this important to catch the attention of the learners.
c) Constantly checks on understanding of learners- consciously observe
students reaction during the lecture. Their behavior may indicate their
level of understanding. A good teacher is sensitive to student’s reaction
and is quick to think of ways to deal with them.
d) Adapt language to level of learners’ understanding – language used
should be simple and clear to the learners to avoid misunderstanding.
Advantages of lecture methods
 It has inspirational and motivational value – it is therefore an effective method
for creating interest and appreciation.
 it supplements and enriches materials found in student’s textbooks.
 The teacher has complete control over the choice of knowledge the student
learn. He/she present exactly what he/she wants in the way he/she wants.
 Results in economy of time and effort. Time is not wasted in students trying to
discover things for themselves.
 Can be used to teach large classes.
  Useful for revising and coordinating knowledge gained through less formal
methods
 Useful when issuing instructions and procedures related to lesson activities.
Disadvantages of lecture method
 Learners’ are left passive most of the time
 It may be considered waste of time if material is directly based on textbook or
is readily available other forms.
 It does not provide learners with opportunities to practice their oral
communication skills.
 Violate one principle of learning that is learning by active involvement.
 Difficult to maintain interest of the students for a long time.
 Students’ understanding is rarely assessed during the lecture since they are not
encouraged to participate or respond.

Discussion method
6) Discussion method covers all classroom learning activities involving active and
cooperative consideration of a problem or topic under study. in classroom,
discussion often take place either deliberately or spontaneously. They may occur
at brief
Project method
A project is an activity carried out by an individual learner or group of learners in a more natural-
like manner and in an environment that is freer than that of an everyday classroom. This is
usually under the guidance and supervision of a teacher who ensures that the project
accomplishes a definite and attainable goal. Learners are given freedom to investigate and gather
information for their project. Short-term projects last a few lessons and are easier to direct and
control. Long-term projects last may last for several days
The following suggestions will guide the teacher on how projects should be conducted:
The teacher should offer tasks which challenges and stimulate a wide range of
learners’ abilities and interest.
The teacher should guide the learners in sourcing of materials and information
from a variety of sources such as periodicals, journals and publication available.
Time for individual consultations, suggestion and guidance should be available.
The teacher should encourage learners to actively participate in organizations
such as clubs and science congress where exchange of experiences and ideas take
place.
The teacher should be watchful on the type of project activities in which learners
are engaged or else some of them will engage in activities of little educational
values.
Occasional sessions for individual and group appraisal should be provided.
Ensure that during reporting of projects, each learner participates effectively.
The teacher should guide the learners on:
How to plan, prepare and organize their work.
How to carry out the actual work.
Writing up of the work.
Drawing of conclusions and ending the project
When assessing project work, the teacher should consider the following:
 Originality
Creativity
Relevance of project
Learners preparation
Mode of presentation and reporting of the project work.

Advantage of project method

 It encourages creativity, freedom of expression, cooperation and initiative
 It applies Dewey’s philosophy of learning by doing.
 It gives experience in planning and organizing.
 It provides a natural approach to learning that is not confined by artificial subject area
barriers.
Disadvantages of project
 During project activities order and discipline are sometimes difficult to maintain.
 There are sometimes problems in scheduling the project.
 It is difficult to choose topics of interest to students.
 The expense, effort and time given to complete a project are sometimes not justifiable in
terms pf what is learned.

Study/Field trip
Field trips involve visits to places outside the classroom such as industries, water purification
and treatment plants, sewage disposal/treatment plants, laboratories etc. They help in correlating
classroom work to real life experiences. The exposure has a special appeal and teaching/learning
value. The trip enriches course work by stimulating learners and utilizing of local/community
resources.

When using field trips as teaching/learning method, through preparation is essential. The teacher
must explore the place to be visited and arrange the details. The teacher should prepare
guidelines to be followed by the learners. These guidelines should be based on the education
value of trip. In particular the guidelines should clearly show what objectives have to be met
during the visit. The timing of the visit must properly integrate with the topics being covered.

When planning for the trip, it is important important for the teacher to do the following:
 Ensure maximum utilization of the trip by offering learners the opportunity to
study related areas in other subjects.
 Prepare a questionnaire for the learners on concepts to be learned.
 Take a manageable group which can easily be monitored and supervised.
 Offer preliminary briefing sessions and supplementary lectures to the learners.
 Ensure every member of the group participates actively by taking notes, sketches,
observations and keeping samples of distributed materials.
 Ensure good discipline and cooperation by the learners so that the trip is free of
incidences
 Challenge the learners to use the trips to display initiative in acquiring knowledge
and integrating the information with the class work
 Assign particular tasks to groups or individual learners.