5 Things You Need to Know About Pedagogy

1. Making Lessons Relevant

If you recall a favorite teacher from your past, you might remember the way she brought the material to life. Effective pedagogy connects new subject matter to the students' everyday lives, whether by relating it to the students' family, hobbies or culture. For example, the mathematical concept of negative numbers seems abstract when the teacher explains them outright. However, when the teacher relates negative numbers to the temperatures students in Minnesota are experiencing in January, the concept is meaningful.

2. Two-Way Communication

The teaching style that consists of an instructor parceling out morsels of knowledge while students silently take notes is old school. When teachers engage students in classroom discussion, this enriches the learning experience for everyone. Teachers can facilitate conversation by arranging the classroom in a round table fashion, rather than by facing rows of chairs. The teacher should check the students' understanding of the lesson frequently by asking the students what they think, and encouraging opinions that differ from a single truth that only the instructor can possess.

3. Critical Thinking Skills

It's true that some subject matter requires memorization before the student can master the material, but the teacher shouldn't neglect the use of thoughtful analysis and critical thinking skills. If a subject consists of several parts that lend themselves to flash card use and drills, the teacher should also design part of the curriculum to ensure that students understand the whole picture. For example, an organic chemistry teacher may require the students to memorize the bonds that make up a fatty acid, but she can also bring in a 3-dimensional model of the molecule to help students conceptualize the complexity of the molecule.

4. Language of Learning

No matter what subject area a student strives to master, language is inseparable from learning. Each subject area has a vocabulary that students gradually adopt as the lexicon of the learned, often found as the glossary in the back of the textbook. Rather than memorizing vocabulary words, instructors must think of ways to enhance language development by instituting reading and writing activities that increase a student's literacy in the subject matter.

5. Working Together

Arranging students in small groups with a common goal is an effective way to encourage high-performing students to assist struggling students. When students enter the world of paid work, they will forever be in situations that mirror the small group interactions teachers can create in the classroom. Whether on the job or in the classroom, working together helps students develop social and critical thinking skills to enhance problem solving.