Teaching, and classroom teaching, in particular has undergone a significant change in the past ten years. From chalk and talk, teaching has become a much more interactive experience for students with the opportunity to get involved in lessons in a number of ways.
Most of the ways in which interactivity has been increased in classrooms is through the use of information technology. Whereas IT was once a separate subject in itself, today the use of electronic tools to facilitate learning is an integral part of most classroom teaching.
Engaging your students
As you'll already know, not everyone approaches learning in the same way. This is something educational psychologists and teachers have been aware of for years, but never before has it been easier to play to your students' strengths when helping them learn.
One of the simplest ways to inject some life into your lessons is by using PowerPoint presentations to bring some colour and interest to the subject. Carefully laid-out presentation slides with plenty of graphs and images and minimal text will enable people to visualise what you're trying to tell them much more quickly.
Creating interesting lessons starts with good resources
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One of the most common ways to use IT to engage with students in the classroom is through use of an interactive whiteboard. These are now very common in schools across the country and allow presentations to be integrated with interactive activities to help students get more hands-on. Research has shown that using interactive whiteboards brought about a 16th percentile improvement in student achievement. That's not something to be sniffed at.
Where your interactive whiteboard really comes into its own is when you use it to draw in resources from the web to enliven and enrich teaching. The same research cited above showed a further increase of 26th percentile in student research when teachers were using video clips, online images and Google Maps to further illustrate the subject matter being taught.
Video clips can be used very effectively to break up sessions of individual or group work or to stimulate debate. A brief video clip can be a real conversation starter, and this is very valuable when working with new groups or those who are less keen to respond to direct questions.
Involving your students
Interactive whiteboards, when used well, can also be a powerful tool for involving your students as active participants in their learning. The use of touch-to-reveal on pop quizzes or giving them chance to input to the lesson by drawing something on the board that can then be turned into something that's shared with the rest of the class helps with the feeling of positive contribution to lessons and learning.
A youngster gets involved with an interactive lesson
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Another way to involve students, particularly those who are less confident about coming forward in class discussion, is through the use of interactive voting systems. These simple devices allow students to respond to questions asked using voting buttons on sets given out before a quiz starts. From something as simple as a yes/no answer through to multiple-choice tests, these units are particularly popular with those students who hesitate to put their hand up in class for fear of being judged by their peers or found to be wrong. The units can store the answers given, which will give a teacher an idea of who's getting the gist of what's being taught and who needs more support.
For those who have the technology and the ability, making videos can be even more beneficial that just showing them. This current generation of youngsters are much more used to making video clips using mobile phone cameras or webcams on their laptops. Giving them the chance to put on film what they're learning then show it to their classmates can give a focus to their work and a sense of achievement with the finished product.
Conclusion
There are plenty of ways in which information technology can be used to create a more engaging, rewarding and productive learning experience for those you teach. The more familiar you are with the types of technology available, the better chance you have of exploiting the benefits of interactivity with your class and engagement with your subject. That can only mean a more positive outcome for everyone.
If you are looking for an IT teaching job contact London teacher recruitment agency , TimePlan who have a range of teaching job opportunities.
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Plants are shaped by cultivation and men by education. .. We are born weak, we need strength; we are born totally unprovided, we need aid; we are born stupid, we need judgment. Everything we do not have at our birth and which we need when we are grown is given us by education.
(Jean Jacques Rousseau, Emile, On Philosophy of Education)
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