Exploring Teaching Methods that Help Engage Students Essay -- Educatio

Considering a stereotypical class room, the bell rings, students are almost in their seats, and the teacher is demanding their attention. It is hard for the teacher to gain the attention let alone the willingness to learn from their students. No matter what subject is being taught, this has the recipe for boredom from the get go. Any curiosity or imagination for the students has been choked. In order for the teacher to gain the eagerness to learn from his students, he would have to resort to all the mental keenness he could muster. No matter how gifted the teacher, students tend to lose interest in learning in an everyday run of the mill style of class room environment. What creative power or what unusual and highly innovated resource can be implemented into a classroom that has been limited by tradition, a lack of creativity, and monotony? The answer is not a teacher who has an ingenious nature or who is a skilled innovator. The answer relies on the teacher’s methods. There are many different methods that have proved to be effective. Activities such as group lead discussion, group discovery, and teacher lead critical thinking discussions have proved effective in integrating different learning styles (Chick). Another method that will stimulate the imagination, and arouse the analytical side of learners is implementation of audio visuals and visual aids for the introduction, during the lectures, prompts for discussions, and even for the closure of class (Atkinson 2). This is a tool – a resource that needs to be tapped. Lastly, setting up the classroom into groups of desks and even changing the classroom on a day to day basis that will emulate what kind of methods are being used for that day by the teacher keeps lear... ...ary Module. ProQuest. Grafton Library, Fredericksburg, Va. 17 Nov. 2008 Olson, Allan. . "Technology that MOVES Assessment and Student Achievement FORWARD. " MultiMedia & Internet@Schools 1 Nov. 2004: 26-28. Education Module. ProQuest. Grafton Library, Fredericksburg, VA. 13 Feb. 2009 Strassman, Barbara K., and Trisha O'Connell. "Authoring with video." The Reading Teacher 61.4 (Dec 2007): 330(4). General OneFile. Gale. LIRN. 3 Oct. 2008 . Teachable Moments. Morningside Center for Teaching Social Resposibilities. 13 Feb 2009 . Wong, Harry, and Rosemary Wong. How To Be An Effective Teacher: The First days of School Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc, 2004.