Methods of teaching

The methods of teaching refers to the regular ways or orderly procedure employed by the teacher
in guiding pupils, in order to accomplish the objectives of learning situation.
Key considerations
All the teachers should have the capacity of using different methods in teaching. At least
specialize in one method.
No single method is sufficient to cater all the needs.
In learning, mental and physical activity should take place then only the skill can be developed.
Variety of methods adopted in the teaching makes teaching more effective and interesting.
it should provide a variety of related experience and activities meant for individuals as well as a
group and should be designed to bring about anticipated developmental changes in pupils.
It should give scope for the creative expression of the child’s individuality 3.It should be
capable to promote interest among the students.
It should train the students in the technique of self-study and the method of processing
information through personal effort.
It should stimulate the desire for further study and exploration.
It should be relevant to the objective of instruction.
A particular situation can be managed by a particular methodology
The nature of the child.  Method should provide learning experience appropriate to the ability,
interest, and need of the child.  Developmental stages of life also should be considered
Classification / categories of teaching methods
Scientific method- That is divided into two. inductive method and deductive method. Refer to
more notes in PowerPoint- lesson 4

The criteria for selection of teaching methods are manifold.

The most important factors are: Human factors , Objectives of teaching , Subject area , Time and
material factor
The human factors influencing the selection of teaching methods are:  The teacher  The
students  The environment from which they come
The objectives are defined in terms of changes to be effected in knowledge, skills and attitudes.
Methods will have to be selected with regard to their ability to impart new knowledge, influence
attitudes and develop practical skills
Each subject area has its own specific features. A particular topic could be taught in different
ways using different methods by different teachers.
Decision on the choice of teaching methods depends on time, financial resources and other
factors. Preparation time varies for different teaching methods.
Some selected aspects of the relationship between principles of learning and teaching methods
are discussed below:
The motivation to learn is enhanced if the presentation of the teaching material is interesting and
emphasis particularly on applied value
The principle of active involvement implies that the deeper the involvement, the higher the
motivation, the more the students retain and the better they are equipped to apply it
Individuals have different capabilities of leaning, having personal styles of study and application.
They should be subject to individual control of performance. The overall methods of teaching
have to initiate not only ‘work in groups’ but also provide the opportunity for individual reading,
thinking and applying knowledge gained. This can be done through
Compulsory individual assignments  Use of teaching aids for individual reading, like audio and
video tapes, teaching machines, computer terminals accessible to individual students  The
breaking down of projects into modules of assignments for each individual
Voluntary additional work by the more gifted students  Different types of feedback are needed
and have to be provided in learning  The principle of transfer requires that education should
help the student to transfer what he has learned, to live situations

Classification by Zurev - he classified the teaching methods into  Oral  Observation 

Practical
Oral methods include talks, narration, discussions, lectures and work at a book. Observation
methods involve demonstrations of natural objects, charts, models, slides and films. Practical
methods involve conducting experiments and doing relevant laboratory work
The lecture as an example of common oral methods is one of the oldest and most basic
pedagogic tools. Although experience and educational research show the lecture is less effective
than activity methods at school level, many teachers find spending at least 30 to 50 per cent of
their teaching time in lecturing. The use of lecturing depends on the subject matter, the teaching
philosophy of the teacher and the overall learning situation
lecture method is an instructional procedure by which the lecturer seeks to create interest, to
influence, stimulates, or mould opinion, to promote activity, to impart information, or to develop
critical thinking, largely by the use of the verbal message, with a minimum of class participation;
illustrations, maps, charts, or other visual aids may be employed to supplement the oral
technique.
Experts suggest that the lecture method serves four basic purposes : To motivate , To clarify , To
review , To expand
Where is lecture relevant and What are the key Characteristics of good lecture: Introduction of
a new topic , Summarizing a topic, Supplementary information
Characteristics may relate to: Posture, Appearance , Manner, Gesture , Voice , Vocabulary , Use
of audio – visual aids and blackboard , Time
The lecture method is the most way of getting a large amount of information across to a large
class. A teacher can convey the information in minimum time, thus enabling the syllabus to be
covered the syllabus to be covered within stipulated time. It is economical in terms of both
money and time
The lecture is useful in imparting factual information in efficient manner to convey facts to
students who have difficulty reading their texts
The lecture helps to channelize the thinking of students in a given direction
Some abstract topics in science are best taught by the lecture method. The teacher, through
teaching style and presentation can give her message to the learner.
The method is apt to be misused. The ‘pouring in’ of information is psychologically unsound
unless it can be done in a meaningful way  Science is best learnt by doing. There is no provision
for activities in this method as the students are passive
The rate of imparting information by the teacher may seem too fast for the students who are
restless by nature, preoccupied with their own immediate problems and often handicapped by
limitations of vocabulary and background of experience.
A poorly planned, poorly delivered lecture fails to motivate the students  The lecture method is
not very successful in imparting attitudes and skills, as it does not touch the effective and
psychomotor faculties of the learner
As student interaction is minimum, social attitudes and values may not be fostered. The lecture
method cannot cater to individual grasping capacities of the students

Demonstration as an example of observation methods

Purpose of Demonstrations : Demonstration methods may be used in science teaching in a
number of ways. They are suitable for the following purposes
Demonstration purposes at the start of a lesson or a unit
Showing method and technique Applying a concept Solving problems Reviewing ideas
An effective demonstration requires methodical planning by the teacher. The important points to
be noted are as follows
The need and relevance of the demonstration  The objectives of the demonstration  Mastery of
subject matter  Lesson notes including a list of principles to be explained and the questions to
be asked in class  Through rehearsal of experiments before the class  Proper arrangement of
apparatus on the demonstration table
A successful demonstration will have the following characteristics:  Visibility – The
demonstration should be visible to all and the set up should be at a good height. Students should
be seated either in gallery type classrooms or to be allowed to come near  The apparatus used
for demonstration should be larger in size
A blackboard behind the demonstration table will facilitate summarizing the related principles
and key concepts  The lighting and ventilation should be adequate and allowances must be
made for glare, etc.  Rehearsal is necessary prior to a demonstration so that the teacher becomes
well versed in handling the apparatus
The pace of the demonstration should be accurate, neither too fast nor too slow. This helps
students to follow the demonstration carefully  Apparatus should be arranged in proper order so
that the teacher does not flounder. For instance, a right handed teacher may prefer to keep the
used apparatus on the right hand side
The teacher should make allowances for seasonal variations, power cuts etc. while planning her
experiments  For recording the data the students should be given sufficient time

The teacher should enliven her demonstration by asking suitable reflective type questions 
Emphasis should be given to the major points in the demonstration, so that students are aware of
the objectives of the demonstration
The demonstration method has several advantages that make it very useful in teaching all
subjects.  Demonstrations allow the teacher to guide thinking and channelize learning in desired
direction
The apparatus is expensive  The experiment involves some risk  The experiments involves
some risk
The experiments involve some difficult and complex operation  Several experiments have to be
performed sequentially
Demonstrations help in economizing resources. Some equipment or items are too expensive for
general use. For instance, due to high cost factor many high school physics laboratories may
have only one spectrometer. Thus, demonstrating the experiment to the whole class becomes an
economical exercise
Demonstrations enable the teacher to conduct activities that may be too dangerous for students to
carry out themselves like some chemical reactions in the laboratory produce toxic fumes. High
voltage apparatus may be needed in some experiments. Under such circumstances, it would be
wiser for the teacher to use demonstration techniques
Demonstration is one of the best techniques to get student participation. Students can take the
readings under the watchful eyes of the teacher, observe physical changes
Demonstrations save teacher’s time and effort. A teacher will undoubtedly find it easier to
prepare materials for one experiment than for 40 experiments. It is easier to perform one
experiment than to supervise 40
Demonstrations can sometimes be one of the best means to illustrate and verify facts 
Demonstrations can promote relevant and useful discussion in the classroom, giving opportunity
to question and to review
All students may not be able to see the details and results of a demonstration. Visibility is a
major problem for a teacher
Not all students get a chance to participate in the demonstration. Students thus have little
opportunity to become familiar with science apparatus, especially in large classes
Sometimes the pace of the demonstrations may be so fast the students may have trouble in
understanding what is going on
Laboratory method as part of practical teaching methods
Most laboratory approaches can be classified in to one of the following  Verification and
deduction  Induction  Science process oriented  Technical skills oriented  Exploratory
Heuristic is derived from the Greek word “HEURISKIN” meaning discovery. This method was
advocated by Professor Armstrong who felt that by placing a student in the position of a
discoverer he would learn much more than being merely told about things. 
W.M. Ryburn says – “This method as the name implies is a method by which the pupil discovers
things for himself. The pupil is put in the position of a pioneer and finds his way along the path
of knowledge as did those first discovered the facts, principles and laws which are known to all”
It is a plan of action.  A project is a bit of real life that has been imparted into school  This is
learning by doing or learning by living.
Providing a problem  purposing  Planning  Executing  Evaluating  recording
Here both theory and practical go hand in hand.
Supervised study should promote self- learning, which motivates students to think through many
aspects of a study assignment.  Extra class, double period plan, divided period plan, library
period plan, extra period plan etc.,