This is a critical topic for the CTET 2023 test – Papers 1 and 2. The CTET exam is an eligibility test for aspirants who want to be teachers. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) administers this test comprising two papers.

Individuals interested in teaching Classes I–V must complete Paper I. Candidates wishing to teach in Classes VI to VIII, on the other hand, must complete Paper II.

Teaching methods are the approaches used to assist students in achieving the desired learning goals, whereas activities are the various styles employed to implement these methods. Teaching approaches assist students in better understanding the topic and learning about its applicability in real life.

Factors affecting teaching methods

The method used by the teacher is governed by a number of criteria, including the 

• content to be taught,
• The goals of the teacher
• The availability of teaching aids,
• The ability of the instructor to adapt to changing circumstances.
• The class’s greatest asset
• Class assessment and evaluation
• Individual disparities among students

Objectives

The important objectives of teaching methods are:

• To provide guidance for the teaching process.
• Increase the emphasis of teachers and students on the teaching-learning process.
• To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of education.
• To offer a foundation for teachers to assess their own teaching.
• To represent the alignment of what the teacher desires 

Importance of Teaching Methods

The teaching methods are the approaches used to help students attain the intended learning goals. Apart from assisting students in achieving their learning objectives, various advantages have been discussed below.

• Teaching methods assist students in mastering course content methodically and specifically.
• Different teaching approaches also assist students in comprehending the practical application of knowledge in real-life settings.
• The use of various teaching methods aids in the organisation of sessions, allowing both students and teachers to achieve their objectives.
• Teaching methods can be used to grab students’ attention.
• The utilisation of many teaching methods assists the teacher in determining the best approach to use in the future from the various methods available.

Types of teaching methods

There are several types of teaching methods, which can be divided into three basic categories.

• teacher-centred techniques, 
• student-centred methods, and 
• mixed strategy methods, 

All the methods are explained in detail below.

Teacher-Centred Teaching Method

These techniques are more centred on the teacher. They are intended to make the teacher’s job easier. The process has less flexibility because students are passive learners in a lecture style. Some of these strategies are discussed in greater detail below.

Lecture method

This is an age-old teaching style in which the teacher discusses the material or lesson orally, and the students take notes. It is a popular teaching approach all around the world since it is both convenient and economical. The teacher explains the subject matter in this section and answers the students’ questions. 

The success rate of this strategy is determined by the teacher’s ability to talk eloquently in comprehensible language. This is a strongly teacher-centred method because the instructor is the only person involved, and the student has no input.

Team Teaching Method

Rather than incorporating only one instructor for in-class activities, two or more teachers collaborate to organise the class flow for the same pupils. Because instructors play such an important role in concept delivery and knowledge exchange in this method, it is more likely to be a teacher-centred approach.

TV or Video Presentation Method

In this type of teaching, the teacher explains content using documentaries or videos, which improves understanding of the subject matter. This strategy is intended to assist the teacher in better explaining the subject matter. Teachers can make this engaging and fascinating for students by asking pertinent questions after providing the topic.

Student-Centred Teaching Method or Learner-Centered Teaching Method

A student-centred teaching technique is aimed at highly engaged students. This approach is adaptable and may be tailored to the demands of the learners. These approaches are intended to concentrate primarily on the pupils, and numerous teaching methods fit under this category, as mentioned below.

Heuristic Approach

Armstrong proposed this strategy, which is taken from the Greek word ‘heuristic’, which means “find.” The primary goal of this strategy is to allow the learner to feel things rather than be taught about them. Learners should attempt to forecast, investigate, and experience the topic presented by the teacher. This teaching style encourages logical thinking, self-learning, and self-study, eventually developing learners’ independence.

The Flipped Classroom Method 

This new concept was presented in 2007, in which lecturers record their lectures and then share them with students for future reference and learning at their own speed. In a traditional classroom, the teacher assigns certain tasks to the students; however, in a flipped classroom, the teachers provide a video of the recorded class, which the students are supposed to view at their own pace and complete the tasks in the classroom. 

This method is considered learner-centred because it depends entirely on the student’s willingness to learn independently.

Case Study Method of Teaching

The case study method of teaching is a process in which the teacher assigns cases based on real-life circumstances that the students must go through and express their thoughts on. It is a method in which the teacher does not directly teach but instead leads a debate about a topic or case study. This approach is a student-centred strategy since it incorporates active student participation and less teacher involvement.

Programmed teaching method

This is a form of teaching that involves controlled and sequential steps in which learners are given pre-programmed content to cover at their own pace. Constructive criticism is given to learners to help them grow. They are also given accurate responses immediately for a better knowledge of the issue. It is a method of dividing content into smaller sub-divisions for ease of use.

Project Method of Instruction

The only difference between this method and the assignment method is that it involves activity-based learning. Students might exhibit their projects here as a working model, a static structure, or even a report. In project reports, students are assigned a topic and must conduct significant research on it, including conducting a market survey, before presenting their results as a report. This is referred to be a student-centred form of teaching because it does not include any teaching by the teacher and is entirely conducted by the students on their own.

Open Learning Method

This method places no constraints on the learners, who can be from any region, age, gender, or other characteristics. This approach also allows students to attend classes at their own leisure. This enables housewives, working people, the elderly, and others to complete their education. This strategy is known as a learner-centred approach since it is built with the convenience of the learners in mind.

Peer learning approach

Peer learning is a process in which students learn from one another by exchanging ideas, opinions, and examples. In this learning method, learners are often enrolled in the same course.

Mixed Strategy Approach of Teaching Method

Because the approaches used in this approach involve both the teacher and the student, it is known as a mixed strategy approach. Let us go over the many approaches of the mixed strategy approach in detail.

Group Discussion method

In this strategy, students and teachers exchange ideas, thoughts, examples, and so on about a specific topic. Learners actively participate by presenting their points of view, and the teacher also expresses his or her point of view on the subject.

Brainstorming method

In this method, a group of students is asked to discuss and decide on a certain topic. Because this involves both the teacher and the students, it is referred to as a mixed approach to instruction.

Functions of Teaching

Teaching is essentially goal-oriented, and as such, there are specific roles that it should play in students’ lives.

• A teacher’s most important duty is to ensure effective teaching, which leads to efficient learning.
• The goal of teaching is to achieve the intended outcome through particular changes in a student’s intellect or attitude.
• Teaching is done to help students improve their learning abilities.
• Teaching aids knowledge acquisition in two ways: the learner learns from the teacher, and the teacher learns from the learner.
• It assists students in becoming socially acceptable, and the teacher’s goal is to facilitate this.
• It assists in laying the groundwork for the learners’ belief system.
• Teaching assists students in understanding a topic in a more ordered and systematic manner.

Critical Characteristics Contributing to Effective Teaching

Various behavioural characteristics contribute to good teaching, some of which are listed here.

• Clarity of Instruction: A teacher must have subject competence to deliver relevant information. It is vital for the teacher to have instructional clarity to handle student questions.
• Variation in Instruction: To make the learning process smoother and simpler, teachers should include a variety of instructional tools.
• Task orientation in the classroom: Teachers must be adequately prepared to convey the subject content and retain proper control over the class to maintain seriousness.
• Participation in the learning process: The teacher should fully engage in teaching-learning and develop a personalised approach to students.
• Success rate of students: Finally, the effectiveness of teaching must be evaluated, which can be done by analysing the success rate of the students that participated in the process.

The nature of teaching and learning must also be understood to impact the learners more.

To deal with teaching and learning more maturely, we must first recognise their relevance in our own growth and the development of society as a whole. This process contributes to the betterment of society and humanity in general.

Differences Between Online Learning and Offline Learning

The primary distinction between online and offline learning is one of location. Participants in offline learning must travel to the training facility, which is generally a lecture hall, institution, or classroom. Online learning, on the other hand, allows instruction to take place virtually anywhere in the world. Participants simply connect to the internet from their homes, businesses, or even a nearby coffee shop.

Another distinction is the degree of adaptability provided. Online learning has a more flexible timetable. As a trainer, you can provide assistance via email or online chat. Offline learning is often done during business hours and does not give the student or trainer as much freedom.

Benefits of Online and Offline learning

Although online learning has become the favoured technique for most students, the benefits of offline training should not be overlooked.

You and the course participants gain from a more informal, flexible approach to online training courses. Because the classes are not constrained by place or time, learners can profit from them.

Offline learning makes it easier to guarantee that participants pay attention to the instruction. Some learners also feel that offline training helps them recall the knowledge and skills they’ve learned better than online training.

Teacher-centred learning and student-centred learning

Teacher-centred learning approach

Inside the classroom, the teacher-centred method encourages pupils to focus solely on the educator. As a result, in a teacher-centred classroom, the educator does practically all of the talking while students listen and keep silent. When it comes to classroom activities, students frequently work on their own. Collaboration between teachers and students is uncommon.

The teacher has complete control of the classroom and activities in a teacher-centred classroom. As a result, the classroom is frequently organised, and pupils are quiet. One advantage of teacher-centred learning is that it allows pupils to learn independently. As a result, the kids grow more self-sufficient and learn to make their judgements. Furthermore, because the teacher designs, directs, and performs all classroom activities, the pupils are less likely to miss any crucial material or subject.

Student-centred learning

Unlike in a teacher-centred setting, instructors and students are equally focused in a learner-centred classroom. A learner-centred approach, in particular, demonstrates a higher level of student-teacher interaction. Learners in this setting do not play the role of excessive listeners; instead, they learn to collaborate with one another. Furthermore, this method promotes teacher-learner communication.

One of the primary benefits of learner-centred education is that it helps students to develop collaborative and communicative skills primarily through group work. Furthermore, it allows learners to absorb knowledge autonomously and logically by asking questions. Students are more excited about learning because of the high connection between students and the teacher in such a classroom.

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