By Mrs. Gurmeet Kaur Gill
Principal, Dasmesh Nursery School
Teaching is an art. It needs a lot of patience, knowledge and dedication. The biggest challenge any teacher faces is capturing the students’ attention, and putting across ideas in such a way that it stays with them long after they have left the classroom. For this to happen, classroom experience should be redefined and innovative ideas that make teaching methods more effective should be implemented.
So, here are some innovative ideas that will help teachers reinvent their teaching methods and make their classes interesting.
1. Creative Teaching
Be creative and always try some new strategies. Include playful games or forms of visual exercises that will excite the young minds and capture their interest. Take student’s feedback as they may have some great ideas which can be used to foster creativity. Bring aspects of creativity into all your subjects, be it mathematics, science, or history. Encourage your students and appreciate them. Give them the freedom to explore.
2. Audio & Video Tools
There are diverse learners. Incorporate audio-visual materials in your sessions. Use graphics or other mind mapping and brain mapping tools that will help their imagination thrive and grow. Reference books, models videos and audio recordings should be provided to the students. Online discussions can also be encouraged. These days various smart apps are available. These can also be used as per the need and requirement.
3. “Real-World” Learning/ Real Life Experiences
Connect your lessons to the real world. Use real-life situations to explain the content. Encourage your students to collect factual information and to present the same in the classroom. It will spark their interest and will involve them well. It will help them to understand easily as they can set up the connection with real life.
4. Brainstorm
Make time for brainstorming sessions in your classrooms. These sessions will be a great platform for students to voice their thoughts without having to worry about right or wrong. Fix some ground rules before you start. Through this session, there is a surety to get numerous ideas and also involve everyone in the discussion. It will also boost up their morale.
5. Classes Outside the Classroom
Organize field trips that are relevant to the lessons or just simply take students for a walk outside the classroom, if possible. Classes can be even conducted in the school garden or any other shady area. The children will find it more interesting and will be able to concentrate well. Ensure discipline during your sessions.
6. Stimulating Classroom Environment
A well-decorated, fun and engaging classroom environment will help to stimulate students’ minds and think and learn better. Children, especially young ones cannot be expected to sit all day and learn. Such a creative and stimulating environment will help them to explore and encourage them to learn about the subject. An environment that positively impacts the children is beneficial for the teacher as well. Schools associated with the Early Years Foundation Stage(EYFS)will vouch for the fact that the learning environment has a prime role in learning and development.
7. Work Together As a Team
As everyone knows, the end result of collaborative efforts is always immense. Share some ideas with your colleagues and take their feedback. Collaborate on all the ideas and implement them wisely. After all team work makes dreams work.
8. Start School Clubs or Groups
Think about some innovative ideas and start-up various clubs. Make students take up various responsibilities. Give some creative names to the clubs and fix some rules and regulations.
9. Refer Books on Creativity
To be a creative teacher, you need to do some research on creative ideas and techniques. There are a lot of books on creativity. Choose some of the best works and start learning, it will be helpful for your professional development as well.
10. Introduce Lessons like a Story
Just think, why do you watch movies with much interest? You like to watch movies because there is always an interesting story to keep you engaged. Like that, learning sessions become more interesting when you introduce it like a story. If you are creative even math lessons can be related to interesting stories.
The most important thing is that as a teacher you need to be a keen learner. You need to implement new ideas and strategies and must be ever ready to accept new challenges.
Happy Teaching!!!
