The classroom is a dynamic environment that brings together students from different backgrounds. These students usually exhibit various abilities and personalities. The desire of every teacher is to capture each student’s attention and convey ideas effectively to create a lasting impression. Being an effective teacher, therefore, requires the implementation of creative and innovative teaching strategies. Here are strategies that innovative teachers apply to revolutionize classrooms.
Audio and Video Tools
Innovative teachers usually incorporate audio-visual materials to supplement textbooks during their teaching sessions. These can be models, filmstrips, informative movies, pictures, infographics, or other brain mapping tools. These materials can easily be shared with students by incorporating a video-conferencing platform like Pronto. Pronto is a user-friendly application that easily connects students and teachers via video and chat.
Such audio and video tools will help student’s imaginations thrive and grow. These strategies will not only develop a student’s ability to listen but will also help them to understand the concepts better. For instance, a teacher can get some oral history materials, conduct live online discussions, or playback recordings of public lectures.
Encourages Cooperative Learning
Innovative teachers usually encourage students’ cooperative learning. Students of mixed abilities are encouraged to work together by promoting small groups or whole class activities. Through verbally expressing their ideas as well as responding to your student’s questions, you will build their self-confidence. This will also enhance their communication and critical thinking skills, which are vital throughout life.
Small groups don’t have to be done just in physical classes, but students can easily connect via a video conferencing platform like Pronto. This allows students to connect with their teachers even when located in remote areas. Solving mathematical puzzles, conducting scientific experiments, and acting out short drama sketches are just a few examples of how innovative teachers are encouraging cooperative learning strategies into classroom lessons.
Inquiry-Based Learning Strategies
Inquiry-based learning is a powerful strategy utilized by innovative teachers and it usually triggers students’ curiosities. This allows students to formulate their own understanding based on research and questions. Students also get the opportunity to present what they have learned to the group and reflect on what was successful. Teachers act as facilitators and answer questions posed by the students as they work towards finding answers through research and independent discovery.
Flipped Classroom Strategies
In this strategy, class time is inverted into traditional lectures and fosters inquiry, application, and assessment to better engage individual learners and their respective needs. Students usually study materials outside the classrooms by watching short pre-recorded video lectures or researching assignments. This makes it important for schools to adopt a common video and chat communication hub that can be used by all students. This way, students can watch recorded lectures wherever they are and leave feedback for teachers to see. Teachers then use class time to help students work through the materials in groups, or individually, for active learning. The emphasis is on higher-order thinking and the application of gained knowledge to solve complex problems through teamwork.
Invites Entrepreneurs and Innovators into the Classrooms
Using technology as a venue for communication and reach, teachers invite entrepreneurs and innovators into their classrooms in diverse ways. Educators reach out to different leaders through social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter with a click of a button. They then invite these leaders in classrooms to interact and motivate students through virtual means, like using Pronto’s video conferencing platform. It is always surprising because there are many innovators who are willing to give back to students by connecting with them right in their classes. Teachers don’t have to worry about bringing entrepreneurs and innovators physically into classes because user-friendly platforms like Pronto are easily available.
Stimulating Classroom Environment
A classroom environment that is well-decorated, fun, and engaging helps to stimulate a student’s mind and helps them to think widely and learn better. Innovative teachers use such creative and stimulating environments to help students explore their potential in understanding different class concepts.
Sometimes, students cannot be expected to sit all day and learn different concepts. Therefore, a stimulating environment positively impacts the student’s ability to learn and benefits the teachers as well. Teachers are aware that a learning environment has a prime role in students’ learning and development. One of the most effective ways of stimulating the learning environment is to include communication platforms like Pronto in your classroom. When students are tired, you can break the class monotony by allowing them to watch engaging videos right from the classroom.
At Pronto, we help teachers to revolutionize with innovative strategies their classrooms to make learning better and easier for students. With Pronto, students will learn faster, work smarter, and communicate seamlessly. Try Pronto for free today.