3 Teaching Techniques Aspiring Teachers Should Know Before Joining a Preprimary Teacher Training Course in Kolkata
Direct teaching, inquiry-based learning, and action learning are three proven and time-tested teaching techniques. Aspiring teachers interested in taking a primary or preprimary teacher training course in Kolkata can benefit from learning these techniques before kickstarting their educational careers.
Get to know these essential, time-tested teaching techniques for aspiring teachers who are planning to enrol in a primary teachers’ training institute in Kolkata
What are Teaching Techniques?
Throughout history, teachers have adopted countless different teaching techniques. Only some of them have been able to stand the test of time. These techniques continue to engage and illuminate students today. According to B.F. Skinner, a leading Harvard professor, three distinct teaching techniques work the best on growing minds:
- Direct teaching
- Enquiry-based learning
- Action learning
These three techniques are applied in Montessori schools as well. Action learning is one of the vital components of a standard Montessori teacher training course in Kolkata. Let us discuss all three of these techniques in detail and understand how teachers of tomorrow should skillfully apply them.
Direct Teaching
Direct teaching focuses on presenting ideas, information, and guidance directly to students through instruction or demonstration. To be an effective ‘direct teacher,’ you need to know your subjects well and how to present them in ways that students can easily understand. It means aspiring teachers must learn how to:
- Present factual knowledge in an organized manner
- Demonstrate skills with clear instructions
- Encourage questioning from learners
- Use examples, images, analogies, and other direct instructions that suit your students’ needs to explain complex concepts
The direct teaching technique emphasizes mastering classical teaching skills, which are vital for teachers in primary classrooms. In primary classrooms, teachers have to be direct, authoritative, and a bit larger-than-life to engage young learners.
So, direct teaching is one of the main things taught in the best primary and preprimary teacher training courses in Kolkata.
Enquiry-Based Learning
Inquiry-based teaching is all about helping students find out for themselves. Teachers who adopt this technique encourage students to explore topics through experiments and personal investigation. They take on the role of an advisor, helping students discover the joy of learning by exploring.
Inquiry-based teaching is taught in primary, preprimary, and Montessori teacher training courses in Kolkata. It’s also something that students completing their diploma in elementary education near Kolkata are required to know as a prerequisite. In these courses, aspiring teachers learn how to:
- Encourage young students to ask interesting questions.
- Give students the freedom to conduct experiments to discover their answers.
- Encourage young students to systematically gather and evaluate evidence from books, the Internet, art supplies, and more.
- Be a constructive critic when assessing the students’ findings and conclusions.
If you want to dedicate your career to fostering curiosity and critical thinking in young minds, embrace inquiry-based teaching. It is an exciting way to teach. Also, it is a teaching approach that resonates with modern parents. If you master it, your career prospects in both the private and public education sectors will be excellent!
Action Learning
In action learning, students learn by doing things. The emphasis is less on knowing facts and more on helping students understand how things work first-hand. While doing is essential in this teaching technique, making students think about what they’re doing is just as important.
At top primary or preprimary teacher training courses in Kolkata, aspiring teachers learn to follow a cycle of planning, doing, and reflecting. For example, making students create art with clay is one thing. Teaching them how to become skilled at clay art requires a more nuanced approach:
Planning:
The teacher decides to teach students the basics of clay art making. The teacher gathers clay tools/materials (rolling pins, clay cutters, etc.) and teaches basic clay art techniques, like pinching, coiling, and slab-building.
Doing:
The teacher then demonstrates the basic clay art techniques to students. Students are given clay and tools and allowed to practice the techniques. The teacher moves around the room, observing and providing feedback.
Reflecting:
After the lesson, the teacher must reflect on how well students understood the clay art-making techniques. The teacher must also assess how to make the lesson slightly more challenging for students in the future.
By following a cycle of planning, doing, and reflecting, this teacher will ensure that the students develop concrete clay art-making skills in a few classes. Action-based education is an effective way to help students develop practical skills while having fun along the way!
Before you enroll in a preprimary or primary teachers’ training institute in Kolkata, ask yourself what kind of teacher you aspire to be. A direct teacher, an inquiry-based educator, or an action-packed guide in the classroom? At Larn EduTech, we empower the teachers of tomorrow to excel in their chosen teaching approach. We can support you on your path to becoming the teacher you envision.