Students today face a constant bombardment of information from countless sources on an almost constant basis. Smartphones, television, and many other distractions can make it difficult for any student to focus. Even without these distractions, many students have trouble feeling engaged with their classroom experiences.
Innovative Teaching Strategies Used in the Classroom that Help Students Focus
These ideas help bring some innovation into the classroom in a way that will resonate with modern school-age students:
Encourage a Mindset of Self-awareness
We try to encourage students to be mindful of their feelings, thoughts, and actions. This will help them to consider the effects of their choices. Therefore it will help them to think critically not only about what they do, but why they do what they do.
Ask Open-ended Questions
The ability to regurgitate information is not the same as learning. Our students will get much more from their lessons if they are encouraged to think more critically. Instead of asking questions geared toward specific answers, we ask open-ended questions. After that, we see where our students’ thought processes take them.
Promote Self-reflection
It’s vital for students to understand how their lessons apply to their lives. We encourage them to reflect on their behaviors, responses, and feelings surrounding different topics to find what resonates strongest with them.
Create a Safe Learning Environment for Students of Different Ability Levels
There is no one-size-fits-all formula for teaching. The students in our classrooms all need to learn the same material. However, they will absorb the information in different ways. We try to reach each student on a personal level when it comes to his or her ability level and learning style.
Encourage Students to Take Risks
We inspire our students to think boldly, to question accepted answers, and think critically about the topics we teach. We do this by showing them that taking risks can offer tremendous rewards. Most importantly, we help them appreciate the learning opportunities that failure presents.
Demeanor Impacts the Classroom Environment
Our teachers are engaged and excited about what they teach therefore our students are more likely to feel the same. TIA teachers approach each new topic with enthusiasm to inspire their students to engage more deeply with their classroom time.
These innovative teaching strategies reinvigorate students, make them more excited to come to class each day, and help them care about the lesson plans being taught.
Tucson International Academy celebrates innovation. We encourage each of our instructors to try some of these strategies in their classroom, therefore, helping students be more creative, think more critically, and engage with their lessons on deeper, more meaningful levels.
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