Running Head: APPROACHES TO TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES 1

“Enumerate and define the two teaching approaches, and identify what specific strategies may
be employed in each approach. Provide guidelines for using these approaches in the
classrooms.”

Today’s teachers are responsible for the growth and development of students with a diverse range
of learning abilities. The 21st-century teacher has the proper knowledge, skills, and expertise to develop
and apply instructional styles that work well in diverse classrooms. Effective teaching methods engage
gifted students, as well as slow-learning children and those with attention deficit tendencies. It is
imperative for teachers to plan ahead of time to choose the proper strategy, which is not only apt for
students needs but also able to help meet the different objectives of the lesson.

The most widely-known teaching approach is the teacher-centered strategy. This is the
"traditional" mode of education. In a teacher-centered classroom, the teachers will lecture students, ask a
question or two, but predominantly, students will sit and get without much interaction with what they are
learning. In this teaching approach, the students are viewed as the “empty mugs,” and the teacher acts as
the “knowledge jug”. The teacher simply transmits the information to her students. The learners in this
kind of teaching style are mere “listeners” or “spectators” who passively receive information from the
teacher. The teachers hold full authority in the class, and are often regarded as the “sage on the stage.”
Taken to its most extreme interpretation, teachers are the central authority figure in a teacher-centered
instruction model, and the students receive knowledge from their teachers through long lectures and direct
instruction. Students are expected to absorb information through note-taking.

There are a few effective strategies that can be used in the teacher-centered approach. Lectures
are one of the more predominant strategies in this kind of teaching. This style is acceptable for certain
higher-education disciplines and auditorium settings with large groups of students. The pure lecture style
is most suitable for subjects like history, which necessitate memorization of key facts, dates, and names
among others. However, lectures are a questionable model for teaching children because there is little or
no interaction with the teacher. More so, the class can get a little boring and uninteresting. That’s why it’s
a better approach for older, more mature students.

Another strategy that is commonly used in the teacher-centered approach is the demonstration.
The teacher-led demonstrator retains the formal authority role by showing students what they need to
know. The demonstrator is a lot like the lecturer, but their lessons include multimedia presentations,
activities, and demonstrations. This style gives teachers opportunities to incorporate a variety of formats,
including lectures and multimedia presentations. More so, students learn procedural knowledge using this
type of teaching. On the contrary, although the use of demonstration is well-suited for teaching
mathematics, music, physical education, arts, and crafts or any other procedural subjects, it is difficult to
accommodate students’ individual needs in larger classrooms.

The Flipped Classrooms strategy is a more technologically-advanced strategy for teaching that is
still considered teacher-centered. Broadly, the flipped classroom label describes the teaching structure that
has students watching pre-recorded lessons at home and completing in-class assignments, as opposed to
hearing lectures in class and doing homework at home. A vital benefit of the flipped classroom model is
that it allows students to work at their own pace. More so, teachers may assign the same videos to all
students, while in others, teachers may choose to allow students to watch new videos as they master
topics (taking on a more “differentiated” approach). But despite this potential for more student-
APPROACHES TO TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES 2

centeredness, flipped classroom models are still mostly based on a teacher’s idea of how learning should
happen and what information students need, making it chiefly teacher-centered.

Kinesthetic Learning is another approach typically utilized in a teacher-centered teaching

strategy. Kinesthetic learning requires students to do, make, or create. In a kinesthetic learning
environment, students perform physical activities rather than listen to lectures or watch demonstrations.
Hands-on experiences, drawing, role-play, building, and the use of drama and sports are all examples of
kinesthetic classroom activities. The strategy is a great way to keep the students engaged and awake
throughout the class hours. Although some thinkers argue that the strategy is leaning towards a student-
centered approach, other expert educators believe that Kinesthetic learning remains teacher-centered since
the majority of the activities undergone by the learners are still teacher led. Kinesthetic learning can be
more student-centered than teacher-centered when students are given the choice of how to use movement
to learn new information or experience new skills, so it’s also adaptable to a teacher’s particular
classroom preferences.

What is becoming more widely known and expected is a student or learner-centered approach to
teaching. In this approach, students drive the instruction, ask the questions, potentially create the models
and methods of instructions, etc. While teachers are still an authority figure in a student-centered teaching
model, teachers and students play an equally active role in the learning process. This type of learning is
more probably project-based. Students will actively engage in the learning atmosphere, they will drive the
discussions, and they will ask and answer their questions. In a student-led classroom, the teacher is
expected to assume the role of the facilitator and the delegator. Being a facilitator means focusing on
designing participatory learning activities and manages classroom projects while providing information
and offering feedback to facilitate critical thinking.

On the other hand, assuming the role of the delegator means to organize group learning, observes
students, provides consultation and promotes interaction between groups and among individuals to
achieve learning objectives. Student-centered teaching approaches are usually constructivist. Therefore,
one can safely say that the teacher’s responsibility heavily rests in assisting the students in utilizing their
prior knowledge and experiences in understanding the information they acquire and make meaning out of
it.

One popular method utilized in a student-centered classroom is the “inquiry-based” learning

approach, wherein students are asked a driving/guiding question, what they learn and how they learn it is
determined by the question itself. Students will research and gather information to inform their decisions
about the process of learning. Based on student investigation and hands-on projects, inquiry-based
learning is a teaching method that casts a teacher as a supportive figure who provides guidance and
support for students throughout their learning process, rather than a sole authority figure. Teachers
encourage students to ask questions and consider what they want to know about the world around them.
Students then research their questions, find information and sources that explain key concepts and solve
problems they may encounter along the way. A great example of this is the Investigatory Project (for
High School students) and Research Work/ Thesis (for college students).

Another widely-used student-led teaching method is Differentiated Instruction. This is referred

to as the teaching practice of tailoring instruction to meet individual student needs. Teachers can
differentiate in several ways, including how students access content, the types of activities students do to
master a concept, what the end product of learning looks like, and how the classroom is set up. Some
examples of differentiation include having students read books at their reading levels, offering different
spelling lists to students, or meeting in small groups to reteach topics. ISCC’s Technical-Vocational
Program utilizes the Differentiated Instruction in teaching its caregiving students. We, the instructors,
APPROACHES TO TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES 3

allow our students to choose the module that they wish to learn during that day and encourage them to
take as little or as much time they want to master a specific industry skill. After reading the module, the
student undergoes a series of self-administered tests and tasks. The learner is only allowed to proceed to
the next module after satisfactorily completing the basic requirements of the present module. Though
differentiation is focused on individual student needs, it is mostly planned and implemented by the
teacher (the ISCC-Health Science Department faculty prepares the modules).

Expeditionary learning is a form of project-based learning in which students go on expeditions

and engage in an in-depth study of topics that impact their schools and communities. The learning in this
model includes multiple content areas so that students can see how problem-solving can happen in the
real world-ideally, their worlds. A student in a big city, for example, might study statistics about
pollution, read information about its effects, and travel to sites in their town that have been impacted by
the problem. When they have a good understanding of the circumstances, students and teachers work to
find a solution they can actively implement. In the Midwifery Program of ISCC, Expeditionary Learning
is often employed during the student-midwives’ affiliation and clinical exposure in their adopted
community. The students do an ocular survey, case surveillance, and inspection, and perform a
community diagnosis with the aid of the different Barangay officials. The students then decide on what
course of action to take to address the glaring projects in their community. The clinical instructor
encourages the student-midwives to be resourceful, practical, and avant-garde in thinking of ways and
means to solve the health problems of their adopted Barangay. More so, the students are expected to write
down their general and specific goals and objectives for the duration of their community duty. At the end
of the semester, the teacher evaluates their performance using the pre-set objectives.

Perhaps the most popular method used in a student-centered classroom is Game-Based Learning.
Game-based learning comes from the desire to engage students in more active learning in the classroom.
Because they require students to be problem solvers and use soft skills that they will need as adults,
games are a great way to encourage a “mastery” mindset, rather than a focus on grades. In a game-based
learning environment, students work on quests to accomplish a specific goal (learning objective) by
choosing actions and experimenting along the way. As students make certain progress or achievements,
they can earn badges and experience points, just like they would in their favorite video games. Because
teachers play a big role in planning and creating content under this model, game-based learning isn’t
completely student-centered. But it is still very much focused on the student, who works at their
own pace and makes independent choices in a “gamified” environment.

In summary, although there is a plethora of teaching strategies, methods, and approaches

emerging every day, one cannot simply say that the new ones supersede the others. The
effectiveness of one specific teaching strategy remains multifactorial. The teacher needs to
ensure that their choice of teaching approach is based on their ability to employ the method, the
diverse needs of their learners, and the learning objectives of their lesson. In conclusion, all
teaching methods are effective if used wisely.