Innovative Teaching Strategies

Innovative Teaching StrategiesIntanWawa Overview Current development requires teachers to vary their teaching styles to suit the learners` needs and interests.However, some teachers are still retaining the old teaching style. This causes them to be frustrated as the students are being passive in the classroom. Raiff (1992) stated that understanding students` learning styles will help teachers to reduce their frustration as well as their students` disappointment.To understand students` behaviours, their learning style becomes an indicator to know how they learn and which learning style that they prefer.

Learning style is also seen as teaching strategy because understanding the students` learning styles give information about the learning contexts. E.g. The changing of KBSR to KSSR focussing on students` learning styles (child centred) and eradicate teacher centred. In individual learning, Ingham (1992) and Wan Zahid (1993) encourage teachers and parents to understand students` learning styles and regard their differences as special and that the speciality could be used maximally in their learning. Therefore, a neat and systematic lesson is needed to ensure an excellent teaching and learning happen in the classroom.In addition, methods, sources, and programs need to be suited with the students` learning styles to increase students` involvement and achievement. To sum up, students will be more interested to learn if teachers are being innovative where they are able to transform or create something new in a form of relevant source of method which is suitable to the students.

Characteristic of Innovative Teachers FriendlyOutgoing and approachable to the students while still applying the teacher-students boundaries.Stable emotionAble to control emotion and does not make judgements based on own emotion.CommittedBeing dedicated as a teacher to the students and as an employee of the school

KnowledgeableEquip with knowledge together with good values and have the ability to deliver effective instruction in and out of the classroom. InterestHave the interest to teach and devoted to increase students` performance Creative and innovativeAlways changing in order to suit their learners` style.

How To Be Innovative? Knowing in depth the students` characteristicsTeachers need to understand what the students want, their behaviours, actions, and manners. This could be done on the first day of entering the class. 2. Teaching strategiesTeachers need to vary the teaching strategies which includes approaches, techniques, and methods of delivering the lesson.Varying teaching styles is essential to suit the students` different learning styles.E.g. visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, and so on. 3. Creative and innovativeTeachers should not just rely on the syllabus, lesson plans, and teaching materials.Instead of being so rigid, teachers should be able to change their teaching strategies in an instant when the situation requires them to do so. As a result, students will be more active in the classroom during the teaching and learning.

4. HumorousStudents are more likely to be interested to teachers who are jokey while delivering the lesson. However, the jokes must not be too excessive that it might hurt or offend the students` feelings.Instead, it is just to create interest to learn and dissolve stress and boredom during the teaching and learning.

5. High imaginationBefore starts teaching, teacher should begin with asking general questions to the students which is known as essential questions. This aims to open the students` mind and think outside the box where they could give their own thinking and perceptions.

Then, teachers will monitor the students with questions which related with learning unit (unit questions) and move on to learning contents (content questions)Using this approach, students are trained to think globally and eventually able to relate with things that will be discussed in the learning content which also related to the learning objectives. 6. Choice and application of teaching mediaAttractive media includes video, audio, text, or graphics. These medias can be used respectively or combined using software presentation.To be able to use media, teacher needs to have the technology skills. Other Approaches InductiveDeductiveEclecticThematicMasteryCooperativeCollaborative

Teacher as Observant (Perceiving)4 Quadrant Model known as 4MAT SystemThrough the observation, teachers classify the learners into 4 categories:Quadrant 1: Imaginative learners (feel and observe)Quadrant 2: Analytic learners (observe and think) Quadrant 3: Usual thinking learners (think and do)Quadrant 4: Dynamic learners (do and use senses)

Nelson (1997) stated that by using 4MAT System, teachers will be able to categorize 4 ways of learning which are activist, pragmatist, reflective, and theorist. Activist learners fully participating, associate with new experience, always active and ready to try things that have been learnt. Pragmatist learners will try beforehand to make sure that it is really practical. They will only learn if it is practical and useful.Reflective learners isolate themselves but still viewing the learned things from different perspectives. They take time to think before making any decisions. Theorist learners like to use logical approach, well- arranged, and constructing own theories. Challenges Multiple intelligence theory (Howard Gardner, 1983). Spatial, kinaesthetic, linguistic, musical, logical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. Teachers face challenges where they need to plan their teachings according to students` multiple intelligences.