Saliha Afzal

[Link] Special Education

Assignment 1 code 0846

Q.1 Define the term teaching strategies. Discuss any four important teaching strategies
with examples.
Teaching strategies
Teaching strategies, also known as instructional strategies, are methods that teachers use to
deliver course material in ways that keep students engaged and practicing different skill sets. An
instructor may select different teaching strategies according to unit topic, grade level, class size,
and classroom resources. Many kinds of instructional strategies are employed to achieve
teaching and learning goals and support different kinds of students.

Effective Teaching Strategies for the Classroom

The classroom is a dynamic environment, bringing together students from different backgrounds
with various abilities and personalities. Being an effective teacher therefore requires the
implementation of creative and innovative teaching strategies in order to meet students‟
individual needs.
Whether you‟ve been teaching two months or twenty years, it can be difficult to know which
teaching strategies will work best with your students. As a teacher there is no „one size fits all‟
solution, so here is a range of effective teaching strategies you can use to inspire your classroom
practice.

1. Visualization
Bring dull academic concepts to life with visual and practical learning experiences, helping your
students to understand how their schooling applies in the real-world. Examples include using the
interactive whiteboard to display photos, audio clips and videos, as well as encouraging your
students to get out of their seats with classroom experiments and local field trips.
2. Cooperative learning
Encourage students of mixed abilities to work together by promoting small group or whole class
activities. Through verbally expressing their ideas and responding to others your students will
develop their self- confidence, as well as enhance their communication and critical thinking
skills which are vital throughout life.
Solving mathematical puzzles, conducting scientific experiments and acting out short drama
sketches are just a few examples of how cooperative learning can be incorporated into classroom
lessons.
3. Inquiry-based instruction
Pose thought-provoking questions which inspire your students to think for themselves and
become more independent learners. Encouraging students to ask questions and investigate their
own ideas helps improve their problem-solving skills as well as gain a deeper understanding of
academic concepts. Both of which are important life skills. Inquiries can be science or math-
based such as „why does my shadow change size?‟ or „is the sum of two odd numbers always an
even number?‟ However, they can also be subjective and encourage students to express their
unique views, e.g. „do poems have to rhyme?‟ or „should all students wear uniform?‟
4. Differentiation
Differentiate your teaching by allocating tasks based on students‟ abilities, to ensure no one gets
left behind. Assigning classroom activities according to students‟ unique learning needs means
individuals with higher academic capabilities are stretched and those who are struggling get the
appropriate support. This can involve handing out worksheets that vary in complexity to different
groups of students, or setting up a range of work stations around the classroom which contain an
assortment of tasks for students to choose from.
5. Technology in the classroom
Incorporating technology into your teaching is a great way to actively engage your students,
especially as digital media surrounds young people in the 21st century. Interactive whiteboards
or mobile devices can be used to display images and videos, which helps students visualize new
academic concepts. Learning can become more interactive when technology is used as students
can physically engage during lessons as well as instantly research their ideas, which develops
autonomy. Mobile devices, such as iPads and/or tablets, can be used in the classroom for
students to record results, take photos/videos or simply as a behaviour management technique.
Plus, incorporating educational programmes such as Quizalize into your lesson plans is also a
great way to make formative assessments fun and engaging.
6. Behaviour management
Implementing an effective behaviour management strategy is crucial to gain your students
respect and ensure students have an equal chance of reaching their full potential. Noisy,
disruptive classrooms do no encourage a productive learning environment, therefore developing
an atmosphere of mutual respect through a combination of discipline and reward can be
beneficial for both you and your students.
Examples include fun and interactive reward charts for younger students, where individuals
move up or down based on behaviour with the top student receiving a prize at the end of the
week. „Golden time‟ can also work for students of all ages, with a choice of various activities
such as games or no homework in reward for their hard work.
7. Professional development
Engaging in regular professional development programmes is a great way to enhance teaching
and learning in your classroom. With educational policies constantly changing it is extremely
useful to attend events where you can gain inspiration from other teachers and academics. It‟s
also a great excuse to get out of the classroom and work alongside other teachers just like you!
Sessions can include learning about new educational technologies, online safety training, advice
on how to use your teaching assistant(s) and much more.

Q.2 Discuss the fundamental elements of teaching model.

Answer:-

MODELS OF TEACHING
The term model is used to mean a teaching episode done by an experienced teacher in which a
highly focussed teaching behaviour is demonstrated, in it an individual demonstrating particular
patterns which the trainee learns through imitation. It is a way to talk and think about instruction
in which certain facts may be organized, classified and interpreted
Thus teaching models are just instructional designs. They describe the process and producing
particular environmental situations which cause the student to interact in such a way that specific
change occurs in his behaviour.
A -Specification of Environment- It specifies in definite terms the environmental conditions
under which a student‟s response should be observed.
B- Specification of operation- It specifies the mechanism that provides for the reaction of
students and interaction with the environment.
C- Specification of criterion of Performance-It specify the criterion of Performance which is
accepted by the students The behavioural outcome which the learner would demonstrate after
completing specific instructional sequences are delineated in the teaching models
D- Specification of learning outcome- It specifies what the student will perform after completing
an instructional sequence.

Effects of teaching by modelling

Models of Teaching are really models of learning. As we helps students acquire information
ideas skills, values, ways of thinking, and means of expressing themselves, we are also teaching
them how to learn. lnfact the most important long term outcome of instruction may be the
students „increased capabilities to learn more easily and effectively in the future ,both because of
the knowledge and skills they have acquired and because they have mastered learning processes.
A- Instructional effects are the direct effects of the model which result from the content and
skills on which the activities are based.
B- Nurturant effects are those which are implicit in the learning environment. They are the
indirect effects of the model. Bandura and Walters have formulated three kind of effect in
teaching by modelling:
1- Modelling effect- The learner acquires new kind of response pattern.
2- -Inhibitory and disinhibitory effect- The learner increases or decreases the frequent, latency or
intensity or previously required responses.
3- Eliciting effect- The learner receives from a model merely a cue for realising a response.
Modelling effect can be seen when a teacher demonstrates to a student how to hold a pencil or
write capital A and thus shows a new behaviour. Through modelling the teacher lets the student
know that it is not permissible of obscene nature in art book. The eliciting effect takes place
when through modelling; a teacher tries to teach students to get up when he enters the room.
Thus it provide a cue eliciting a response neither new nor inhibited. Gagne feels that learning
through imitation seems to be more appropriate for tasks which are a little cognitive in nature.
Utility of Teaching Models in Teaching
 Teaching models are useful in developing social efficiency, personal abilities, cognitive abilities
and behavioural aspects of the students. It helps in selecting and stimulating situations which
causes the desirable changes in students
Teaching models help to establish teaching and learning relationship empirically. It helps in
making the teaching more effective.
Teaching models helps in providing a theoretical rationale to the teaching, which will provide
changes and rectifications in teaching.
Teaching models stimulates the development of new educational innovations in teaching
strategies and tactics, which may replace the existing ones in schools of today.
Teaching models assist makers of materials to create more interesting and effective instructional
materials and learning sources.
Teaching models assist teachers to develop their capacities to create conductive environment for
teaching, as its nature is practical.
Teaching models help curriculum planners to plan learning activities and content material which
provide
a variety of educational experiences to learners.
Teaching model evaluates the behaviour of the students. For this important task, it presents such
a criterion with the help of which the changes in the students behaviours can be easily evaluated.
Characteristics of a Teaching model
1- Encourage Art of Teaching- Teaching is considered as an art.. Teaching models encourages
this art by providing learning environment.
2- Development of Inherent Abilities -Teaching models bring about the qualitative development
of personality as it helps in developing human abilities. It also increases the teacher‟s social
competency.
3- Based on Individual Differences- Teaching model uses the student‟s interest, as it is
constructed on the basis of individual differences.
4- Influenced by Philosophy- Every teaching model is influenced by the philosophy of education.
Hence, teachers formulate different models of teaching under the influence of the philosophy
they believe.
5- Answers Fundamental Questions- In every teaching model answers to all the fundamental
questions pertaining to the behaviour of students and teachers are included.
6- Providing Appropriate Experiences- Teaching models provides proper experiences to both
teacher and student. Selecting the content and presenting it for learning before the students is the
main essentiality of teaching. This difficulty is solved when a teacher presents appropriate
experience before the students.
7- Maxims of Teaching- The basis of teaching model is the maxims of teaching. They are the
foundation of each teaching model.
8- Practice and Concentration- The development of a teaching model is based on regular and
continuous practice and concentration. The proper development of a teaching model is only
possible when the assumptions are made clear by related thinking.
Fundamental Elements of a Teaching Model:
Normally majority of teaching models are based on the following six elements:
Fundamental Elements of a Teaching Model:
Normally majority of teaching models are based on the following six elements:
Focus
Focus is the central aspects of a teaching model. Objectives of teaching and aspects of
environment generally constitute the focus of the model. Every teaching model is based on one
or the other objective as its focal point. Any teaching model is developed by keeping this focal
point in mind. Every teaching model differs from another in terms of its objectives. It is the
nucleus of a teaching model. Every model is developed by keeping in view its focal point or
objective . Every model has various phases, some particular types of competencies are developed
by it.
Syntax
Syntax of the model describes the model in action. Syntax includes the sequences of steps
involved in the organization of the complete programmed of teaching. It is the systematic
sequence of the activities in the model. Each model has a distinct flow of phases. It means the
detailed description of the model in action. In it, the teaching activities and interactions between
a pupil and the teacher are determined .The syntax of any teaching model means those points
which produce activities focused on educational objectives at various phases. Under syntax, the
teaching tactics, teaching activities and interaction between a student and the teacher are
determined in such a pattern of sequence that the teaching objectives are achieved conveniently
by providing desirable environmental situations.
Principles of Reaction
Principles of Reaction tell the teacher how to regard the learner and to respond to what the
learner does. This element is concerned with the way a teacher should regard and aspects
respond to the activities of the students. These responses should be appropriate and selective.
They provide the teacher with rules of thumb by which to select model, appropriate responses to
what the student does. This element is concerned with the teacher‟s reaction to the students
responses. In it,he comes to know that how he has to react to the responses of the students and
has to see whether the learners have been actively involved in the process, or not.
The Social System
This element is concerned with the activities of pupil and the teacher and their
mutualrelationships. Every teaching model has separate objectives and will have therefore
separate social systems. It is related with the interactive roles and relationship between the
teacher and the student, and the kinds of norms that are observed and student behaviour which is
rewarded. The Social System describes the role of and relationships between the teacher and the
pupils. In some models the teacher has a dominant role to play. In some the activity is centred
around the pupils, and in some other models the activity is equally distributed.
This element is based on the assumption that every class is a miniature society. In it also
discussed the selection of motivating strategies and tectics for the students. Naturally social
system occupies a central position in making the teaching impressive and successful in relation
to the previously selected objectives. .
Support system
Support System describes the supporting conditions required to implement the model. „Support‟
refers to additional requirements beyond the usual human skills, capacities and technical
facilities. The support system relates to the additional requirements other than the usual human
skills or capacities of the teacher and the facilities usually available in the ordinary classroom.
Teacher requirements refer to special skills, special knowledge of the teacher and special audio-
visual material like films, elf-instructional material, visit to special place [Link] includes books,
films, laboratory kits, reference materials etc. It means the additional requirements beyond the
usual human skill, capacities and technical facilities. In it, the evaluation is done by oral or
written examination, whether the teaching objectives have been achieved or not. On the basis of
this success or failure, clear idea is achieved regarding the effectiveness of strategies, tactics and
techniques used during teaching.
Application
It is an important element of a teaching model. It means the utility or usage of the learnt material
in other situations. Several types of teaching modes are available. Each model attempts to
desirable the feasibility of its use in varying contexts related with goal achievements in terms of
cognitive, and affective behavior modification.
Types of Teaching Models:
Every teaching model has its specific objective. In order to achieve the objective of a teaching
model, the teacher has to choose right type of model for achieving the particular objective. The
teaching models have been classified into three main types:
1. Philosophical teaching models: Israel Saffer had mentioned such types of models. These
include
A- The Insight model (Plato).-The insight model discard the assumption that the meaning of of a
teaching model is merely deliver the knowledge or ideas through teaching to the mental domain
of the students.
According to this model the knowledge can not be provided merely through the expression of
sence organs, but the knowlnd principles of language are most [Link] of the content is
also a necessity. The knowledge can not be provided merely by speaking the words or listening
them. Mental processes and language both work together.
B- The Impression model of teaching (John Locke).-It is based on a general assumption the the
child‟s brain is like a clean slate at the time of birth. Whatever experiences are provided through
teaching, creates impression on child‟s brain. These impressions are termed as learning. In the
learning process the sense organs .
C- The Rule model ( Kant)-In this model much importance is given to the logic. Kant gives
importance to logic, because in it following certain rules is essential. The objective of rule model
is to devlop the logical reasoning capacities of the student. Some particular rules are followed.
Planning, organisation and interaction of teaching is performed under specific rules.
2- Psychological model of teaching: John P. Dececco had mentioned such types of models. It
includes
A- Basic Teaching model (Robert Glaser)- Robert Glaser (1962) has developed a stripped-down
teaching model which, with modifications, is the basic teaching model. The basic teaching model
divides the teaching process into four components or parts. It will be useful in several ways.. The
four parts of the model represent the basic divisions. Instructional objectives, Entering behavior,
instructional procedure, and finally performance assessment.
B- An Interaction model of teaching (N.A. Flander).- Flander considered teaching process as an
interaction process. He divided class-room behaviour in ten categories known as Flander‟s ten
category system. In this model the behaviour of student and teacher is analysed. An interaction
between a teacher and the student is more emphasised in this model.
C-Computer based teaching model ( Daniel Davis )-It is the most complicated model having ,
entering behaviour, determination of objectives and teaching aspect as fundamental elements. In
this element computer teaching plan is selected according to the entering behaviour and
instructional objectives. The performances of the student are evaluated. Accordingly alternative
teaching plan is presented. In this model, the diagnosis and teaching go side by side. Remedial
teaching is provided on the basis of diagnosis .Individual differences are also given importance.
Q.3 Critically examine the understanding level of teaching and also explain what the
limitations of teaching at understanding level are?
Answer:-
Understanding level of teaching
In the understanding level of teaching, the mental development of the learner is at a higher level
than that of memory level. Cognitive abilities of the student are developed. Here students
become capable to think, present things logically, analyze them, draw inferences. They are able
to evaluate the relationships between the principles and facts.
Elements of understanding levels of teaching:-
(a) Understanding objectives:-
It is the understanding of instructional messages by means of interpreting, exemplifying,
classifying, comparing, inferring etc.
(b) Application Objectives:-
It includes the use of a proper procedure for executing and implementing the use of principle/
rules in practical life situations.
(2) Nature of subject matter:-
The content for teaching-learning at this level is quite wide as compared to that needed at
memory level teaching. The content also includes the application of the principle/generalizations
in due real life situations.
(3) Methods used:-
For achieving objectives like understanding, comprehension and application following methods
of teaching could be used.
1. Lecture method
2. Lecture cum demonstration
3. Discussion
4. Inductive-deductive
5. Exemplification and explanation
(4) Classroom climate:-
More likely and encouraging as compared to that of memory level teaching.
Learners are actively engaged in the learning process.
This makes the classroom environment positive and enjoyable.
(5) Nature of motivation:-
Motivation at understanding level of teaching is extrinsic as well as intrinsic in nature.
(6) Teaching equipment:-
Teaching becomes very easy and interesting with the help of different teaching aids like
• models,
• charts,
• flash cards,
• pictures etc.
Students can easily comprehend the concept by using various teaching aids. So the teacher
should use the right aid/equipment as per the need and level of students.
(7) Evaluation:
Tools and devices used for evaluation at this level are more comprehensive than that of memory
level teaching.
Tests and tools should be properly planned. Planned tests could evaluate the student‟s ability to
comprehend, gasp, analyze, synthesize, discriminate etc. These abilities can be examined using
oral and written tests along with some scope for testing practical knowledge.
(8) Role of the teacher:-
Role of teacher is prominent in the understanding level of teaching. He is the person responsible
for presenting learning material. Teacher makes sure that pupil understands the content by
making it interesting for them.
· In this level of teaching the contents and the sequence of presentation, mode of instruction,
methods used in evaluation all remains with is the powers of the teacher.
(9) Role of learner:-
At this level of teaching role of the learner is not so passive like that of the memory level. The
learner has to work hard at this level. The learners at this level are secondary and can take some
initiative to know further about the contents. Both the teacher and learner interact within the
framework set by the teacher to obtain the objectives designed at this level of teaching.
The Limitations of Teacher
As teachers, we have successes with some students. And failures with others. The public
probably does not understand how much teachers agonize over the students we did not reach,
those we could not help. But when a young man drove his car into the crowd at Charlottesville,
killing one and harming many more, we heard his high school teacher express regret that he
could not change that young man while in his classes in high school.
So now you know. As much as teachers are proud and thankful to watch a student blossom in our
classrooms and then go on to live a successful and productive life, there is that darker side of this
profession. Teachers silently ponder those who passed through our classrooms but failed in
society, sometimes in ways that destroy their lives and the lives of those around them.
As veteran teachers, we will eventually read of the conviction of one of our former students. We
will think back to their time with us in school. And we will question what went wrong. Did I
miss the signs? Should I have been more understanding? Should I have applied harsher
discipline? Could I have done more to guidethem in a different direction? We now live in the
educational age of accountability and blame. Under the new “growth model," students are told
they can become anything they want, and if they don‟t... well it's the teacher's fault for having a
“fixed mindset.” More and more, society seems to blame teachers for the failure of students.
Some patients come to the doctor too late. Too far gone. And nothing the doctor can do can save
them. Teachers only influence a portion of a child‟s life, and our ability to save them is likewise,
limited. Some patients die because they fail to take the medication the doctor prescribed, or
exercise, or change their lifestyle. And some students fail to do their homework or study, or take
any advice that could improve their life. So the fact that some patients die does not mean that the
doctors were bad. Although doctors will all ponder at the end of the day if they could have done
something better. And when some students go on to fail in life, it does not mean that the teachers
were bad, although we too will always wonder if we could have done something different. But it
is within our successes that we who teach can see the importance of personal engagement. And
we should remember that the teacher who inspired one student may not be the best mentor for
another. And sometimes, there just is no best mentor. And there's nothing a teacher can do. As
teachers, we respect and understand Mr. Derek Weimer, the teacher who spoke out about his
former student. Mr. Weimer taught social studies to James Alex Fields at Randall Cooper High
School in Union, Kentucky for two years. After the tragedy in Charlottesville, Mr. Weimer
talked about his former student, saying: “Once you talked to James for a while, you would start
to see that sympathy towards Nazism, that idolization of Hitler, that belief in white supremacy. It
would start to creep out."
Q.4 Take any subject of your choice and write it’s at least fifteen objectives of teaching
with examples.
Answer:-
Objective of Teaching:
Learning objectives, or learning outcomes, define the goals and expectations of a lesson.
Learning objectives for individual lessons connect to the broader goals of a unit or course. Not
only do learning objectives help you plan your curriculum, they also let students know what they
will have learned by the end of a particular lesson. The key is writing objectives with realistic -
yet challenging - expectations. Well-written objectives are basically assessment plans, making
them easy for the rest of your lesson. Check out these learning examples for elementary and
secondary students that are easy to measure and observe.
Examples:
• After a lesson on bullying, students will be able to explain the difference between a bully and a
friend by writing a short paragraph that includes a thesis statement and call to action.
• Students will be able to categorize types of animals into the correct classes with a graphic
organizer after reading an article on animal traits.
• By working in collaborative literature groups, students will be able to form predictions about
the next chapter of Anne of Green Gables using at least three pieces of textual evidence.

• Students will be able to accurately describe their observations in a science journal after
completing a week- long terrarium unit.
• By the end of the reading lesson, students will be able to identify the rising action, climax, and
falling action on a plot diagram.
• Students will be able to apply their knowledge of the writing process to a peer editing session
in which they provide at least five peers with valid feedback.
• After a lesson on the Pythagorean Theorem, students will be able to correctly solve at least 8
out of 10 geometry problems using the theorem.
• Students will be able to evaluate their classmates' arguments in a Socratic seminar by taking
Cornell notes during each discussion.
• Using the Golden Gate Bridge as a model, students will be able to design their own popsicle-
stick bridges that can support at least five pounds of weight.
• Students will be able to accurately name the parts of a compass rose after learning a song about
the cardinal directions.
• After reading "The Tell-Tale Heart," students will be able to contrast Poe's tone with another
Romantic author in a short expository paragraph.
• Students will be able to diagram the life cycle of a butterfly in a graphic organizer after reading
From Caterpillar to Butterfly.
• After a lesson on place value, students will be able to estimate how many lemons they would
need to start a lemonade stand during a class discussion.
• Based on their independent reading books, students will be able to recommend their book to
another class member with a one-paragraph book review.
• Students will be able to differentiate between igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks by
choosing the correct rock at least five times during partner work.
• After learning about the American election process, students will be able to justify why they
would make a great president by writing a campaign jingle.
• Students will be able to compare and contrast the outcomes of World War I and World War II
by creating timelines of significant events that occurred immediately after each conflict.
• Based on their knowledge of long division, students will be able to interpret 10 word problems
by expressing them in equation form.
Students will be able to summarize the events of their day in a personal journal after a lesson on
reflective writing.
• After a lesson on civil disobedience, students will be able to defend the actions of a civil rights
leader in a formal class debate.
Q.5 The method provides learning by doing and proved to be quite successful in developed
and
developing countries. Discuss
Answer:-
The field of education has been affected by methods, which have undoubtedly affected teaching,
learning and research (Yusuf, 2005) .methods have the potential to accelerate, enrich, and deepen
skills, to motivate and engage students, to help relate school experience to work practices, create
economic viability for tomorrow's workers, as well as strengthening teaching and helping
schools change (Davis and Tearle, 1999; Lemke and Coughlin, 1998; cited by Yusuf, 2005). In a
rapidly changing world, basic education is essential for an individual be able to access and apply
information. Such ability must find include methods in the global village. Conventional teaching
has emphasized content. For many years course have been written around textbooks. Teachers
have taught through lectures and presentations interspersed with tutorials and learning activities
designed to consolidate and rehearse the content. Contemporary settings are now favouring
curricula that promote competency and performance. Curricula are starting to emphasize
capabilities and to be concerned more with how the information will be used than with what the
information is.
Contemporary methods are able to provide strong support for all these requirements and there are
now many outstanding examples of world class settings for competency and performance-based
curricula that make sound use of the affordances of these technologies (Oliver, 2000). The
integration of information and communication technologies can help revitalize teachers and
students. This can help to improve and develop the quality of education by providing curricular
support in difficult subject areas. To achieve these objectives, teachers need to be involved in
collaborative projects and development of intervention change strategies, which would include
teaching partnerships with method as a tool. According to Zhao and Cziko (2001) three
conditions are necessary for teachers to introduce method into their classrooms: teachers should
believe in the effectiveness of technology, teachers should believe that the use of technology will
not cause any disturbances, and finally teachers should believe that they have control over
technology.
However, research studies show that most teachers do not make use of the potential of method
to contribute to the quality of learning environments, although they value this potential quite
significantly (Smeets, 2005). Harris (2002) conducted case studies in three primary and three
secondary schools, which focused oninnovative pedagogical practices involving method. Harris
(2002) concludes that the benefits of method will be gained “...when confident teachers are
willing to explore new opportunities for changing their classroom practices by using method. As
a consequence, the use of method will not only enhance learning environments but also prepare
next generation for future lives and careers (Wheeler, 2001). Changed pool of teachers will come
changed responsibilities and skill sets for future teaching involving high levels of method and the
need for more facilitative than didactic teaching roles (Littlejohn et al., 2002). According to
Cabero (2001), "the flexibilization time-space accounted for by the integration of method into
teaching and learning processes contributes to increase the interaction and reception of
information. Such possibilities suggest changes in the communication models and the teaching
and learning methods used by teachers, giving way to new scenarios which favour both
individual and collaborative learning”. The use of method in educational settings, by itself acts as
a catalyst for change in this domain. methods by their very nature are tools that encourage and
support independent learning.
Students using methods for learning purposes become immersed in the process of learning and as
more and more students use computers as information sources and cognitive tools (Reeves &
Jonassen, 1996), the influence of the technology on supporting how students learn will continue
to increase. In the past, the conventional process of teaching has revolved around teachers
planning and leading students through a series of instructional sequences to achieve a desired
learning outcome. Typically these forms of teaching have revolved around the planned
transmission of a body of knowledge followed by some forms of interaction with the content as a
means to consolidate the knowledge acquisition. Contemporary learning theory is based on the
notion that learning is an active process of constructing knowledge rather than acquiring
knowledge and that instruction is the process by which this knowledge construction is supported
rather than a process of knowledge transmission (Duffy & Cunningham, 1996). In this domain
learning is viewed as the construction of meaning rather than as the memorisation of facts
(Lebow, 1993; Jonassen & Reeves, 1996). Learning approaches using contemporary methods
provide many opportunities for constructivist learning through their provision and support for
resource-based, student centered settings and by enabling learning to be related to context and to
practice (Berge, 1998; Barron, 1998). As mentioned previously, any use of method in learning
settings can act to support various aspects of knowledge construction and as more and more
students employ methods in their learning processes, the more pronounced the impact of this will
become. Teachers generate meaningful and engaging learning experiences for their students,
strategically using method to enhance learning. Students enjoy learning, and the independent
enquiry which innovative and appropriate use of method can foster. They begin to acquire the
important 21st century skills which they will need in their future lives