Principles and Methods of Teaching

by Charles C. Boyer, Ph.D., 1899

retaining, reviving, and recognizing mental experiences is called Memory.

The tendency of definite and frequent associations to persist = Habit/Retention.
Voluntary memory = Recollection.

If mind is not a matter and not a function, it is an entity.

The simple, spiritual entity which thinks, feels, and wills, is termed Mind.

Principle:
a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or
for a chain of reasoning:
a general scientific theorem or law that has numerous special applications across a wide field.

General Features of Education

A) Nature of Man B) The Nature of Education

Nature of Man
1. Man’s Capacity for Improvement
- strength - habits

2. The Species of Man’s Capacity for Improvement

- physical capacity : within the limits of specific constitution, as statistics show, the human
body is capable of amazing increase in strength, executive ease and speed, and artistic skill.
- mental capacity :

The Nature of Education

The general character of attainment of our possibilities is under the ff. heads:
A) Self-Activity B) System 3) Emancipation 4) The Pupil’s Limits 5) The Ideal in
education 6) The Definition of Education

1) Self Activity: conscious effort in the evolution of

possibilities. : the basis of education

2) Supervision : authoritative supervision over

pupil’s activity is an absolute educational necessity
: the necessary system of authoritative supervision
over pupils is termed Teaching. composed of three
things: 1) Adaptation of tasks 2) Stimulation
3) Direction.
: necessary supplement of pupil’s self-activity

3) Emancipation: the act of freeing a

person from another's control
: gradual release from the teacher’s
authority

4) Limitations:

5) The Ideal in Education:

- Ultimate happiness is to be an ideal
(purpose) of humanity.
- Virtue is to be an ideal of humanity.
- Complete living/equipment of life
: ultimate objects of education

6) Definition of Education:
“The realization of man’s
possibilities, through systematized
self-activity, for complete living, is
termed Education.”

Species of Education:
1) Physical Educ: body, make a fit
abode, and instrument of the
spirit
2) Intellectual Educ: thinking and knowing powers of the mind
3) Moral Educ: character-building,

PRINCIPLES OF CULTURE
1) Exercise
2) Correlation
3) Concentration
4) Limits : pupil’s tasks must be adapted to his individuality

PRINCIPLES OF INSTRUCTION
The instructor is a builder of ideas and thoughts, and his world is the pupil’s intellect. He is a
builder only in so far as he causes the pupil himself to build.

1) Adaptation of Lessons:
The learner should exert himself up to his capacity in harmony with the stage of his
development (not beyond his powers or less).
: The matter of instruction ought to be adjusted to the present powers of the learner.

2) Succession of Lessons:
: The learner is to be conducted from that which he knows to that which is in logical relation
with it. (steps to be required of learners)

3) Interesting Instruction:
- an interesting task is light; interesting lines of thought are almost irresistible. not
only committed to memory but also developed in the understanding and absorbed into the
character.
:The possibility of interesting the learner is to be considered in determining what
instruction to give.

4) Needs of the Whole Pupil:

The superior and ultimate prosperity of the whole pupil is affected by the course of
studies upon which he occupies his mind.
This is also considered in determining what instruction to give.

5) Right Method of Instructions:

- it is one thing to settle what instruction ought to be given, and quite another thing
to settle what the method of instruction ought to be.
The logical relation of that which is known to that which is to be learned determines the
method.

6) Right Mental Activity in Instruction:

: The method of instruction should necessitate in learners the employment of those mental
functions which out to be employed in learning that which is to be learned.

7) Culture of Instruction:
: The methods od instruction should
necessitate such employment of functions
as duly improves them.

8) Emancipation of Instruction: method

frees the learner from the necessity of
supervision

9) Specific Methods of Instruction:

: Specific methods in fitting pupils for specific vocations.

10) Ideal Instruction:

:
 SEVEN PRINCIPLES
The seven principles of teaching define what a good teacher should be, from providing feedback to
communicating, these guidelines should be followed by teachers to become the best professional
they can. The principles originated in 1987, from Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson’s book:
“Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education.” This defined exactly what good
education should look like and the principles are still being followed to this day.

Principle one: Encourage contact between students and faculty

Now it might seem obvious but building relationships and rapport with students is important, it’s one
of the main factors in ensuring students succeed. There are many ways to open up the
communication channels and build relationships between students and yourself, including learning
your students’ names, personalising feedback on students work, sharing personal experiences
(within reason!) and talking to your students on an individual level.

Principle two: Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students

When you encourage team collaboration and learning, learning is enhanced. Group work improves
thinking, collaboration skills as well as social skills. Ways to introduce this into your classroom are
cooperative learning groups, encouraging students with different socioeconomic backgrounds to
participate in classes and introducing the idea of peer tutoring every now and again.

Principle three: Encourage active learning

It’s quite widely believed that students can only learn so much when they sit in a class and listen to a
teacher, students need to make learning a part of their life. Simple ways to introduce active learning
in your classroom could be asking students to present their work to the class, using ‘what-if’
situations to make students think about something different and giving students problem-solving
tasks to complete.

Principle four: Give prompt feedback

The best time to summarise lessons and give feedback on work is when a subject or lesson is still
fresh in your students’ minds. Feedback enhances learning as it helps your students identify what
they successfully learned, and what they need to look at again. Great ways to help students reflect
and learn on lessons is to follow up lessons with a summary of what should have been learned, Q&A
style sessions and returning grades/marking within one week.

Principle five: Emphasize time on task

As we all know, we’re always rushed for time. Lessons range from 40-55 minutes, which means you
need to introduce a subject, explore it, set some work around it and summarise in a short amount of
time. Learning should be efficient. Simple ways to ensure tasks are completed efficiently are having
realistic expectations, teaching time management skills and helping students set their own goals and
timelines for learning and submitting work.
Principle six: Communicate high expectations
Students with little motivation, children unwilling to try and children that exceed all need to be set
high expectations. Ways to set high standards are encouraging students to work hard in class, giving
positive reinforcement throughout your lessons and working one on one with students that might be
struggling to learn something. Encouraging students to focus on doing their best, instead of worrying
about grades is a really important way to boost confidence and ensure high standards are set, too.

Principle seven: Respect diverse talents and ways of learning

It’s commonly understood that everyone has different learning styles, no two people learn something
the same way. The best practice to ensure every student is covered in your lessons is to offer a
range of activities that cover and complement learning styles. Encouraging students to speak up
when they don’t understand is a good way to ensure no students are left behind.

METHODS
Teaching methods are techniques that educators can use to facilitate the teaching process and
help students feel engaged and interested in the material.
Types of teaching methods include differentiated instruction, lecture-based instruction, technology-
based learning, group learning, individual learning, inquiry-based learning, kinesthetic learning,
game-based learning and expeditionary learning.
Improve your teaching methods by testing different ones using the same lesson, meeting with other
teachers to get their perspectives and remaining flexible.
1. Differentiated instruction
Differentiated instruction is the idea of creating tailored education plans for students based on
differing needs. This may involve the ways by which students access content, the activities they do,
the assessment techniques a teacher uses or even the physical setup of a classroom. As all people
have varying abilities and talents, it's beneficial for a teacher to adapt their teaching styles to unique
students. This is also a key step in supporting students with disabilities in the classroom and
ensuring they feel welcome and comfortable in academic environments.
Here are some ways an educator may differentiate instruction:

 Provide books or other materials at different reading levels.

 Create custom spelling lists for students with different spelling skills.
 Host small groups to provide tailored advice to students.
 Offer one-on-one after-school help to students encountering challenges.
 Discuss student progress and at-home educational strategies with parents.
Measure progress in different ways, through projects, portfolios and participation.

2. Lecture-based learning
A traditional way to structure classroom learning is the lecture format, in which teachers explain
information while students observe. Teachers lead a lesson by presenting on, showing visuals of and
modeling examples of a topic. While a teacher is presenting, students can listen, watch, take notes
and copy the teacher's demonstrations. While this is a conventional and helpful approach, teachers
may alter it for different learning environments.
Here are some ways that teachers ensure the success of lecture-based learning:

 Keep lessons brief: Students, especially those at a young age, may have short attention
spans and might only be able to focus for short periods of time. It can be advantageous to
keep classroom lectures short and concise to maintain student attention and engagement.
 Allow time for questions: While lecture-based learning is a teacher-centered approach,
educators can still involve student input by making time for questions before, during and after
the presentation. While this can make the lecture process longer, it can also allow students
to engage with the material, comprehend it and remember it more easily.
 Create instructional videos: Many teachers use a flipped classroom approach where they
encourage students to watch lectures or instructional videos at home and complete
 assignments in class. This can be a great opportunity to let students work at their own pace,
as they can see videos again by rewinding and replaying them.
 Use visual cues: Whether in or outside of the academic environment, using visual cues in
presentations such as icons, images and videos can be a great way to keep your audiences
interested in the content. Make sure to use high-contrast colors and bold shapes and lines
so students across your classroom can see and understand your messages.
 Promote handwritten notes: For those students who are able, hand-writing notes on paper
can be a superb way to stay focused during lectures. It can also help people to recall
information well and strengthen their spelling and writing skills.

3. Technology-based learning
Teachers can use technology in the classroom to make teaching processes more efficient and aid in
student learning. Students can use devices like computers and tablets to read materials, conduct
research or play educational games. In addition, cloud computing capabilities make it possible for
students to access documents or other resources while at school or at home. Virtual classrooms
using video conferencing software can be a great way to provide education remotely. This can be
especially helpful for students with disabilities who may have difficulties focusing in a physical
classroom environment.
4. Group learning
Segmenting students into groups is a great way to teach them skills in collaboration. While in their
teams, they can discuss subjects and learn about the perspectives of others. It's important to
encourage both class participation and listening skills so that students can gain these abilities for the
future. Teachers can assign group presentations so students can convey information to the rest of
the class, ask and answer questions and interact with each other.
5. Individual learning
While group projects can be exciting opportunities for students, it's also important to promote
individual learning so that they can work by themselves. Assigning journal entries can be an
excellent way to give students time to think through topics and develop thoughts and analyses. This
is especially helpful before hosting a class discussion so class members can have ideas for what to
say. Teachers can read writing assignments to reward points to students who can't participate
vocally in class.
6. Inquiry-based learning
Inquiry-based learning promotes the idea of learning by investigation, where students can complete
projects, ask questions and find answers by themselves. While teachers act as resources in these
times, the goal is for students to solve problems and discover information on their own. Upon
learning about concepts, they can explain and present the concepts in their own words to further
enforce them in their memories. Then, students can advance to higher levels at their own pace. This
is a way for students to perform an active role in the learning process.
7. Kinesthetic learning
Kinesthetic learning is the notion of learning through movement. Teachers can move around the
classroom and use hand gestures while they present to engage students visually and kinesthetically.
They can also encourage students to perform physical activities where they can move around and
use their creativity. Here are some ideas:

 Drawing: Many students enjoy drawing or painting, and teachers can include this activity in
the classroom to make learning enjoyable. Students can have the option to develop ideas
and use different colors and tools to make their ideas a reality.
 Acting: Students, especially young children, may have an exciting time developing and role-
playing in theatrical performances. This can be a great idea for implementing kinesthetic
learning in group projects.
 Building: Building structures with blocks, toys or other materials can help students develop
hand-eye coordination and analytical thinking skills. It can also be a fun way for them to stay
focused in the classroom.
 Playing: A traditional form of kinesthetic learning is playing sports, and many schools have
gym classes where students can exert energy and spend time outside. You can also have
educational sports games in the classroom, where students can move around and learn
simultaneously.
 8. Game-based learning
If you want to update your classroom techniques and help children to be more excited about
learning, consider developing and implementing educational games or challenges, whether in-
person or online. These can inspire children, especially kinesthetic learners, to participate more fully
in the learning process and keep them motivated and focused on lessons. It can also allow them the
opportunity to solve problems and reach a goal.

9. Expeditionary learning
Expeditionary learning is the process of learning through participating in practical experiences.
These can be projects, case studies or lab experiments in the classroom or field trips to places
around your school and community. For example, in a science class, you might take a trip to a
nearby nature center to learn about the types of animals and plants in your area. This type of
approach encourages students to apply classroom knowledge and skills to the real world. It can help
them comprehend the purpose of their efforts and return to schoolwork with enthusiasm.