Anouk Baltus
1. Ask students what they want in a teacher
One of the most innovative teaching strategies is to ask your students what they want and need in a teacher. It shows that you care about their opinions and want to make changes based on what they say. Plus, it gives you insight into what areas you need to work on. You can accomplish this with an interactive presentation. By simply adding questions to your PowerPoint where your students can send anonymous answers via their mobile phones, it makes it easy, fast and visual to find out what students need. Use our pre-made template to get inspiration for questions to ask your students at the start of the new school year.
2. Start with a recap before diving into new material
It’s been a long summer break, and you’re finally ready to get back into the swing of things. But before you dive headfirst into new material, it’s important to take a moment to recap what was covered last year. This will help ensure that your students are prepared for the new material they’ll be learning.
3. Give students choices in their learning experience
Students learn best when they are given choices in their learning experience. Allowing them to choose how they want to learn material will not only make them more engaged, but also help them learn the material better. Some innovative teaching strategies that give students choices are:
- Give students a choice of what type of project they would like to complete.
- Have students choose which chapter of a book they would like to read and study before class.
- Ask students if they would prefer a hands-on or more lecture based lesson on this topic before moving forward with your plan for the day.
4. Let students give you feedback on your instruction style
Asking for feedback from your students can help you understand how they learn best and what teaching methods work best for them. Plus, it shows them that you care about their opinion and want to make sure they’re getting the most out of your class. The feedback can be collected through sendsteps anonymous open ended question, lowering the barrier to honest feedback.
5. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable
One way to become a more innovative teacher is to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. This means trying new things, even if they might fail. It also means being open to feedback and constantly looking for ways to improve.
