– Alka Verma, Resident Director, zamit

As we go down memory lane we will recall, many of the movies that are memorable & have inspired us were based on teachers & professors who used innovative teaching methods and transformed the lives of their students. Such innovations possibly happened only on the screen then, but today, thanks to technology, teachers around the world have reinvented their delivery methodologies by using several tools that make learning adaptive, inclusive & dynamic.

Effective and relevant teaching can be of great benefit when the educators keep experimenting and applying different pedagogical techniques and approaches, curriculum enhancement, course designs and assessments that are contemporary and create a road map for the student to self-correct.

Every educator has different approaches to teaching, from the traditional learning model to the most innovative and creative classroom. Keeping in mind 21st-century skills, every teacher must adopt an innovative approach to teaching to keep the children continuously engaged in learning and understanding. This will involve UN learning & relearning, all or much of what has been useful in the past.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching has automatically shifted to distant learning and online platforms. Teachers are now adopting online platforms to conduct their classes with students, along with meetings and seminars with the help of video conferencing programs such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype, etc.

Teachers must make sure students are motivated while learning online. They must apply certain techniques to make it an interactive online class, as the lack of engagement from long lectures, the difficulty of subjects can leave them overwhelmed and lacking the inclination to learn.

Teaching is one of the determining jobs which makes an enormous role in the life of every person. Renewing traditional methods to make learning easier for students is their focus. To do that innovative teaching methods is the new way of teaching. This would include creativity, collaboration, communication &connectivity ( the internet of things ) in teaching methods.

A great poet William Butler Yeats once said:

“Education should not be the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire”.

The use of innovative teaching methods to better assist students and to teach them the benefits of innovative thinking does more than “fill the pail”. It helps to kindle the passion for learning also provides students the necessary tools to succeed in the 21^st century.

Here is a look at some ways Innovation in teaching can improve education.

• Involves creativity and makes learning interesting.
• Through innovative technology methods children can explore the world and fulfill their curiosity.
• Innovative Learning is more engrossing through technology as keeps the children focussed versus in the classroom where they may be distracted.
• Makes collaboration easier as students, teachers and parents can communicate effectively.
• Students learn early on as they build technology-based skills.
• Reduces the need of textbooks thus lowering costs incurred by students and schools.
• Faster and more effective delivery of lessons.
• Innovations in teaching besides technology also include areas such as child psychology, learning theories, and different teaching methods. Teachers should also focus on:
• STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math)-This helps prepare students for the future by entitling them with skills they would need to be successful later in life.
• Acknowledging the needs of Individual Students-Every student is different and has different styles of learning, With the help of technology the teacher can create lesson plans to cater to their unique styles of learning.
• Focussing on soft skills and practical education -Teaching every child to be innovative thinkers and creative prepares them for the real world. Soft Skills are being emphasized on in innovative classrooms in today’s world
• Analytics – Businesses use analytics to access results from their marketing campaigns. The same way educators can benefit from data analytics to better understand students’ needs and recognize the areas of improvement. This will help them determine the success of the teaching methods and help them be more successful. Schools can also measure the performance of the teachers. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the school fraternity to reinvent teaching strategies and education delivery by using innovative methods. It has catalysed schools and educators to adopt new ways to teach.

Recommended: Role of online classes in student engagement

Some innovative teaching strategies which every teacher can adopt and make teaching more engaging for the students are:

The Use of Smart Boards-They help in creating good visualization of topics. The course content becomes interactive and visual. It transforms the teaching experience into a collaborative one.

 Teacher Blogs– A blog helps the teacher share his/her handouts, quizzes, and materials. Helpful tips for other fellow teachers can also be shared. 

Inclusiveness of Socialization in Online Teaching-This is a good method to reduce the lack of motivation in some students in the course of e-learning. The teachers can set up forums to interact with their students and help solve their problems. Online meetups and tutoring sessions can be set up.   

Creating real-life examples to facilitate learning – Connecting teaching subjects with real-life situations makes learning more engaging and fun for the students.

Flipped Classroom Teaching –This is becoming an increasingly popular and effective teaching method where students become the active participants of the learning process. This method also lays the foundation of independent learning. Teaching Through Virtual Reality-Virtual Reality helps students to learn through 3D world. Students learn in an immersive manner and learning becomes fun. For example, the teacher can use 3D technology to take a trip to outer space during a class in Science

Cloud Computing – Cloud computing allows students to access homework from anywhere -anytime with an internet connection.

Teaching through 3D Printing Technology – This innovative teaching method is gaining global acceptance where 3D printers are used to create templates and make complex concepts easier to understand.

All these methods are to bring innovation and creativity to the classroom.

Innovation is a necessary change we need in the schools of today and that will begin from you.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the article belong solely to the author, and not necessarily reflect the views, thoughts, and opinions of EducationWorld.