Methods of Teaching

Closing (5 minutes) 
Student Teachers have 5 minutes to write a one-paragraph summary of this class 
session. Tell them to leave their summaries on your desk as they leave the classroom.
Week 2, session 3 homework
Instructions for Student Teachers
Activity 1: Observational data 
Using the data obtained in class today, write two one-page papers presenting a snapshot 
of teacher actions during lessons in a lower primary and upper primary classroom.
Activity 2: Contemporary definition of learning
Using the list created in class today, write a one-page critique of the definition of 
learning that was discussed in your small groups.

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UNIT
2
CLASSROOMS ARE 
BUSY PLACES

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COURSE GUIDE: Methods of Teaching
39
UNIT 1
UNIT 4
UNIT 5
UNIT 3
UNIT 6
UNIT 2
UNIT 7
Unit Overview
Teaching is a universal human experience: parents teach their children; brothers and 
sisters teach each other; friends teach friends; bosses teach employees; and colleagues 
teach colleagues. These examples of teaching usually involve only one student or a 
few and occur in the setting where the learning is used. (For example, a child learns to 
use a cup or a spoon while eating.) Teaching in a classroom is different. First the group 
of children is large, and each child is different from the others, creating management 
issues for the teacher. Second, learning takes place in small rooms where movement is 
restricted, creating motivation and attention problems for children. People who have 
not been classroom teachers find it difficult to understand that classroom teaching is 
hard work. The purpose of this unit is to introduce Student Teachers to complexities 
of classroom life. In the second week, the unit includes some ways that teachers 
manage a naturally difficult learning environment. (Remember, next semester Student 
Teachers take a course in classroom management.) The first week of the unit focuses 
on the teacher’s attention to children, which is a scarce commodity that must be 
shared. The second week’s focus is on management techniques. 
Learning outcomes
By the end of this unit, Student Teachers will be able to do the following: