models of teaching

Models of Teaching

Development of Models of Teaching is one of the recent innovations in teaching.   The core of teaching process is the arrangement of environments with in which the students can interact and study how to learn. A model of teaching is a description of learning environments. An important purpose of models of teaching is to assist the teacher to have a wide range of approaches for creating a proper interaction environment for learning.

A model of teaching is a plan or pattern that can be used to shape curricula, to design instructional materials and to guide instruction in the classroom and other settings. Basically models of teaching are prescriptive teaching strategies designed to accomplish particular instructional goals. They are prescriptive in the sense that the teacher’s responsibility during the planning, implementing and evaluating stages are clearly defined.

Teaching models have long histories behind them; they have been refined through experiences so that they can be used comfortably and effectively in classroom. Furthermore, they are adaptable they can be adjusted to the learning styles of students and to the requirements of the subject matter. Again there is evidence that they work. Besides being validated by experiences, all are backed by some amount of formal research that tests their theories and abilities to gain effects.  

Definition

Weil and Joyce (1978); A model of teaching consists of guidelines for designing educational activities and environments. It specifies ways of teaching and learning that are intended to achieve certain kinds of goals.

Main Characteristics of a Teaching Model

Some common identifiable characteristics of good models are;

1. Specification of Learning Outcome

All models of teaching specify what students should perform after completing an instructional sequence.

2. Specification of Environment

A teaching model specifies in definite terms the environmental conditions under which a student’s response should be observed

3. Specification of Criterion of Performance

A model of teaching specifies the criterion of performance which is expected from the students.

4. Specification of Operations

A model of teaching specifies the mechanism that provides for the reaction of students and interaction with the environment.

5. Specification of Procedure

A model of teaching is based on a systematic procedure to modify the behavior of the learner. It is not a haphazard combination of facts.

Fundamental Elements of Models of Teaching

For using a model, the teacher must know the theoretical orientation and practical implementation of the model. Thus, the fundamental elements of a model of teaching are,

• Focus of the model
• Syntax
• The social system
• Principles of reaction
• The support system
• Applications of the model
• Instructional and nurturant effect

1. Focus of the Model

Focus describes the goals and objectives of the model, theoretical assumptions, the principles and major concepts underlying the model. It gives the description of the environment also. So, the focus constitutes the objectives of teaching and environmental description.

2.  Syntax

Syntax includes the sequence of steps involved in the organization of the complex program of teaching.

3.  The social system

The social system describes students and teacher roles and relationships and the kind of norms that are encouraged. The leadership roles of teacher vary greatly from model to model. The teacher may be a reflector or a facilitator of group activity in some models. In some other models the teacher may be the centre of activity.

4.  Principles of Reaction

This aspect tells the teacher how to regard the learner and how to respond to what the learner does. Principles of reaction provide the teacher with rules of thumb by which to tune into the students and select model.

5. Support system

The support system relates to the additional requirements other than the usual human skills or capacities of the teacher and facilities usually available in the ordinary class room. These requirements refer to special skills, special knowledge of the teacher and special audio-visual materials like films, self instructional material, visit to special places etc.

6. Application of the model

Several types of teaching models are available. Some models are developed for some specific purpose, whereas others have very wide general applications. For eg. some are designed to develop social relationships; some are designed to develop social development along with academic and personal development.

7.  Instructional and Nurturant Effects.

The description of the effects of model can validly be categorized as the direct or instructional effect and indirect or nurturant effects. The instructional effects are those directly achieved by leading the learner in certain directions. The nurturant effects come from experiencing the environment created by the model.

Classification of Models of Teaching OR

Families of Models of Teaching

Joyce and Weil (1992) found that Models of Teaching are in abundance. They have been developed by educationists, psychologists, sociologists, system analysts, psychiatrists and many others. Joyce and Weil grouped them into four families. They are;

1. Information Processing Family
2. Personal Family
3. Social Family
4. Behavioral Family

Information Processing Family

The information processing models emphasis ways of enhancing the human beings innate drive to make sense of the world by acquiring and organizing data, sensing problems and generating solutions to them and developing concepts and language for conveying them. Some models provide the learner with information and concepts, some emphasis on concept formation and hypothesis testing and still others generate creative thinking.

A few are designed to enhance general intellectual ability. Many information processing models are useful for studying the self,, society, and thus for achieving the personal and social goals of education. The information processing models help students to learn how to construct knowledge. They focus directly on intellectual capability.

Some information processing models are given below.

Models		Developers
1	Inductive Thinking	Hilda Taba
2	Concept Attainment	Jerome Bruner
3	Advance Organizer	David Ausubel
4	Inquiry Training	Richard Suchman
5	Synetics	Bill Gordon

Personal Family

These models focus on the personal development of the individuals and help them to develop positive relationship with the environment. They help to develop capacity for self education and the need to develop self awareness and understanding. They are concerned with human feelings and emotions

Some models belongs to personal families are;

Models		Developers
1	Non Directive Teaching	Carl Rogers
2	Enhancing Self- Esteem	Abraham Maslow
3	Class room Meeting	William Glasser

Social Family

Models of social family help students to learn

• How to sharpen their own cognitions through interactions with others

• How to work productively with individuals and
• How to work as a member of a group.

 In terms of cognitive and academic growth, the models help students use the perspectives of other persons, both individual and group perspective to classify and expand their own thinking and conceptualization of ideas. Some model belongs to this family are;

Models		Developers
1	Jurisprudential Inquiry	James shaver Donald Oliver
2	Role Playing	Fannie Shaftel
3	Structured Inquiry	Robert Slavin
4	Group Investigation	John Dewey
5	Positive Interdependence	David Johnson Roger Johnson Elizabeth Cohen

Behavioral Family

These models are based on the human’s ability to modify behavior in response to tasks and feed back. These models are used in a wide variety of applications, from teaching information, teaching concepts and skills, increasing comfort, changing habits and learning to control one’s behavior. This family includes the following models

Models		Developers
1	Social Learning	Albert Bandura
2	Mastery Learning	Benjamin S. Bloom
3	Programmed Learning	B.F. Skinner
4	Simulation	Carl Smith Mary Smith
5	Direct Instruction	Tom Good Jere Brophy