TEACHING SKILLS

PRESENTED BY: H. RUFUS RAJ Lecturer, Al Shifa College of Nursing

Definition
A teaching skill can be defined as a set of teacher behaviours which are specially effective in bringing about desired changes in students.

Component of Teaching skills Associated with Different Stages of a Lesson

Stages of a lesson I. Planning Stage Component Teaching Skills 1. Writing instructional objectives 2. Selecting the content 3. Organising the content 4. Selection of the audio-visual aids material

II. Introductory Stage

5. Creating set for introducing the lesson 6. Introducing the lesson

Contd.

Stages of a lesson

Component Teaching Skills

A. Questioning Skills 7, Structuring classroom questions 8. Fluency in questioning 9. Probing questions 10. Questions - delivery and distribution 11. The use of higher order questions 12. Divergent questions 13. Response management. B. Presentation Skills 14. Pacing of the lesson 15. Lecturing 16. Explaining 17. Discussing 18. Demonstrating 19. Illustration with examples 20. Using teaching aids 21. Stimulus variation 22. Silence and non-verbal cues. 23. Reinforcement C. Managerial skills 24. Promoting pupil participation 25. Recognising attending behaviour 26. Management of the class

III. Presentation Stage

Contd.

Contd.

Stages of a lesson IV. Closing Stage

Component Teaching Skills 27. Achieving closure 28. Planned repetition 29. Giving assignments 30. Evaluating pupils progress 31. Diagnosing pupil learning difficulties and taking remedial measures.

Important Teaching skills

Skill of stimulus variation Skill of explanation Skill of reinforcement Skill of promoting student participation Skill of using examples Questioning skills

Contd.

Stimulus variation
Behaviours associated with this skill as follows:
Teacher movements : Deliberate and timed shifts about the room can help to revive and/or sustain interest. Focusing behaviour: Communication can be aided by the use of verbal focusing and gestural focusing (using eye movements, facial expressions and movement of head, arms, and body).

Changes in speech patterns : This involves changing the quality, expressiveness, tone and rate of speech, all of which can increase attention.
Changing interaction : Teacher and class, teacher and student and student and student instead of teacher monologue. Shifting sensory channels : Pupils ability to take information can be increased by appealing to sight and sound alternatively. Thus, the teacher has to judiciously use audio-visual aids while teaching.

Explanation
Factors contribute to the effectiveness in explanation: Continuity : Maintaining a strong connecting thread through a lesson is a matter of greater importance. Simplicity : Use simple, intelligible and grammatical sentences. Keep sentences short and use simple words. Explicitness : explanations are concerned one must be as explicit as possible.

Reinforcement
Education is concerned with the modification of behaviour. Teacher has to reinforce desirable behaviours shown by the student in the clinical area or class room by providing positive feedback. Student repeats the desirable behaviours without the influence of extrinsic motivators. Reinforcement can be achieved by a general approach of giving positive verbal or written reward by highlighting the desirable behaviours rather than the short comings.

Promoting student participation

Promoting student participation equips the student to lead a socially and economically productive life.

Helps to unleash the talents of students.

Progressive in the sense that it will contribute to the

further development of the student.

Increases the level of intelligence, receptivity and mental maturity. Helps to identify desirable and needed information from the student.

Use of examples
Use of examples is a fundamental aspect of teaching particularly in the presentation of new material. Guidelines for the effective use of examples (a) Start with simple examples and work towards more complex ones (b) Start with examples relevant to pupils' experience and level of knowledge (c) Relate examples to the principles, idea or generalisation being taught (d) Check to see whether you have accomplished your objectives by asking the pupils to give you examples. Teaching with the help of examples is known as inductive teaching.

Questions and questioning

Purposes in Asking Questions :
To arouse interest and curiosity concerning a topic To focus attention on a particular issue or concept To develop an active approach to learning, To stimulate pupils to ask questions to themselves and others To structure a task in such a way that learning will be maximised To diagnose specific difficulties inhibiting pupil learning To provide an opportunity for pupils to assimilate and reflect upon information To express a genuine interest in the ideas and feelings of the pupil.

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