Tips on Teaching Content
No matter what subject you teach, whether It’s English, Maths, Science or Languages, content is always present.
As a tutor, it can be difficult to know what to prepare and how to teach content. Sometimes, in subjects such as Legal Studies or Chemistry, content can be dry, heavy and overloading!
How are we then expected to teach in a fun, enjoyable and ‘simple’ manner when we have to teach complex methods?
In this blog, I’d like to give you a practical acronym on how you can rearrange your lessons to teach content not only in a more enjoyable way, but in a way that is easy and applicable for the students to grasp.
C– Cover all content areas in dot point and summary form. Do not come with hundreds of worksheets and information. Instead, summarise it in simple dot points to ensure it is easy for the students to read and understand. This will also ensure that you will have time to teach and apply the learnt content, as summaries save a lot of time!
O– Only provide simple definitions. Be sure to rearrange definitions, changing them to simple language that can be easily understood. Complex and wordy definitions can sometimes overload and complicate the students.
N– Never allow your whole tutoring session to be taken up by content alone unless it is really necessary. It is important to have other materials, games, activities or quizzes in order to apply the learnt knowledge. Having a class with learning solely content can be dry, boring and overwhelming for the students.
T– Talk to your students and ask them the best way they learn and what they personally want to focus on within the content. In doing this you may find that simple methods, such as cue cards or quizzes are the best way to teach a student. It is also important to communicate in order to ensure that you are not teaching unnecessary parts of the curriculum and are only teaching based on your student’s requests.
E– Evaluate the situation and never move on until you determine whether your student is confident and ready to move on. Therefore, providing quizzes or tests may be necessary to test their ability. The goal as a tutor is to fill in all those gaps within a student’s learning. That’s why, despite how long it takes, never move on until all those gaps have been filled and the student is comfortable and confident with the content.
N– Noting dot points within the class is a great way to help your student retain the information. There is evidence to show that people are more likely to remember something when they write it down and not just hear or say it. Therefore, getting your students to write down important notes or summaries within the content is crucial to them retaining and comprehending information.
T– Take a moment at the end of the class to apply learnt theory through practical games and activities. This is the fun part, so be sure to prepare fun ways to apply content information.
So, when it comes to content, no matter what subject you teach, there are numerous ways to make it more simplified and easy to follow. Quit overloading your student’s with complex information, and follow this acronym to ensure you can teach content in an effective and efficient manner that will ensure optimum success and improvement in your students learning!
If you’re interested on some ways to get the most out of your tutoring experience, then check out our Tutors in Sydney website or have a look at our Tutor Blog for more great articles!
Article Source : https://topoftheclass.com.au/blog/tips-on-teaching-content/