ROSE BUDS SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL

Teaching pedagogy, or, in other words, teaching methods, can either be teacher- or student-centered and can have a low- or high-tech approach. Teacher-centered learning focuses on the teacher giving lectures and sharing content through direct instruction. In this case, the focus is on the teacher’s knowledge and conveying that to students. As a result, teacher-centered assessments are meant for students to show how well they remember that knowledge at the end of a unit. 

Alternatively, student-centered learning guides the student to be an active participant in their learning process. While the teacher still delivers content, they take on more of a coaching or mentoring role to help students learn. Student-centered assessments, like formative assessments, are given more frequently to assess their learning progress and can be more objective than teacher-centered assessments.  

Low- and high-tech approaches refer to how many digital tools are incorporated into the learning process. A high-tech method could include technology like a learning management system (LMS), and a low-tech approach could be more paper-based, using handouts and worksheets. 

There are many ways to combine these approaches to support student understanding. For example, a high-tech, teacher-centered approach could include a Prezi presentation or a video that supplements a lesson on the Stone Age. A low-tech version of this approach would likely use a fill-in-the-blank worksheet or timeline handout. 

On the other hand, an example of a high-tech, student-centered approach could feature an interactive lesson about trigonometry using an LMS that assesses what the student already knows and provides an engaging experience with the material. Ultimately, each of these teaching methods has strengths and drawbacks in practice. Teachers may find that using a combination of pedagogical approaches that support, challenge, and engage each student is the best strategy.