Techniques

of Teaching
A technique / strategy is implemental , that
which actually takes place in a classroom .It is a
particular trick,strategm or contrivance used to
achieve an immediate objective.Techniques
must be consistent with the method and so in
harmony with the approach.
 Advantages
1. It improves fluency of speech
2. It makes students active
3. It facilitates more retention power
4. It gives sufficient opportunity for expression
5. It makes use of audio visual aids
6. It discourages use of mother tongue
7. It helps learners acquire mastery of structures
8. It promotes the use of day to day English
9. It focuses on all language skills
 Disadvantages
1.It over emphasizes oral work
2.It sidelines teaching of literature
3.It consumes a lot of time
4.It ignores reading and writing
5.It requires highly competent teachers
6.It neglects vocabulary expansion
7.It stresses on form and disregards meaning
Various techniques of
teaching
NARRATION
Narration means telling stories or giving oral accounts of
events for information of others.The purpose of narration is to
present a clear,vivid,interesting and
ordered sequence of events to the
pupils.
Narration is an art which every
teacher of English should learn as he
has often to narrate or tell a story
or to sketch and recount some happenings.To be a good
narrator,he should know the skilful use of language and
speech,he should know the metaphors and similies relating to
experiences familiar to pupils.
DESCRIPTION
Description is the act of representing a thing by
words;account of the properties or appearance of
something.In other words,description is the portrayal in
words, of a person ,object ,thing ,phenomenon or event.The
purpose is to give a mental picture of the same to the pupils.
EXPLANATIO
NThe object of this technique is to enable children to take an
intelligent interest in the proceedings,
to grasp the purpose of what is being
done and to develop their understand
ing of how to do it.Explanation forms
a kind of bridge between telling and
revealing knowledge to the learners
and it involves a number of other
techniques as well as narration and
description.
 “Describe" is more often used when you try to visualize
something whereas "explain" is more close to elaborate on
something to make it easier to understand.
If you describe a person, object, event, or situation, you say
what they are like or what happened.
If you explain something, you give details about it or describe it
so that it can be understood.
EXPOSITION
Exposition is a time honoured technique particularly
employed at the presentation stage of a
lesson.It is a technique of giving new
information initially and then clarifying it
in detail.The purpose of exposition is to
promote thinking among the pupils and
thus to enable them to grasp the meanings of
of the subject matter presented in an intelligible manner.
REVIEW
It is the process of going through some material after its initial
learning.Review is an intelligent re-examination of something
learnt with a view to enrich the acquisition ,clarify ideas or to re
organise the material and register it appropriately in the
cognitive structure.It involves recall,renewal as well as
establishment of new relations.
GROUP
DISCUSSION
A group discussion means an exchange of ideas with all the
members of the group participating in it accompanied by active
learning.It is the free interchange of facts ,concepts,
information, view points,data etc.regarding a topic by a group.
Group discussion is an activity in which people talk together in
order to share information about
a topic or problems to seek
possible available evidence or a
solution.
 SPONTANEOUS
DISCUSSION

GROUP
DISCUSSION

PLANNED
DISCUSSION
TYPES OF DISCUSSION
1. Spontaneous discussion – Spontanous
discussion generally results from doubts raised
by students about current events related to the
topic under study.This method helps the
students to gain updated information helpful for
analysing issues and relating these to real life
situations.
2. Planned discussion – In this ,activities are
planned in advance.Here the teacher’s role is to
encourage the students to participate actively in
the discussion according to the pre-plan.
 ADVANTAGES OF GROUP
DISCUSSION TECHNIQUE
1.It develops group feeling and social participation.
2.It develops self confidence and sense of responsibilty among
the individuals.
3.It enables the learner to analyse
the subject matter thoroughly.
4.It helps to develop communicati
on skill of the learners.
5.Teacher can observe pupils in
action and thus collect
information regarding their
behaviour.
 DISADVANTAGES OF
GROUP DISCUSSION
TECHNIQUE
1.It is time consuming.
2.Lack of preperation among the students may make the
discussion pointless.
3.It is not applicable at lower level classes.
DRAMATISATI
ON
Dramatisation is the natural and systematic enaction of life
situations with a view to give realistic and meaningful
understanding and appreciation.In dramatisation ,life situations
are depicted in the form of a drama and the ideas to be
presented are revealed through the action,
conversation and behavioral
patterns of the characters.This is an
effective aid to learning for effective
curriculum transaction.
ROLE PLAYING
Role playing is a task in which an individual or group enacts the
roles of others.It is an excellent strategy or technique helpful
for studying social behaviour and language learning.In role
playing the content of a specific problem,the solutions to the
problem,the feelings of the role players,etc.can be realistically
experienced by the pupils if they are made to enact the various
aspects related to it.
 TYPES OF ROLE PLAYING
1.Structured role playing - In this role playing , the teacher
selects the situations to be enacted in advance and specifies
the goals of the activity.Proper planning is required for this.
2.Spontanous role playing – It arises in the midst of a
discussion.
Dramatisation is different from role playing in that,the
former is based on a story and the latter is based on a
situation.Role playing does not require a story.
BRAINSTORMI
NG is basically an activity designed to promote
Brainstorming
creativity.It is a form of discussion which enables the group to do
collective creative thinking.The emphasis in brainstorming is upon
eliciting from the students as many different ideas as possible
concerning a situation for more careful
consideration at a later time. This technique
is very useful in English Language Education
,because it facilitates student’s contribution
and involvement in the teaching-learning
process.
BUZZ SESSION
In Buzz session students are split into small groups for a specific
period of time and are made to discuss a given issue or
topic.Reports on the results of the discussion of various buzz
groups are then presented to the entire class and a thorough
discussion is stimulated.This technique is employed when ,in the
course of a lecture or some other similar programme,the
students become very motivated and raise arguments regarding a
particular issue.
SIMULATION
Simulation is the strategy of presenting a problem or an event in
artificially created situations similar to the real ones.A mini
working model of an aeroplane being used in training pilots to
learn and practice the working of an
aircraft is an example of simulation.
While teaching English language,the
teacher can set up an artificial situation
of an English speech,a debate in English
in session etc.in the school and can give
training to the students in the various
activities involved in the functioning of
these.
DEBATE
This technique can be employed successfully only for teaching
topics involving controversies,where views can be expressed both
for and against the issue to be discussed.In this technique the
teacher selects speakers for and against the issue ,guides and
prepares them,for the same and finally gets it staged for
providing realistic experiences to the rest of his students.
 POINTS TO
1.Topic and date must be informed in advance so that the
REMEMBER
participants get sufficient time for preparation.
2.Topic should be clear, simple and interesting and must be one
involving controversies.
3.Speakers are to be selected from the class and then divided
into two groups to argue for or
against the motion.
4.The chairman is to be nominated
in advance.
4.When preparing for a debate,
the arguments for either group
must be arranged in logical
sequence.
WORKSHOP
In a workshop,persons have to engage in some productive task
out of which something tangible can be created.Workshop is an
assembled group of ten to twenty five persons who share a
common interest or problem.They meet together to improve
their individual proficiency,to solve a problem or to externalise
knowledge and skill of a subject through intensive practical work
and discussions.In an educati
onal workshop also something
tangible has to be produced by
the participants.The product
may be some equipment,
instructional material,an
action plan etc.
ADVANTAGES OF A
WORKSHOP
1.It helps to develop practical and realistic knowledge regarding
the topic concerned.
2.It develops the sense of co-operation and group work.
3.It develops creativity of the students.
4.It helps to eliminate the fear to face a problematic situation.
5.It results in the production of tangible material that could be
used by others.
 DISADVANTAGES OF A
WORKSHOP
1.Lack of motivation on the part of the teacher concerned may
adversely effect the goal behind the workshop.
2.Lack of availability of resource person as well as materials may
create difficulty in conducting a workshop.
3.Special room and facilities required for practical work if any and
discussion may be absent in ordinary school situation.
SYMPOSIUM
A symposium is a kind of discussion in which a number of
speakers talk on the same topic,emphasising different
aspects.Selected speakers present prepared speeches.The
symposium method is appropriate for any occasion provided the
purpose is to present several sides of the same issue or to
approach a central theme from different perspectives at a single
session.
ADVANTAGES OF A
SYMPOSIUM
1.A symposium brings together knowledgeable speakers who
present a variety of opinions on a given topic.
2.A problem can be explored quite thoroughly by the symposium
method.
3.The audience get the benefit of hearing different points of view
that can be challenging and stimulating.
DISADVANTAGES OF A
SYMPOSIUM
1.The formal structure tends to promote passivity among the
audience since there is little scope for their active participation
unless they are intellectually disturbed by the presentation.
2.Sometimes the speakers fail to check the scope with each other
prior to the meeting, which results in repetition of information,
confusion and deviations from the assigned topic.
3.It is sometimes difficult to find enough competent speakers to
cover the topic adequately.
SEMINAR
Seminar is a structured group discussion ,that may proceed or
follow a formal lecture,often in the form of an essay or a paper
presentation.It is a highly practical and useful educative
programme to a large group.In this technique a person presents a
readymade paper or lecture on
a specific subject before a group.
The paper presenter can either
be an expert from outside or
one of the members of the
group.
TYPES OF SEMINAR
On the basis of scope and level of organization,a seminar is of
three types.They are:
1.Mini seminar -A seminar organised to discuss a topic in a class
can be considered as a mini seminar.
2.Major seminar –It is a seminar which is organised at
departmental level or institutional level on a major theme.
3.State/National/International seminar- A governmental or a
non-governmental organization or international agencies
occasionally organise seminars on state/national/international
levels.Such seminars belong to this category.The range of locality
and reputation of key resource persons and delegates decide the
level of the seminar.
ADVANTAGES OF A
SEMINAR
1.It helps the learner to develop analytical and critical thinking.
2.The presenter can be evaluated with respect to his skill in
organising and presenting the given subject matter in a
systematic way.
3.It develops in learners self-reliance and
self-confidence.
4.It develops the ability to comprehend
major ideas by listening.
5.It develops the ability to raise relevant
and pin-pointed questions.
DISADVANTAGES OF A
SEMINAR
1.Lack of preparation on the part of th paper presenter may
make the seminar a mere waste.
2.The formal structure of seminar restricts the participants from
asking questions as and when needed.
3.The success of the seminar fully depends on the ability of the
person who is presenting the topic. His inability will create
problems.
 STORY
Story telling is one of the most important methods of
TELLING
teaching.It is an art which enables the teacher to come very
close to the heart of the students and thereby he attracts their
attention.Story telling enables the teacher to make lessons
lively and interesting to the pupils.Some teachers are born
storytellers.This art of story telling
aims at presenting to the pupils,
through the medium of speech,clear,
vivid,interesting,ordered sequences of
events,in such a way that their minds
reconstruct these happenings and they
live in imagination through the
experiences recounted either as
spectators or possibly as participators.