And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Colossians 3:23
Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.  Proverbs 16:3

COMMON TEACHING METHODS

LECTURE

STRENGTHS:

• presents factual material in direct, logical manner

• contains experience which inspires

• useful for large groups

LIMITATIONS:

• experts are not always good teachers

• class is passive

• learning is difficult to gauge

• communication is one way

PREPARATION

• needs clear introduction and summary

• needs time and content limit to be effective

• should include examples, anecdotes

LECTURE WITH DISCUSSION

STRENGTHS:

• involves class at least after the lecture

• class can question, clarify & challenge

LIMITATIONS:

• time may limit discussion period

• limited to quality of questions and discussion

PREPARATION:

• requires that questions be prepared prior to discussion

PANEL OF EXPERTS

STRENGTHS:

• allows experts to present different opinions

• can provoke better discussion than a one person discussion

• frequent change of speaker keeps attention from lagging

LIMITATIONS:

• experts may not be good speakers

• personalities may overshadow content

• subject may not be in logical order

PREPARATION:

• teacher coordinates focus of panel, introduces and summarizes

BRAINSTORM

STRENGTHS:

• listening exercise that allows creative thinking

• encourages full participation

• draws on group's knowledge and experience

• spirit of congeniality is created

• one question can spark off others

LIMITATIONS:

• can be unfocused

• needs to be limited to 5 - 7 minutes

• if not facilitated well, criticism and evaluation may occur

PREPARATION:

• teacher selects subject

• must have some ideas if group needs to be stimulated

VIDEOTAPES / SLIDES

STRENGTHS:

• entertaining way of teaching content

• keep group's attention

• adds visual to oral & written teaching aidsl

• stimulates discussion

LIMITATIONS:

• can raise too many issues to have a focused discussion

• discussion may not have full participation

• only as effective as following discussion

PREPARATION:

• need to set up equipment

• effective only if teacher prepares questions to discuss after the show

DISCUSSION

STRENGTHS:

• pools experiences from group

• effective after a presentation, film or experience that needs to be analyzed

• allows everyone to participate in an active process

LIMITATIONS:

• not practical with more that 20 people

• few people can dominate

• others may not participate

• is time consuming

• can get off the track

PREPARATION:

• requires careful planning by teacher to guide discussion

• requires question outline

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION

STRENGTHS:

• allows participation of everyone

• people often more comfortable in small groups

• can reach group consensus

LIMITATIONS:

• needs careful thought as to purpose of group

• groups may get side tracked

PREPARATION:

• needs to prepare specific tasks or questions for group to answer

CASE STUDIES

STRENGTHS:

• develops analytic and problem solving skills

• allows for exploration of solutions for complex issues

• allows student to apply new knowledge

LIMITATIONS:

• people may not see relevance to own situation

• insufficient information can lead to inappropriate results

PREPARATION:

• case must be clearly defined in some cases

• case study must be prepared

ROLE PLAYS

STRENGTHS:

• introduces situation dramatically

• provides opportunity for people to assume roles of others
  and thus appreciate another point of view

• allows for exploration of solutions

• provides opportunity to practice skills

LIMITATIONS:

• people may be too self-conscious

• not appropriate for large groups

• people may feel threatened

PREPARATION:

• teacher has to define problem situation and roles clearly

• teacher must give very clear instructions

REPORT-BACK-SESSIONS

STRENGTHS:

• allows for large group discussion of role plays, case studies,
  and small group exercise

• gives people a chance to reflect on experience

• each group takes responsibility for its operation

LIMITATIONS:

• can be repetitive if each small group says the same thing

PREPARATION:

• teacher has to prepare questions for groups to discuss

WORKSHEET / SURVEYS

STRENGTHS:

• allows people to think for themselves without being influences by others

• individual thoughts can then be shared in large group

LIMITATIONS:

• can be used only for short period of time

PREPARATION:

• teacher has to prepare handouts

INDEX CARD EXERCISE

STRENGTHS:

• opportunity to explore difficult and complex issues

LIMITATIONS:

• people may not do exercise

PREPARATION:

• teacher must prepare questions

GUEST SPEAKER

STRENGTHS:

• personalizes topic

• breaks down class's stereotypes

LIMITATIONS:

• may not be a good speaker

PREPARATION:

• contact speakers and coordinate

• introduce speaker appropriately

 VALUES CLARIFICATION EXERCISE

STRENGTHS:

• opportunity to explore values and beliefs

• allows people to discuss values in a safe environment

• gives structure to discussion

LIMITATION:

• people may not be honest

• people may be too self-conscious

PREPARATION:

• teacher must carefully prepare exercise

• must give clear instructions

• teacher must prepare discussion questions