Adopting appropriate approaches means that we examine the approach we use and make sure that it is right for the new emphasis of the lesson and that it will help students engage with it appropriately. Approaches can be very specific to subjects: in religion class, for example, one can use a conceptual approach or an approach that looks at religion as a phenomenon. There are more-general approaches, such as a storytelling, that might be appropriate if we are emphasizing grace (unmerited love and favor) in a person’s life. It is important to select an approach with the two criteria in mind: appropriateness both to the emphasis of the lesson and to the learners.
- Teachers can use a storytelling approach in math to make a concept more personal, such as the story of Florence Nightingale and how she used a form of pie chart to communicate her findings even though they were not what she had expected.
- Teachers can use a discussion approach in history when looking at the Treaty of Paris, or a cooperative approach in math as students help each other.
These examples show how choosing approaches can serve both the teacher’s new perspective and the students.