ECT 211: TEACHING

STRATEGIES AND
THEORIES

Dr. Orado
Dr.
Muindi
LEARNING OUTCOMES
• By the end of this lesson, you
will be able to:
• Identify and differentiate between
key Teaching strategies
• Identify methods of teaching
under each key strategy
• Outline advantages and
disadvantages of different
methods of teaching
• Describe Kolb’s Theory of
Experiential learning and apply it
to teaching
LESSON CONTENT
• Introduction
• Teaching Strategies and
Methods of Teaching
• Kolb’s Theory of
Experiential Learning
• Conclusion
 INTRODUCTION
• Teaching is a process where a
teacher engages and interacts
with learners to enable their
understanding and application of
knowledge, concepts and
processes.
Think, Pair and
Share: What do you
think about teaching
in terms of whether it
is easy or difficult
• Teaching is a complex process
• It involves aligning the three
major components of teaching:
learning outcomes, lesson
activities and assessment.
• Effective teaching is one that
ensures that all the three
components are aligned
• This lesson will help us to
understand strategies and
methods that can be employed to
enable alignment of components of
teaching
TEACHING STRATEGIES
• A teaching strategy also
sometimes referred to as
approach is a set of methods or
techniques that can be used in
teaching
• There are two main strategies
or approaches in teaching
• Expository
• Heuristic
1. Expository Strategy
• Characterised by one-way
communication from the teacher to
the students with limited teacher -
students or student – student
interactions
• A strategy where the teacher is the
centre of the teaching and learning
process
• The teacher gives all the information
that is required in the lesson
• The students’ main job is to receive
the information as given by the
teacher
Teaching Methods in Expository
Strategy /approach
1. Lecture: A teaching method where a
teacher typically stands before
students and delivers lesson content
in a structured way
2. Demonstration: A teaching
method that helps a teacher to show
learners how to do a given task
using sequential instructions
• In summary,
• Expository strategy/approach is
teacher-centred
• Lecture may be referred to as a
“Teacher talk” teaching method
while Demonstration is a “Teacher
do” teaching method
• Task: What are the
advantages and
disadvantages of
Expository teaching
strategy/approach?
• Advantages of Expository
Strategy
• Saves time by delivering a lot of
content in a short time
• Helps students in the acquisition
of relatively factual information
• Helps students stay focused on
the topic at hand
• It gives the students training in
listening and note taking.
• It develops good audience habits.
• Enables learning of a skill(s) as
demonstrated by the teacher
• Disadvantages of Expository
Strategy
• Students are mostly passive in their
learning
• There is very little scope for pupil
activity
• Discourage self-effort by the
students
• Enhances boredom and monotony in
the teaching and learning process
• Does not allow learners to express
their views and opinions on what
they are told
2.Heuristic Strategy
• Heuristic is derived from the
Greek word ‘Eureka’ or
‘Eurisko’ which means
‘search’, ‘discover’ or ‘find’
• Emphasises learning by doing
• Is characterised by activities
carried out by students
• The teacher serves only as a
guide or facilitator of learning
Teaching Methods in Heuristic Strategy
/approach
1. Practical work: A teaching method that
allows students to learn by manipulating
apparatus, equipment and materials
2. Field work: A teaching method that
allows students to learn from activities
and experiences outside the classroom
3. Project work: A teaching method that
allows students to gain knowledge and
skills by working in groups of 2-3 for an
extended period of time to
investigate and respond to an
authentic, engaging, and complex
question, problem, or challenge
• In summary,
• Heuristic strategy/approach is learner-
centred
• All the methods of teaching in
Heuristic strategy involve activities
conducted by learners

• Task: What are the

advantages and
disadvantages of
Heuristic teaching
strategy/approach?
• Advantages of Heuristic Strategy
• Enhances the development of several
important competencies and skills such
as communication and collaboration,
critical thinking and problem solving,
manipulation, observation, questioning
and self-confidence
• It enhances self-learning and helps
students delve deeper into new
concepts.
• Lets the learner explore their
surrounding to find solutions to real-life
problems
• It gives the students a sense of
achievement
• Disadvantages of Heuristic
Strategy
• Requires a lot of time to plan and
implement
• It is expensive and costly as it
requires availability of equipment,
apparatus and materials for
activities
• Requires students who are self-
driven to successfully employ the
strategy
KOLB’S THEORY OF
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
• Was proposed by Kolb, an
American education theorist in
1984
• According to the Theory, learning
is the acquisition of abstract
concepts which can then be
applied to a range of scenarios
• The theory states, “Learning is the
process whereby knowledge is
created through the transformation
of experience”
• Heuristic strategy in teaching is
based on Kolb’s Theory of
experiential learning since
• Students learn through student-
rather than teacher-centred
experiences by doing, discovering,
reflecting and applying
• According to Kolb, there are four
stages by which learning
progresses
1. Concrete experience
2. Reflective observation
3. Abstract conceptualization
Kolb’s Four Stages of Learning
and how they apply in
Teaching

1.Concrete Experience –
Encountering or having the
experience from which learning
needs to occur.
• This is the “doing” or “handling”
stage
• Teacher’s Role
• Present phenomena to students
and allow them to interact or
2. Reflective Observation – In this
stage, there is a shift from doing to
thinking and reflecting to understand
the experience or phenomena
• The learner may ask “so what does
this experience or phenomena
mean”?
• Based on available evidence
explanations that help in
understanding the phenomena can be
made
• Teacher’s Role
• Provide opportunities for learners to
think and give their ideas about the
experience
3. Abstract Conceptualization –
Learning occurs as a result of
reflecting on the experience
• The learner adapts their thinking or
constructs new ideas based on
experience and reflection
• The learner may also modify ideas
previously learned
• The learner uses theories, logic and
ideas, rather than feelings, to
understand the experience or
phenomena
• Teacher’s Role
• Emphasise the importance of data or
observations made about the
experience to reach a conclusion
4.Active Experimentation –
Applying what has been learned
to new situations
• The learner may also apply
what has been learned to
real-world situations to test
whether they work and see if
any changes need to be
made
• This is the highest stage in
learning as learners take a
practical approach rather
than theoretical approach to
• Teacher’s Role
• Allow learners to make
predictions, analyse tasks,
and make plans for the
acquired knowledge in the
future.
• Provide opportunities for
learners to put their
knowledge into practice and
show how it is relevant to
their lives
• Each stage in the cycle both supports
and leads into the next stage
• Learning is achieved only if all four
stages have been completed,
however, a learner may move around
the cycle multiple times, further
refining their understanding of the
idea or concept
• No one stage is an effective learning
strategy on its own, for example, if
the reflective observation stage is
skipped, the learner could continue to
make the same mistakes
CONCLUSION
• Teaching requires a teacher who
understands
• What to teach (content)
• Why teach it (objectives or
learning outcomes)
• How to teach it (strategies and
methods)
• How to assess what has been
learned (Assessment techniques).
• In this lesson two
strategies/approaches have been
covered (Expository and Heuristic)
• Within each strategy, there are
methods that can be employed in
teaching
• Lecture and Demonstration in
Expository Strategy
• Practical work, Field work and Project
work in Heuristic strategy
• The most effective teaching is one that
allows learners to take the centre stage
in the teaching and learning process
END