Teaching Methods
Meeting Individual Learning Styles
“At Touchstone, we place great importance on developing a strong sense of self esteem in all of our students. To do this, we promote each child’s strengths—we celebrate their gifts.”
Children learn best when given the opportunity to actively construct their own knowledge through meaningful experiences and hands–on investigations.
To ensure that all of our students’ needs are met and learning styles addressed, the teachers employ a balanced approach to teaching methodologies. Some of the methodologies used include:
- Hands–on learning—Students learn by doing. When learning about the human body, the first year students use spray bottles and pretend to sneeze. To the students’ delight, the water/germs spray their partners! The students then pretend to sneeze again, but cover the end of the spray bottle with a tissue, catching all of the “germs.” In another experiment, each student spreads a small amount of glue on his or her hand. The teacher then sprinkles glitter on the students’ hands. The students spend the next few minutes shaking hands with other students and touching objects in the classroom. The children quickly realize how fast germs/glitter spread.
- Project–based learning—Students complete projects that pursue their own interests and questions and make decisions about how they will find answers and solve problems. For example, for International Night, each student chooses a country that he or she would like to learn about. As part of their research, the students learn about such things as the culture, food, and language of their chosen country. At school, they learn songs and dances from several of the chosen countries and also construct models of landmarks for their chosen countries. On the night of the celebration, the students dress in traditional attire and bring traditional foods. Parents, family, and friends are invited to see the children’s projects, sample food from the various countries, and enjoy musical and dance selections from around the world.
- Cooperative Learning—Students work collaboratively in small groups to complete an activity or create a finished product. For example, when learning about engineering and architecture, the fourth year students work in small groups to design and create bridges using a variety of materials. The bridges’ strength is tested against a hurricane (hairdryer).
- Direct Instruction—Focused, meaningful instruction
- Integrated Curriculum—Concepts and topics are explored across various disciplines. For example, when studying Ancient Egypt, the second year students create several Egyptian–inspired art projects such as sarcophagi from tea boxes which encase their mummies wrapped in gauze. In literacy, the students listen to Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile, and then dramatically retell the story and also answer comprehension questions with a partner. In math, the students work on decoding Egyptian hieroglyphs and create word problems using the Egyptian number system. In science, they conduct an experiment using an orange and salt which helps explain the mummification process. To end the unit of study, the second year students have a class debate to explore the different opinions regarding the unearthing of Egyptian tombs.
- Student Groupings—Students are given an opportunity to explore group dynamics and also practice the different skills that are required to work with various groupings, including whole class, small group, partners, and independent. For example, when studying simple machines, the third year students worked as a whole class conducting experiments and participating in discussions. The students are also divided into small groups and are given machines to examine to determine which simple machines were incorporated and the role each performs. Students are also given the opportunity to work independently to share what they learned through writing activities and hands–on projects. Furthermore, each student invents a machine that would help make a job easier and then presents their machines at an “Invention Convention.”
- Learning by Teaching—Students are encouraged to share their knowledge with others and to assist their classmates. Students are also encouraged to share their gifts with others. For example, during chess club, the students who understand the game teach the beginners how to play.
- Oral Presentations—For students to become comfortable speaking in front of groups of people, oral presentations are invaluable. By having students complete both formal and informal presentations on a wide range of topics over the course of several months, they gradually develop their abilities and their comfort level increases. Researching and creating visual aids help students learn the importance of preparation and adhering to time requirements helps them develop a greater understanding of scheduling, editing, and focus. This practice and experience in our students' formative years goes a long way in ensuring that they always feel comfortable when expressing themselves publicly.
