Learning strategies are defined as the tactics used by the students in their learning process. It is the self-generated action that helps them to optimize the method of obtaining, retaining, and using the acquired information.
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Highly Effective Techniques of Learning Strategies
Some of the highly effective techniques of learning strategies are as follows
1. Practice Testing
This modus operandi is also referred to as Retrieval Practice and is considered one of the best learning techniques. Practice testing enhances the learning as well as retention abilities in the students.
As the name suggests, the strategy involves frequent testing regularly so that the students can develop and boost the art of recalling information from memory. This is a learning technique; hence the tests should be of no value or very low stakes so that there is no pressure on the learner.
The practice testing can be conducted by either a teacher or by the student himself. This technique works on every student irrespective of his age and also on different types of content areas like images and texts.
2. Distributed Practice
Distributed Practice is a prevalent learning technique that is also referred to as Spacing. The learning sessions in this technique are spread out over time so that the learner can grasp the intricacies of the concept easily.
Spacing learning can be spread across days, weeks, and months depending on the amount of information. The teachers should keep on introducing new subjects and return to it at regular intervals for long-term retention of the materials.
This technique works on every student irrespective of his age and across different types of materials and content areas like images, lectures, text, vocabulary, and skill development.
3. Interleaved Practice
This type of learning technique deals with an alternative practice of various skills within the same time frame. This strategy is considered most effective in specific subjects like mathematics.
As per published reports, students who have used the Interleaved Practice of learning strategy have been more accurate during examinations. It is used on students at every level like college, high school, middle school, and even at the elementary level.
4. Elaborative Interrogation
It is one of the most common techniques of learning where the teacher asks the learners to explain the reason why they consider a concept or fact as true. It has been proven that students, with the help of elaborative interrogation, have showed improved learning and memory power.
This strategy of learning is most suitable for students who are in high school, middle school, and elementary level and for those who already have background information on the topic.
5. Self-explanation
In a self-explanation learning strategy, the teachers ask the learners to explain their thought processes. In most cases, the emphasis is on the concept, but here it is on the thought process. Students who use this learning strategy have seen positive impacts.
There has been an improvement in logical reasoning abilities, problem-solving skills, and recalling information. It is used successfully on students at high school, middle school, and elementary levels in all the content areas.
Types of Active Learning Strategies
The various types of active learning strategies are as follows
1. The Muddiest Point Technique
This type of strategy encourages students to write notes on what they consider the most confusing part of their lecture or home assignment. It is a sort of insightful feedback where the students are encouraged to reflect on their lessons and find out about the elements that are unclear and need further learning.
2. Peer Teaching Activities
This strategy for learning is a flexible approach where it is the students who act as instructors and explain various concepts to their peers or classmates
. The peer teaching activities include role play where all the students of one group play the same role and reading buddies where two students are paired for an assigned task and cross-age peer tutoring where two students of different grades take part, and the advanced grade student instructs the student from the lessor grade.
The advantages of peer strategies include improving group processing, accountability, literacy scores, critical thinking, interpersonal skills, reasoning power, self-confidence, and student interactions.
3. Reciprocal Questioning
It refers to the activity in a classroom where the students are shown how they can get more involved in the reading process. Reciprocal strategies prove a boon in helping a student to stay engaged and boost his overall comprehension. It includes four building blocks known as predicting, clarifying, questioning, and summarizing that allows students to learn on their own as well as in groups and improve literacy.
During reciprocal questioning, the students create questions about a lesson or topic, just like a teacher, and use it to their advantage. It boosts critical thinking because it allows students to explore various aspects of a harmonious environment.
Reciprocal questioning proves a blessing during discussions in great detail as well as preparation for exams.
4. The Pause Procedure
This is an effective strategy for learning that includes taking strategic pauses during lectures to boost student understanding. In the pause procedure, the teacher consciously takes brief breaks or pauses of two to three minutes after every 10 to 15 minutes.
During these breaks, the students are encouraged to discuss their works, review notes, raise questions, discuss and clarify important points and solve the problems posed by the teachers.
5. The Devil’s Advocate Approach
This is a type of strategy where one or more students are encouraged to take opposing sides in an argument or discussion to facilitate different viewpoints. After completing a lesson, a topic is selected that is considered suitable for debate.
Discussions are held, and both sides provide their arguments in favor of and against it. The devil’s advocate approach challenges the students to expand their understanding and view it through various points.
The students clarify issues and provide suitable alternatives to various problems at hand. The multiple perspectives encourage critical thinking, deeper understating, and student engagement.
6. Three-step Interviews
The three steps interview is a process where all the students are divided into groups of three and assigned three roles of note-taker, interviewee, and interviewer, which is rotated repeatedly so that each student can take part in all three roles.
This type of learning strategy is also referred to as cooperative learning as it helps to develop listening skills.
The students are encouraged inactive participate by sharing thoughts, questioning each other, and taking notes. The process has proved useful as it boosts accountability and improves student’s engagement.
7. Rotating Chair Group Discussions
The rotating chair group discussions are one of the most important strategies for learning as it encourages students to listen to speakers that can guide discussions and summarize previous points effectively.
These selected students stimulate discussions in the classroom. When a student wants to participate, he raises his hand, and then the speaker calls to him so that he can offer his viewpoint. Rotating chair group, discussions are about leading as well as rotating roles so that all the interested students get a chance to participate.
8. Game-based Learning Platforms
This type of strategy for learning encourages students to use technology and work with their teachers to gain learning objectives. The Game-based learning platforms add depth to the educational process via relevant and related evaluation and application.
Various websites and technology-based platforms assist students in identifying trouble spots and delivering apt solutions to the issues.
Effective Teaching Strategies for the Classroom
Some of the effective teaching strategies for the classroom are as follows
1. Cooperative Learning Strategies
This type of teaching and learning strategies are considered dynamic as it helps to bring together students with different personalities and abilities so that they can work together as groups. Expressing ideas verbally helps to develop self-confidence and leads to enhanced critical thinking skills in learners.
2. Inquiry-based Instruction
These innovative teaching strategies inspire students to become independent learners. The students are encouraged to ask questions to get a deeper understanding of all the concepts. This improves their problem-solving skills.
3. Visualization
It is considered an innovative teaching strategy that can meet the learning needs of a learner virtually. Visualization is one of the most popular academic concepts that bring to life all the words through the visual medium. Examples of visualization teaching strategies include video clips and local field trips.
4. Differentiation
In this strategy, tasks are differentiated and later assigned by the teachers based on the abilities of the students so that everyone can move forward together.
5. Technology
One of the essential teaching strategies in recent times is the integration of technology in learning. It actively engages students with the help of tablets, iPads, computers, etc. so that learning becomes interesting as well as easy
6. Behavior Management
This type of teaching strategy is used so that the students can reach their full potential and utilize their learning capabilities.
7. Professional Development
One of the best teaching techniques to enhance learning abilities is by engaging the students in programs related to professional development, for instance, safety training, etc.
Conclusion
Learning strategies refer to the specific techniques and steps that a student uses intentionally to improve his memory so that he can be better at learning and test-taking strategies.
In simple terms, it is an individuals’ approach to using a specific set of skills to accomplish tasks effectively. Different learning strategies are beneficial for a student as it helps to improve attention, increase learning outcomes, and boost engagement and comprehension during the learning process.
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