CAUSES FOR VARIETY OF TEACHING STRATEGIES

The need for variety of teaching strategies is taken up by numerous curriculum writers and educational researchers and the literature suggests that three arguments support this position.

1. All students can not benefit from one strategy

Not all students learn equally well when the same strategies are employed. For example, some students prefer to learn through an inquiry method, while others favour an expository approach.

2. Some methods are more applicable

Certain teaching methods are more applicable to particular situations. Lectures, for example, are not 25 appropriate when one is trying to develop student self- concepts as small group work or individualized tasks. No one strategy is appropriate, or can hope to be appropriate, to all learning contexts.

3. Single Method is not superior

No single method is superior, particularly in terms of student performance, to another in all learning situations. One may be more efficient in one situation and less effective in another. For example lectures are very efficient use of teaching resources and may assist an educational institution to distribute resources more efficiently. But lectures may not produce effective student understanding and application of certain skills, as in a science experiment. Consequently, strategies must be matched to objectives so that the most efficient and effective one is selected.