Chapter 8
Introduction
This chapter describes a variety of methods that can be used for teaching groups and individuals. Guidelines are also provided for choosing appropriate methods to meet specific teaching objectives.
Example
Assume that you are designing an introductory course in Nigeria to train medical assistants in community health.
Task: Makes community profiles (More specifically …)
Contacts and solicits the cooperation of community leaders.
Describes the locations of available health services in the community (hospital, school, clinic, dispensary and infant welfare centers).
Sketches a map of the community (markets, schools, halls, parks, churches, mosques, etc.).
Which of these methods would you choose to teach this particular task?
___ Lecture on the importance of doing a community profile.
___ Film showing how community profiles are completed.
___ Case study of a community (in which students write a profile based on background information provided in the case).
___ Field visit to a community to produce a profile.
___ Project assignment: Each student is assigned a community and asked to produce a community profile.
Whether a given teaching method is appropriate depends on the following factors:
What are the goals of the teacher?
1) to provide a frame of reference?
2) to provide a reason to learn?
3) to transmit information
4) to demonstrate skills and attitudes?
5) to allow practice of skills and attitudes?
6) to respond to student performance?
What is the desired student performance? … What skills and knowledge are students expected to acquire? … What if the student performance is specified in the EVALUATION PLAN? Is the method feasible? … What are the constraints of the teaching situation? … What resources are available? In view of three factors- teaching goals, student performance, feasibility- consider each of the methods described for teaching students how to produce community profiles. Go back to the list of methods above. For each method listed, write one or more numbers, 1) through 6). Now see “What are the goals of the teacher?” above, to show the teacher goals that could be best served by each method. Then compare your choices with the table on the next page. Figure 18 Teaching Goals
