Many teachers do not use convention in their methods. They use their unique knowledge and skills to better equip their children for the future. Some do it well, others fail due to restraints. Here are 10 situations where teachers used unconventional teaching methods. You would not believe me if I never gave examples; with names.
1. Giving everyone an A+:
Professor Dennis Rancourt, Physics Teacher at University of Ottawa was suspended for his unconventional teaching methods. This teaching method included giving everyone an A+. The only problem was the University who suspended him for doing so. He believed that he had no right to evaluate the skills for future employers.
2. Improper Judgment/Marking:
My law/English teacher in high school was a likeable teacher not for the reasons many think. He was an easy marker and usually used his like/dislike for people to determine the grade. Comments on papers returns had only check marks: 1 for satisfactory points, 2 for good points and 3 for excellent. The whole course was based on spontaneity and nothing else. He came to class every day with ideas he though off a minute before. Worst was when he asked his students to get scruples from the office.
3. Songs, Chants and Games to Memorize:
Harriett Ball taught in the Texas public school system for 20+ years. Her teaching methods have known to be rambunctious. She continuously uses songs, chants and games to expand her students’ knowledge and learning.
4. Cash tips:
A University of Western Ontario professor, Ariff Kachra, uses cash tips to help MBA students get an extra class as well as job recommendations. Those who are willing to pay are able to reap rewards. Kachra earns about $500/student for this.
5. Diaries:
The perfect example of this is The Freedom Writers Diary. Erin Gruwell did what no other teacher could. She engaged her students in a scholarly environment through the use of journal writing. She was unconventional in her ways as she was able to change her students’ thinking and make them appreciate life more, with the use of the Diary of Anne Frank as a read.
6. Lectures:
A lecture is no longer a good way to introduce and teach a class in elementary/high school grades. The attention span of students is low and thus lectures are deemed an inappropriate way of learning.
7. `Field Work`:
Yvonne Beatrice is an unconventional teacher at Mahwah High School. Instead of staying indoors she has students going out and exploring the real world. They are doing surveys, examining oral histories and taking part in elections.
8. What students want:
Kindergarten teacher Ellen Cahill does not teach based on what students need. She teaches based on what students want to learn. At the beginning of the year, Cahill makes students compile a list of things they want to learn. She then uses the list to base her curriculum. She was honoured with many awards for her phenomenal teaching methods. The exercise was designed to teach students about “value distribution.”
9. Puppets:
I knew a teacher who used puppets to teach students who did not speak English to get the concepts across. The idea worked and the ESL students were passing.
10. Standing on Desk/Ripping Textbooks:
John Keating an English professor who inspires he students by ripping textbooks and standing on desks. They all became the Dead Poet’s Society.
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