Teaching Techniques that Work Well During Quarantine

What do we mean when we talk about teaching techniques?

Teaching techniques refer to concrete actions or planned strategies that teachers apply in order to meet learning objectives in the classroom.

In other words, teaching techniques are tools that you develop through a series of activities. The purpose behind them is to facilitate the teaching-learning process, and teachers use them every day.

Of course, we’re well aware that most parents are teachers. And, therefore, most of you lack the knowhow to apply certain learning and teaching techniques that are common in the classroom. However, putting certain simple techniques into practice can help you reach better results when it comes to tackling your children’s studies at home.

Teaching techniques that work well during quarantine

Below, we’ll briefly explain several teaching techniques that will help children with their school work. The best part is, you can use these strategies no matter how old your children are.

The Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is helpful for students of any age and helps them better administer the time they spend on an activity. The technique is based on the belief that people work or study more productively for periods of 25 minutes. After 25 minutes of work comes a 5 minutes break.

At the same time, this technique indicates that once 4 “pomodoros” are over (work times plus rest times), then students can take a longer rest – 20 or 25 minutes will suffice.

When you explain the technique to your children and apply it when assisting them with their homework, it’s very useful. Basically, because it motivates children to make an effort to concentrate and pay attention. Working hard for 25 minutes seems less intimidating because they know the 5-minute break is coming.

During their break, they can take advantage of the opportunity to go to the bathroom or have a snack. Some children might be better off using this time to burn off excess energy. If that’s the case, they can dance, run, or kick a ball.

The Pascal Method

This method consists of respecting several fundamental steps when it comes to studying. The first step involves doing some general pre-reading of the subject at hand. Then, students should underline or jot down the concepts or main ideas. Here, it’s a good idea to identify keywords.

The next step involves creating a diagram or mental map to help students organize the main concepts and underlying ideas (secondary ideas, etc). In fact, some people find it useful to use arrows, names, and other specific data.

The Pascal Method is best for helping students between the ages of 9 or 10. However, it’s perfectly adaptable to smaller children. In the same way, they can first do a general reading, not only of the information but also of what they need to do with it. And, with the help of adults, they can create simple notes and underline important ideas with different colors.

Mnemonic devices

Teaching children to memorize data, names, and numbers is simpler when we teach them to use mnemonic devices. This involves a set of memory and retention techniques that can adjust to students of any age. It consists of making a mental association of the information to be memorized with data that are already part of the student’s memory or daily life.

To better explain mnemonic devices, let’s look at the following examples:

• To learn the countries of the European Union, we associate a certain image with each country. For example, baguettes with France, a Volkswagen with Germany, pasta with Italy, bulls with Spain, etc.
• If you need to learn the names of the 5 Great Lakes, then students themselves can create a story that involves the 5 names. Within the same story, they can include information, anecdotes, or sensations that they’re familiar with.

Conditions when applying teaching techniques during quarantine

It’s important to point out that, in order to make teaching techniques effective, we need to consider other elements and factors. For example:

• Provide an adequate study space for children to do their homework. In other words, a peaceful place that’s free of distractions like cell phones and TV. This area should also have good lighting.
• Try to set a specific time of day for your children to dedicate to their schoolwork. This helps them adapt to a daily routine and internalize this new habit.
• And most importantly, accompany, motivate, encourage, and create a close bond with your kids during study time. This is the best way to apply any teaching-learning technique and make study time dynamic, fun, and different every time.