The K-12 education system covers the complete education of schoolchildren from the primary to the secondary. The main area of education emphasized in this method of teaching is to encourage students to think and reach their own conclusions.
The Theory behind K12 Education
This method of teaching is different from the teaching methods practiced in most schools that function in the public domain, where the accent is on book knowledge from well laid out curriculum. Effective K12 teaching strategies will require the students to work on assignments that help them to develop their own thinking, while they are learning. These assignments help the student to revise material, which has been previously taught.
The system is meant to give individual attention to children, while the subjects taught are understood in a way that is practical. The teacher mainly functions as a guide, and provides the students with opportunities for learning. In this method of education, every student develops his or her own capacity to learn, and any success gained largely depends on the ability of the student to think.
Classroom activities in schools that use this system of education are similar to schools elsewhere and will involve the taking of notes, during the teaching process and the submission of records to corroborate this. In K12 education students are encouraged to impose their own thoughts and vision on the material that is being studied. Discussions are encouraged and even institutionalized.
Effective K12 Teaching Strategies
Material Students Can Relate To
One of the most effective K12 teaching strategies is to relate all study material to situations that arise in modern life. Most children nowadays are quite accustomed to multi-tasking, as this is a very vital skill, necessary for life in the modern world. So children are quite used to chatting, while they text their friends and even play video games while they are doing both these activities. Lessons therefore need to be structured in a way that they capture the attention of the student.
Every lesson has to have a clear objective that needs to be learned. It should be able to provide opportunities for discussions and ways to work with other students. The teachers can make informal assessments, even while other formal assessments need to be part of the strategy. After the end of every class, students must have time to think about what they have learned or seen. This system of learning keeps student engrossed in the learning, and this reduces chances of their disrupting the class.
Take Attention Span Into Consideration
Among other strategies for K12 education is to orient the teaching to the attention span of students. This is very much helped, when examples that are given are never theoretical and abstract, but deal with real life situations. While teaching biology, relate the lessons to illnesses and situations that children do face. Geometry and the subject of rectangles is better understood, when children relate it to some actual work, like painting a classroom, where they easily understand the area that needs to be covered.
Project Based Learning
The most effective K12 teaching strategies have to do with learning that is based on projects. This is better understood when you learn the concept of driving a car, but it is only the actual driving that really translates all the learning into practical terms. Students can be encouraged to work with each other to better understand a lesson, and also to continually ask questions. Every question comes from a different way of thinking and can add to the general knowledge of all students attending such sessions.
K12 education does encourage students to develop academic abilities, while also encouraging them to hone their own social skills. Keep projects simple to start with and let them build up to their own complexity, with encouragement from the students who participate.
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