Relying heavily on teacher-centred methods

TONOTA: There are two main types of teaching methods – teacher-centred and student-centred. Many teachers today still rely heavily on teacher-centred methods such as the lecture method, commonly referred to as the chalk and talk method. In this method, the teacher has complete control over the pupils and is the source of all the knowledge and skills that the pupils will learn. Reasons why this method is so often used may be because many teachers may be influenced by the way their own teachers had taught them when they were at school themselves. Also, even at colleges of education, many lecturers still prefer the lecture method.

And so, student teachers from such institutions are also more likely to follow suit when they are posted to schools. In contrast, teachers may feel less comfortable about using more pupil-centred methods, which require more planning and effort to be successful; hence mistakes may be more easily made. And teachers need to show more initiative and imagination when teaching using these methods. The demonstration method is also usually teacher-centred.