now, no signup required!
There are many teaching methods that modern educators must choose from. Modeling in teaching is among the most popular methods many of us are familiar with.
What is modeling in teaching? Simply put, it’s teaching by example. It’s showing a skill or desired result to the learner before we teach them the theoretical aspects of a concept. This is then reinforced by an opportunity for the learner to practice the skill.
Modeling in teaching is a technique instructors use every day, sometimes even without being consciously aware of it. A music teacher who doesn’t play an instrument wouldn’t attempt to teach it to a class. It’s important that the instructor always has an appropriate mastery over a skill before they attempt to teach it to others. However, by taking control of the process, teachers will have greater efficacy.
Let’s inspect modeling in the classroom and the importance of models in teaching.
-
What Is Modeling In Teaching?
-
Where Is Modeling In Teaching Used?
-
Advantages Of Modeling In The Classroom
-
Disadvantages Of Modeling
-
Different Kinds Of Modeling
-
Examples Of Modeling
What Is Modeling In Teaching?
Modeling in teaching is an instructional strategy. It makes clear the topic that’s being taught at the beginning of a lesson, thereby helping to reduce the number of errors in a student’s work. The teacher models a concept and then explains it to the class. It’s an effective means of creating a road map for learning.
Let’s consider an example of modeling in teaching.
Imagine there’s a cooking recipe video with no name. The viewer does not know what the dish is or what it looks like. They don’t even know all the ingredients. And yet the instructor expects the students to follow along. While this might be a fun challenge on a reality show, it isn’t an optimal way of teaching or learning how to cook.
Alternatively, imagine that the name of the dish is clear. The students are familiar with the components and some of the key steps before they get started. They might even know what it looks like. This gives them an even greater chance of getting the right result. For instance, how brown should the onions be? How reduced should the sauce be? An explanation can be sufficient, but a visual cue and a demonstration of the technique needed to achieve the desired results are often better teaching methods, illustrating the importance of models in teaching.
Where Is Modeling In Teaching Used?
One of the biggest benefits of modeling in teaching is how widely it can be used. It can be applied in any subject, with all kinds of learners, including those with special needs. That makes it one of the Top ‘X’ Teaching Skills Every Teacher Should Know. Here are just some of its applications:
- It’s a familiar technique in elementary school mathematics classes, where teachers explain a concept and demonstrate skills before moving on to guided practice
- For special needs students, listening or reading may not be the preferred method of instruction. Engaging the other senses by introducing a kinesthetic or tactile element to learning can often yield better results
- In a professional setting as well, modeling can be an effective way of training with greater impact. It might be used in fields as diverse as the arts and medicine. A surgical resident might observe several surgeries before being allowed to lead their own
These are a few examples to show the importance of models in teaching. There are many models of training in which this can also be incorporated.
Advantages Of Modeling In The Classroom
We’ve seen that modeling is extremely popular for instructors. Let’s look at why it’s considered so integral to teaching:
1. Provides A Road Map
Showing a learner the skill they need to attain allows them to work toward a goal.
2. Reduces Errors
Purely inquiry-based learning can have powerful results, but it can also result in students taking a meandering path with wrong turns along the way. With a clear idea of the concept being taught, it focuses the learners on the correct methods.
3. Breaks The Monotony
Any kind of activity in the classroom is a positive experience for the learner. Watching a demonstration of a science or geography experiment can bring the learning environment to life and it’s an effective modeling in teaching technique.
4. Wide Application
It’s appropriate for a variety of subject matter. The modeling technique works for usual classroom subjects and practical topics such as photography, painting, filmmaking, and many more disciplines.
5. Multi-sensory Experience
It activates all the senses, helping those who learn in different ways. Not all learners benefit from listening to a lecture or reading a textbook. There are also those who need to see, feel and experience to retain information and understand it.
Now that we’ve looked at the advantages of modeling in teaching, let’s consider some ways in which it doesn’t always benefit learners.
Disadvantages Of Modeling
No teaching method, no matter how universal, can be appropriate for all situations. Let’s explore some use cases in which modeling can be a disadvantage:
1. Discourages Inquiry
It might discourage independent thought and conclusions. Learning agility is the ability to learn from a situation as its unfolding, and perhaps a reliance on modeling may detract from this skill. This can be mitigated by encouraging student-led modeling, where one student can model their learning for their peers.
2. Depends On Teacher Expertise
If the teacher has not mastered the skill, they’ll not be able to demonstrate it, which can result in poor instruction.
3. Missing Knowledge
Because of the high amount of teacher-led information, students may lack foundational knowledge. As the teacher is giving all the information upfront, they may not be encouraged to explore on their own unless other teaching methods are also part of the lesson plan.
Other teaching methods include lecture-based instruction, inquiry-led learning and project-based learning. Instead of choosing one method over the other, they can be combined for greater impact.
Different Kinds Of Modeling
There are various methods of modeling in the classroom. Here are the ones most used:
1. Task And Performance Modeling
The instructor conducts an activity, showing the class how it’s done. Following this, the students try it out on their own.
2. Disposition Modeling
Away to communicate values to learners. For instance, when a teacher helps an excited classroom calm down through a timed breathing activity.
3. Metacognitive Modeling
In this approach, the teacher thinks out loud as they interpret information and come to conclusions based on observed data. This is useful in subjects where there’s some analysis involved. For example, while studying a text, language learners can read it together, with the teacher talking them through the salient points, encouraging questions as they go.
4. Scaffolding
Scaffolding is a term that describes the support that enables a student to do independent work. In modeling, the teacher would first show the students how it’s done and then they would be expected to complete the task on their own.
These are the main pillars of the modeling technique.
Examples Of Modeling
Let’s explore some more examples of modeling in an educational environment:
1. Professional Skills Building
A training team is being put in place for a new line of beauty products. The brand will concentrate its marketing efforts at the point of sales through high-end malls across the country. The sales team is recruited and assembled in a location. The instructor conducts a makeover to demonstrate the effects that can be achieved through the products. They then share all the unique properties of the beauty line compared to competitors. The cohort is encouraged to ask questions and is then allowed to practice their makeover skills. Mock customers appear and they ask questions to test the knowledge of the sales staff.
2. In Mathematics
Modeling in teaching is used often in mathematics lessons for learners of all ages. Say students are tackling fractions for the first time. The teacher shows them a visual representation of how fractions work using a clay pie, cutting it into halves, quarters and eighths. The students are then asked to work through a range of questions on fractions in their workbooks.
3. Modeling In Sports
A school tennis player wants to take their game to the next level. They work with a professional coach who identifies certain weaknesses in the player’s serve. They videotape the service action and the player watches it several times. Then, he studies the service action of the top player on the circuit whose game is closest to his own style. With this information, the player and the coach work together to overcome the service problems.
The importance of models in teaching is clear. We all learn by observing others. Right from pre-school, we learn from our peers. We learn from the behavior of adults around us – our parents, our teachers and other mentors and role models.
Harappa’s Inspiring Faculty Program is all about transforming from traditional teaching methods to inspiring ones. How can you use strategies like modeling in your classroom for the greater good? Using modern course planning tools such as the ADDIE training model, by shifting from lecturer mode to coach mode, you too can find new ways of connecting with students. Take your classroom skills to the next level with Harappa.
