Presenting new information

This learning event is what we usually associate with learning: the teacher offers new information or enables students to find and explore the new information needed to develop further awareness or acquiring skills. In carrying out this learning event, it is important to ensure that this information is provided in a way that is comprehensible to the student, i.e. by linking it to what has been learned in the past, enabling him/her to understand what is most important in this information. Teacher must present the new information in small enough chunks or appropriate to students’ perception.This is the moment in the learning process, where it is also important to give students the opportunity to discover regularities on their own by using a carefully chosen base of examples, to create definitions in their own words; observing, comparing and grouping common and different characteristics, understand how to proceed by following the new rules or following any procedures, while bearing in mind that the primary task for the student at this stage is to familiarise himself/herself with the essence of the new learning content. [Skola 2030.lv]

Draw what you see and find similarities, differences

The description of the method. Teacher helps students to identify similarities and differences with their previous knowledge.Students are offered visual information which needs to be studied in detail, preferably drawn. Then students look for similarities and differences with what they had previously learned. In order for the students to draw what they see, they need to be attentive to details. (Method is offered by Italy)

  • Biology. Students are examining animal cells in a microscope and the teacher gives students a structured scheme to complete using their observations.(Example "Compare cells")

  • English language. Observation of pictures: a Barbarian. Teacher gives the students some stimulus questions such as the following: 1) Who is it? 2) Why is he wearing these clothes? 3) What is he doing? What is his pose like?

Video instruction

The description of the method. There are two different approaches for this method. Either you can film your own instructions and share them with the students, so they can watch it as many times as they like. Apps like Explain everything can be used to create your own videos.

The other option is to find instructions on the internet, for example YouTube. Through specific search criteria you are able to find a lot of suitable videos, especially in English. However, the native English speakers tend to speak a little fast for non-native speakers so it can be helpful to use the option to play the video at 0.75 speed. This makes it easier for the students to follow instructions. (Method is offered by Norway)

  • Math teacher films a short video where he/she demonstrates how to solve an expression, offers it to students to watch repeatedly individually or in class and asks guiding questions - what was the 3rd step to solve the expression, why?

  • Computer science teacher asks to watch a video on how to insert an image into a document. After watching the video, students write down sequence steps that are logical to them to help them remember ways and the order to do that.

Flipped classroom

The description of the method. Students watch an instructional video (made by the teacher or found on the internet) at home before class. Students have a specific task to do or pay attention to while watching the video. For example, the teacher asked questions and answers are found in the video. This way the students are ready to work on the new topic without having to spend time on teacher instruction in class. (Method is offered by Norway)

Working with text

The description of the method. The teacher prepares an information sheet for class on the topic to be taught or a text in the text-book, which the students read. Reading has a specific goal which is told to students before students start doing so. It can be - find answers to questions, find key-words that are connected to the title and topic, create a mind map using notions that are used in the text and are important for the topic and etc. (Method is offered by Norway & Italy)

  • First Foreign Language. Topic: “Europe and the European Union”. Students, working in pairs, have to read a new text with information about the official currency of the Eurozone and to focus on the main concepts. Then, they have to complete the following worksheet: they take notes on the names of the 7 different architectural styles and of the architectural elements on both sides of each banknote. Then the teacher asks the students to reflect on the meaning of the architectural elements of the banknotes and to find the reason why they’ve been selected to represent European official currency. (Example "Euro and architecture")

  • First Foreign Language. Topic: “The War Poets” . Students read two English poems by the two War Poets John Mc Crae (“In Flanders Fields”) and Rupert Brooke (“The Soldier”) and they have to:

  1. Analyze rhymes, metaphors and personifications;

  2. Answer the questions given:

  • Who do you think is in favour / against the war?

  • Can you find any elements to support both different visions of the war?

  • Which poem did you like most? Why?

  • What did you feel when you read these poems?

Cooperative learning

The description of the method. Teacher divides the class into small groups of 3-4 students; then a specific role is given to each student and explained what to do relating to their function. The teacher also determines the amount of work for each function. During the work groups, the teacher acts as a facilitator.(Method is offered by Italy)

  • Science. Topic: “Earthquakes”. Teacher creates groups of 3 students. Each student plays different roles according to the different phases. The definitions of all students are collected in a unique glossary written on the interactive board. (Example "Specific roles for each students' group")

Problem solving

The description of the method. Problem solving is the process of finding solutions to difficult or complex issues. In this methodology/approach the teacher acts as a facilitator, giving students a brief initial explanation and materials. This method can be used to lead students to acquire new information or to consolidate their previous knowledge by solving a problem through a specific question or a real situation. (Method is offered by Italy)

  • History. Topic: ”From the Vienna Congress to today’s Europe”. Students are divided into small groups and each group has to solve the following problem: “What are the actual consequences in Europe coming from the decisions of the Vienna Congress?”. Teacher gives students some documents and they have to analyze them in order to find out the information to solve the problem and complete the following scheme. (Scheme)

Fill the gap

The description of the method. The students are asked to complete a text where some words are removed and they have to fill in the gap. This can be used either with factual information/concepts or vocabulary training in different languages. (Method is offered by Norway & Italy)

  • First Foreign Language. Topic: “Dickens future tenses”. Teacher proposes the students to watch a short video about Dickens’s novel “A Christmas Carol” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqMfGq3okZY&) ; then, they have to complete the following worksheet on the first five minutes of the video (grammar language structure on future tenses). (Example)