Teaching Skills

This page was last updated on September 13, 2013

A). INTRODUCTION
Teaching is an essential part of education. Its special
function is to impart knowledge, develop understanding
and skills. It is usually associated with the imparting of 3
Rs- reading, writing, arithmetic. The teachers play a vital
role in imparting knowledge to the learners.
to know how to teach is the great art of teaching
you teach what you need to learn
B)

WHAT IS A TEACHING SKILL?

The teaching skills are defined as a group of teaching acts

or behaviors intended to facilitate students learning directly
or indirectly.
C) WHY DO WE NEED TO HAVE SKILLS IN
TEACHING?

To ensure competency in teaching.

To make the class interesting.

To enable the teacher to develop confidence in

teaching.

To avoid confusion

To enable the teacher to understand individual

differences in learning.

D) STEPS OF TEACHING SKILLS USED IN

DISCUSSION METHOD
1. Analyzing the student group:
a) Getting to know them

Always begin with an ice breaker.

Get students talking as soon as possible.

Watch nonverbal behavior.

Encourage the passive ones to contribute.

Dont allow eager behaviors to dominate.

Find out each students level, position and

background soon as possible.

b) Enthusiasm

Consciously use your eyes and eyebrows to

communicate enthusiasm.

Always keep a sparkle in your voice.

Fight boredom of repetitive sessions by

introducing new anecdotes.

2. Discussion leading
a) BUILDING
Here are four ways to keep a class discussion going:

BUILDING- build on incomplete answers by

adding comments and asking for agreement or
disagreement.

BOOSTING- support timid participants

contributions, boost their confidence and ask for
extra comment.

BLOCKING- interrupt dominant aggressive

participants by asking what others think.

BANTERING- establish non threatening

atmosphere by engaging in friendly rapport
without going participants.

b) BRAINSTORMING
It is a technique for obtaining idea from a group. Here is
how:

c)

ASK ----------- for /provoke ideas. If necessary

wait 45 seconds before giving own.

RECORD----- write all ideas on a flip chart dont

evaluate till the end.

TRIGGER------ use B ing discussion leading

techniques to encourage participants to trigger
ideas.

SUMMARIZE----- summarize and / or regroup

ideas. Help group to choose best.

SOCRATIC DIRECTION

In order to encourage audience participation to prove to a

point, use Socratic direction.

Know the answers you want.

Open questioning technique.

Paraphrase participants answers.

Summarize contributions.

Add your own points.

d)

CLASS CONTROL

a) REGULATING-------interrupt long winded talkers with

questions.
b) FOCUSING---------keep the current topic in front of the
class
c) GUIDING------------ask reflective questions.
d) INTERPRETING-----interpret or paraphrase badly
throughout contributors.
e) SUMMARIZING----give overview and recall points
covered at every logical or convenient point.
e) TEACHING TEMPO
There are two factors which will govern the tempo of your
material coverage and discussion periods:
a) Students level of knowledge and general intelligence.
Low=slow
High=fast
b) Your own teaching skill.
Snappy /authoritarian/directive=fast
Relaxed, informal, facilitative=slow
How to change tempo
a) Slower-use more cases, examples, anecdotes. Speak
slower. Ask open questions.
b) Faster- speak fast, use directive tone. Cut down
discussions. Ask closed questions.
f) METHODS FOR DEALING WITH STUDENT
QUESTIONS OR STATEMENTS.
a) STRAIGHT FORWARD-----answer the question.
b) OVERHEAD------------------ good question. What are
some of the other questions we should also ask
about----?
c) RELAY------------------------thanks for the question. Have
some of you met the same problem?

d) RICOCHET------------------- good point!

e) REVERSE---------------------when the question is really a
statement, hand the answer back to the poser.
f) STATEMENT? --------------what point are we discussing
now?
g) STATEMENT! ---------------I think we should come back
to this point later.
g) QUESTIONING SKILLS
Closed questions-WHO CAN tell me on which date?
Open questions
a)

About

b)

Reflective

-how do you feel about-------?

-you dont feel comfortable with------?

c) Hypothetical
if----?

-what do you think would happen

d)

Framing

-help me to see how this fits with------?

e)

Silence

- ---------------------------------------------?

f)
Statements
something.

- you look as if you wanted to say

h) LUBRICATORS
VERBAL

NONVERBAL

a)

I see

Nodding

b)

Ah, ah

Constant eye contact

c)

Thats interesting

Leaning forward

d)

Really

Stepping aside

e)

Go on

Raising eyebrows

f)

Tell me more about that

Frowning

3. questions and interruptions

Most participant questions are not questions. They are
request for the spotlight if it is one of those rare, close d
real questions-answer it succinctly. If not, first;
REFLECT back to the questionnaire what you thought was
the question.
Or

DEFLECT it as followsa) Group: how do the rest of the group feel?

b) Ricochet: to one participant-you are an expert on this?
c) Reverse: back to questioner:-you have obviously done
something on this. Whats your view?
4. dealing with difficult participants
a) THE HECKLER: probably insecure, gets satisfaction
from needling, aggressive and argumentative.
a. What to do: never get upset, find merit, express
agreement, move on, wait for a mis statement fact and
throw it out to the group for correction.
b) THE TALKER/KNOW ALL-an eager behavior, a show
off, well informed and anxious to show it.
a. What to do- sit till he/she takes a breath, thanks, refocus
and move on. Ask him or her with a tough question.
c) THE GRIPER-feels hard done by probably have a pet
peeve, will use you as scape goat.
a. What to do- get him/her to be specific, show that the
purpose of your presentation is to be positive and
constructive, use peer pressure?
d) THE WHISPERS- dont understand whats going on
clarifying & translating.
a. What to do-stop talking, wait for them, to look up and
nonverbally ask for their permission to continue.
e) THE SILENT ONE-timid, insecure, shy, bored,
indifferent
a. What to do: timid- ask easy question. Boost her ego in
discussing the answer. Refer by name by giving examples.
Bolster confidence.
b. Bored- ask tough questions. Refer to by name someone
who surely knows that, use as helper in exercises.
5. using ones voice
a) Projection: speak louder than usual.
b) Articulation: dont swallow words.
c) Modulation: vary tone and pitch.
d) Pronunciation: watch tonic accents.
e) Enunciation: over emphasize.
f) Repetition: repeat key phrases with different vocal

emphasis.
g) Speed: use delivery speed to manipulate the audience!
6. listening
Whenever a participant interrupts or responds emotionally
during the class, he/she is probably overstating his or her
feelings in order to justify the outburst. In every such case
use active listening. Never attempt to counter, argue,
defend or take sides.
E. WHO, WHOM, WHY, WHERE, WHAT, HOW AND
WHEN OF TEACHING
To play this role completely, a teacher is expected to
understand the significance of the following:
1. Who is to teach
The teacher is to teach and must understand herself/
himself thoroughly- his/ her strengths and weakness, strive
to present a reasonably good model before the students.
2.Whom to teach
The student is to be taught. Therefore, a teacher should
understand the abilities, aptitudes, attitudes, manners,
temperaments and accordingly cater to the individual
differences of students.
3.Why to teach
The teacher should always keep in view that the aim of
education is to develop harmonious personalities, who are
culturally refined, emotionally stable, ethically sound,
morally upright, physically strong, socially efficient and
spiritually enlightened.
4.Where to teach
The teacher ought not to visualize the school to be merely
a place of importing information, but a place where
students of tomorrow are trained to take their place as
enlightened citizens in the society and contribute to
professional development.
5.What to teach
The teacher must have mastery over the subject he/she
teaches.
6.How to teach
The teacher must use new teaching learning technology
to make teaching effective and inspirational.
7.When to teach
Appropriate steps need to be taken by the teacher to

develop motivation of the student in the entire work.

F. CONCLUSION
Despite the huge value of the skills of teaching to the future
of nursing there is still little opportunity to develop vital
skills within the curricular constraints at many nursing
schools. However, without basic training in teaching skills
at undergraduate level, it cannot realistically be expected
that, students without a natural flair will spontaneously be
able to show the necessary skills, attitudes, and practices
required of a competent teacher.
G. REFERENCES
1.

Davis Barbara (1993).Tools for Teaching San

Francisco: Jossey-Basslt. Pg No. 159-167.

2.

Patry Jean (1992) Effective and Responsible

Teaching the New Synthesis, USA: Jossey Bass
Publishers.pg.no. 422-425.

3.

Brookfield Stephen D (1995).The Skillful Teacher

on Technique, Trust and Responsiveness in the
Classroom. 1st Edition USA: Jossey Bass
Publishers.Pg.No.38-42.