Hey guys, it's been a while since I have posted anything! Recently there has been a growing debate as to what the best method of teaching is. For example; practical over text book, discussion rather than oration etc. Since many of you are still in education, could you please say what method makes learning easiest and the most interesting?

It's a broad question and subject, so don't feel like there are definite answers

I personally am an active learner, i dont learnt by reading textbooks, i have to actively do something to learn it. for example if i were learning maths, i would have to actually be doing the sums to understand them.

Listening. Talking. Reading. Writing. Watching. Creating. That's how I think we should learn.

Just using one blanket rule to teach everyone even if you change it would be a bad approach imo.
I personally learn better by being hands on and interacting rather then reading...
Then I have friends who learn easily from reading but don't learn by being hands on.

Building robots

90% of what I learned at school for the past 3 years was down to leading the robotics team.

No alternative bs, no creativity, we are there to learn so we get 100-200 pages per subject filled with stuff that doesn't matter and that you will never use again. We learn and learn and forget it immediately after the exam. We attend boring classes and watch the teacher talking and talking and talking and we take notes. That's how it's done. Oldskool.

I normally learn by reading things or learning them and then doing them. Such as in math, I will read the examples and stuff on my own, then I almost completely understand the material. If not, I typically will read it over and examine the problems until smoke begins to pour out my ears. Then I finally understand it completely.

Depends. Sometimes (as in math) I have to learn the problems via speaking and using something like an overhead.

Other times, I'm good at just reading the material in textbooks or searching on the internet.

That is exactly how I learn too.

In my field of specialty, we actually had to do the things we would do in the field(soil sample, water ph/ammonia testing, etc).

But with other subjects such as history or english, I prefer books. I actually enjoy history in any form, but if I can write it down I'll remember it WAY easier.

It really depends on the subject.

If its a History course, I usually read the text book and I'm good for a test or whatever. History is really just memorization so it's not hard to teach.

Something like Chemistry or Math I still read the text but I learn better if the teacher diagrams stuff out and uses examples and while doing the examples explains why something does a certain thing. My Chemistry teacher this year was amazing in that aspect.

I learn differently for each subject...

History: I learn best by reading a textbook and filling out some worksheet based on it or taking notes.

Math: I learn this best when the teacher gives examples and explaining why to do each step.

English: I learn best by just reading...

Science: I'm more of a hands on person, I need to see results before actually learning them.

you guys over complicate it. I say build robots for everything.

I disagree, while it's easy to lecture the raw info out, it's hard to "teach" it in a manner that isn't boring. History isn't about dates and names, it's about learning from mistakes and successes of your ancestors so you can avoid and replicate them. It's a safety net, showing you what works and what doesn't, it can give you respect for a group of people you never had any for. If all you do is "memorize" to pass a test then your not learning information, your just retaining it for regurgitation.

History isnt about facts at all. Just repeating facts completely defeats the point of the subject haha if you don't argue your points, how can you prove that you are right? To do well at History* you must not only understand History, but know how to prove to the examiner that you not only know what you're on about, but know how to prove to them that you are right.

*The subject.

We are totally complicated ppeoples.

To learn something - anything - you need to either have a drive to learn it or a simple interest in it. If a student has no inclination of learning something then they simply won't learn it, try hard as a teacher may to drill it into them. It's usually said that the best teachers are those who make a subject interesting and that's because they make people want to learn.

For me, if a teacher can show the practical applications of something then that too can illicit interest. Too often throughout my schooling I wondered what the point of half the things I learned were. At no point did a teacher ever say "Well, because of this we're able to do this in real life, so it's useful if you ever want to be a...".

Simply, when I found the practical applications of things, I wanted to learn them. If I couldn't (Degree Maths) then I just wouldn't bother.

With the interest itself covered, the easiest way to learn things does of course vary between subjects. For instance, I can sit with one of my maths textbooks and understand most of it because I have the base knowledge. However, were I to attempt the same thing regarding quantum physics I'd have no idea and would need somebody step by step explaining the nuances of each point.

Personally, I always found the easiest way to learn something was to read it and then discuss it. The discussion phase was possibly more important because you didn't just gain understanding on the bits you may not have quite gotten, but you get to see where other people may be confused as well. You may find that you thought you understood something only to find that you didn't at all. Alternatively, this could be achieved through reading something and then being asked questions, but if you don't know in the first place then a question doesn't help.

Why do you always make such long posts, Rob?

I never read them simply because they are too long.

That's short.

Tl;DR - You need to be interested, then it depends on the person and what they're learning.

Practical learning always beats theoretical imo. I don't really care why it's supposed to be like "that," but i don't care either. Burn them text books please.

Why is this not moved to the debate section yet?