The days of traditional teaching methods such as a teacher standing in front of the classroom at a podium lecturing the students about an educational topic is a thing of the past.

These types of teaching methods are not suitable for a 21st century learning space.

All teachers should be on the lookout for methods that prepare our students better for the future.

Students, like the rest of us, often have a shorter attention span nowadays, so keeping students attentive and interested in the subject is the best way for them to learn.

Below are a few teaching methods that will have your students interested in the lessons being presented. Discussion Method If you feel bored as you present your lesson to the class, then there is a great chance your students will feel bored as well.

Instead of doing all the talking, let the students’ voices be heard.

Present lessons as a type of mystery to solve and have the students discuss it aloud as you act as the guide to keep everyone on the topic at hand.

With the discussion method, it is a give and take with the students instead of a lecture format. Self-Learning Remember when we had to research and learn something back when we were kids? First we had to blow all the dust off the encyclopedias, then we had to spend several minutes looking for the right page.

It was always an ordeal.

However, today’s students have instant access through the internet on any topic in the world.

Plus, the information they can gather will dwarf any encyclopedia. Self-learning is a great technique to use with History and Science lessons.

Just provide the students the topic, turn them loose to research on the nearest device, and then watch them gather information.

This teaching method supplies the students the background knowledge needed to have an intelligent discussion in class. Project-Based Learning Project-based learning is the concept that students will be able to learn and recall information better when provided an interesting project to facilitate the enlightenment.

We can probably all remember our favorite projects we did when we were students.

We can probably still recall the information and facts about it from the knowledge that we gained.

Learning through project work is one of the great teaching methods for students that are especially active and hands on learners. STEAM The STEAM teaching method has been gaining traction for years now as we head further into the 21st century.

STEAM is an acronym for the subjects Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics.

With STEAM, teachers create lessons that integrate all the subjects.

In turn, the students are able to receive a more authentic approach to learning where it is not solely concentrating on just one subject.

STEAM will teach the kids how to question things like a scientist, use all types of technology, plan and build things like an engineer, create things with an artistic flair, and make deductions like a mathematician. Learn While Playing a Game With all the interactive websites and educational games available, sometimes having a game day in the classroom is all you need to promote learning.

Teachers build a lesson around a game that will reinforce the learning.

Sometimes I enjoyed going old school in the classroom during History and Geography and broke out a few Risk games for the students to have fun and learn at the same time.

Anytime you can combine learning with playing games in the classroom is usually a good thing. Technology Method It really is incredible the amount of computing power we have in our pockets everyday.

They estimate that our smartphones have much more technology in them than the hundreds of scientists had for our first trip to the moon.

It is really something we take for granted.

However, the advances in technology have only been around for a relatively short time.

Teachers that have taught 20 or more years still remember teaching without smartboards, computers, and the internet. If you are still teaching without using those three things, then you are doing something very wrong.

All classrooms should be heavily involved in technology, no matter what the subject.

If you are not using them, then you are doing a great disservice to the students because you are not adequately preparing them for their future. The technology method is the process in which the lesson is created with the idea that some sort of technology will be involved with every step.

Whether it is for research, writing a paper, or putting together a presentation, every part of it needs to involve technology.

Students usually love this type of learning as it is more hands on and allows them to work individually.