Teaching Methods: 16 Methods of Teaching With Indian Classroom Examples

Teacher-centred and learner-centred methods

Teaching methods fall into two broad groups. In teacher-centred methods, the teacher talks and shows, and students mostly listen. In learner-centred methods, students do, ask and find out, while the teacher guides.

India's National Curriculum Framework 2005 asked schools to move learning away from rote methods. It also asked teachers to connect knowledge with life outside school. NEP 2020 asks for experiential learning in all stages. Both point towards more learner-centred teaching.

Teacher-centred methods still have a place. A short, clear explanation is often the quickest way into a hard idea. The skill is knowing when to talk and when to let students work.

16 teaching methods, explained simply

1. Lecture method

The teacher explains a topic by speaking, often with the blackboard, and students listen and take notes. Example: a Class 12 teacher gives an overview of a new chapter before students read it.

Use it for older students, for an overview or a summary, and when time is short. Keep each talk short and ask questions in between, because attention drops in long talks.

2. Demonstration method

The teacher shows how something works or how to do something, and explains while showing. In science, it is often called the lecture-cum-demonstration method. Example: in Class 6 science, the teacher shows that a magnet pulls iron nails but not wood or plastic.

Use it when students must first see the right way, such as lab steps or map drawing. It also suits apparatus that is costly or unsafe for students. Our guide to teaching aids lists things you can show.

3. Discussion method

Students talk about a topic in a group, share views and give reasons, while the teacher guides. Example: Class 9 students discuss how their school can cut down plastic waste.

Use it for topics with more than one view, and with students who already know the basics. Set simple rules: one speaker at a time, and listen before you reply.

4. Question-answer (Socratic) method

The teacher teaches through a chain of questions. Each answer leads to the next question, until students reach the idea themselves. It is named after the Greek thinker Socrates.

Example: in Class 7 maths, the teacher asks: if one pen costs 5 rupees, what do 2 pens cost? And 10 pens? Students find the rule on their own. Use it to test previous knowledge and keep a class thinking. Questioning is also a core skill in our guide to teaching skills.

5. Heuristic (discovery) method

Students find things out for themselves, like small scientists. The teacher gives a problem and materials, but not the answer. The word heuristic comes from a Greek word meaning to find out. Professor H. E. Armstrong of London promoted it for science teaching.

Example: Class 6 students test which objects float in a bucket of water, then form their own rule. Use it for key ideas and small groups. It takes more time, so do not use it for the whole syllabus.

6. Project method

Students plan and finish a real task over days or weeks, usually in a group. W. H. Kilpatrick described this method in 1918. Its main steps are purposing (choosing the goal), planning, executing (doing the work) and judging (checking the result).

Example: a Class 8 group surveys water use in the school and presents a chart of ways to save water. Use it to link subjects with real life and build teamwork. Give a clear time plan so the project does not run too long.

7. Problem-solving method

Students solve a real problem step by step. B.Ed books list steps such as these: sense the problem, define it, collect facts, suggest possible answers, test them and draw a conclusion.

Example: Class 9 students ask why plants in the school garden are drying. They check water, sunlight and soil, test their ideas and suggest a fix. Use it with older students, and choose problems they care about.

8. Inductive and deductive methods

The inductive method goes from examples to a rule. The deductive method goes from a rule to examples. Example: in Class 7 maths, students measure the angles of several triangles and find the sum is always 180 degrees. That is inductive. Using the rule to find a missing angle is deductive.

Use inductive teaching to build understanding of a new rule. Use deductive teaching for practice and to save time. Many teachers use both, in that order.

9. Analytic and synthetic methods

These two methods are common in maths. The analytic method starts from what you must find and breaks it into smaller steps, until you reach something you know. The synthetic method starts from what you know and joins facts until you reach the answer.

Example: in a Class 9 geometry proof, analysis asks what you need to show two angles are equal. You need two congruent triangles. Synthesis then writes the proof forward, from the given facts to the result. Use analysis to find the way and synthesis to write it neatly.

10. Play-way method

Children learn through games and play. Friedrich Froebel, who started the kindergarten, put play at the centre of early learning. The name comes from Caldwell Cook's 1917 book The Play Way.

Example: Class 1 students learn to add and subtract by running a pretend shop with toy money. Use it in pre-primary and primary classes, and for revision games in higher classes. Keep a clear learning goal behind every game.

11. Storytelling method

The teacher teaches through a story, real or made up. NEP 2020 lists story-telling-based teaching among the ways of experiential learning. Example: in Class 4, the teacher tells the story of a drop of water. It goes from the sea to the clouds and comes back as rain.

Use it with young learners, and for values, history and science processes. Keep the story short and ask questions after it.

12. Role play

Students act out a situation or a character. They speak and decide as that person would. Example: in a spoken English batch, one student plays a shopkeeper and another plays a customer.

Use it for language practice, social science and life skills. Give each student a role card and a few minutes to prepare.

13. Activity-based learning

Students learn by doing tasks such as sorting, measuring, making and drawing. NEP 2020 calls for play-based and activity-based learning in the early years. Example: Class 3 students measure their desks with a scale and with hand spans, then compare the results.

Use it in primary classes, and for any topic that students can touch, build or measure.

14. Experiential learning

Students learn from a real experience and then think about it. A simple cycle is: do something, reflect on it, understand the idea, then try it in a new way. NEP 2020 says experiential learning will be used in all stages of school.

Example: Class 7 students grow plants in three pots, one in sunlight, one without water and one in the dark. After two weeks, they compare the plants and explain what plants need. Use it when a real experience is possible, such as a field visit or a school garden.

15. Flipped classroom

Students watch a short video or read notes at home first. Class time is then used for practice, doubts and discussion. Example: a Class 10 science teacher shares a short video on balancing chemical equations, and students practise in class.

Use it when students can watch videos at home. Keep videos short. Start class with two quick questions to check who watched.

16. Blended learning

Blended learning mixes face-to-face classes with online learning. Example: a coaching centre teaches in the classroom, then gives online tests and recorded revision videos.

Use it when students can reach online material, and for revision, tests and extra practice. Keep classroom time for discussion and doubts.

Comparison table: teaching methods at a glance

How to choose a teaching method

• Start from the objective. To give facts, a lecture or demonstration may be enough. To build thinking, choose discussion, problem-solving or discovery.
• Think of the age of your students. Young children need play, stories and activity. Older students can handle lectures and discussion.
• Look at the topic. A lab skill needs a demonstration. A new maths rule suits inductive teaching first, then deductive practice.
• Check the class size and space. Group work is harder with 50 students, so use pair work and question-answer.
• Count your time and resources. Projects and discovery take longer, so save them for the most important ideas.
• Watch your students. If a method is not working, change it.

One period often uses several methods. You might start with question-answer, give a short demonstration and end with pair work. This mix of methods is your teaching strategy for the lesson. Write it into your lesson plan so each method has its time.

Methods of teaching English in brief

B.Ed English syllabi in India cover several methods. These five appear in many of them.

• Grammar-translation method: the teacher explains grammar rules, and students translate sentences between their mother tongue and English. It helps reading and writing but gives little speaking practice.
• Direct method: English is taught through English only, with no translation. Meaning comes from objects, pictures and actions. Speaking comes first, and grammar is learned from examples.
• Bilingual method: the teacher uses the mother tongue only to give the meaning of a new sentence. Students then practise it in English. C. J. Dodson described this method in 1967.
• Structural approach: students learn sentence patterns one at a time, through drills in real classroom situations. For example: This is a pen. That is a book.
• Communicative approach: the aim is real communication. Students practise asking for directions, ordering food or giving a short talk. Being understood matters as much as perfect grammar.

Many teachers in India mix these methods. In a regional-medium class, a teacher might use the bilingual method at first. As students grow confident, the class moves towards the communicative approach.

Share your teaching on Sikhami

If a method works well in your class, you can share it with more learners. Sikhami gives every teacher a free teacher profile, with your photo, a short intro, an about section, your subjects and your links. Learners can follow it, write reviews and ask questions. Institutes can invite a published teacher to teach on their courses.

On your own account, you can post clips, which are short videos, and notes. A two-minute demonstration or a short story lesson works well as a clip. You can also earn from paid notes, paid clubs, meetups, study rooms with an entry fee, memberships and Super Chat. Joining and posting are free.