Invention and Research
Teaching invention and research require the application of efficient teaching strategies. In order to achieve efficiency in learning this topic, a combination of various strategies will be applied. The strategies used will be learner-centric to enable the topic to be perfectly understood by students.
The application of problem-based learning to the concept of invention and research is an effective model of knowledge dissemination. In order to use this strategy with efficiency, the learners will be introduced to societal problems requiring innovative solutions such as the reduction of water pollution by industrial wastes. The student will be required to come up with new ideas, which can assist in the solution of the presented problem. While doing this, the learners are bound to expand their knowledge in the area of pollution control and thus provide innovative solutions. New technologies that come about as a result of carrying out this exercise will be used to describe what invention is. Moreover, the students will be capable of understanding research from the basis of their study needs.
Second, to encourage collaboration and effective communication while carrying out the studies, the students will be divided into groups (Alber par. 5). For the learning process to be successful, it is advisable for students to be engaged and for a participatory process to be adopted. This approach will be achieved through encouraging discussions both within and outside the formed groups. The discussion forums will also involve the educator whose role will be to give directions on the group activities and to shed more light on the study topic. The students will be encouraged to ask questions where they feel there is a need for greater knowledge and to discuss any challenges they find in the course of their study with the educator. Participation in group activities and discussion will encourage the students to learn more through asking for guidance where necessary.
Provision of examples is also an appropriate strategy for teaching the topic ’invention and research’. In order to carry out this efficiently, the relationship between research and invention will be clearly stated. This relationship is such that the need for the solution to a problem prompts inventors to carry out research, which leads to the development of new ideas and inventions. This stage will be followed by issuing examples of past problems and the inventions, which rose due to the necessity of solving the problems. A suitable example is a need for a long distance short time communication, which led to the invention of the phone. From the description of this and the provision of examples, the students will then be asked to give examples of their own. This approach will help the students to understand the background information about the concepts of invention and research.
Apart from the three strategies mentioned above, collaboration with other teachers is encouraged. The aim of this is to find out the challenges they face in teaching such topics and the strategies they apply to address such challenges in a classroom set up. Understanding the challenges faced by other educators will enable me to be prepared to handle the challenges I meet in my class (Alber par. 7).
In conclusion, the engagement of students in practice-based learning, encouraging discussions and group work, exemplification, and collaboration with other teachers are all best practice strategies that can be effective in the dissemination of any knowledge.