DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TEACHING APPROACH, TEACHING METHOD, TEACHING TECHNIQUE, AND TEACHING STRATEGIES

v  Teaching Approach is like a description of how we go about teaching our students. This description explains what we do when we teach.

• The sorts of teaching and learning activities that we have planned (lecture, tutorial, self-directed learning, case study, workshop, workplace learning);
• Ways in which we try to engage students with the subject matter (provide students with basic facts, relate new knowledge to what students already know, build in interaction, be passionate, be enthusiastic);
• The ways in which we support our students (encourage questions, set formative assessments, provide constructive feedback). 
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The mode or manner we are teaching is very important as well because in that way we notice and measure our students’ improvement. Also we can know how to facilitate learning (qualities of the teacher such as passion, principles for good teaching practice such as providing timely and constructive feedback, putting educational theory into practice.

v Then, we have the Teaching method which comprises the principles and methods used for instruction. Commonly used teaching methods may include class participation, demonstration, recitation, memorization, or combinations of these. The choice of teaching method or methods to be used depends largely on the information or skill that is being taught, and it may also be influenced by the aptitude and enthusiasm of the students.

If we compare the teaching approach and the teaching method, the difference is that the teaching approach is like the form or way we teach, how we do it while the teaching method is what kind of activities we use in order to teach.

Tell me, I forget, Show me, I remember, Involve me, I understand.

v Teaching techniques are such steps we follow when we teach. For example, when we want to help students learn the meaning of new vocabulary words we can use a teaching technique known as Definition Clues.   The process works as follows.

 The teacher chooses a word and work in different steps.

STEP 1Give Definition Clue (an example of the word in a real situation)
STEP 3 - Give the actual definition of the word
STEP 4 - Ask students for the correct answer after each word.

 We can easier teach any topic following steps, and it will help us to be more organized and to facilitate and make funny our students’ learning process.

v Finally, Teaching strategies are the methods we use to allow learners to access the information we are teaching.
For example, we could read the information to them; we could display it pictorially; we could allow them to research the information themselves; we could present it as a PowerPoint presentation. We can use our creativity so as to make every class interesting by using good strategies for teaching.
People learn in 3 main ways - visually, auditory and kinesthetically.
Visual learners learn by looking at/seeing something.
Auditory learners learn by hearing it/being told it.
Kinesthetic learners learn by actually doing/experiencing it.
Your teaching strategies should aim to include all types of learner.

• Active Learning - Active Learning is anything that students do in a classroom other than merely passively listening to an instructor's lecture.
• Clicker Use in Class - Clickers enable instructors to rapidly collect and summarize student responses to multiple-choice questions they ask of students in class.
• Collaborative/Cooperative Learning - Cooperative and collaborative learning are instructional approaches in which students work together in small groups to accomplish a common learning
• Critical Thinking - Critical thinking is a collection of mental activities that include the ability to intuit, clarify, reflect, connect, infer, and judge. It brings these activities together and enables the student to question what knowledge exists. 
• Discussion Strategies - Engaging students in discussion deepens their learning and motivation by propelling them to develop their own views and hear their own voices.  A good environment for interaction is the first step in encouraging students to talk. 
• Experiential Learning - Experiential learning is an approach to education that focuses on "learning by doing," on the participant's subjective experience. The role of the educator is to design "direct experiences" that include preparatory and reflective exercises.
• Games/Experiments/Simulations - Games, experiments and simulations can be rich learning environments for students.  Students today have grown up playing games and using interactive tools such as the Internet, phones, and other appliances.  Games and simulations enable students to solve real-world problems in a safe environment and enjoy themselves while doing so. 
• Humor in the Classroom - Using humor in the classroom can enhance student learning by improving understanding and retention. 

Now, if we compare teaching techniques with teaching strategies, the difference would be that teaching techniques are the steps we use in order to teach our students in an organized way; moreover, It would help us to order better our classes, while teaching strategies are methods we use to teach in order to facilitate our students’ learning and also it heps us to teach in a more creative way.