What Are the Best Tips for Teaching High School Science?

Teaching high school science can be a challenge, whether the subject is taught in a private school, in the public school system, by tutors, or by home educators. Methods of teaching vary greatly, depending on culture, the institution, teaching philosophies, and the difficulty level of a specific lesson. Few tips for teaching high school science are universal, given all the variables involved. Generally, the best tips for teaching high school science are to get the students personally involved, use multimedia resources to accommodate different learning styles, engage all of a student's senses, and remain open to creative teaching approaches.

Getting students involved on a personal level with science lessons takes listening to verbal and nonverbal feedback from students. Listening to body language and watching facial expressions provides clues when students need more or less of a challenge. Alternatively, soliciting open discussions regarding teaching high school science, including suggestions for better approaches, helps students take ownership of science studies. A student who is actively involved in choosing how he learns is more invested in his own education.

Today's technology offers a wealth of multimedia options for teaching high school science. From videos to online games, from slide show presentations to interactive tutorials, teaching young adults about science can now accommodate nearly any learning style. Teachers who use multiple media options allow auditory, visual, and tactile learners an opportunity to learn through the best method for each learning style. Video helps auditory learners who learn better by listening, while laboratory work and experiments help tactile learners who learn better by doing.

Using multimedia teaching aids when teaching high school science also engages all the students' senses. Three dimensional teaching methods get students physically and mentally engaged in lessons. Lab experiments, for example, allow students to physically experience science concepts through sight, sound, touch, and smell. Likewise, field trips are another opportunity to engage all of a student's senses. When a student is able to associate sights, sounds, smells and other memories with a particular science concept, his knowledge is retained longer than without associated memories.

Creative approaches to teaching high school science help, especially when teaching teenagers with learning disabilities, developmental delays, or students who simply need a nonstandard approach. Even students who have no impediment to learning benefit from creating teaching approaches. In situations where more traditional lecture, memorize, recite methods are not successful, less traditional or creative approaches may help kick start a student's progress. Having students learn the Periodic Table to the tune of a popular song, moving the classroom outside for a day, or reversing teacher-student roles for a particular lesson are all examples of creative teaching approaches.