Development Approaches

This paper discusses the implementation and use of technology in educational settings. This implementation facilitates a process that is termed interactive teaching and learning. Interactive teaching/learning is the process by which the learners acquire information through their interaction with each other as well as with their teachers. For learning to be considered interactive, the interaction must be reciprocal as well as mutually advantageous. Currently, interactive learning incorporates the use of tangible equipments such as computers in an endeavour to connect learning materials and students in a virtual manner. Young children commence learning and acquire skills passively. The importance of interactive learning becomes apparent as their physical movement begins. Much of the interactive learning is prompted by an inner urge to fulfil their aspirations. As children mature, they continue learning through passive and interactive means. Nevertheless, the portion that each method contributes varies as one matures (Kim & Axelrod 2005, 110).

When children begin schooling, teachers employ various forms of interactive methods. Interactive methods are recommended since they help keep pupils alert and involved in the learning process. Nevertheless, studies have indicated that, at times, teachers may fail to engage their students adequately enough, especially while introducing new topics. Thus, educationists have concluded that experimentation is the best strategy to teach such subjects as biology, chemistry, and mathematics. Passive teaching of these subjects makes students perceive them as uninteresting and, in effect, their concentration declines (Kim & Axelrod 2005, 100). Experimentation facilitates grasping of concepts since it presents an opportunity to learn through the manipulation of such objects as beads and blocks. As learning proceeds, the utilization of computers and other technologies becomes important. Computers are powerful learning tools as the students can access a wide range of online materials, get engaged in chats, or participate in educative contests with minimal contribution from their teachers (Mezirow 1997, 5) .

A significant number of studies have indicated that the best form of learning results institutions manage to create an effective hybrid between passive and interactive approaches. The establishment of such hybrid necessitates consideration of theories that were proposed by such psychologists as Vygotsky, Piaget, and Dewey.  The applicability of these theories ought to be reviewed especially when teaching second languages as well as math and science in a contemporary educational setting. In this regard, it has been established that constructivism is the most applicable learning theory, especially when the face-to-face and online methods of teaching/learning are incorporated for the purpose of forming a hybrid.

Interactive teaching refers to a style or strategy of teaching when learners construct their own meanings on the basis of their experiences as well as within the frameworks utilized in the curriculum. Basically, interactive teaching style is based on constructivism. Interactive teaching requires teachers to challenge students’ thinking process as they interact. The purpose of this is to expose learners to new ideas and thoughts. This extra role is referred to as focused teaching and, in this case, a teacher is regarded to be a cognition coach. Therefore, a teacher is expected to give students an opportunity to struggle with ideas until they fully comprehend their learning experience (Mezirow 1997, 10) .

Interactive teaching takes students’ original aims into consideration, since it endeavours to empower and help them become independent learners. Additionally, interactive teaching offers teachers an opportunity to enhance their knowledge as they utilize their interactive capacity in listening and challenging students’ misconceptions. Therefore, teachers’ prior knowledge remains to be an important factor in this educating strategy. Interactive learning apportions time for diagnosing students’ understanding, whether individually or as a class, before prompting them to enhance their thinking. It necessitates an effective class management, when teachers are given space to interact with students and other teachers (Vygotsky 1978, 79-80).

Interactive teaching provides a focused approach, which is best witnessed in math programmes. In such programmes a teacher utilizes a focused teaching strategy, which is applicable to various curriculums. When teachers introduce several activities as in a mathematics lesson, interactive teaching provides a timely and purposeful interaction. This strategy gives space and time in a manner, which enables teachers to assume the role of activity managers. This paper evaluates the impact of learning technologies and their rubrics on the interactive teaching/learning of second languages and other contemporary subjects.