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Teaching Space - Over-the-shoulder Teaching

In this situation, the teacher does not necessarily stand in front of the class all the time. He/she can move around and look over the students shoulders to see what students are doing.

Advantages

  • Teachers are free to move around the classroom to help students.
  • Teachers can give students individual support.

Disadvantages

  • If a student is working individually and asks a question, the group will not benefit from the answer.
  • Only individual problems can be addressed.
  • Teachers may find themselves repeating explanations and losing time if each student has the same problem. In this case, teachers should give a general explanation for the whole class.
  • Since the teaching is done mostly on the computer screen, students may see the computer and not the teacher as the facilitator of the learning process. Human teachers may be seen more as a sort of 'moral support' in case there is a problem. Though this is not entirely untrue, it can lead to an impersonal learning environment where the teacher’s work is not seen.

 

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