This is an ethical teaching and learning tool developed by Gordon Pask and Bernard Scott.
Using Pask and Scott’s (1973; 2000) Teachback—a method in which, after the teacher has presented to the learners the topics of the learning outcomes, the learner is invited to teach back his/her understanding of this material to the teacher in front of his peers. When the learner teaches back his interpretation of the new concept/s, he is providing a glimpse into his world of understandings, but more importantly, how he arrived at these understandings is a feature that the teacher can use to improve the learning process. During the Teachback, the teacher stresses the how of knowing. This implies that the learner tells of how they arrived at their understandings. This is a useful tool for language development.
When Teachback is performed, the person creates a verbal expression based on their language and background. As Teachback occurs in a social context amongst peers, an opportunity for an exploration into the diverse backgrounds of the individual pre-school children can take place, especially beneficial when in a multi-cultural setting.
We have used teachback successfully to improve memory retention of the learners and improve the teacher’s skill as a teacher as teachback also informs the teacher of her weaknesses in her teaching approach.
References:
- Pask, G. (1976). Conversation theory: Applications in education and epistemology. Elsevier Publishing Company.
- Scott, B. (2000). CASTE revisited: Principles of course design in a hypertext environment. Information Services & Use, 20 (2/3), 117.