Teaching Methods

Overview: “Co-teaching” involves at least two faculty members from different disciplines simultaneously attending and co-instructing the same course, collaborating to design course content that integrates and innovates across fields. This model emphasizes the joint participation of faculty, rather than mere coordination, with the aim of cultivating students’ capacity for interdisciplinary integration.

Overview: “Gamification” is an instructional method conceptualized by British engineer Nick Pelling in 2002. To be specific, this approach does not turn the classroom into an actual game. Rather, it incorporates game elements, such as missions, points, levels, badges, leaderboards, or instant feedback, into instructional design, encouraging students to engage more deeply in a “level-up” style learning process.

Overview: The “Technology-Enabled Active Learning (TEAL)” method originated at MIT and is grounded in social constructivist learning theory. It is a pedagogical model that combines technology and active learning, typically implemented in classrooms with flexible grouping arrangements, projection screens, and interactive tools. Its core philosophy is to “get students moving”:  shifting them from passive listeners to active participants through small-group discussion, real-time interaction, hands-on activities, and digital tools.

Overview: The “Flipped Classroom” originated in 2007 at Rocky Mountain High School in Colorado, USA. Simply put, this pedagogical approach reverses the traditional sequence of “in-class lecture followed by homework.” Conversely, the teacher first provides videos, reading materials, or brief explanations for students to engage with before class, so they arrive having already grasped the basic concepts. Class time is then devoted to discussion, hands-on activities, problem-solving, and interaction so that students can truly “apply” their knowledge.

Overview: The “Case Method” originated at Harvard Law School in the 1870s. It is an instructional approach that uses real-world scenarios to guide student thinking and discussion. The teacher presents a real or adapted case for students to analyze, propose solutions, and debate perspectives, therefore making abstract theory vivid and tangible, and far easier to connect with everyday life or future professional settings.

Overview: “Problem-Based Learning (PBL)” originated in the mid-1960s at McMaster University’s medical school in Canada. It is a learning approach that starts with a “problem.” Rather than providing standard answers upfront, the teacher first presents a situational problem that requires thought and exploration, prompting students to gather information, discuss, reason, and ultimately propose the most viable solution as a group.

Overview: “Inquiry-Based Learning” has its intellectual roots in the ideas of 18th-century French educator Jean-Jacques Rousseau and was further developed in the early 20th century by American educator John Dewey. This method encourages students to actively identify problems, formulate hypotheses, gather data, and conduct analysis, thereby cultivating critical thinking and independent learning throughout the process.

Overview: “Questioning” is an approach that uses questions to drive learning. Rather than delivering all knowledge at once, the teacher poses carefully designed questions that guide students to observe, think, reason, and exchange perspectives with one another. In essence, questions become the “fuel” of the classroom, allowing students to internalize knowledge through the process of responding, probing further, and reflecting.

Overview: “Lecturing” is the most classic and widely used instructional approach, in which the teacher systematically conveys knowledge, concepts, and context through oral explanation. With clear organization, appropriate examples, and well-paced delivery, this method can effectively help students quickly grasp core concepts. It is especially suitable for courses that require establishing theoretical backgrounds, building structured knowledge, or conveying large amounts of information.