Teaching-Learning Strategies: Stages, Methods, Metacognition and Concept Maps
This page covers the three stages of teaching, the levels of teaching, the major teacher-centred and child-centred methods, metacognitive skills, concept maps, and NCERT's Learning Outcomes — all from an exam angle. REET 2024 carried 5 questions on this topic, all built around modern classroom processes.
- 5 questions in REET 2024
- Teacher-training level
- 7 min read
How REET asks this topic
REET 2024's 5 questions centred on newer terminology: the structure of a concept map (labelled nodes and connecting lines) and how a teacher uses it (choosing appropriate instructional material), what 'monitoring' means within metacognition (asking yourself 'am I understanding this?'), which decision does NOT belong to the pre-active stage (evaluating students), and the purpose of NCERT's 'Learning Outcomes at the Elementary Stage' (age-appropriate competencies). In short, expect fewer theorist names and more of the practical meaning of a concept.
Method, strategy and tactic — the difference
A teaching method is the general way of teaching, such as the lecture method or the project method. A teaching strategy is the full plan — which objective, in what sequence, with which methods, materials and grouping it will be achieved. A teaching tactic is a small step within a strategy, such as asking a question, giving an example, offering reinforcement, or drawing a diagram on the board.
A good strategy keeps the child active, starts from their prior knowledge, is mindful of diversity in the classroom, and keeps the learning goal clear. NCF 2005 emphasises connecting knowledge to life outside school, moving away from rote learning, and letting children construct knowledge themselves (constructivism).
Stages and levels of teaching
| Stage / level | What happens | Key points |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-active | Planning before entering the classroom | Deciding objectives, selecting and sequencing content, choosing method and material, planning the duration and timing of the period |
| Interactive | Actual classroom teaching | Gauging the class, diagnosing children's prior knowledge, questioning, feedback and reinforcement |
| Post-active | After the teaching is done | Evaluating students, adjusting teaching based on the results, self-reflection |
| Memory level — Herbart | Recalling facts | Teacher is at the centre; the lowest level |
| Understanding level — Morrison | Grasping meaning, relationships and principles | Comes after the memory level |
| Reflective level — Hunt | Thinking through a problem independently to find a solution | The highest level; the student is most active |
The idea of dividing teaching into pre-active and interactive phases is linked to Philip Jackson's book 'Life in Classrooms' (1968). 'Evaluating students' belongs to the post-active stage, not the pre-active one.[Source 3]
Major teaching-learning methods
| Method / strategy | Core idea | When it's useful |
|---|---|---|
| Lecture | The teacher speaks, students listen | A lot of information in little time; less suited to young children |
| Demonstration | The teacher performs and shows | Science experiments, crafts, skills |
| Discussion / debate | Exchange of ideas | Large classes, social issues, reasoning skills |
| Brainstorming | As many ideas as possible without criticism; linked to Alex Osborn | Creativity, finding new solutions |
| Project method | Purposeful, real-life work; William H. Kilpatrick | 'Learning by doing', group work |
| Problem-solving / Inquiry | The student arrives at questions, hypotheses, investigation and conclusions themselves | Science, maths, EVS |
| Role play | Understanding by acting out a character | Language, social studies, values education |
| Cooperative learning | Small, diverse groups working toward a shared goal, e.g. jigsaw | Social skills, inclusive classrooms |
| Peer tutoring | One child teaches another | Multi-grade / multi-level classrooms |
| Scaffolding | Support given only as needed, then gradually withdrawn; linked to Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) | New and difficult concepts |
| 5E model | Engage → Explore → Explain → Elaborate → Evaluate | Constructivist lesson planning |
Metacognition and concept maps
Metacognition means 'thinking about your own thinking' — knowing how I learn, and what I have and haven't understood. The modern use of this term is credited to John Flavell. Metacognitive skill has three stages: (1) Planning — setting a goal, deciding how much time to give a task and which strategy to use; (2) Monitoring — asking yourself while working, 'Am I understanding this?', 'Am I on the right track?'; (3) Evaluating — checking afterwards how well the strategy worked and what to change next time.
A concept map is a diagrammatic representation of a subject's concepts and how they relate to each other. Its basic structure is labelled nodes (concepts written in boxes or circles) connected by lines, with linking words written on the lines to state the relationship — for example, 'plants → (make) → food'. Teachers can use it to find out children's prior knowledge and misconceptions, sequence a lesson, choose appropriate instructional material, and assess learning. It doesn't do away with lesson planning — it makes it better.
In a mind map, branches radiate out from a centre and it's mainly used for collecting ideas, whereas a concept map's main job is to spell out the relationships in words.
Learning Outcomes — NCERT
- Document
- 'Learning Outcomes at the Elementary Stage', NCERT, 2017[Source 1]
- Purpose
- To make sure children acquire age- and grade-appropriate competencies by the end of every class[Source 1]
- Format
- Class-wise and subject-wise, assessable, process-based statements, along with suggested pedagogical processes[Source 1]
- Who it's for
- Teachers, parents, school management and education administrators — to fix accountability for quality[Source 1]
- What it isn't
- It doesn't impose a single uniform teaching method, encourage rote learning, or focus only on theoretical knowledge
Using this in the classroom
| Classroom situation | Suitable strategy | How to do it |
|---|---|---|
| Class 4, EVS: 'Sources of water' — you want to find out children's prior knowledge | Concept map | Write 'water' on the board, let children add nodes (well, stepwell, tap, rain) and write the relationship on the connecting lines; misconceptions surface right away |
| Class 7, science: some children are far ahead, some behind | Peer tutoring + cooperative groups | Form mixed groups, assign each member a role (reader, writer, presenter) |
| Class 5, maths: children get stuck on word problems | Metacognition — self-questioning | Teach them to ask 'what's given, what's being asked' before solving, 'does this answer make sense?' midway, and 'is there another way?' at the end |
| Class 8, social science: the village panchayat | Role play | Children act out the gram sabha as the sarpanch, ward panch, and villagers |
| A new, difficult concept: adding fractions | Scaffolding | First work through it together using picture strips, then give hints, and finally let the child do it alone |
| While preparing a lesson plan | Pre-active decision | Decide the objective, material, method and time by looking at the learning outcomes first; use assessment results to revise the plan later |
Memory trick / exam tip
Remember the three stages as 'before – during – after': planning (pre-active), teaching (interactive), checking (post-active). For the levels, remember 'memory–understanding–reflective = Herbart–Morrison–Hunt', in that order. In metacognition, 'asking yourself midway' = monitoring.
Questions asked in REET 2024 (solved)
Question 25
What does the NCERT’s document “learning outcomes at elementary stage” state about purpose of learning outcomes ?
- Aविद्यालयों में एक समान शिक्षण विधियों को बढ़ावा देना
- Bअवधारणाओं को रटने की प्रवृत्ति को प्राथमिकता देना
- Cयह सुनिश्चित करना कि छात्र आयु उपयुक्त दक्षताओं को प्राप्त करें
- Dकेवल सैद्धान्तिक ज्ञान पर ध्यान केन्द्रित करना
Explanation
NCERT के दस्तावेज 'प्रारंभिक स्तर पर सीखने के प्रतिफल' (Learning Outcomes at the Elementary Stage) का उद्देश्य प्रत्येक कक्षा व विषय के लिए अपेक्षित दक्षताएँ तय करना है ताकि यह सुनिश्चित हो कि बच्चे अपनी आयु/कक्षा के अनुरूप दक्षताएँ प्राप्त करें। यह रटने या केवल सैद्धान्तिक ज्ञान पर बल नहीं देता और एक समान शिक्षण विधि थोपने के लिए भी नहीं है।
Question 30
What does ‘monitoring’ involve in metacognitive skills ?
- Aकिसी कार्य को कितना समय देना है इसका निर्णय लेना
- Bप्रश्न पूछना जैसे “क्या यह समझ में आ रहा है ?”
- Cप्रतिक्रिया के बिना कार्य पूरा करना
- Dकार्य की कठिनाई को अनदेखा करना
Explanation
अधिसंज्ञान (Metacognition) के कौशलों में योजना बनाना, निगरानी (monitoring) और मूल्यांकन शामिल हैं। निगरानी में सीखने के दौरान स्वयं से प्रश्न पूछना आता है, जैसे 'क्या यह समझ में आ रहा है?'। किसी कार्य को कितना समय देना है, यह तय करना योजना (planning) का भाग है।
Question 7
Which is not a decision taken by teachers in pre-active phase of teaching ?
- Aशिक्षण विधियों का चयन
- Bशिक्षण सामग्री का चयन
- Cविद्यार्थियों का मूल्यांकन करना
- Dकक्षा शिक्षण की अवधि
Explanation
जैक्सन (Jackson) के अनुसार शिक्षण की तीन अवस्थाएँ हैं – पूर्व-क्रियात्मक (योजना), अन्तःक्रियात्मक (कक्षा में शिक्षण) और उत्तर-क्रियात्मक (मूल्यांकन)। शिक्षण विधि, सामग्री और कक्षा की अवधि का निर्णय शिक्षण से पहले, यानी पूर्व-क्रियात्मक अवस्था में लिया जाता है। विद्यार्थियों का मूल्यांकन उत्तर-क्रियात्मक अवस्था का कार्य है, इसलिए C सही उत्तर है।
Question 24
How does a concept mapping support to teacher ?
- Aउपयुक्त अनुदेशनात्मक सामग्री का चयन
- Bशिक्षण समय को कम करना
- Cछात्रों के लेखन कौशलों को बढ़ाना
- Dपाठ-योजना को समाप्त करना
Explanation
संकल्पना मानचित्रण (Concept mapping) में विषय की अवधारणाओं और उनके आपसी सम्बन्धों को चित्र रूप में दिखाया जाता है। इससे शिक्षक को विषयवस्तु की संरचना स्पष्ट होती है और वह उपयुक्त अनुदेशनात्मक सामग्री व क्रम का चयन कर पाता है। यह पाठ-योजना को समाप्त नहीं करता (D), बल्कि योजना बनाने में सहायक है।
Question 29
What is the primary structure of a concept map ?
- Aअध्याय और उप-अध्याय
- Bलेबल वाले नोड्स और कनेक्टिंग लाइन्स
- Cचित्र और एनीमेशन
- Dसमय-रेखाएं और घटनाएं
Explanation
कॉन्सेप्ट मैप (अवधारणा मानचित्र) में अवधारणाएँ लेबल वाले नोड्स (बॉक्स/वृत्त) के रूप में होती हैं और उन्हें संबंध बताने वाली जोड़ने वाली रेखाओं (connecting lines) से जोड़ा जाता है। अध्याय सूची या समय-रेखा इसकी संरचना नहीं है।
Practice questions
Question 1
In which phase of teaching does the teacher decide lesson objectives and teaching materials?
- Aपूर्व-क्रियात्मक
- Bअंतःक्रियात्मक
- Cउत्तर-क्रियात्मक
- Dमूल्यांकन
Explanation
Planning before entering the classroom — deciding objectives, content, method and material — happens in the pre-active stage.
Question 2
Who is associated with the 'reflective level' of teaching?
- Aहरबर्ट
- Bमॉरिसन
- Cहंट
- Dब्लूम
Explanation
The memory level is linked to Herbart, the understanding level to Morrison, and the reflective level to Hunt. The reflective level is the highest level of teaching.
Question 3
While solving a maths problem, a student pauses and asks himself, "Is my method going in the right direction?" Which metacognitive skill is this?
- Aयोजना
- Bनिगरानी
- Cस्मरण
- Dअनुकरण
Explanation
Checking your own understanding and progress while doing a task is monitoring. Deciding on time and strategy before starting the task is planning.
Question 4
The project method is associated with
- Aविलियम एच. किलपैट्रिक
- Bएलेक्स ऑसबोर्न
- Cफिलिप जैक्सन
- Dहरबर्ट
Explanation
The project method is linked to William H. Kilpatrick. Brainstorming is linked to Alex Osborn, and the classification of teaching stages is linked to Philip Jackson.
Question 5
A technique of generating as many new ideas as possible in a group without criticism is
- Aव्याख्यान
- Bविचार-मंथन
- Cप्रदर्शन
- Dअभ्यास
Explanation
Brainstorming generates as many new ideas as possible in a group without any criticism, so creative thinking can flow freely.
Question 6
The teacher first gives full help and gradually withdraws it as the child becomes capable. This strategy is called
- Aआलंबन (Scaffolding)
- Bदंड
- Cअनुकूलन
- Dपुनरावृत्ति
Explanation
Giving full support at first and gradually withdrawing it as the child becomes capable is called scaffolding, linked to Vygotsky's concept of the Zone of Proximal Development.
Question 7
Which statement about a concept map is NOT correct?
- Aइससे बच्चों की भ्रांतियाँ पता चलती हैं
- Bइसमें अवधारणाओं के बीच संबंध दिखाए जाते हैं
- Cयह पाठ-योजना की आवश्यकता समाप्त कर देता है
- Dइसका उपयोग आकलन में भी हो सकता है
Explanation
A concept map improves lesson planning, it doesn't replace it. The other three statements are genuine uses of a concept map.
Question 8
The correct sequence of the 5E teaching model is
- Aव्याख्या – संलग्न – खोज – विस्तार – मूल्यांकन
- Bसंलग्न – खोज – व्याख्या – विस्तार – मूल्यांकन
- Cखोज – संलग्न – मूल्यांकन – व्याख्या – विस्तार
- Dसंलग्न – व्याख्या – खोज – मूल्यांकन – विस्तार
Explanation
In the 5E model, the child is first engaged, then explores, followed by explanation, elaboration, and finally evaluation. Exploration comes before explanation.
Question 9
In a diverse Class 6, the teacher wants every child to take responsibility in group work and learn from each other. The most suitable strategy is
- Aव्याख्यान विधि
- Bसहयोगात्मक अधिगम (जैसे जिग्सॉ)
- Cकेवल गृहकार्य
- Dप्रतियोगी रैंकिंग
Explanation
In cooperative learning, small, diverse groups work toward a shared goal with defined roles for each member, so everyone stays active.
Question 10
Which statement about NCERT's 'Learning Outcomes' document is correct?
- Aयह सभी विद्यालयों में एक ही शिक्षण विधि अनिवार्य करता है
- Bयह कक्षावार आकलन योग्य दक्षताएँ बताता है
- Cयह केवल कक्षा 10 व 12 के लिए है
- Dयह रटने को प्रोत्साहित करता है
Explanation
The Elementary-stage Learning Outcomes lay out assessable, class-wise and subject-wise competencies so children achieve age-appropriate abilities; they don't mandate a single teaching method.
Frequently asked questions
What happens during the pre-active stage of teaching?+
Setting objectives, selecting and sequencing content, choosing the teaching method and material, and planning time. Evaluating students falls under the post-active stage.
What is metacognition?+
Being aware of, and in control of, your own thinking and learning process. It has three skills — planning, monitoring and evaluating.
What is the structure of a concept map?+
Labelled nodes (concepts) connected by lines that carry a word describing the relationship.
What is the purpose of NCERT's Learning Outcomes?+
To make sure children achieve age-appropriate competencies in every class; they give teachers and parents a basis for checking learning progress.
Who gave the levels of teaching?+
The memory level is linked to Herbart, the understanding level to Morrison, and the reflective level to Hunt.
Read next
Official Sources
Change Log
- 17 September 2026 — English pilot page published — mirrors the fact-checked Hindi page, independently bilingual-accuracy checked