Importance of Stimulus Variation Skill and Its Component in Teaching 

Back to: Learning and Teaching Unit 5

The skill of stimulus variation refers to including various methods of stimulating motivation to learn among learners and retain their attention. Teachers need to keep moving around the class to ensure every student is paying attention to which stimulus variation is involved in micro-teaching. It is important because it makes the learners more attentive and responsive. It also helps teachers to keep a track of their learners.

Components of Stimulus Variation

The different components of stimulus variation are as follows:

Purposeful Movement

While teaching, it is essential for a teacher to move around the classroom and not be fixed in one place. This enables teachers to keep a check on every corner of the classroom and see if all the learners are being equally attentive.

Gestures

Teachers should make body movements that can help the learners understand the topic more easily and important ideas can be communicated to the students in a meaningful and simple way. For instance, the teacher can nod their head when their student is answering a question to indicate they are giving the right answer.

Deliberate Pauses

It is important to pause while teaching so that students do not feel tedious and can pay more attention. It will also help generate curiosity among learners and keep them excited for what they will learn ahead.

Use of Blackboard

Using a blackboard or PowerPoint presentation in between the lesson is necessary to keep the learners engaged and avoid them from getting distracted. It also helps in making the lesson clearer to learners.

Variation In Speech

It is essential to change the tone of explanation at regular intervals so that it does not become monotonous. Voice modulation, particularly when teaching poetry and other similar lessons, is highly necessary to avoid the students from getting bored.

These are some of the important components of the skill of stimulus variation and teachers must make sure they include these components while teaching.