In most of the class rooms in India conventional teaching methods, materials and teaching techniques based on prescribed texts and syllabus are used homogeneously in spite of vast differences in class rooms and level of students. The traditional methods which largely depend on lecturing and rote learning reduce English language learning to mechanical memorization and miserably fail in developing language competency among the students. These stereotyped methods and teaching material makes the learning a monotonous activity and creates distaste among the students by reducing them to mere passive receptors of language and not active participants in the learning process. Therefore the necessity to deviate from the grand methods and materials and to use innovative material and techniques of teaching has been strongly felt. The aim of this paper is to examine the conventional methods of teaching as well as multimedia teaching and to recommend other useful teaching methods that can be attempted in imparting knowledge to the students. Basically teaching must include two major components sending and receiving information. Ultimately, a teacher tries his best to impart knowledge as the way he understood it. So, any communication methods that serve this purpose without destroying the objective could be considered as innovative methods of teaching. The use of innovative methods in educational institutions has the potential not only to improve education, but also to empower people, strengthen governance and galvanize the effort to achieve the human development goal for the country. The present study makes an attempt at identifying various innovative methods of teaching associated with higher education. The methodology being adopted would be predominantly collection of data from secondary sources.
