Instructional Methods 12 Instructional Methods

Explain the role of all teachers in the development of critical-thinking skills. © michaeljung/Shutterstock

Instructional Methods Instructional methods may also be called instructional strategies or teaching strategies Discussions Skits Demonstrations

Develop questions appropriate for instruction based on Bloom’s Taxonomy. © Dawn Shearer-Simonetti/Shutterstock

Engaging Learners in Critical Thinking Bloom’s Taxonomy contains six levels: Knowledge Acquiring, recalling information Comprehension Understanding, using information Application Using information learned in a new situation Analysis Examining parts of a whole and their relationship Synthesis Using parts in a new way to create Evaluation Assessing, judging value based on information continued

Engaging Learners in Critical Thinking Lower levels are basic (elementary school) Upper levels are higher-order thinking skills that are required for critical thinking (middle and high school) In later childhood and adolescence, students develop the ability to think abstractly continued

Engaging Learners in Critical Thinking Building students’ abilities to use progressively more complex thinking skills is a major goal of education Teachers begin to lay the framework for later critical thinking in elementary grades

Identify how Bloom’s Taxonomy is used in this chapter of your textbook. © Michael D. Brown/Shutterstock

Analyze a lesson, identifying the teaching strategies and use of questioning, examples, and closure. © Diego Cervo/Shutterstock

Key Instructional Skills Questioning Using examples Pacing Achieving closure

Questioning A key part of almost every learning activity Plan questions along with the lesson—provides structure for the lesson Ask questions of varying difficulty—check all levels appropriate for students Include open-ended questions—encourages higher-level thinking

Encouraging Participation Create an atmosphere where all students feel comfortable participating Questions should be appropriate for students’ level Use questions to generate interest Allow wait time before calling on a student Vary methods of asking for responses

How might you encourage participation from shy students? © Michael D. Brown/Shutterstock

Responding to Students’ Answers If an answer is wrong, help lead students to the right answer If an answer is partially correct, acknowledge what is accurate first Pose follow-up questions during responses

Responding to Students’ Questions To further discussion, counter with another question © Tony Wear/Shutterstock continued

Responding to Students’ Questions If you cannot answer, acknowledge that and look it up later, or ask if anyone else can help Give brief answers to off-topic questions Help students understand which questions are inappropriate

Using Examples Increases understanding by bringing information to life Helps students retain subject matter Start with simple examples and progress to more complex Ask students to provide examples to check their level of understanding

Pacing Pacing should be neither too fast nor too slow Know your natural style—get feedback and adjust to meet learners’ needs Look for signs of understanding—watch students reactions and use questions and activities to gauge understanding continued

Pacing Alternate types of activities—helps keep students involved, attentive, and learning Plan for smooth transitions—make sure too much time is not lost changing activities; use clear guidelines to minimize inappropriate behavior

Achieving Closure Closure helps students reflect on what they have learned and apply it draw conclusions Usually part of the Summary section of a lesson plan

Identify the characteristics and uses of specific types of instructional strategies. © Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

Basic Teaching Strategies Teacher-centered methods: teachers present the information and direct the learning process Learner-centered methods: teachers act as facilitators or guides, and students actively direct and achieve their own learning

Would you be more comfortable using teacher-centered methods or learner-centered methods? Why? © Archipoch/Shutterstock

Lectures Used frequently in upper grades Puts students in the role of passive listeners Suitable for presenting factual information continued

Lectures To make lectures more effective, keep the lecture period short add visual elements insert a question-and-answer session provide partial outlines or written questions prepare well-organized material convey enthusiasm make eye contact with students

Reading A basic way of learning Textbooks Periodicals Internet articles Other research materials © Zurijeta/Shutterstock

Discussions May be teacher- or learner-centered Starts with a stimulating question without a simple answer Teachers can use questions to guide the discussion toward the learning objective Discussion helps young children learn to take turns and respect others’ opinions continued

Discussions In group discussions, the students keep the discussion on task In panel discussions, the teacher acts as a moderator In debates, participants try to persuade others to their opposing points of view

Demonstrations The best way to teach a process Are usually teacher-centered To involve students, have students make predictions ask students to perform steps in the procedure have the students prepare and present the demonstration

Guest Speakers Guest speakers bring outside expertise into the classroom and generate interest © Tomas Skopal/Shutterstock continued

Guest Speakers Check school’s policies before inviting guests Prepare all participants ahead of time Make sure the experience is positive for all involved

Simulations Simulations feel like the real situation, but risks are eliminated Examples include computer-based simulations skits role playing case studies

When are simulations most effective as a learning tool? © Michael D. Brown/Shutterstock

Skits Skits involve acting out stories Based on scripts written by the teacher or the students © CREATISTA/Shutterstock continued

Skits Students play various parts Actively involve students in learning Adaptable to different ages, subject areas, and educational objectives Process of writing requires additional skills

Role Playing In role playing, the teacher describes a situation with an issue or problem Students act out roles of people in the situation Base their actions and conversations on how they think the people would react Work through the situation or solve the problem

Case Studies Case studies involve groups of students working together to analyze a situation © Dawn Shearer-Simonetti/Shutterstock continued

Case Studies Allow students to apply knowledge and skills to solve real-life issues Groups discuss possible solutions and agree on one Teachers can use case studies to actively involve students in dealing with real issues

Reflective Responses Reflective responses prompt students to think deeply about what they have learned They help teachers get a sense of where students are in their learning

Labs Offer students the opportunity to work with materials, ideas, people, or processes to solve a given problem Productive labs focus on producing an end product Experimental labs use formal processes to research a problem continued

Labs Teachers act as planners, organizers, and managers Clear instructions are essential Labs can be expensive © michaeljung/Shutterstock

Cooperative Learning In cooperative learning, group members work together to achieve a common goal Adaptable to most subjects/age groups Also assesses individual accountability Improves respect for others’ opinions, negotiation skills, self-esteem, and sense of responsibility

Student Participation May be oral, visual, or both Helps students share what they have learned build communication skills achieve a higher level of understanding

As a student, do you enjoy giving presentations As a student, do you enjoy giving presentations? How might this impact your teaching career? © Archipoch/Shutterstock

Games Can be fun and challenging while building skills and reinforcing learning Paper-and-pencil games—often word games that build language skills Card games—help review factual information Board games—encourage group skills, math skills; can be adapted to meet learning objectives continued

Games Active games—encourage physical activity, good for kinesthetic learners, offer a change of pace in learning Computer games—often targeted to meet specific learning needs; often have more than one level, allowing students to progress

Explain teachers’ primary considerations when deciding which teaching strategies to use. © ZouZou/Shutterstock

Choosing Appropriate Teaching Strategies To choose, consider student characteristics—ages and developmental abilities the subject matter—may require repetition, creativity and exploration, or reinforcement the teaching situation—must be practical for time, materials, space, equipment, and cost

Instructional methods help teachers meet learning objectives Teaching skills include questions, examples, pacing, and closure Teaching strategies may be teacher-centered or learner-centered

What type of questions encourage higher-level thinking? open-ended questions ____ ____ between asking a question and calling on a student allows all students to mentally process the question and formulate their replies. Wait time continued

What is the difference between a skit and role playing? Skits are based on scripts and role playing is not. What should a teacher consider when choosing appropriate teaching strategies? student characteristics, subject matter, teaching situation