Teaching Strategies Chapter 9

Direct and Indirect Instruction task-oriented but relaxed environment with a clear focus on academic goals clear instructional goals and high teacher monitoring structured learning activities immediate academically oriented feedback

Direct and Indirect Instruction teacher control of the learning process becomes shared with students content presented holistically student thinking, feeling, or interaction skills are built into learning experiences individual nature of student abilities, interests and needs receive more consideration

Teaching Directly Break down skills into manageable parts Clearly describe and demonstrate exactly what the learner is to do Design structured tasks for students to practice what is to be learned Hold students accountable for the tasks that are presented Evaluate students and their own teaching in terms of what students have learned

Teaching Indirectly Design tasks that involve the student at a higher level of cognitive processing Select large meaningful chunks of content Involve the learner in the process of learning Develop independent learning skills

The Teaching Strategy as a Delivery System Teaching strategies organize instruction so that teaching functions are performed in different ways selection of content communication of tasks progression of content provision for feedback and evaluation

Selection of Content How can content be made more appropriate for different students? Should each student be doing the same thing at the same time? Should content be different for different students? What level of student engagement should the content seek to develop?

Communication of Tasks How should the content be communicated to the learner? verbally by the teacher verbally by the student written handouts/task cards computer programs audiovisual materials

Progression of Content Intertask (skill to skill) and intratask (within a skill) development How should students progress from one level to another? Who decides when a student progresses? Should criteria be established for performance? Should criteria be established ahead of time? Should criteria be communicated to students? How?

Provision for Feedback and Evaluation Teacher observation Peer feedback Self-assessment Environmental design Formal testing Videotaping

The Seven Teaching Strategies Interactive teaching Station teaching Peer teaching Cooperative learning Self-instructional strategies Cognitive strategies Team teaching

Interactive Teaching Selection of content Communication of tasks Progression of content Provision for feedback and evaluation

Interactive Teaching - Strengths Teaching can be individualized based on alternative responses New content can be presented and adjusted midstream Progression is based on previous responses of the student and can be made appropriate Teacher is free to give feedback during activity

Interactive Teaching- Weaknesses Strategy is often abused by selecting on task for the whole class Teacher plays dominant role in task communication limiting the role of the learner Requires highly developed teacher analysis and observation skills Teacher can’t get to all students to give feedback

Station Teaching Selection of content Communication of tasks Progression of content Provision for feedback and evaluation

Station Teaching - Strengths Many tasks can be given at one time to individualize Materials can be preplanned and established Appropriate progressions can be built in materials Feedback must be built in materials to students

Station Teaching - Weaknesses Students need independent working skills Media used to communicate tasks are usually not used well by students Quality of response is difficult to build into materials Feedback is hard to provide when students are working on different tasks

Peer Teaching Selection of content Communication of tasks Progression of content Provision for feedback and evaluation

Peer Teaching - Strengths Peer teacher profits from the process Many different tasks and levels of tasks can be provided Peer teachers often use simpler language to communicate Immediate feedback can be given to many students at one time

Peer Teaching- Weaknesses Peer teachers may be put in a difficult social relationship Peer teachers are not qualified to select appropriate content Peer teaching requires a lot of teacher structuring/time Peer teachers do not have the experience to select appropriate teaching cues Feedback must be guided by the teacher

Cooperative Learning Selection of content Communication of tasks Progression of content Provision for feedback and evaluation

Cooperative Learning - Strengths Content is more holistic/meaningful Content can be communicated directly/indirectly Teachers can build progressions into tasks Teachers can provide feedback during independent work of students Project usually has a culmination which can be evaluated

Cooperative Learning- Weaknesses Needs student independent working skills Difficult to prepare content for heterogeneous groups Takes time to prepare good materials Requires more time to present holistic tasks Progression is usually student decisions Not easy to separate individual from group contributions

Self-Instructional Selection of content Communication of tasks Progression of content Provision for feedback and evaluation

Self-Instructional - Strengths Content can be made appropriate for the individual Learner can refer to materials when there is a question Progression can be built into materials

Self-Instructional - Weaknesses It takes a long time to prepare materials It is difficult to communicate what is important in movement through written materials Pre-established progressions may not be appropriate Feedback must be built into materials Teachers spend a good deal of their time evaluating students

Cognitive Strategies Selection of content Communication of tasks Progression of content Provision for feedback and evaluation

Cognitive Strategies - Strengths Can involve the learner more holistically Tasks can be presented using any organizational strategy Full range of teacher-student directed progressions can be used by this strategy If used with more student indirect work, teacher is free to give feedback

Cognitive Strategies - Weaknesses Time spent in the cognitive is time taken from practice Tasks take longer to prepare and present Has strengths and weaknesses of other strategies used with it

Team Teaching Selection of content Communication of tasks Progression of content Provision for feedback and evaluation

Team Teaching - Strengths Can use expertise of two teachers Can deliver other instructional functions using any strategy Second teacher is free to individualize student work Feedback and evaluation can be assigned to the free teacher

Team Teaching - Weaknesses Requires more planning time to get together Requires teachers to work together well Team teaching sometimes turns into “turn teaching” You are still working with a larger group than you would with two separate teachers