Effective Instructional Strategies From Theory to Practice Chapter 5 Using Direct Teaching Methods

Strategies Successful teachers draw on various methods and procedures (or strategies) Strategies are used to accomplish instructional goals Strategies are based on: Content of lesson Type of delivery of information needed Purpose of lesson Which one best serves the teaching situation

Selecting the Best Strategy Factors to consider… What are the students’ needs? What age are the students? What are the students’ intellectual abilities? What are the students’ physical and mental characteristics? What are the students’ attention spans? What is the lesson purpose? What content is to be taught?

Categories of Instructional Strategies Direct Strategies The “traditional” or didactic mode where knowledge is directly transmitted by the teacher, the textbook, or both. Indirect Strategies An approach that requires students to go beyond basic information they are given. Students become actively engaged in the discovery of new knowledge.

Direct Teaching Systematic teaching or active teaching Teacher-centered Teacher serves as the major provider of information Presentation Modified lecture Examples Student practice w/ teacher feedback A format that involves teacher-student interaction (question and answer, review and practice, correction of student error) Works best in teaching skill subjects

Exposition Teaching Best way to communicate large amounts of information An authority (teacher, textbook, film, or microcomputer) presents information without overt interaction between the authority and the students.

Exposition Teaching: Lecturing Strengths of Lecturing Weaknesses of Lecturing 1)Presents Background Knowledge 2)Sets Atmosphere/Focus for Activities 3)Allows Teachers to Collect and Organize Materials 4)Presents Information in a Short Period 1)Passive Learning 2)Boring and not Motivating 3)Can Produce Discipline Problems

Exposition Teaching: Textbook Lecture Teacher follows structure of the textbook Content delivered while students listen and take notes Extensive planning not required Teacher mastery of the content not required **Content often becomes rigid **Lectures become extremely boring

Presenting the Lecture Major factors exerting influence on student interest and attention: tempo instructional-media learning tools stimulus variation voice and language balancing the lecture

Exposition with Interaction Teaching A two-phase technique 1)information is disseminated by teacher 2)teacher asks questions to assess student comprehension Teacher must be knowledgeable and an effective questioner

The Art of Questioning Purposes of Questioning To develop interest and motivate students. To evaluate students’ preparation and check on homework. To develop critical thinking skills. To review and summarize previous lessons. To assess achievement of objectives.

Levels of Questions Narrow vs. Broad questions Two systems of questions convergent and divergent mental operation used by students to answer a question

Convergent and Divergent Questions Convergent Questions Allow for only one correct response Based on concrete facts Require recall, analysis for determining single, correct answer Ex: “What was the major cause of the Great Depression?” Divergent Questions Allow for many correct responses Call for opinions, hypotheses, or evaluations Encourage broader responses prompting students to think Ex: “Why is it important that we speak correctly?”

Categories of Questions

Types of Questions Focusing Questions used to direct student attention arouses student interest ex: “Should we do away with the income tax in the US?” Prompting Questions used as a follow-up to an unanswered question a rewording of original question, with clues added Probing Questions used when response given is insufficient aims to correct, improve, or expand student’s original response ex: “Would you say that in another way?”

Questioning Techniques: Redirecting Increases student participation Draws students into the discussion by asking them to respond to a question based on response from another student Non-volunteers can be encouraged to participate, but not forced to respond

Questioning Techniques: Wait-Time Results when wait-time is increased from 3-5 seconds: Student response time increased. Failure to respond tended to decrease. Students asked more questions. Unsolicited responses tended to increase. Student confidence increased. 2 types of wait-time Wait-time 1- time for 1 st student to rerspond Wait-time 2 – time teacher waits for students to respond to each other s questions

Questioning Techniques: Reinforcement The teacher’s pattern of positive reaction to a student’s response Allow many students to respond before giving reinforcement Avoid giving reinforcement too frequently. Benefits can be negated.

Tips on Questioning Questions should be clear. Distribute your questions about the class fairly. Do not ask more than one question at a time. Do not ask too many questions. Ask questions at all ability levels in the class. Listen carefully to student responses.