Instruction and Strategies

Models of Instruction and Strategies Poketha L. Ruffin Averett University W422 ED 556 Models and Theory II J. C. Wright PhD July 26, 2013

Instruction and Strategies

Undergraduate college education programs have a strong focus in the area of content. New teachers are learning what to teach in the classroom, but they tend to not know how to teach the content. At my present school we recently had an influx of new teachers. Several of them would complain that they did not think the students understood the material, or that they could not get the students participate in class. I realized that although they could deliver the content the execution of the strategies was the issue. As I read through the first few chapters in Lemovs book, I found strategies that would be useful to both the new and seasoned teacher. Direct instruction supports techniques one through three. Of Lemovs 49 strategies. There are six steps to direct instruction. The first step begins with the teacher reviewing prior knowledge. Many teachers review prior knowledge through guided questioning. Techniques one through three are strategies that can be used to analyze what students have learned. Before I moved into a direct instruction activity where I will be modeling what I want students to do, I like to find out what they have retained and if they will be able to apply the information, this can be done by using the no opt-out, right is right, and stretch it technique. Prior to modeling the new activity, what is known can be established through asking the students questions and making sure they participate and are prepared to move on. Double planning, technique ten, is a strategy that can be used for the cause and effect model. Double planning as explained in the book, is having a plan for what the students will be doing while the teacher is reviewing the content such as writing in their notebook or using a graphic organizer. The cause and effect model uses two different

Instruction and Strategies

graphic organizers to assist students with placing their ideas paper. While the teacher is making comparison in the content students must be able to stay on task complete the graphic organizer. Double planning allows the teacher to plan student activity simultaneously with her instruction. The anticipatory set, or the hook, supports all teaching models. Student motivation is one of the most important strategies that teachers must have. If one simply walks into a classroom prepared only to teach the content and not peak the interest of the students about what will be learned, they have immediately lost the student motivation. Students must be able to make a connection between what they are learning in order to stimulate their interest in content. The hook could be a short movie clip, a prop, a short antidote, or an interesting statistic that will start a small discussion. The hook is essential to the beginning of any new material. I teach history and showing short video clips at the begging of class brings the content to life for my students. Teachers often use strategies and models for learning everyday. What we dont have for them is a proper name of even the steps that we use. I believe that the strategies in Lemovs 49 Technique, will make good teachers great and is a necessary tool for pre-service teachers in college education programs.

Instruction and Strategies

Resources Gunter, M. A., Estes, T. H., & Schwab, J. H. (2011). Instruction: a models approach (6th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Lemov, D. (2010). Teach like a champion: 49 techniques that put students on the path to college. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.