Instructional Strategies

Instructional Strategies

By Jessica Holmes

10 Types of Instructional Strategies

In this modern era of technology-infused education, we want to provide students with a meaningful educational experience. And this requires us, teachers, to modify the strategies by which we approach education.

There are 10 primary types of instructional strategies we should consider:

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1) Presentation 5) Discussions

​2) ​Demonstrations 6) Problem-Based Learning

3) ​Drill-and-practice 7) Cooperative Learning

4) ​Tutorials 8) Gaming

5) Simulations 10) Discovery​

All information is collected from: Smaldino, S. E., Lowther, D. L., Mims, C., & Russell, J. D. (2019). Instructional Technology and media for learning. Pearson Education, Inc.

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1) Presentations

• Presentations are primarily designed for information dissemination or content delivery.

• ​Can be interactive

  • A play between both whole group and small group instruction​

  • Using tech platforms to creative live question-feedback sessions to engage in recall practice.

• Suggestions for effective presentations

  • ​Adaptive - should meet the varying needs of students

  • Focus on concepts/principals rather than raw facts.

  • Consider student learning profiles.

  • Collaborate with other content teachers who know your students

​Limitations

• Present information only one time for all students

• Gives students the opportunity to practice a variety of​ note-taking strategies.

• ​Can pull information from a variety of sources

• ​Students can also make their own presentations to share with the class

Advantages

1) Presentations

• Not every student responds well to the presentation format.

• If there is no interaction, it runs the risk of being boring.

• Some students may struggle with note-taking skills

  • ​Scaffold strong note-taking skills by starting with partially filled note-takers.​​

• Older students are better suited to presentation-style teaching than younger students who may struggle to sit still.​

2) Demonstration

• Learners are able to observe a skill or phenomenon presented.

• ​Interaction

  • Whole or small group instruction

  • May require further explanation throughout the demonstration

• The goal is for learners to imitate the physical demonstration.

• Just-In-Time​ Peer Demonstration: Older or more experienced students demonstrate to younger or less experienced students on how to perform a task or apply a skill

​Limitations

• Students benefit by seeing the phenomenon before doing it themselves.

• Provides guidance for the whole class.​

• Can be used to manage a limited number of supplies​

• ​Can be done to promote safety

Advantages

2) Demonstration

• Students only get hands-on experience if they follow along

• Not all students may be able to view the demonstration equally well.

• There is limited flexibility in the pacing of a demonstration.

3) Drill-and-Practice

• Designed to practice, strengthen, and hone skills in particular content areas

  • Most common in math, science, language arts, and secondary languages

• ​Is most effective when :

  • Feedback is included​ to emphasize correct responses

  • Correction or redirection is provided to mitigate errors

• ​Common Types of Drill-and-Practice

  • Worksheets

  • Games

  • Competition

  • Practice quizzes or tests​

​Limitations

• Students are given corrective feedback on responses.

• Promotes scaffolding by breaking down information into small, digestible chunks.

• ​The built-in practice is a positive-reinforcement opportunity to hone and strengthen a newly learned skill.

Advantages

3) Drill-and-Practice

• Can be repetitive and lead to boredom.

  • When students are bored, they check out real fast.

• Runs the risk of being non-adaptive if a teacher is not making the extra effort to help students who make repetitive errors.

• Students work with an 'agent' that will academically engage with the student on a variety of educational levels.

• Agents can include:

  • Person (a teacher, an older student, a peer, a personal instructor, etc)

  • Computer software

  • Specially printed instructions

• Types of proposed educational engagement:

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• ​Focuses on introducing and teaching new material rather than rote practice.

4) Tutorials

• Present content directly

• Pose questions/problems

• Request/analyse responses

• Provide feedback

• Evaluate learner competency

​Limitations

• Students can work relatively independently and receive feedback about progress with minimized teacher intervention.

• ​Tutorials can be self-paced, allowing students to learn at their own speed.

• ​Can be more highly individualized on a student-by-student basis

Advantages

4) Tutorials

• Runs the risk of being boring if the material used is not varied or diverse enough.

• ​Could become a point of frustration for students who struggle with making progress.

• ​The lack of direct guidance can be challenging for some students.

5) Discussions

• The exchange of ideas either among peers or throughout the class as a whole.

  • ​Versatile in that it can be conducted either in a small group or part of whole group instruction.

• ​Can be used to quickly assess attitude, knowledge, or skill towards a learning objective.

  • Particularly useful when introducing new content.

• ​Helps teachers

  • Develop a stronger rapport with students

  • Promote group/collaborative learning​

  • Can be used to encourage critical thinking ( ask "What If?")

  • An opportunity to draw out student creativity or new ideas

​Limitations

• Students are often more engaged and interested when they get to participate (rather than being lectured to)

• ​Can be intellectually challenging and stimulating.

• ​Provides an opportunity for all students to speak

• ​A way to bring out new ideas

Advantages

5) Discussions

• Not all students are keen on speaking in front of their peers and may be shy to participate.

• ​The challenge here could be a balancing act - some students might find it boring/tedious and others might find it too challenging.

• ​Not necessarily an effective strategy for younger students.

6) Problem-Based Learning

• Students grapple with real-world problem-solving strategies to enhance the learning experience.

• Two primary styles of problem-based learning (PBL).

  • Structured Problems

    • ​Problems where there is a clearly sense or probability of a likely response.

    • Examples: Science problems that focus on computational skills (i.e. there is only one way to convert between moles and atoms).

  • Ill-Structured Problems

    • Problems that can be solved more than one way

    • Examples: Students in an environmental science class propose new ways to help their school "Go Green".

​Limitations

• Students have the opportunity to engage in real-world experiences solving problems that could be applicable to their own lives.

• ​Provides students a relevant and personal context for learning.

• ​Introduces multiple levels of complexity to make the experience more intellectually stimulating.

Advantages

6) Problem-Based Learning

• Can be a challenge for teachers to create meaningful and realistic opportunities such as these (TpT is a great resource!)

• ​Teachers must be wary of the age groups they teach and balance the types of problems that would be appropriate for their age group.

• ​Can be very time consuming and interrupt the scheduled flow of content instruction.

7) Cooperative Learning

• Students work together to assist in one another's learning.

• ​Johnson and Johnson's Conditions for Successful Cooperative Learning:

  • ​Each group member must view themselves as a vital part of the team

  • Engagement among group members must be interactive

  • The individual group members feel accountable to their group

  • The interpersonal and leadership skills of each student can be observed

  • Students are given the opportunity to reflect on how working as a part of the group influenced their personal learning and the learning of the group.

• ​Learning groups can be either formal or informal

  • In formal learning groups, the teacher assigns the role of each student (timekeeper, data collected, etc.)

  • In informal groups, students assign their own roles collaboratively​ (may require close monitoring for success).

​Limitations

• Mixed learning styles and levels within a group can improve the learning for all group members.

• ​Has the flexibility of being formal or informal based on the learning environment.

• ​Long-term group formation has the potential for deeper and richer collaborative learning opportunities.

• ​Can be used across all content areas.

Advantages

7) Cooperative Learning

• Groups need to be kept small to maximize effectiveness (3 to 5 students per group).

• ​Overuse can weaken its effectiveness and students can become overly dependent on their peers for knowledge instead of comfortable in their own personal knowledge.

• ​Groups comprise of the same ability level often see less growth than groups with mixed abilities.

8) Gaming

• Creates a competitive learning atmosphere in which students either compete or collaborate using a set of rules to reach a predefined goal.

• Can be highly motivating and break up the monotony of other instructional styles (like drill-and-practice)

• Often requires learners to develop or strengthen their problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

• Makes learning more fun and less rote.

• Adds variety to the learning experience.

​Limitations

• Highly engaging for students.

• ​Games can be altered to address learning outcomes.

• ​Can be utilized in a variety of settings (in class, virtual, or a mix)

• ​Effectively captures student attention and focus.

Advantages

8) Gaming

• Students can become overly competitive.

  • Ground rules should be established to help mitigate this.

• ​Levels of difficulty will have to be finely tuned to ensure that the game is neither too easy nor too challenging.

• ​Can be costly

• ​Students can become overly focused on winning and less on the main goal - learning

9) Simulations

• Scaled models or virtual opportunities to experience real-life situations or phenomena.

  • Can also involve manipulatives, experimentation, or active-time response to dialogue

• ​Versatile in application (small-group or whole-group)

• ​Can represent situations that are either too large, too complex, or too unattainable to fully bring into a classroom

  • Example: Using simulations to model the Brownian motion of atoms​

​Limitations

• Provide safe, hands-on, and engaging learning opportunities.

• ​Opportunities to re-create moments or observations that cannot really be experienced (reliving moments in history, observing atomic-scale phenomena, etc)

• ​Can be adapted for a variety of skill levels

Advantages

9) Simulations

• May not be a completely accurate representation of an event or phenomenon.

• ​Runs the risk of being too complex or challenging for some students.

• ​May be too time-consuming.

10) Discovery

• Inquiry-based learning that fosters a deeper understanding as a student explores the content.

  • Common example: The scientific method​

• Requires a great deal of organization and scaffolding on the part of the teacher to ensure that students are coming to the desired conclusions.

• ​Provide as much structured support as possible but don't be afraid to let students experience it! It is all about DISCOVERY!

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​Limitations

• Engaging for students at all levels of learning

• Can repeat steps that were taught previously

• ​Students take responsibility of their own learning.

Advantages

10) Discovery

• Maye be too time-consuming

• ​Preparation on the part of the teacher is critical

• ​This may lead to possible misunderstandings that will be harder to circumvent or overcome.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following would be considered a limitation of collaborative learning?

• Mixed learning styles in a group

• Used in an informal learning environment

• Similar learning styles in a group

Multiple Choice

Which would be considered an advantage to simulations?

• Time

• Complexity

• Accuracy

• Hands-on

Summary

In this lesson, we have reviewed the 10 primary types of instructional strategies, including:

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The modern technological age has given us a new variety of opportunities to enhance learning.

Teachers only need to take a hold of the tools and apply them in a way that best meets the needs of their students.​

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There are 10 primary types of instructional strategies we should consider:

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1) Presentation 5) Discussions

​2) ​Demonstrations 6) Problem-Based Learning

3) ​Drill-and-practice 7) Cooperative Learning

4) ​Tutorials 8) Gaming

5) Simulations 10) Discovery​

All information is collected from: Smaldino, S. E., Lowther, D. L., Mims, C., & Russell, J. D. (2019). Instructional Technology and media for learning. Pearson Education, Inc.

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