Intro to Teaching 5.4

​Instructional Strategies

Intro to Teaching 5.4

Define the importance of teachers using instructional strategies

Identify various instructional strategies

Vocabulary: instructional strategy, modeling, manipulatives, scaffolding

Overview

Engage

Students are all unique and are in need of different classroom supports. Many times, when a teacher incorporates these supports into instruction, they are utilizing creativity and academic strategies.

​The teacher is the facilitator of learning for all students in their classroom.

​Think about the most memorable ways a teacher taught you something. It could be a unique teaching method, an unforgettable classroom activity, or even a creative assignment that left a lasting impression on you. What would be the most memorable way a teacher could teach you something?
Remember that it is important to focus on the instructional activity itself over the content being taught in each experience.

• building a miniature ecosystem in a jar for a science project

• creating a mural as a collaborative art project

• writing and performing a play to understand Shakespeare

• using virtual reality to explore ancient civilizations

• participating in a mock trial to learn about the legal system

​The activity you just completed encouraged you to reflect on your own understanding, preferences, and interests. When teachers seek students' instructional preferences, they can create more engaging lessons. Additionally, this helps teachers identify which instructional strategies are most effective for different students.

Discover

Margaret Mead - American cultural anthropologist and author

"Children must be taught how to think, not what to think."

​Margaret Mead's quote on the left highlights the importance of teaching students to use their critical thinking skills. Critical thinking skills are the ability to analyze information, evaluate evidence, and make reasoned decisions. Teachers can do this by asking questions, having discussions, and solving real-world problems.

These activities help students learn to think for themselves and come up with their own ideas. Encouraging learners to explain their thinking serves as a reminder for teachers to focus on the learning process over the learning product or having the right answer.

Instructional Strategies

Instructional strategies are methods and techniques that teachers use to support student learning. These strategies aim to create a supportive and dynamic learning environment that can respond to the needs and interests of students, helping them succeed academically and develop important life skills.

All of the instructional strategies mentioned are related to the critical instructional concept of scaffolding. Scaffolding means breaking learning into chunks and providing a tool, or structure, for each chunk. This helps students gradually understand and learn more complex concepts.

​There are many different types of instructional strategies that focus on supporting different academic needs

Assisting technology involves using tools such as computers, tablets, and educational software to support learning. These technologies can help students with research, creating presentations, and interactive learning.

Assisting Technology

Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers are visual aids that help students organize information. Examples include Venn diagrams, flowcharts, and mind maps, which assist in structuring thoughts and understanding relationships between concepts.

Guided questions are posed by the teacher to prompt student thinking and discussion. These questions are designed to guide students toward discovering answers on their own and encourage critical thinking.

Guided Questions

​Scenario: Exploring Photosynthesis in a Science Class

Teacher's Approach Introduction: The teacher starts the lesson by briefly explaining that they will be discussing photosynthesis and how plants make their own food.

Read through the information below to explore how this teacher was able to utilize the guiding questions instructional strategy.

​Teacher's Question	​Purpose
​Have you ever wondered how plants eat their food if they do not have mouths like we do? What do you think plants need to survive and grow?	​sparks curiosity boosts engagement activates prior knowledge introduces the topic
​Great thoughts! So, if plants need sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, how do you think they use these things to make their food? Discuss with your partner.	​encourages hypothesis and discussion with peers promotes active learning connects plant resources to their usage
​After discussing with your partner, what did you come up with? How do plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide?	​encourages idea sharing builds on previous discussion assesses understanding clarifies misconceptions

​For the next set of instructional strategies, teachers lead students through a specific process to gain a better understanding of the content.

• Guided Practice

• Connect to Prior Knowledge and the Real World

• Think-Alouds

• Modeling

Guided practice involves teacher support as students learn new skills. This allows students to practice and receive feedback, building confidence and proficiency. Guided practice works well in small groups or one-on-one.

Guided Practice

Connecting to prior knowledge involves linking new information to what students already know. This strategy helps students make connections and better understand new concepts by relating them to their existing knowledge base.

Connecting to Prior Knowledge and the Real World

Think-alouds are when the teacher verbalizes their thought process while solving a problem or performing a task. This verbal modeling helps students understand how to approach and think through similar tasks on their own

Think-Alouds

Modeling involves demonstrating a skill or process for students to observe and learn from. Typically, this is done through physically showing the students how to complete a task, write a paragraph, solve a problem, etc. This strategy provides a clear example for students to follow.

Modeling

​Did You Know?

​Modeling and Think-Alouds appear similar but have distinct differences in approach.

Modeling:

involves physically demonstrating a skill or process; shows students exactly how to complete a task,
write a paragraph,
solve a problem, and so on; and
provides a clear, visual example for students to follow.

Think-Alouds:
involve the teacher verbalizing their thought process while solving a problem or performing a task;
help students understand how to approach and think through similar tasks on their own; and
focus more on the cognitive process rather than just the physical steps.

​While modeling offers a concrete example of a task, think-alouds provide insight into the mental strategies behind completing the task. Both methods are valuable in helping students learn and apply new skills

Categorize

Options (4)

teacher demonstrates how to solve a math problem step-by-step on the board

teacher shows how to write a persuasive essay by writing a paragraph in front of the class

teacher verbalizes their thought process while reading a complex text to the students

teacher explains their reasoning out loud as they work through a science experiment

Sort the following examples of instructional strategies into the correct category.

Modeling

Think-Aloud

​You have quickly explored seven instructional strategies. These strategies include: assisting technology, graphic organizers, guided questions, guided practice, connect to prior knowledge and the real world, think-alouds, and modeling. Pause and practice connecting your new learning to the real world. Think about a class or teacher you interacted with this week. Could you identify one strategy you saw demonstrated?

​Instructional strategies are like a toolbox full of tools. A carpenter sometimes needs a hammer and sometimes needs a screwdriver. A teacher needs to select the appropriate tool for the lesson or instructions. Sometimes a teacher may need more than one tool. A few other instructional strategies a teacher may use include group work and turn and talk. These strategies promote classroom conversation.

Group Work is a collaborative learning activity where students work together in small groups. This promotes teamwork, communication, and peer learning.

Group Work

​Group work is a great strategy because it promotes the development of critical life skills such as communicating, collaboration, and more.

Turn and Talk is a strategy that encourages student engagement and active participation by having students discuss specific topics or questions with a partner for a brief period of time.

Turn And Talk

​Many teachers will have students turn and talk to their table partner while others use it as an opportunity to incorporate movement. Either way, it saves time to preplan who is partnered with who.

Turn and Talk Questions:

How do you think the adventurer felt when he found the community instead of gold?

If you were the adventurer, would you have been satisfied with the outcome? Why or why not?

Presenting A Scenario

​Example of Students During This Turn and Talk: Student A: “I think the adventurer felt a mix of surprise and joy when he found the community because he valued the people and their wisdom more than material wealth.” Student B: “I agree. At first, he might have been disappointed because he was expecting gold, but then realized the true treasure was friendship and knowledge. If I were the adventurer, I would have been satisfied because life experiences and relationships are more valuable than gold.”

​Turn and Talk improves learning by increasing classroom participation and communication. It builds skills, confidence, and critical thinking, promoting an engaging and interactive classroom.

​Instructional strategies that focus on visual support for students are especially important in learning new skills. These types of supports must be created ahead of time to be effective.

Visual Aids
Manipulatives
Sentence Starters

Visual aids involve using images, videos, charts, and other visual elements to support learning. Visual aids can enhance understanding and retention of information.

Visual aids are especially important for younger learners who are developing foundational knowledge.

Visual Aids

Manipulatives are physical objects that students can use to explore and understand concepts. Examples include math blocks, science kits, and educational games, which provide hands-on learning experiences.

Manipulatives

Sentence starters are prompts that help students begin their sentences. These are particularly useful for writing tasks and discussions, as they provide a structure for students to express their thoughts.

Sentence Starters

Match

Match the instructional strategy to its corresponding example.

• Mr. Tengku hands number lines and unifix cubes to his third-grade math class.

• Mrs. Nelly starts a physics lesson by having her students throw free throws in the school gym to introduce the concepts of distance and deviation.

• Mr. Abebe shows his class a Venn diagram that describes the similarities and differences between different computer systems.

• Miss Vasser writes the following on the board to help her struggling writers complete an assignment. The main character in the story is _____. I know this because . . .

Manipulatives

Connecting to Prior Knowledge/Real World

Graphic Organizers

Sentence Starters

• Manipulatives

• Connecting to Prior Knowledge/Real World

• Graphic Organizers

• Sentence Starters

​Understanding these instructional strategies can help teachers become better instructors to meet the unique needs of all students. Each of these methods has its own unique benefits and can make learning more enjoyable and effective.

​You will be watching a recording of a teacher providing small-group instruction for math. The students are preschool-aged and learning how to recognize, count, and identify items up to ten.

​Which two of the following instructional strategies did the teacher in the video use during the lesson?

Open Ended

Why is it important for teachers to use instructional strategies in the classroom?

You can start your response with:

It is important for teachers to use instructional strategies in the classroom because . . .

​Instructional strategies are crucial because they help teachers effectively convey information and engage students in the learning process. They provide structure and variety, catering to different learning needs and keeping students motivated. Additionally, well-chosen strategies support student understanding and retention of the material, leading to better educational outcomes.

Show

Open Ended

Exit Ticket: Define the Strategy

The Define the Strategy exit ticket focuses on describing a key instructional strategy from this lesson. You should define the strategy in your own words and provide an example to bring the strategy to life.

Complete the following steps:

Pick an instructional strategy: It can be any instructional strategy described in the lesson.

Define the strategy: In your own words, describe the strategy in a complete sentence.

Example of the strategy: Include an example of how a teacher can use this strategy in a classroom.

You can start your response with the following answer frame:

Strategy:

Definition:

Example:

In today's lesson, you:

defined the importance of teachers using instructional strategies; and

identified various instructional strategies.

In an upcoming lesson, you will learn about identifying the right strategy to use.

Summary