12
Instructional Methods
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Objective
• Explain the role of all teachers in the development of critical-thinking skills.
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Instructional Methods
• Instructional methods may also be called instructional strategies or teaching strategies– Discussions– Skits– Demonstrations
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Objective
• Develop questions appropriate for instruction based on Bloom’s Taxonomy.
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Engaging Learners in Critical Thinking• Bloom’s Taxonomy contains six levels:
Knowledge Acquiring, recalling information
Comprehension
Understanding, using information
Application Using information learned in a new situation
Analysis Examining parts of a whole and their relationship
Synthesis Using parts in a new way to create
Evaluation Assessing, judging value based on information continued
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Engaging Learners in Critical Thinking• Lower levels are basic (elementary
school)• Upper levels are higher-order thinking
skills that are required for critical thinking (middle and high school)
• In later childhood and adolescence, students develop the ability to think abstractly
continued
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Engaging Learners in Critical Thinking
• Building students’ abilities to use progressively more complex thinking skills is a major goal of education
• Teachers begin to lay the framework for later critical thinking in elementary grades
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For Discussion
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• Identify how Bloom’s Taxonomy is used in this chapter of your textbook.
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Objective
• Analyze a lesson, identifying the teaching strategies and use of questioning, examples, and closure.
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Key Instructional Skills
• Questioning• Using examples• Pacing• Achieving closure
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Questioning
• A key part of almost every learning activity– Plan questions along with the lesson—
provides structure for the lesson– Ask questions of varying difficulty—check
all levels appropriate for students– Include open-ended questions—
encourages higher-level thinking
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Encouraging Participation
• Create an atmosphere where all students feel comfortable participating
• Questions should be appropriate for students’ level
• Use questions to generate interest• Allow wait time before calling on a
student• Vary methods of asking for responses
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For Discussion
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• How might you encourage participation from shy students?
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Responding to Students’ Answers• If an answer is wrong, help lead
students to the right answer
• If an answer is partially correct, acknowledge what is accurate first
• Pose follow-up questions during responses
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Responding to Students’ Questions
• To further discussion, counter with another question
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continued
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Responding to Students’ Questions• If you cannot answer, acknowledge that
and look it up later, or ask if anyone else can help
• Give brief answers to off-topic questions
• Help students understand which questions are inappropriate
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Using Examples
• Increases understanding by bringing information to life
• Helps students retain subject matter• Start with simple examples and
progress to more complex• Ask students to provide examples to
check their level of understanding
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Pacing
• Pacing should be neither too fast nor too slow– Know your natural style—get feedback and
adjust to meet learners’ needs– Look for signs of understanding—watch
students reactions and use questions and activities to gauge understanding
continued
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– Alternate types of activities—helps keep students involved, attentive, and learning
– Plan for smooth transitions—make sure too much time is not lost changing activities; use clear guidelines to minimize inappropriate behavior
Pacing
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Achieving Closure
• Closure helps students– reflect on what they have learned and
apply it– draw conclusions
• Usually part of the Summary section of a lesson plan
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Objective
• Identify the characteristics and uses of specific types of instructional strategies.
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Basic Teaching Strategies
• Teacher-centered methods: teachers present the information and direct the learning process
• Learner-centered methods: teachers act as facilitators or guides, and students actively direct and achieve their own learning
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For Reflection
• Would you be more comfortable using teacher-centered methods or learner-centered methods? Why?
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• Used frequently in upper grades• Puts students in the role of passive
listeners• Suitable for presenting factual
information
continued
Lectures
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• To make lectures more effective,– keep the lecture period short– add visual elements– insert a question-and-answer session– provide partial outlines or written
questions– prepare well-organized material– convey enthusiasm– make eye contact with students
Lectures
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• A basic way of learning– Textbooks– Periodicals– Internet articles– Other research
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Reading
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• May be teacher- or learner-centered• Starts with a stimulating question
without a simple answer• Teachers can use questions to guide
the discussion toward the learning objective
• Discussion helps young children learn to take turns and respect others’ opinions
Discussions
continued
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• In group discussions, the students keep the discussion on task
• In panel discussions, the teacher acts as a moderator
• In debates, participants try to persuade others to their opposing points of view
Discussions
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• The best way to teach a process• Are usually teacher-centered• To involve students,
– have students make predictions– ask students to perform steps in the
procedure– have the students prepare and present the
demonstration
Demonstrations
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• Guest speakers bring outside expertise into the classroom and generate interest
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Guest Speakers
continued
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• Check school’s policies before inviting guests
• Prepare all participants ahead of time• Make sure the experience is positive
for all involved
Guest Speakers
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• Simulations feel like the real situation, but risks are eliminated
• Examples include– computer-based simulations– skits– role playing– case studies
Simulations
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For Discussion
• When are simulations most effective as a learning tool?
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• Skits involve acting out stories
• Based on scripts written by the teacher or the students
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Skits
continued
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• Students play various parts• Actively involve students in learning• Adaptable to different ages, subject
areas, and educational objectives• Process of writing requires additional
skills
Skits
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• In role playing, the teacher describes a situation with an issue or problem
• Students act out roles of people in the situation– Base their actions and conversations on
how they think the people would react– Work through the situation or solve the
problem
Role Playing
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• Case studies involve groups of students working together to analyze a situation
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Case Studies
continued
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• Allow students to apply knowledge and skills to solve real-life issues
• Groups discuss possible solutions and agree on one
• Teachers can use case studies to actively involve students in dealing with real issues
Case Studies
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• Reflective responses prompt students to think deeply about what they have learned
• They help teachers get a sense of where students are in their learning
Reflective Responses
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• Offer students the opportunity to work with materials, ideas, people, or processes to solve a given problem
• Productive labs focus on producing an end product
• Experimental labs use formal processes to research a problem
Labs
continued
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• Teachers act as planners, organizers, and managers
• Clear instructions are essential
• Labs can be expensive
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Labs
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• In cooperative learning, group members work together to achieve a common goal– Adaptable to most subjects/age groups– Also assesses individual accountability– Improves respect for others’ opinions,
negotiation skills, self-esteem, and sense of responsibility
Cooperative Learning
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• May be oral, visual, or both• Helps students
– share what they have learned– build communication skills– achieve a higher level of understanding
Student Participation
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For Reflection
• As a student, do you enjoy giving presentations? How might this impact your teaching career?
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• Can be fun and challenging while building skills and reinforcing learning– Paper-and-pencil games—often word
games that build language skills– Card games—help review factual
information– Board games—encourage group skills,
math skills; can be adapted to meet learning objectives
Games
continued
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– Active games—encourage physical activity, good for kinesthetic learners, offer a change of pace in learning
– Computer games—often targeted to meet specific learning needs; often have more than one level, allowing students to progress
Games
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Objective
• Explain teachers’ primary considerations when deciding which teaching strategies to use.© ZouZou/Shutterstock
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Choosing Appropriate Teaching Strategies• To choose, consider
– student characteristics—ages and developmental abilities
– the subject matter—may require repetition, creativity and exploration, or reinforcement
– the teaching situation—must be practical for time, materials, space, equipment, and cost
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Key Points• Instructional methods help teachers
meet learning objectives• Teaching skills include questions,
examples, pacing, and closure• Teaching strategies may be teacher-
centered or learner-centered
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Review• What type of questions encourage
higher-level thinking?open-ended questions• ____ ____ between asking a question
and calling on a student allows all students to mentally process the question and formulate their replies.
Wait time
continued
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Review• What is the difference between a skit
and role playing?Skits are based on scripts and role
playing is not.• What should a teacher consider when
choosing appropriate teaching strategies?
student characteristics, subject matter, teaching situation
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