Goals and Objectives :: Goal A :: Instructional Strategies

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When information is presented in a way to engage students and teachers; students will more likely be motivated to learn and teachers will more likely be motivated to teach. Although most strategies can be adapted for use under any of the goals, the following are some suggested specific strategies to vary the teaching and learning styles in lessons featuring the acquisition of knowledge:

• Media variety -- books, videotapes, audiotapes, posters, puppets, films and filmstrips, board games, art-keeps both the teacher and students interested and motivated.  
• Direct instruction -- commonly known in Texas as the Madeline Hunter lesson cycle, is an effective means of presenting new knowledge to students.  
• Concept development -- was originated by Hilda Taba to teach concrete and abstract concepts. The teacher guides students through the following steps:

1. Brainstorm and list as many items, ideas, associations, memories, or attributes as they can think of about the concept (presented by the teacher, e.g., "drugs"). Record specific words or short phrases on the board or a flip chart.
2. Group the responses. Ask students, "Which of the items we generated seem to go together because they're alike in some way?" Write the responses on a separate section of the board or flip chart as students find things that go together.
3. Label the groups. Ask the students to think of a name for each group and to explain the reason for grouping them in that way. Groups in the subject of "drugs," e.g., might be "legal drugs," physical consequences of using drugs," and so on.
4. To get different perspectives, regroup or subsume individual items of whole groups under other groups.
5. Synthesize the information by summarizing the data and forming a generalization, e.g., "Improper use of medicine can have many harmful physical consequences."
6. Evaluate students' progress in using this method by assessing their ability to generate a wide variety of items and to group them flexibly.

• K-W-L is a strategy for students to brainstorm as the teacher lists all that they already know about a concept (K), brainstorm and list all they want to know about a topic (W), and tell what they have learned when the study topic is completed (L). This method involves the students in their learning as well as assists the students and teacher in assessment.
• Learning centers is an effective method for reinforcing learning as well as providing hands-on activities to increase comprehension and application.
• Discussion using pseudo-discussion or recitation is a means of reinforcing and assessing students' new knowledge. Low-order questions are structured and asked by the teacher to engage all students and ascertain if they can recite, demonstrate understanding, and show the ability to apply the new learning. The teacher reacts and gives feedback as the students respond.
• Cooperative learning-think, pair, and share is a way for students to think individually about the information presented to them and to share that information with another student to reinforce the learning.
• Cooperative learning-jigsaw II is a way to let students teach new information to each other. Students are arranged into groups. Each group member assembles in another group, where they are given one part of the information and decide how they will teach that information to their original group. After the group members have been taught by each other, the students are tested individually.