Effective instructional strategies.Tiger Woods  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled. wouldn't win many tournaments if he used a 5 iron
r every shot. Part of golf is knowing when to use which club. Likewise,
effective teachers can select and use instructional strategies that move
individual students closer to the goal--improved academic achievement.
Fortunately, researchers have identified instructional strategies that show positive, measurable effects on student achievement. Scholars Robert Marzano, John Hattie and Harold Wenglinsky analyzed an·a·lyze tr.v. an·a·lyzed, an·a·lyz·ing, an·a·lyz·es 1. To examine methodically by separating into parts and studying their interrelations. 2. Chemistry To make a chemical analysis of. 3. this research and identified strategies that can be categorized cat·e·go·rize tr.v. cat·e·go·rized, cat·e·go·riz·ing, cat·e·go·riz·es To put into a category or categories; classify. cat into two macrostrategies (metacognition Metacognition refers to thinking about cognition (memory, perception, calculation, association, etc.) itself or to think/reason about one's own thinking. Types of knowledge and active student engagement) and three microstrategies (higher-order thinking Higher-order thinking is a fundamental concept of Education reform based on Bloom's Taxonomy. Rather than simply teaching recall of facts, students will be taught reasoning and processes, and be better lifelong learners. , cooperative learning cooperative learning Education theory A student-centered teaching strategy in which heterogeneous groups of students work to achieve a common academic goal–eg, completing a case study or a evaluating a QC problem. See Problem-based learning, Socratic method. and independent practice). Metacognition When students are taught to think about their own thinking, they gain knowledge and control of factors that affect learning--the self, the task at hand, and strategies to be employed. From his analysis of 395 research studies, Marzano concludes that metacognitive thinking is the primary vehicle for student learning. Research strongly suggests persistent, positive effects regardless of student age, achievement level, nationality nationality, in political theory, the quality of belonging to a nation, in the sense of a group united by various strong ties. Among the usual ties are membership in the same general community, common customs, culture, tradition, history, and language. or ethnicity ethnicity Vox populi Racial status–ie, African American, Asian, Caucasian, Hispanic . Metacognitive skills transfer to other learning situations and are retained over time. Despite this evidence, teaching strategies that incorporate metacognition are seldom common classroom practice. Marzano identifies three processes for teaching metacognitive skills: providing students with specific learning objectives before each lesson, providing feedback on the processes and strategies students use, and giving students time to consider how to approach a task, then reminding students to activate specific thinking behaviors. Active student engagement Teachers who actively engage students use hands-on lessons that require students to use multiple learning skills and higher-order thinking to construct meaning and knowledge. To be effective, activities need to channel student thought and action to meet specific educational objectives. A valuable resource for teachers would be examples of strategies that help them to actively and effectively engage students. Generally, these strategies fall into three categories: higher-order thinking, cooperative learning and independent practice. Higher-order thinking This can be described as the ability to use information to solve problems, analyze arguments, negotiate issues or make predictions. It involves examining assumptions and values, evaluating evidence, and assessing conclusions. Much normal thinking occurs in default patterns that are hazy haz·y adj. haz·i·er, haz·i·est 1. Marked by the presence of haze; misty: hazy sunshine. 2. , narrow and sprawling. To improve students' ability to think using higher-order skills, teachers must teach specific methods that combat these default patterns. Research suggests that higher-order thinking skills can lead to immediate and long-term Long-term Three or more years. In the context of accounting, more than 1 year. long-term 1. Of or relating to a gain or loss in the value of a security that has been held over a specific length of time. Compare short-term. improvements in achievement and can transfer to other disciplines. Cooperative learning Studies on cooperative learning indicate a strong impact on student achievement as well as increased motivation and improved social interactions with adults and peers. To make the strategy most effective, teachers should group students heterogeneously and eliminate competition among groups. Independent practice/homework Research shows the positive effects of homework can be greatly increased when assignments are regular and not too lengthy, provide practice in skills and procedures targeted in recent instruction, and elicit e·lic·it tr.v. e·lic·it·ed, e·lic·it·ing, e·lic·its 1. a. To bring or draw out (something latent); educe. b. To arrive at (a truth, for example) by logic. 2. teacher feedback. Well-designed homework assignments can also promote active parent involvement. For citation Citation (foaled 1945) U.S. Thoroughbred racehorse. In four seasons he won 32 of 45 races, finished second in ten, and third in two. He won the 1948 Triple Crown, and became the first horse to win $1 million. He set a world record in 1950 by running a mile in 1:33 3/5. of the references used in this article, go to www.districtadministration.com www.edvantia.org, 800-624-9120 Marzano's "Top 9" List Research shows these instructional practices contribute to higher levels of student achievement: 1. Identifying similarities and differences 2. Summarizing and note taking 3. Reinforcing effort and providing recognition 4. Homework and practice 5. Nonlinguistic representations (e.g., mental images, graphs, acting out content) 6. Cooperative learning 7. Setting objectives and providing feedback 8. Generating and testing hypotheses 9. Activating prior knowledge (i.e., via questions, cues, advance organizers) Source: Marzano, 2003 WHAT STUDENTS SAY High school students in a focus group mentioned the following when asked what motivates them to learn and participate in school: * Good relationship with the teacher * Clear expectations * Hands-on activities * Assignments related to real life Source: Walsh & Sattes, 2000 |
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