Using a variety of (non-tech) instructional strategies

I attended an informal professional development session shared by one of our teachers at school yesterday on differentiated instruction.  The session was informative and thought provoking.  We all need to be reminded of ways we can best support the learning of our students.

Recap of my biggest take-aways:

• Fair isn’t always equal – meaning you don’t need to have a cookie cutter approach to grading and evaluation of your students.
• Differentiated instruction supports flexibility in the way you teach, the way your students demonstrate their understanding and the way your assess their understanding.
• Create a student-centered classroom – get away from lecture-test-hope for the best
• This type of instruction increases student engagement and learning
• Can be difficult to implement – takes time to plan out activities to meet objectives & classroom management can be an issue too.
• Teachers expressed a desire to gather together in small groups to share ideas of how to best meet the learning challenges of certain students (ie, after a round table meeting).

The teacher gave us a handout of a list of instructional strategies and methods.  This was very helpful for me to review and see how I can improve my teaching.  

A Listing of Instructional Strategies and Methods http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/de/pd/instr/categ.html

Direct Instruction

• Possibilities include
  • Structured Overview
  • Lecture
  • Explicit Teaching
  • Drill & Practice
  • Compare & Contrast
  • Didactic Questions
  • Demonstrations
  • Guided & Shared – reading, listening, viewing, thinking

• Possibilities include
  • Debates
  • Role Playing
  • Panels
  • Brainstorming
  • Peer Partner Learning
  • Discussion
  • Laboratory Groups
  • Think, Pair, Share
  • Cooperative Learning Groups
  • Jigsaw
  • Problem Solving
  • Structured Controversy
  • Tutorial Groups
  • Interviewing
  • Conferencing

• Possibilities include
  • Problem Solving
  • Case Studies
  • Reading for Meaning
  • Inquiry
  • Reflective Discussion
  • Writing to Inform
  • Concept Formation
  • Concept Mapping
  • Concept Attainment
  • Cloze Procedure

• Possibilities include
  • Essays
  • Computer Assisted Instruction
  • Journals
  • Learning Logs
  • Reports
  • Learning Activity Packages
  • Correspondence Lessons
  • Learning Contracts
  • Homework
  • Research Projects
  • Assigned Questions
  • Learning Centers

• Possibilities include
  • Field Trips
  • Narratives
  • Conducting Experiments
  • Simulations
  • Games
  • Storytelling
  • Focused Imaging
  • Field Observations
  • Role-playing
  • Synectics
  • Model Building
  • Surveys

• Possibilities include
  • Explaining
  • Demonstrating
  • Questioning
  • Questioning Technique
  • Wait Time
  • Levels of Questions

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