CHAPTER 5: SELECTING AND IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIES OF INSTRUCTION Developing the Curriculum Eighth Edition Peter F. Oliva William R. Gordon II

AFTER STUDYING THIS CHAPTER YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO: Define style, model, method, and skills of teaching and state how each relates to the selection of instructional strategies. Distinguish between generic and specific teaching skills. Present a rationale for using a unit plan. Relate daily lesson planning to long-range planning.

DECIDING ON INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES In this text, “strategy” broadly encompasses the methods, procedures, and techniques the teacher uses to present the subject matter to the students and to bring about desired outcomes. Among the common instructional strategies are the lecture, small-group discussion, independent study, library research, mediated instruction, repetitive drill, and laboratory work.

DECIDING ON INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES The teacher must decide how many days he or she will devote to the topic, whether to use any or all of the approaches considered, which approach to use first, and how to put the selected approaches together.

SOURCES OF STRATEGIES Instructional strategies are derived from a number of sources including: The objectives The subject matter The pupil The community The teacher

SOURCES OF STRATEGIES Objectives as Source When considering objectives as a source: The choice of strategies is limited at the onset by the specified instructional objectives. Although an almost infinite number of techniques for carrying out instruction may exist, only a finite number apply to any particular objective.

SOURCES OF STRATEGIES Subject Matter as Source When considering the subject matter as a source: The teacher must zero in on the subject matter and determine what principal facts, understandings, attitudes, appreciations, and skills must be mastered by the learners. An example of selecting strategies in subject matter is if we are teaching a course in servicing computers. certain operations must be mastered, such as removing and replacing a hard drive, installing programs and software, and clearing the computer of viruses.

SOURCES OF STRATEGIES Pupil as a Source When considering the pupil as a source: The teacher should enlist the aid of students in both long-range and short-range planning for instruction. The teacher cannot assume, for example, that his or her purposes are identical to the students’ purposes in studying a subject; he or she must, therefore, make an effort to discover student purposes. When initiating a topic, the teacher should help students identify personal reasons they might have for studying the material.

SOURCES OF STRATEGIES Community as Source When considering the community as a source: The desires of parents, the type of community, tradition, and convention all play a part in determining classroom strategies. An example is how sexuality education, may alarm parents in many communities. Understanding the dynamics of a community is a key component in planning strategies.

SOURCES OF STRATEGIES Teacher as Source When considering teachers as a source: Instructional strategies must conform to: The teacher’s personal style of teaching. The model or models of instructing that the teacher follows. Teachers should analyze the particular style of teaching they project and the models they find most suitable for their particular style and should expand their repertoires by developing more than a single model of teaching.

STYLES OF TEACHING A style of teaching is a set of personal characteristics and traits that clearly identify the individual as a unique teacher. As the human beings we all are, teachers unconsciously adopt certain styles that emulate the way they learn or have been taught.

STYLES OF LEARNING A teaching style cannot be selected in the same way an instructional strategy can. Style is not something that can be readily switched on and off. Teachers must be aware that their teaching styles can at times be at cross-purposes to their pupils’ style of learning.

MODELS OF TEACHING A model is a generalized pattern of behavior that can be learned and imitated. Whereas style of teaching is a personalized set of teacher behaviors, a model of teaching is a generalized set of behaviors that emphasizes a particular strategy or set of strategies.

MODELS OF TEACHING Need for Variety Constant exposure to a single model can lead to restlessness and boredom on the part of students. A model must be compatible with both the teacher’s style and the students’ styles of learning.

TEACHING SKILLS We may define generic teaching skills as those instructional skills or competencies that are general in nature and can be employed by teachers in any field and at any level. Special teaching skills are defined as specific abilities that must be demonstrated by teachers in a particular field or level.

TEACHING: ART OR SCIENCE? The question whether teaching is an art or science has been debated for decades. The “Art” of teaching refers to the skills and the abilities of the teacher to affect the instruction. The “Science” of teaching refers to generic skills of the teacher including the identification of generic teaching skills, the specification of instructional objectives, sequencing of content, national and state standards of achievement, and typical assessments.

ORGANIZING FOR INSTRUCTION Both long-range and short-range planning are required when planning for instruction. Two types of short-range planning: unit plan daily plan

ORGANIZING FOR INSTRUCTION The Unit Plan: The unit plan—also called a “learning unit,” “teaching unit,” or simply, “unit”—is a means of organizing the instructional components for teaching a particular topic or theme. The unit plan ordinarily covers a period from several days to several weeks. A series of units might actually constitute a particular course.

ORGANIZING FOR INSTRUCTION The Daily Plan: The daily plan organizes the instructional components of the day’s lesson(s). Daily plans serve as a source in designing unit plans. Ordinarily, instructional planning progresses from course to unit to daily plans.

ORGANIZING FOR INSTRUCTION Planning for instruction involves selecting the following components: Goals Objectives Strategies Learning resources Evaluation techniques

PRESENTATION OF INSTRUCTION This book is devoted to curriculum development but there is now a large body of research on effective presentation of instruction. Some areas to consider are: Personalized instruction Differentiated instruction Scaffolding Cooperative Learning Technology

A FINAL THOUGHT: Instructional strategies, styles of teaching, and teaching skills are all selected, adopted, and implemented to successfully fulfill instructional goals and objectives. The ultimate purpose of all strategies, styles, models, and skills is the fostering of student achievement.