CHAPTER 11: Becoming an Effective Teacher Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional 5th Edition Don P. Kauchak and Paul D. Eggen

Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation The process of initiating and sustaining behavior designed to reach a goal Extrinsic Motivation Motivation to engage in an activity as a means to an end Intrinsic Motivation Motivation to engage in an activity for its own sake

Increasing Student Interest in Learning Activities Identify three ways in which DeVonne, the teacher in the video episode, increased her students’ interest in her lesson on arthropods. First, DeVonne attracted her students’ attention by using the lobster and having her students make observations of it. Second, DeVonne linked her lesson to her students’ lives [personalized the content] by asking them if Mrs. Sapp, the school principal, was an arthropod. She then linked the characteristics of arthropods to the characteristics of their bodies. Third, she promoted high levels of student involvement by first having the students describe the lobster and then involving them with the hands-on activity with the shrimp.

Planning For Instruction

Classifying Learning Objectives DeVonne, the teacher in the video episode on arthropods, wanted her students to be able to identify examples and non-examples of arthropods, such as understanding that Mrs. Sapp, the school principal, was not an arthropod. 1. Classify this objective into one of the categories of Bloom’s original taxonomy. 2. Classify this objective into one of the cells in the taxonomy table in Figure 11.2 on page 345 of your text. 3. You want your students to solve problems, such as, “What is the percent decrease in an article of clothing originally priced for $59.95, but is now marked down to $39.95?” Classify this objective into one of the cells of the taxonomy table in Figure 11.2.

Classifying Learning Objectives Continued 1. The ability to identify examples [or non-examples] of a concept demonstrates understanding, so this objective would be classified as comprehension in Bloom’s original taxonomy. 2. Arthropod is a concept, and identifying examples represents understanding, so this objective would be classified into the cell where conceptual knowledge intersects with understand. 3. The ability to solve a problem, such as finding percent decrease, represents an application of procedural knowledge, so the objective would be classified in the cell where procedural knowledge intersects with apply.

Preparing and Organizing Learning Activities Identify two ways in which the way DeVonne prepared and organized her learning activities were effective. First, DeVonne used a very high quality example—the lobster, which is a real example of an arthropod—to begin her lesson. The characteristics of arthropods were observable in the example [the lobster]. Second, she sequenced her examples so the most obvious [the lobster] was presented first, and she then used additional examples, such as the roach and the shrimp, to further illustrate the concept. (She also used non-examples, such as Mrs. Sapp, to clarify the concept.)

The Importance of Assessment A large and consistent body of research literature indicates that frequent and thorough assessments that are aligned with learning objectives is essential for promoting as much learning as possible in students (Stiggins & Chappuis, 2012). “Testing has such a bad connotation; people think of standardized testing or teaching to the test. Maybe we need to call it something else, but this is one of the most powerful learning tools we have” (Carey, 2010, para. 28). Teachers who fail to make ongoing assessment an integral part of their teaching are among the least effective for promoting learning in their students (Rohrer & Pashler, 2010).

Implementing Instruction and Essential Teaching Skills The process of putting the decisions made during planning into action. Planning is primarily a series of thought processes, whereas implementation involves action. Essential teaching skills: Abilities that all teachers, including those in their first year of teaching, should possess to maximize student learning. As you watch the video episode, describe how Scott Sowell, the teacher, implemented each of the essential teaching skills. The essential teaching skills are outlined in Table 11.1 on page 349 of your text.

Demonstrating Essential Teaching Skills Teacher beliefs and behaviors: Scott was energetic and enthusiastic throughout the lesson. By calling on a variety of students, he communicated the expectation that all students are capable of answering. Organization: Scott had his materials ready and waiting. He quickly and smoothly made the transition from his review to the activities he had the students perform to illustrate Bernoulli’s principle. Focus: Scott’s demonstrations and his sketches on the board provided excellent forms of focus.

Demonstrating Essential Teaching Skills Continued Review: Scott reviewed the concept of force with his demonstrations and he used his tug of war with the stapler to demonstrate relationships among forces. His review was outstanding. He didn’t merely describe the ideas; he demonstrated them with examples. Questioning: Scott developed his entire lesson with questioning (questioning frequency). He called on a variety of students, which illustrates equitable distribution. He prompted the students when necessary. He gave his students time to think about their answers (wait time). Feedback: Because the students were able to answer his questions, Scott’s feedback primarily affirmed the students’ answers.

Demonstrating Essential Teaching Skills Continued Closure and Application: Scott brought the lesson to closure when he described the relationship between the speed of the air and the force it exerts on a surface. He demonstrated closure the least effectively of the essential teaching skills, because he described it for the students instead of having them articulate the relationship themselves. In his defense, he ran out of time. This suggests that he should conduct a thorough review the next day to reinforce the ideas. Overall, this is an example of excellent implementation of instruction, and Scott demonstrated the essential teaching skills very well.

Direct Instruction in an Elementary Classroom Using Table 11.3 from page 361 of your book, describe how DeVonne applied the phases of Direct Instruction in her lesson on writing paragraphs with her students. Introduction and Review: DeVonne provided a traditional introduction, and she reviewed by asking her students to describe the characteristics of a good paragraph. Developing Understanding: DeVonne did a good job in this phase by providing the students with an example [about computers] of a good paragraph and a non-example [about television] of a good paragraph. Practice: DeVonne provided her students with two forms of practice. First, they constructed a paragraph about basketball as a whole group. Then, she had the students construct a paragraph on their own about any topic they chose.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Lectures Strengths of Lectures: Lectures help students acquire information not readily accessible in other ways. Lectures help students integrate information from a variety of sources. Lectures expose students to different points of view. Weakness of Lectures: Lectures don’t effectively attract and maintain students’ attention. Lectures don’t allow teachers to check students’ perceptions. Lectures present so much information at one time that they impose a heavy memory load on students, so they often lose or miss important information. Lectures put students in passive learning roles.

Guided Discovery in a Middle School Classroom Describe how Scott Sowell [in the lesson on Bernoulli’s Principle that you saw] used Guided Discovery to help his students understand the principle. Scott began his lesson by reviewing the concept of force and the relationship between forces (objects move in the direction of the greater force). Scott had his students perform the demonstrations with the papers, and he demonstrated with the ball and funnel. He then had the students describe what they saw.

Guided Discovery in a Middle School Classroom Continued Scott drew the sketches on the board and guided the students to an understanding of the relationships between the speed of air over a surface and the force the air exerts on the surface. Scott described the relationship between force and speed of air for his students. Scott had the students apply their understanding to a new situation. (We didn’t see this in the video episode. He ran out of time in his class period, so he reviewed and completed the application phase the next day.)

Weaknesses of Different Instructional Strategies Direct Instruction: It doesn’t promote self-regulation in students, and self-regulation is one of the most valuable outcomes of schooling. It is overused to the point of rote “drill and kill.” Lecture Discussion: It’s easy to slide into a “pure” lecture when using the strategy, so the very important discussion component is reduced.

Weaknesses of Different Instructional Strategies Continued Guided Discovery: The strategy is complex and demanding, and it requires sophisticated teaching skills to be able to apply it. Students are often initially uncomfortable when it is used. Cooperative Learning: When students are organized into mixed-ability groups, those with higher ability often feel they are being exploited by slackers and, in fact, frequently prefer to work alone instead of in groups. Average-ability students often do not take advantage of learning opportunities in mixed-ability groups because high-ability students tend to dominate the group interaction. Teachers often fail to adequately supervise groups while they work, so a considerable amount of instructional time is wasted.

Differentiating Instruction The process of adapting instruction to meet the needs of students who vary in background knowledge, skills, needs, and motivations. Strategies for differentiating instruction: Varying Time Small-group support Multi-ability tasks

Discussion Questions 1-5 1. In addition to the motivational strategies discussed in the chapter, how else can teachers motivate students during a lesson? How does assessment affect students’ motivation to learn? Does this change with high or low ability students? 2. Does the importance of motivation vary with grade level? With the ability level of students? 3. Why is the practice of calling on volunteers to answer a question so prevalent? What are its advantages? What are its disadvantages? 4. How does the importance of the following essential teaching skills vary with grade level or content area: focus, questioning, feedback, and review and closure? 5. Many teachers lecture instead of guiding their students to their goals using questioning. Why do you think this is the case? How can teachers avoid this pitfall?

Discussion Questions 6-10 6. Which of the four instructional strategies is easiest to implement? Why? Most difficult or challenging? Why? 7. How does the effectiveness of the four instructional strategies vary with grade level? Are some of these more effective or useful for certain content areas? Which and why? 8. How much do you anticipate using technology when you teach? How specifically will you use it? What advantages and disadvantages are there for using in your particular future teaching situation? 9. Why is differentiating instruction so important in today’s classrooms? What are the biggest obstacles to differentiating instruction in your classroom? How might technology help you in this process? 10. Giving assessments and providing detailed feedback can take a considerable amount of class time. Is this time well spent? Why?