Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods, 6e Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods 6th Edition Chapter 2 Understanding Your Students

Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods, 6e Chapter Overview Why Pay Attention to Individual Differences? The Effects of General Intelligence on Learning The Effects of Specific Abilities on Learning The Effects of Prior Achievement on Learning The Effects of Cultural Differences on Learning The Effects of Personality and Learning Style The Effects of the Peer Group on Learning The Effects of Home Life and Social Context on Learning Cultural, Linguistic, and SES Biases in the Classroom

Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods, 6e Why Pay Attention to Individual Differences? Children vary in experiences, socioeconomic status (SES), culture and ethnicity, language, and learning style, all of which influence what students learn. Viewing students as empty vessels into which a teacher pours knowledge fails to consider individual student differences. Knowing individual student differences is important for: 1.Adapting instructional methods to individual learning needs. 2.Understanding the reasons for the performance of individual learners

Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods, 6e Adaptive Teaching Adaptive teaching: The general approach to achieving a common instructional goal with learners with differences in prior achievement, aptitude, or learning style. The remediation approach provides the learner with the prerequisite knowledge, skill, or behavior needed to benefit from the planned instruction. In the compensatory approach teachers choose an instructional method to compensate for the lack of information, skills, or ability in learners. This is accomplished by using alternate modalities, or by supplementing with additional learning resources.

Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods, 6e The Effects of General Intelligence on Learning Intelligence (IQ) is not a single unified dimension, and is actually a blend of a variety of aptitudes expressed at different levels. Specific aptitudes or factors are more predictive of success in school/certain occupations than is general intelligence. Knowing your learners’ aptitudes, strengths, and weaknesses and adjusting teaching accordingly will lead to greater success than teaching according to their general intelligence.

Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods, 6e Environmentalist and Hereditarian Views of Intelligence The environmentalist position criticizes general IQ tests as being culturally biased, noting that the verbal skills generally required to do well on intelligence tests are not practiced in impoverished home environments. Therefore, a significant part of any low scores on intelligence tests among minority students represents effects of their home environment. The hereditarian position concludes that heredity rather than the environment is the major factor determining intelligence.

Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods, 6e Multiple Intelligences Linguistic intelligence Logical- mathematical intelligence Musical intelligence Spatial intelligence Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence Interpersonal intelligence Naturalist intelligence Differing aptitudes or learning styles have been categorized by researchers. Among the best known of these are the multiple intelligences of Howard Gardner and his collaborators:

Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods, 6e The Effects of Prior Achievement on Learning Task-relevant prior learning is the set of facts, skills, and understandings that must be taught (and mastered by the learner) in order for subsequent learning to occur. Logical progressions called learning structures identify what needs to be known by the learner at each previous step before new learning can take place.

Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods, 6e Effects of Cultural Differences on Learning The typical classroom of today contains a more diverse group of learners than at any time in our history. For millions of students, English is not the native language. Students from different cultures may react differently to the verbal and nonverbal classroom management techniques. In reciprocal distancing, teachers and students use language to include or exclude various individuals. An important characteristic that distinguishes lower-class children from middle-class and upper-class children is that the latter more rapidly acquire knowledge of the world outside their homes and neighborhoods.

Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods, 6e Cultural Deficits and Differences In the cultural deficit model, some students’ lack of proficiency in English is explained via genetically or culturally inspired factors. This approach focuses on what is missing in a child’s ability to perform well in the classroom. In the cultural difference model, focus is placed not on diminishing a child’s home language or dialect, but upon providing a rich instructional environment that uses differences as valued vehicles to transmit learning. Cultural frames describe how culture affects student approaches to learning.

Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods, 6e The Effects of Personality and Learning Style Erikson refers to three crises during the school year: 1.Accomplishment versus inferiority. 2.Identity versus confusion. 3.Intimacy versus isolation. Field dependence/independence is one of the most studied learning styles (conditions under which someone prefers to learn).

Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods, 6e The Effects of Personality on Learning Figure 2.4 Personal and social development during Erikson’s three crises during the school years. Insert figure 2.4 here.

Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods, 6e The Effects of Personality and Learning Style Research shows that some learners are: –More field sensitive (holistic/visual learners). –Less field sensitive (verbal/analytic learners). Field dependence/independence is one of the most studied learning styles (conditions under which someone prefers to learn). Avoid stereotypes when planning teaching to take advantage of individual differences.

Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods, 6e Insert table 2.2 here.

Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods, 6e The Effects of the Peer Group on Learning Peer groups are an influential source of learner behavior both in and out of the classroom. Group work, group norms, group cohesiveness, and cross-age tutoring are means of using peer-group influence to foster instructional goals in the classroom.

Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods, 6e The Effects of Home Life and Social Context on Learning Along with their peer group, a learner’s family and their relationship to the school are prominent sources of influence on their learning. When parents and teachers become partners, not only can student achievement increase, but parents learn about the teacher and the school. Genuine partnerships between the school and parents or guardians of learners are essential to building a cohesive classroom climate.

Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods, 6e Guidelines for Promoting Family- School Partnerships 1.View the family from a systems-ecological perspective. 2.Acknowledge changes in the American family. 3.View parent participation from an empowerment model rather than a deficit model. 4.Recognize the unique needs of mothers and fathers when planning opportunities to involve parents. 5.Appreciate that parents are just like you, and experience periodic emotional, family, and economic problems. 6.Understand the variety of school-family linkages and respect family preferences for different degrees of school participation.

Copyright ©2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey All rights reserved. Gary D. Borich Effective Teaching Methods, 6e Cultural, Linguistic, and SES Biases in the Classroom To avoid bias in interacting with students: –Consciously spread interactions across categories of students toward whom you have identified bias. –Randomly select students for special assignments. –Pair students who are opposite in your category of bias, and then interact with both members of the pair. –Code class notes to remind yourself to call on students toward whom you may be biased.