1. Changing Instructional Strategies and the Role of the Principal
Leadership for Innovative Omani Schools in the 21st Century
Changing Instructional Strategies and the Role of the Principal

2. Basis for Active Learning
Instruction
Educational experiences, stimulus
Processing
Actively thinking, mentally engaged
Performance Outcomes
Response

3. “I hear, I forget;
I see, I remember;
I do and I understand.”
Confucius

4. Cone of Learning1 How much we tend to remember
Our level of involvement
Verbal Receiving
Visual Receiving
PASSIVE
10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what we hear and see
Reading
Hearing Words
Looking at Pictures
Watching a Movie
Looking at an Exhibit
Watching a Demonstration
Seeing it done on Location
1. From: The Foundation Coalition: Active/Cooperative Learning
Doing
70% of what
we say
Receiving and Participating
ACTIVE
Participating in a Discussion
Giving a Talk
Doing a Dramatic Presentation
Simulating a Real Experience
Doing the Real Thing
90% of
what we
say & do

5. Teacher-centered Instruction: Lecture
Advantages/Uses
Communicates interest and enthusiasm for subject matter
Provides students with model of how to question and solve problems
May describe subject matter that is not available in print or on web
May provide some basic structure for subject matter

6. Teacher-centered Instruction: Lecture (continued)
Advantages/Uses
Can deliver large amounts of information efficiently
Cost effective; can reach many at the same time
Presents a minimum threat to students who are not comfortable participating in front of others

7. Teacher-centered Instruction: Lecture
Weaknesses
Students lose attention after 15 minutes
Not ideal to all learners
Promotes lower- level learning
Not effective in changing attitudes
Lectures present same material to all
Students tend to dislike lecturing

8. Modified Lecture Models
Stop every 15 minutes and allow students to revise their notes for 2-3 minutes
Mix lecture with demonstrations, exercises or discussion
Use 2 mini-lectures separated by small study group with study guide

9. Modified Lecture Models
Lecture for minutes with no note taking followed by student writing for 5 minutes what they remember and then getting into small groups (perhaps in pairs in a large class) to clarify material
In one class period each week, teacher discuss topics submitted in question form by the students

10. “… students doing things and
Active Learning2
Active learning is:
“… students doing things and
thinking about the things they are doing.”
2. Bonwell, C.C. & Eison, J.A Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 1. Washington, D.C.: The George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development.

11. Examples of Active Learning
Learning communities
Cooperative learning
Peer teaching
Project-based
Hands-on experiments
Problem based (stating problem, choosing solution, evaluating solution)
Real-world learning
Service learning
Inquiry learning
Case studies
Debates/drama
Role play, simulations
E-learning
Writing groups
Active writing (journals)

12. “We are each in this alone.” Competition:
Types of Learning3
Individualistic:
“We are each in this alone.”
Competition:
“I swim, you sink; I sink, you swim.”
Cooperation:
“We sink or swim together.”
3. Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T. & Smith K.A., Active Learning. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Co., p. 27.

13. Benefits of Cooperative Learning
Higher retention and achievement
Development of interpersonal skills
Personal responsibility
Heightened self-esteem and creativity

14. Cooperative Learning (continued)
Elements of Cooperative Learning3
Positive interdependence
Individual accountability
Interpersonal and small-group skills
Face-to-face interaction
Group processing
3. Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T. & Smith K.A., Active Learning. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Co., p. 27.

15. Common Characteristics of Active Learning2
Students are more active – not just listening
Students are involved in higher order thinking
Less emphasis placed on gaining knowledge & more on developing intellectual skills
Students engaged in activities & thinking about what they are doing
Greater emphasis on students exploring attitudes & values
2. Bonwell, C.C. & Eison, J.A Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 1. Washington, D.C.: The George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development.

16. Assessment for Learning – Formative:
Assessment: Documentation of Student Outcomes (knowledge, skills, abilities)
Assessment for Learning – Formative:
1. When students enter course or program to:
guide teachers in selecting teaching strategy
guide students in their learning efforts

17. Assessment: Documentation of Student Outcomes (knowledge, skills, abilities)
2. During course (graded or un-graded) or program for feedback to:
guide teaching decisions
inform students and parents about their progress toward outcomes
guide student quality & quantity of effort
identify potential learning problems

18. Assessment of Learning – Summative:
Assessment: Documentation of Student Outcomes (knowledge, skills, abilities)
Assessment of Learning – Summative:
3. Student outcomes at the end of the course or program:
as a basis for decision making about the individual student (course grade, passing grade level)
as a basis for judgment about quality of the school or program

19. Checking for Understanding
A technique that IS:
used by a teacher to check, early and often, to see what students are learning
NOT used for student grades

20. Checking for Understanding (continued)
Learning Goals or Outcomes:4
Develop ability to apply principles and generalizations already learned to new problems and situations
Develop analytic and problem solving skills
Develop ability to synthesize and integrate information and ideas, to think holistically
Inform the instructor about the students’ knowledge and abilities and to help develop appropriate learning activities for the course
4. Angelo, T.A. & Cross, K.P., Classroom Assessment Techniques, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass Publishers.

21. Checking for Understanding (continued)
Learning Goals or Outcomes:4
Develop ability to apply principles and generalizations already learned to new problems and situations
Develop analytic and problem solving skills
4. Angelo, T.A. & Cross, K.P., Classroom Assessment Techniques, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass Publishers.

22. Checking for Understanding (continued)
Advantages for Teachers
Provide quick feedback about the teaching and learning on a day-to-day basis so immediate changes can be made
Provide useful information about student learning in less time (vs. tests, papers, and other traditional assessment)
Help foster good rapport with students
Encourage the view that teaching is a formative process that evolves over time with feedback

23. Checking for Understanding (continued)
Advantages for Students4
Helps them become better monitors of their own learning
Helps them break down feelings of anonymity, especially in larger courses
Points out the need to change study skills
Provides evidence that the instructor cares about student learning
Benefit from improved teaching
4. Angelo, T.A. & Cross, K.P., Classroom Assessment Techniques, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass Publishers.

24. Checking for Understanding (continued)
Disadvantages4
Requires instructors to shift to student-centered teaching
Requires use of class time; can be perceived as an interruption
Requires active participation of students who may prefer to remain passive in the classroom
See Appendix for a detailed explanation of some of these techniques.
4. Angelo, T.A. & Cross, K.P., Classroom Assessment Techniques, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass Publishers.

25. Checking for Understanding (continued)
Examples4
Background Knowledge Probe
Minute Paper
Muddiest Point
What’s the Principle?
Application Cards
Directed Paraphrase
See Appendix for a detailed explanation of some of these techniques.
4. Angelo, T.A. & Cross, K.P., Classroom Assessment Techniques, San Francisco, Jossey-Bass Publishers.