Instructional Strategies: Teachers know how to teach.

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Middle Level Block II

Completed mid-July, 2004

This was a course I enrolled in at the UW-Platteville over the summer of 2004.  The class focused on Service Learning (SL) and culminated in a project designed to help us learn about SL while working to fix a problem in an area school.  We learned about a few other instructional strategies during the course.  I received an “A” in the class.

Wisconsin Teacher Standard Alignment

I believe this artifact best aligns with standard # 4; The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies, including the use of technology, to encourage children’s development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.

I learned about various instructional strategies ranging from the Learning Cycle to Service Learning.  I had direct experience using some of the strategies on the rest of the class.  I participated in simulations that were organized by other students.

I learned that there are a vast number of instructional strategies already established.  Two of the strategies that I learned about included the Learning Cycle and Service Learning.  There are a few different versions of the Learning Cycle.  One I learned about had five main areas:  Engage, explore, explain, elaborate or extend, and evaluate.  The engage part pertains to getting the students excited about the topic at hand.  I found that bringing interesting props and/or dressing in particular ways was useful in getting the students engaged.  The exploration part is where the students get to delve into the problem.  There are opportunities for the students to think, plan, investigate, and organize collected information.  The explain phase is where students analyze their exploration.  This is the phase where their understanding should be clarified and modified because of reflective activities.  The elaboration stage is where the students have the opportunity to expand and solidify their understanding of the concept and/or apply it to a real world situation.  The evaluation stage is when the students will have their project or test assessed using a teacher and/or student generated scoring rubric.

Service Learning is not easy to define; there is much that goes into it.  In fact, in Jane Kendall’s book Combining Service and Learning, Kendall said there were around 150 different terms and definitions used to describe service-learning.  The main components of SL include community service and academic credit with intentional guidance from the teacher.  The students are involved in the process from the beginning to the end.  SL has been said to give students a closer connection to the material they are learning.  With SL, they are learning through active participation.  The structured reflection enables the students to apply critical thinking skills to the various concepts and problems that are woven into the experience.

 

 

UW-Platteville School of Education Knowledge, Skill, Disposition Statement Alignment

 

KS3.b.  Uses Questioning and Discussion Techniques.  I worked on a service learning project with my colleagues.  This project involved us inquiring into the inner workings of the Richland Center Middle School.  I also performed a lesson using the learning cycle model.  I engaged the students by drawing a circle on the board and asking if they thought you could fit infinity within the parameters of the circle.  We then went on as a class to explore the concepts of finite area and infinite perimeter using the example of the Koch snowflake.

 

 

What I learned about teaching

Instructional strategies need to be carefully chosen in order to achieve the desired outcome.  There are strategies that fit most, if not all, learning styles.  It can take a lot of time to put together lesson plans.  Therefore, it’s important to have plans organized well in advance.

Before developing my own instructional strategies, I will see if something already exists that would suit the purpose well.  I believe that it is vital to change which strategy is being used, not only to make things more interesting in class, but also to ensure that many of the ways of learning are covered.  I want to periodically update the Service Learning Manual that I put together.  I believe that SL can be a very productive way to connect students with the community.

 

What I learned about myself

I need to practice many of the different instructional strategies in order to feel comfortable using them.  I don’t believe this is something that will come naturally for me.  I will set reasonable goals as to how many new strategies I will practice every month.

I am committed to using service learning with my classes.  It may take more time to set up meaningful service learning experiences, but in the long-run it leads to deeper understanding and/or retention of knowledge due to the increased relevance to the students’ real life experiences.

I want to accomplish things during my time as a teacher.  I mean this both in the sense of academic accomplishment on the part of my students as well as concrete accomplishments that my classes have working in the community at large.