Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Emily Klemme
Instructor: Al Lindau
10Sped
610 #6
October 18, 2015
Teaching Strategies
Learning is enhanced when students interests are taken into consideration. There are
several strategies that can be implemented in the classroom to engage students. These strategies
can be tied to curriculum, assessments and the students overall outcomes. Different teaching
Direct Instruction has been proven to be extremely successful in schools. It is the most
common of strategies and has improved student performance in some of the most failing schools.
This instruction is teacher-led and considered very structured and sequenced. It focuses on small
group, face-to-face instruction. Although not my favorite, I like direct instruction in certain
situations. I believe that it works best when it is tied to other teaching methods.
3-2-1 is a great teaching strategy to use in the classroom. It is also a great way to tie it in
with direct instruction. After teaching a lesson, students are asked to answer the following
questions in their journal or on a piece of paper: three questions they learned from the
text/lesson, two questions they still have and one part of the text/lesson that they enjoyed
learning about. This method allows the teacher to check for understanding and is a great way to
gauge students interest. I really like this strategy because it requires full participation from
students and takes only a few minutes to complete. This encourages writing practice and
eliminates the embarrassment for students who are uncomfortable with raising their hand.
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Four Corners is another great teaching strategy to use, when gauging the understanding of
a lesson. Students are instructed to show where they stand on a certain topic by standing in a
particular part of the room. They can either strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree to
the statement. I really like this strategy because like 3-2-1, this also encourages participation
from the entire class. It also involves movement, which can act as a brain break for students. This
activity can also carry over into a writing or discussion piece relating to the content.
Homework and Practice is a method of teaching that I agree with, but only in certain
situations. The idea is to deepen the students understanding, however, it does not benefit those
students that are already struggling with the content in the classroom. Choices for homework
should be given to students and the quality is far more significant than the quantity. Homework
is not effective if the student does not understand the assignment and has lack of parent
involvement at home. Homework and practice can indefinitely impact a students understanding,
but should not require more time than necessary, where it leaves a student feeling discouraged
and frustrated. It is far more constructive when the homework is given during class time and
students have the chance to ask questions. A better approach is an exit slip, which is a quick
assessment at the end of class or at the end of a lesson. A few short questions related to the
content gives teachers an idea of what needs to be reviewed and what students understand.
and flexible approach to instruction. Students are not learning through a traditional text book, but
rather given a voice and choice to their learning. Students gain knowledge by actively
engaging in real-world problems in their school and community. Students are at the center of
their learning and have the ability to use their creativity to problem-solve and collaborate with
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their classmates. I am a firm believer that students learn by doing and are more engaged when
given a choice.
Scaffolding is a strategy that involves breaking down challenging content into smaller
pieces, so that the student is able to process and manage the information. This method is used to
bridge the learning gap and is used as temporary support for the student. It helps to eliminate the
students frustration with independent tasks. The support may include modeling, examples, hints
or handouts for the student. I like this strategy because it can be used for one particular student or
the entire class. The Scaffold can also be removed at any time, when the support is no longer
needed.
The fishbowl is a strategy that teaches students how to be an effective contributor and
listener in a group discussion. The room is set up with a circle of chairs for the presenters, with
chairs around the room for the other group of students to listen in on the discussion. Both groups
switch after a short period of time and learn to play the other role. I really like this strategy
because it teaches students that listening to the ideas of others is important. It also allows each
student to voice their opinion on an important issue. It requires teamwork and can build respect
The jigsaw method is a cooperative learning strategy that puts students in control of their
learning. Students are put into different groups with an assigned leader. Their goal as a team is to
teach other students about a specific topic. Each student is assigned a part of the topic to
research. They are then able to join the other students in different groups to gather the
information. When they go back to their groups, they then present the information to the class.
The leader is responsible for making sure all students are staying on task and presenting their
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part of the assigned topic. This method is a great way to get students up out of their seats and
work together. Students are building self-confidence and gaining public speaking skills.
Graffiti Boards are a great warm-up strategy that provides a way for students to get
engaged in a new topic and share their ideas. A large sheet of paper, chalkboard or whiteboard is
used to introduce a topic or organize prior knowledge. Students go up to the board and write their
comments or questions about the topic. The classroom is asked to remain silent during the
activity and respect the ideas of their peers. I like this strategy because it requires only 5-10
Read Alouds are a great strategy to get students reading. It allows for students to develop
skills as active listeners and provides a modeling technique for students who struggle with the
more difficult words in a story. Students are more engaged in the story when the different voices
of characters are spoken. Students can imagine themselves in the story as it is read aloud and be
assigned the various characters. It encourages all students to participate and provides fun
strategies to ensure all students are paying attention. I enjoyed the idea that was brought up in
class about adding in a piece that doesnt fit in the story, to see who is following along. It also is
a great surprise for students when there is a guest invited for a read aloud. It adds excitement
and brings new faces into the classroom that encourage reading.
There are many great teaching strategies to use in the classroom and I consider these to
be very effective and exciting for students. Students are successful when they are presented with
engaging activities and take an active role in their learning. Most of these strategies require