Deliberate Acts of Teaching

The term instructional strategy is used to mean a deliberate act of teaching that focuses on
learning to meet a particular purpose

When teachers interact with their students they use a range of deliberate acts of teaching. They
use them to develop students’ knowledge, strategies and awareness in terms of learning.

The importance of deliberate, strategic teaching cannot be overemphasised. However, much

learning is incidental, and improved student outcomes result from both planned ad incidental
learning experiences

When using instructional strategies, teachers should be aware they need to do the following

• Provide direct instruction: Teachers cannot assume that their students will learn to e.g.
read and write just through being in a literacy programme. Students need explicit, direct
instruction that makes ‘visible’ what readers and writers need to know and do

• Provide goal-directed instruction: If deliberate acts of teaching are to be effective, they

must be directed towards specific outcomes. Instructional strategies are the tools that
teachers use to achieve their objectives ( such as teaching students to monitor their
learning or to use reading strategies in an integrated way

• Be deliberate: Teachers need to use instructional strategies consciously and deliberately.

E.g. the teachers will know what they are modelling and why, or how and why they
provide feedback for then learner

• Provide a class culture and environment that facilities learning: The classroom
conditions should facilitate learning. A print rich environment is important but it s not, in
itself enough. Instruction is likely to both enjoyable and effective in a classroom that is a
community of learners, where there is a climate of respect and collaboration, and where
everyone sees the business of learning as valued

• Maintain students motivation and enjoyment: Students learn best when both they and
their teacher find the activities enjoyable and interesting

• Use the same instructional strategies across the curriculum: Teachers use their
instructional strategies not only across e.g. language and literacy activities but also in all
areas of school curriculum

• Be flexible and culturally responsible: Because each learner takes an individual pathway
teachers need to be flexible in the ways they select and use instructional strategies for
different activities. They should also deliberately make links between student cultures
and their classroom tasks choosing activities that incorporate familiar closeness in the
content, ways of communicating, and cultural practices