Rationale
In the weeks before my PSIII internship I felt overwhelmed by the amount of work that I was supposed to do. I wanted to complete my long-range plans, unit plans, and lesson plans. When I was preparing my lesson plans I felt that I needed to make them engaging while meeting the learning outcomes. I wished there was an easily accessible resource on instructional strategies that would help me improve student engagement. I felt the same way in the first few days of my PSIII internship. I was also overwhelmed by the need to improve my classroom management skills. I wished there was a resource on classroom management strategies that new teachers could easily access.
It did not take me time to decide on what I wanted to do for my Professional Inquiry Project (PIP). I decided that I wanted to make it easier for new teachers to access resources on instructional and classroom management strategies. It is my hope that you will find this resource useful on your journey to become an effective teacher.
It did not take me time to decide on what I wanted to do for my Professional Inquiry Project (PIP). I decided that I wanted to make it easier for new teachers to access resources on instructional and classroom management strategies. It is my hope that you will find this resource useful on your journey to become an effective teacher.
Student Competencies
As I was studying and preparing for this PIP project, I read books and articles that discussed about 21st Century Skills. I began interested in finding out what the 21st Century Skills are. After I developed a list of 21st Century skills from literature, I immediately realized that they looked similar if not identical to what was on the Competencies document that I had downloaded from the Alberta Education website. The competencies from Alberta Education can be found HERE. The Alberta Education website is currently being redesigned and so I decided to download the document and make it accessible below.
The new K-4 curriculum makes it easier for teachers to identify which competencies are addressed by each learning outcome since each learning outcome has associated competencies listed below it. In the following TEDx talk, Joe Ruhl discusses some of these 21st Century Skills and what a teacher can do to help students achieve them.
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The Effective Teacher
An effective teacher is one who strives to makes sure that students achieve the competencies mentioned above by applying age appropriate instructional and classroom management strategies. A question most new and experienced teachers ask themselves on a daily basis is "What can I do to make sure my students are engaged with the material being taught?" The first time I told my University Consultant about my idea of a PIP project, he asked me an interesting question -- How do you define student engagement?
A definition for student engagement that appeals to me is from the Glossary of Education Reform. It states that "student engagement refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education."
When I started searching for definitions of students engagement, I realized that student engagement is a multidimensional construct. Fredricks, et. al. (2004) discusses three types of engagement -- behavioral, emotional, and cognitive (see reference at the bottom of this page). Behavioral engagement includes student involvement in academic and social or extracurricular activities, emotional engagement includes positive and negative reactions to teachers, classmates, academics and school, while cognitive/intellectual engagement encompasses the student's willingness to exert effort to comprehend what is being taught.
To improve intellectual engagement, educators should design lessons and assessments that stimulate student curiosity and that appeal to student interest. In Language Arts, students may be asked to choose a topic that they are interested in. When it comes to assessment in many subject areas, students may be given a choose in the way they can demonstrate that they have learned the material. Choices may include writing a paper, making a video, or making a PowerPoint presentation. To improve emotional engagement, educators should develop a good relationship with their students and use strategies that promote positive emotions and discourage negative emotions. Educators should make the learning environment more conducive to learning. To encourage behavioral engagement, educators should spend time establishing classroom routines at the beginning of the school year. The use of consistent routines and cues will help students stay on task during lessons. During my meetings with my teacher mentor, university consultant and principal, there is one thing that is common -- learning cannot take place in the absence of good classroom management.
The Glossary of Education Reform provides three more types of engagement -- physical, social, and cultural engagement. To promote student engagement, educators may use physical activities. Educators should encourage movement during class. In elementary school, most schools use the 10-15 minutes attention span rule. The design of the lesson should be such that students are given an opportunity to move from their seats after every 10-15 minutes. To promote social engagement, educators may encourage social interactions by making students work collaboratively in pairs or in small groups. Educators may also encourage friendly competition during class. To promote cultural engagement, educators should make all students feel welcome by incorporating their cultures in the lessons. The teacher may also use strategies that make all students feel welcomed, safe, and valued in the classroom.
Effective teachers will prioritize instructional strategies that address the behavioral, emotional, intellectual, physical, social, and cultural factors that affect student learning. Are you an effective teacher? Would you like to become one of the effective teachers? If so you are in the right place. Continue reading.
A definition for student engagement that appeals to me is from the Glossary of Education Reform. It states that "student engagement refers to the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education."
When I started searching for definitions of students engagement, I realized that student engagement is a multidimensional construct. Fredricks, et. al. (2004) discusses three types of engagement -- behavioral, emotional, and cognitive (see reference at the bottom of this page). Behavioral engagement includes student involvement in academic and social or extracurricular activities, emotional engagement includes positive and negative reactions to teachers, classmates, academics and school, while cognitive/intellectual engagement encompasses the student's willingness to exert effort to comprehend what is being taught.
To improve intellectual engagement, educators should design lessons and assessments that stimulate student curiosity and that appeal to student interest. In Language Arts, students may be asked to choose a topic that they are interested in. When it comes to assessment in many subject areas, students may be given a choose in the way they can demonstrate that they have learned the material. Choices may include writing a paper, making a video, or making a PowerPoint presentation. To improve emotional engagement, educators should develop a good relationship with their students and use strategies that promote positive emotions and discourage negative emotions. Educators should make the learning environment more conducive to learning. To encourage behavioral engagement, educators should spend time establishing classroom routines at the beginning of the school year. The use of consistent routines and cues will help students stay on task during lessons. During my meetings with my teacher mentor, university consultant and principal, there is one thing that is common -- learning cannot take place in the absence of good classroom management.
The Glossary of Education Reform provides three more types of engagement -- physical, social, and cultural engagement. To promote student engagement, educators may use physical activities. Educators should encourage movement during class. In elementary school, most schools use the 10-15 minutes attention span rule. The design of the lesson should be such that students are given an opportunity to move from their seats after every 10-15 minutes. To promote social engagement, educators may encourage social interactions by making students work collaboratively in pairs or in small groups. Educators may also encourage friendly competition during class. To promote cultural engagement, educators should make all students feel welcome by incorporating their cultures in the lessons. The teacher may also use strategies that make all students feel welcomed, safe, and valued in the classroom.
Effective teachers will prioritize instructional strategies that address the behavioral, emotional, intellectual, physical, social, and cultural factors that affect student learning. Are you an effective teacher? Would you like to become one of the effective teachers? If so you are in the right place. Continue reading.
Instructional Strategies
A document by Alberta Education titled "Instructional Strategies" [6] defined instructional strategies as techniques teachers use to help students become independent, strategic learners. It states that instructional strategies can:
- motivate students and help them focus attention
- organize information for understanding and remembering
- monitor and assess learning.
- step-by-step strategy instruction
- a variety of instructional approaches and learning materials
- appropriate support that includes modelling, guided practice and independent practice
- opportunities to transfer skills and ideas from one situation to another
- meaningful connections between skills and ideas, and real-life situations
- opportunities to be independent and show what they know
- encouragement to self-monitor and self-correct
- tools for reflecting on and assessing own learning.
Direct Instruction
I mostly use direct instruction to introduce new concepts. For more information on how direct instruction is used please see reference [7]
Group Discussion
I found some strategies for group discussions HERE
Individualized Instruction
Some students require more one-on-one time with the teacher. My teacher mentor sits such students close to each other so that it is easier to talk to them while the rest of the class continues to work on a given task. During Math I usually approach individual students and help them as I walk around the classroom.
Homework
I have not given homework to my Grade 2/3s. I provide them with ample time to complete their work in class. Homework works for later grades.
Scaffolding Instruction
When I started my practicum, my teacher mentor pointed me to a document on the Optimal Learning Model [8] by Regie Routman. I found the document very useful in scaffolding learning.
Creating Learning Stations
Set up learning stations with different different types content. My students enjoy going around the stations in small groups. I found out that student teach each other as they rotate through the stations. I also found out that learning stations require good classroom management. The class can go wild if there are no expectations and boundaries.
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Homework
There is debate going on on whether or not students should be given homework. I usually don't give homework to elementary students. I think students have a lot to learn when they help out at home instead of doing home work. I also don't want to burden parents who are usually tired at the end of the day.
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Concept Mapping
This helps students to visualize the relationship between concepts and ideas. Different ways of using concept mapping are described HERE.
Setting Objectives
Students need to be engaged in setting personal goals. This will help them own their learning.
Cooperative Learning
Students work in small groups with each group member completing a set task.
Cues and Questions and Advance Organizers
These focus on students' ability to use, retrieve and organize information
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Labs and experiments
Students enjoy doing labs and experiments, but they need to understand why they are doing the experiment. The purpose of the lab is more important that just getting them to do something with their hands during class.
Role Playing
In role-playing, students put themselves in another person's shoes or in imaginary scenarios.
Story telling in Math
I think this is one of the powerful instructional strategies to help students enjoy and remember their math. The following video discusses the benefits of story-telling in Math.
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Other pedagogical Approaches to learning
There are many approaches to learning that have been proposed over the years. A list of some of the learning approaches is provided on the edutopia website. These are:
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What each of these terms mean is discussed below. One thing that I quickly noticed as I was researching on these terms is that there is a lot of overlap in what they mean.
Problem-based learning
In problem-based learning students learn through the experience of solving an open-ended problem.
Project-Based Learning
In project-based learning students learn through the exploration of real-world challenges or problems
Case-Based Learning
In case-based learning students learn through discussions of specific scenarios that exemplify or are typically real-world examples.
Challenge-based learning
Challenge-based learning is similar to problem-based learning except for the fact that students are responsible for formulating the challenge they will try to solve.
Community-based learning
This involves students working on an authentic community problem.
Design-based learning
Can be considered as a form of inquiry-based learning that integrated design thinking and the design process.
Game-based learning
Game-based learning uses competitive exercises with students either challenging themselves or competing against their peers. In the video below, Scott Hebert, a teacher at Our Lady of the Angels Catholic School in Fort Saskatchewan unveils his effort to connect students to their learning using gamification.
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Inquiry-based learning
In Inquiry-Based Learning, the teacher's role is not to tell students what they need to know as is done in the traditional classroom, but to encourage students to explore, ask questions and share ideas. Students therefore build knowledge and make connections through exploration, experience, and discussion. This results in better understanding and recall. For more information check the link HERE
The following video by John Spencer clearly explains what Inquiry-Based Learning is. |
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Land-based learning
Land-based learning links curriculum with indigenous culture. it recognizes the eep connection of indigenous people to the land.
Passion-based learning
This strategy uses a student's passions to help them learn.
Place-based learning
This is learning that promotes the unique local history, culture, economy, and art.
Proficiency-based learning
The focus of instruction, assessment, grading and academic reporting in proficiency-based learning is on student demonstration of desired learning outcomes. Check the Glossary of Education Reform website HERE for more information.
Service-based learning
In service-based learning students build skills and deeper understanding through a combination of learning objectives and community service.
Team-based learning
Team-based learning provides a platform for a flipped classroom where students prepare before class and then spend the majority of their class time solving problems.
Studio-based learning
The purpose of studio-based learning is to engage students in an environment of authentic learning where they get immediate feedback from the teacher and also from their peers.
Work-based learning
Work-based learning provided students with real-life work experience.
Zombie-based learning
This was developed by David Hunter, a teacher at Bellevue Big Picture School, to teach a Geography. It is based on the post-apocalyptic zombie realm.
Relationship Building
Rob Plevin discusses why it is important to show our students that we really care about them and why we should frequently communicate with them both inside and outside the classroom.
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Getting your students' attention
Six steps to get students on task
The video to the right discusses six steps to get students on task:
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Getting Attention
Rob Plevin shares five ways of getting attention from a group of students:
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Praise strategies
Rob Plevin discusses seven strategies for praising students and seven strategies for verbal praise.
Strategies for praising students:
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Strategies for verbal praise
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Strategies for non-verbal praise
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Information provided on this website was compiled from references listed below.
References
- Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of educational research, 74(1), 59-109. Retrieved from https://www.isbe.net/documents/engagement-concept.pdf
- The Glossary of Educational Reform: https://www.edglossary.org/student-engagement
- Brockliss L (1996). A History of the University in Europe, ed de Ridder-Symoens H (Cambridge Univ Press, Cambidge, UK), Vol II, pp 565--620.
- Adamson, D. R. (2010). Classroom management: 24 Strategies every teacher needs to know. Scholastic.
- Marshall, J. C. (2016). The highly effective teacher: 7 classroom-tested practices that foster student success. ASCD.
- Alberta Education - Instructional Strategies. Retrieved from https://education.alberta.ca/media/482311/is.pdf
- Gersten, R., Woodward, J., & Darch, C. (1986). Direct instruction: A research-based approach to curriculum design and teaching. Exceptional Children, 53(1), 17-31.Gersten, R., Woodward, J., & Darch, C. (1986). Direct instruction: A research-based approach to curriculum design and teaching. Exceptional Children, 53(1), 17-31.
- Routman, R, Optimal Learning Model. Retrieved from http://www.regieroutman.com/teachingessentials/samples/OLM.pdf
- Winn, J. A. (1994). Promises and challenges of scaffolded instruction. Learning Disability Quarterly, 17(1), 89-104. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2307/1511107
- 21st Century HSIE. Retrieved from http://21stcenturyhsie.weebly.com/inquiry-pedagogy.html
- Concept Map. Retrieved from http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Concept_map
- Concept Map. Retrieved from http://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/Concept-Map
- The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies. https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/speaking-listening-techniques/
- https://www.edglossary.org/proficiency-based-learning/