Social and Cultural Foundations of American Education/Chapter 10/What constitutes an effective instructional method? 1

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Creating An Effective Instructional Method

~Jacinta Morgan

Introduction

How do you feel when you are being taught material that you don't understand or should have knowledge of? You might feel unprepared, stupid, confused, scared, or anxious. Every student has felt this way at one moment. How can teachers help their students avoid these feelings? In order to ensure a child's success, teachers must construct an effective instructional method. Discovering students’ learning styles, using technology, placing students in small groups, creating a conducive learning environment, and establishing a positive teacher/student bond are examples of various ways that constitute an effective instructional method.

Discover Your Students' Learning Styles

It is essential for teachers to instruct according to their students’ learning styles. It is difficult to discover what works for different students. To determine a visual learner observe if they focus on you, rarely speak in class, pay close attention to details, or have problems with oral directions. Auditory learners are very talkative, good at memorizing, and could possibly be the class clown. To establish your kinesthetic learners, see if they have difficulty remaining stationary, may have ADD/ADHD, or like to touch things.

The best and most effective teaching method is to use all three styles. Charts, diagrams, worksheets, video clips, and illustrations should be used for visual learners. Auditory learners will need to explain what they heard, encourage them to read their material aloud, and allow group sessions so they can discuss the material with fellow students. Create an interactive moment for the kinesthetic learners. For instance, have some of your students work out problems on the board or create an environmental activity that requires hands-on application. [1]

Use Technology

Some teachers do not use technology as fluently as they should. They express that it takes up too much of their time or that they don’t know how to effectively use it. Whatever the reason, technology MUST be used in the classroom. Technology “increases motivation, prepares students for the future, helps with complex tasks, and allows collaboration amongst peers.” Allow your students to create powerpoint presentations, use kidspiration, and show them video clips from unitedstreaming. Get your students out of the ‘traditional’ classroom. Let them interact and enjoy learning. An elementary teacher said, “I see more confidence in the kids here. . . I think it's not just computers, it's a multitude of things, but they can do things on the computers that most of their parents can't and that's very empowering and exciting for them. It's 'I can sit down and make this machine pretty much do what I want to,' and there's something about that that gives them an extra little boost of, 'Wow, I'm a pretty special person'.”

Of course there are challenges with integrating technology into classrooms- not enough computers, insufficient technical assistance, inadequate computers. Do not let those challenges inhibit your usage. Do as much as possible to ensure that students are being exposed to technology. [2]

Place Students In Small Groups

Every classroom has introverts and extroverts. Some students like to socialize, while others prefer to keep to themselves. There are cliques and usually friends want to pair together. This can be a problem and they will not be focused in getting the work done. Most of the conversation will be unrelated matter. The teacher must make the groups; don’t allow students to make them. Assign students with people they don’t know and wouldn’t normally pair with. You may either switch group members or have the same group members the entire school year.

Place emphasis on working as a group. Often, students will be in groups, but it will be an individual activity. One student will be writing their own answers, another quiet and reserved, and the other dominating and doing all the work. This is not group work. To resolve this issue use cooperative learning, a type of learning that requires group members to work as a team. Each member is held accountable and must help each other to understand the material. The members must think about the issues, discuss and then work them out together. Below are some examples of cooperative learning activities. [3]

Creating a Conducive Learning Environment

When you go in a classroom, you normally see 5-7 straight columns of desks, a couple of posters, borders along the chalkboard, and the teacher’s desk. This is the dreary, conventional classroom. Get your students out of that setting and in to something fun and remarkable. One way to start is by changing the desk arrangements. Depending on the room size, create a semi-circle or arrange the desks diagonally. Another idea is to create 4 small rows on each side of the room, create a walkway in the middle, and have the children face each other from the other side of the rooms. Try it! If you are concerned that there will be too much chaos, warn them of the consequences, but don’t be afraid to give it a try.

Allow your students to get involved. It is their learning environment as well. Let them give you ideas. Use bright colors, plants (fake/real), and a classroom pet(s). According to one website, “Good visual display can improve recall and attention by up to 80%” and “music can be used to improve recall as well as create the chosen learning environment.” Of course too many things can be a distraction, so know the limit. Attempt different ideas to see how it works, and if it doesn’t try another way.

Forming a Positive Teacher/Student Bond

It can be complicated when forming a bond with students- where to draw the line with leniency, amiability, and physical contact. Our youth need teachers that are patient, passionate about their profession, and willing to assist the student. Let your students know these things by showing with actions. If you notice that a student isn’t doing that well in the subject material, take the initiative to help. Some students are shy and afraid to get help. Suppose, you observe a student that is having a hard time outside of school, offer your assistance and advice. Show your students that you care about their education and their lives.

There will always be moments when teachers must discipline students. Do not chastise and berate your students. Discipline them gently, yet firmly. Also, try to access the problem after class and not during. It can cause a disruption to your class, but also embarrass your student. No one likes to be embarrassed. Treat your students how you wanted to be treated when you were a student.

Sidebar

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. ~William Arthur Ward

"We think too much about effective methods of teaching and not enough about effective methods of learning." - John Carolus S. J.

A teacher's purpose is not to create students in his own image, but to develop students who can create their own image. ~Author Unknown [4]

Essay Question:

Based on the provided information on the various learning styles, which fits you best and why?

Multiple Choice Questions

1) Good visual display can improve recall and attention up to

a. 30%

b. 40%

c. 80%

d. 65%

2) What “increases motivation, prepares students for the future, helps with complex tasks, and allows collaboration amongst peers”?

a. Technology

b. Classrooms

c. Community centers

d. Playgrounds

3) This type of learner focus on the teacher, rarely speak in class, pay close attention to details, or have problems with oral directions.

a. visual

b. kinesthetic

c. auditory

d. all of the above

4) This type of learner have difficulty remaining stationary, may have ADD/ADHD, or like to touch things.

a. visual

b. auditory

c. kinesthetic

d. all of the above

5) A type of learning that requires group members to work as a team. Each member is held accountable and must help each other to understand the material. The members must think about the issues, discuss and then work them out together.

a. collaborative learning

b. cooperative learning

c. independent learning

d. none of the above

Multiple Choice Answers 1) C 2) A 3) A 4) C 5) B

Bibliography

The Kinesthetic Learner. http://www.educ.uvic.ca/epls/faculty/rowles/301.htm

Technology In Classrooms. http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html

Cooperative Learning. http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/intech/cooperativelearning.htm

Instructional Methods. http://www.saskschools.ca/~psychportal/Psych20/instructional_strategies.htm

Effective Instructional Strategies http://www.cpt.fsu.edu/ESE/in/strmain.html