Jessie Ortiz

Education 307

Prof. Bush

Fall 2009

Instructional Strategies

       Instructional strategies are important to use in the classroom. It provides a various methods to use in order to involve and teach students. In order to teach this lesson plan I will use three instructional strategies to relay the information to the students. Every student learns differently, therefore providing different teaching methods within my classroom will enable all of my students to learn and be interested in the lesson as well.

The three instructional strategies that I will use are Lecture, Teacher question and Hands on activity. Lecture- to give the student the information that is required for the lesson by explaining to them what would be needed. It is also an excellent way of presenting back ground information, when building a unit frame of reference or when introducing a unit. Teacher question, I will ask the students a couple of questions after introducing the topic to determine their prior knowledge. Hands on activity- I will have the students go into different groups where they will be completing a variety of activities pertaining to the topic, by doing so they can work together or seek help for their classmates. I expect the students to know basic information about the topic. Learning will occur under many circumstances, for example, the students will do many activities which will help them understand and gain knowledge about the topic. They will also be able to learn better if they have to construct and figure things out for themselves. I would use this strategy to teach my lesson plan by having the students do their own experiment on the importance of the English language; the students in a classroom come from many different ethnic backgrounds. It is important for teachers to be aware of this fact and consider this when they are developing the lesson plan as well. The instructional strategies that are used to present the lesson can also determine how well a student will grasp the concept.  Teachers must ensure that in the implementation of these strategies, their students are the ones who acquire maximum benefits.

The second instructional strategy is Lecture, instructors can effectively employ lecturing to promote student learning by modifying their lectures to allow for the insights of studies about how students learn. This strategy determines student’s goals and objectives as well as your constraints in terms of access to class material, class size and time, and the nature of the material itself. Students will benefit from a variety of instructional modes, in many cases the lecture can be an efficient and effective way to teach. lecturing is the best way to teach a certain concept or portion of class, the next step is to craft a lecture so that it is not only interesting to students but effective in promoting retention of material and critical thinking in students. Lectures provide an opportunity for those knowledgeable in a subject to give that knowledge to others students. Lectures often are active for the speaker but an exercise in auditory comprehension for students.

The third Strategy, Teacher question, teacher questioning has been identified as a critical part of teachers’ work, it requires considerable academic content knowledge and it necessitates that teachers know their learners. When teachers ask their students questions, the answer that student gives will determine their knowledge, with that said the teacher will be able to determine the quantity of knowledge that child has acquire. It also gives child the opportunity to monitor their process and determine whether they understand the information being given.

 Instructional strategies determine the approach a teacher may take to achieve learning objectives. Create learning environments and to specify the nature of the activity in which the teacher and learner will be involved during the lesson. With these strategies I will capture the attention and needs of all the students in my classroom.

In order for the students to do certain activities they need the internet for information and games on different websites dealing with the topic. They will visit www.brainpop.com www.starfall.com www.weather.com for all actives and games. Other technologies I will be using in the classroom are audio equipment, computer, projection screens and the smart board. The projection would be used by me, in order to present information about this topic. I will complete worksheets on the smart board with my students, to help them understand the material

Vygotsky states “children learn very little from performing tasks they can already do independently. Instead, they develop primarily by attempting task they can accomplish only with assistance and support. That is when they attempt tasks within their zone of proximal development. I would use this strategy to teach my lesson plan by Vygotsky states “children learn very little from performing tasks they can already do independently. Instead, they develop primarily by attempting task they can accomplish only with assistance and support. That is when they attempt tasks within their zone of proximal development.

             The three Instructional strategies I have chosen are for students at the fourth grade level and are approaches that are interactive and child centered. What children learn is built upon what they are taught and how they are taught, their development level, and their interests and experiences. Learning is defined as a process where experience causes a change in an individual's knowledge or behavior. In teaching childhood education it is important to develop instructional strategies that will help the students understand the material and help build the child’s confidence. In the case of teaching the childhood process, children are affected a great deal by their surroundings. The communication children have with their peers and teachers in the school environment and their parents can affect their confidence and self-concept, personality and social development.

Students with disabilities often struggle in the classroom. By providing them with differentiated classroom instruction and modified curriculum, teachers can provide an educational playing field that is both equitable and accessible for students struggling to learn. Provide differentiated instruction in math instruction. Apply a student's learning style and IEP indicators to create alternative learning instruction that addresses the learning needs of special education students. Create lessons that are accessible and engaging for students. Children contrast cognitively as a results of culture, and ethnicity, learning approach or mental disabilities. To address these differences teachers need to choose instructional strategies acutely. Students fail in school for a variety of reasons. In some cases, their academic difficulties can be directly attributed to deficiencies in the teaching and learning environment. These difficulties may become more severe over time if teachers are not modified to address the students' specific needs. Unless these students receive appropriate intervention, they will continue to struggle.

Students with attention span problems can be occupied with technological tools for about twenty minutes, also Technology can facilitate the accommodation of individual and group differences by enabling the students to communicate with on the internet and share each other’s views on this topic. Low self-esteem or possessing an inferiority complex is often attributed to self-defeating behaviors. Teachers should provide opportunities where every child can encounter success and not feel deficient in equivalence to their classmates. As a teacher I will encourage my student to be supportive of every child’s participation by praising them (clapping) this will motivate each student and develop a support system between the students.

               My lesson will be planned for children in Erick Erikson’s stage of psychosocial development; he stated “Through social interactions, children begin to develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments and abilities.   Children who are encouraged and commended by parents and teachers develop a feeling of competence and belief in their skills. Those who receive little or no encouragement from parents, teachers, or peers will doubt their ability to be successful”. Children who successfully complete this stage feel secure and confident, while those who do not are left with a sense of inadequacy and self-doubt. Students will be able to acquire the knowledge from their activity and use it in their homes and share information with their peers. I will make sure that I include activities that will help build good self-esteem.  My students will be able to connect what they do in the classroom to their everyday lives.
Students will write down everything they know about the four seasons,   teachers will use PowerPoint and questions to determine the student’s knowledge about the four seasons. Knowing the children’s background knowledge of the topic the teacher has an idea of what need to be taught. To maintain student’s attention, they will be doing activities such as, matching, coloring and interacting with each other on the computer. Students will be going on different websites to play games and do constructive activities dealing with the four seasons.

            There are many parts of my lesson which call for declarative knowledge, for instance, students will have to determine which clothes is appropriate for each weather. Students will be doing a follow up activities where they write and answer these questions in their journals they will be using declarative knowledge to do that.  Students will be using memory for my lecture and common knowledge to complete their tasks, nonetheless, both the procedural and declarative learning are associate with each other in my lesson. My plan for maintaining the student’s attention is relating this topic to their everyday lives. Reflecting on the groups at which my lesson is organized, it is possible for some form of confusion to occur in reacquiring information about the four seasons. To avoid reconstruction errors is to insure that the students are listening. Students will watch a video about the four seasons which reminds them of the difference between each season. Worksheets and activities will emphasize on their knowledge or reconstruction.

          I will assist students to remember information when they have no prior knowledge by having them complete research about the topic or asking questions pertaining to the topic. This will help remember what they have learned. . I will address student reconstruction errors by having them express in a Journal what they have observed about the four seasons. Before students gain the knowledge that is needed, a teacher needs to provide concrete evidence and examples that relates to the students.

   There is not much need for prior knowledge; students need to acknowledge the different between certain seasons. Some children may have little or no prior knowledge of when each season begins or ends.  I will provide homework where students could get further practice on what they were taught in class. I have further student knowledge and comprehension by offering a variety of teaching strategies to ensure that student grasps the concept. I have promoted multiple connections being made to more existing knowledge by having them evaluate and create a chart that distinguish each season form the other. I will be providing my students with different instructional approaches which will enable students to frequently use what they have learned  I will facilitate the frequent use of information in the classroom and outside the classroom my providing the students with homework and class projects. I will provide student with activities where they can talk and write about what they have learn through my lesson.

  I will provide students with videos and pictures of things which accrue in each season. Students will be completing a handout where they will circle the correct garment that is appropriate for each season.  The relevant retrieval cues that I will provide are multiple choices and fill in the blank questions. The questions will contain hints that can help students remember answers. With this lesson students will be making connections with things in their home, classroom and community. To facilitate I will provide student with a handout where they will use watch a video to determine the answers to the handout. Problem solving and critical thinking would be in the form of a group discussion and online interactive activity pertaining to topic that the students would learn during class time. Students will be writing in their journals, this would allow the students to think critically about the topic and organize their thoughts and answer questions in their journals. The strategies I will use are research, collaborative learning.

It is important that teachers assess the student’s progress in the classroom. It allows the teacher to know if the students are grasping the concept Working in peers can motivate students to learn, sometimes students learn a great deal when they work together, and working together gives students a chance to learn from each other and interact with each other .I will restrain students’ behavior by using behaviorist and cognitive views while I am teaching the lesson. Students’ behaviors can be modified in the teacher considers multiple explanations of the students’ low achievement and misbehavior. I will identify the behavior and figure out a solution and provide positive and effectives options.  Being able to control my classroom will calm down students negative behavior.

I will assess and monitor academic progress while implementing instructional strategies by having group discussions with the students about everything they have learned in the lesson, students will be provided with different worksheets, they will also be answering questions in their journals and reviewing their progress on the online videos and activities that have completed.  To assess and monitor academic progress, I will discuss to my students my expectation of them.  Students will use tools such as, rubrics and journals to n keep track on their working progress. Also I will assess and monitor the student’s academic progress while implementing instructional strategies by having group discussions with the class about what they have learned.  The instructional strategies I will be using are lecture, Teacher question and Hands on activity. The assessments that I have chosen are philosophically aligned with the instructional strategies that I am going to use because this assessment is going to evaluate them on many levels. Students will be assessed through the questions which they answered in their journals. Students will be given an opportunity to experience success interact with each other.