InTASC Standard #8: The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to
develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.
Student Directed Strategies
Students should be the drivers of their own learning, and classroom interactions should be centered on students’ processing and interaction. Meaningful learning takes place when students use strategies that cause them to reflect on their own thinking and feelings. When first introducing a selected strategy, the allotted time can be heavily weighted on “teacher initiated” minutes. However, my goal is integrate these strategies into our classroom culture, and gradually release the responsibility of the thinking task to the students, while I assume the role of facilitator.
The culture I seek to establish is one of camaraderie and solidarity-where I as the teacher explore the content, and students feel that I am “doing with” them, as we collectively acquire knowledge and skills (Cooper and Jenson, 2012, p. 22). As the strategy becomes an integral part of our daily structure, students gain confidence in using the “thinking tools” I’ve provided, and begin to apply the strategy intrinsically, and independently. When my students apply the strategy they’ve learned to new content and skills, this further reinforces that the classroom culture is built for them and their unique needs and interests, by them
Table of Contents
Self-Assessment
One critical strategy that I employ with my students is the process of self-assessment. For each skill taught, I break the skill into 3-4 descriptors that outline the criteria for mastery of the target skill. In turn, each of those descriptors corresponds to a range or color on our assessment scale. As part of the reflection process, and closing to each lesson, students are asked to not only determine which descriptors they’ve mastered, but also how they know. Using this strategy allows me to gauge not only student’s mastery level in that particular lesson, but also their conceptual understanding of the skill as a whole. The student friendly language of the criteria anchor chart supports students in processing their next steps, and it gives me a point of reference in order to deliver academic feedback.
The image below shows a criteria chart for Talking About Pictures and Making Predictions. This chart corresponds with the first day of my dialogic reading cycle. During this lesson, I use the anchor chart as a framework to engage student thinking and elicit oral responses. The chart serves as a sort of "checklist" for students as they think through how to form a prediction. Each descriptor aligns to a mastery level on Student Assessment sticks. The faces on the right-hand side of the anchor charts represent the self-assessment tool students use to reflect and rate their performance following a lesson.
Anchor charts are used as part of each lesson during dialogic reading core lessons as a means of incorporating metacognitive thinking and self-assessment processes.
Integrating Technology
Another strategy I use to actively engage students is through technology. In the ever-changing world, children now are not only required to read, write, and compute, but also master a high level of technological literacy. In order to provide students with frequent, informal opportunities to engage in activities that include technology as well as increase student motivation, I integrate it in two ways-through our daily routine, and during presentation of instructional content.
In order to sustain a positive, collaborative classroom culture, students take on specific roles and duties that are integral to the structure of our day. Using Flipcharts and online resources, students complete morning calendar, the weather report, morning meeting songs and greetings, and more. Having an important responsibility gives my students a sense of purpose and investment, while using technology to perform the tasks gives them the practice and access they need to be successful in life.
In the photo to the left, a student uses an online application to monitor and "feed" the class pet fish. During this morning duty, I provide questioning to the assigned student to formatively assess his content knowledge of living things (TSG objective 25), as well as support his navigation of technological tools (TSG objective 28). The rest of the students provide suggestions and directives as necessary, so feeding "Mr. Fish" truly feels like a group experience. The role of Pet Caretaker rotates daily, so that all students get the chance to assume this important responsibility and the opportunity for individual time on the Promethean Board.
In the picture on the right, a student uses a pointer to count a set of objects, in this case 5 pumpkins, using the Calendar flipchart on the Promethean Board.Students use technology to complete morning calendar and morning meeting daily. Following songs about the days of the week, and months of the year, the Calendar Manager assists the class in reviewing the day's weather, focus letter, and practice rote counting.
Additionally, Technology also provides an engaging hook for core lessons. At the start of the lesson, I often ask a polling question that requires students to make a choice, or play a video related to our thematic content to catch students’ interest and appeal to their kinesthetic needs. Eliciting responses through movement, whether it be to complete the interactive poll or through music or dance, activates learners’ concentration.
Dramatic Play and Props
Students are also directly involved in the creation of literary props and dramatic play. Students use resources from the classroom in order to design and utilize manipulatives that coincide with the thematic content of a particular unit or anchor text. Students then apply their knowledge of the text to engage in dramatic play with these manipulatives. Imaginative play allows students to internalize what they've learned, as well as act out stories in ways that are meaningful to them. The use of props and drama incorporates cross-curricular content, such as art, fine motor strength, oral language practice, counting, sequencing, and social skills, like appropriate conversational tone, exchanges, and wait time. Further, when students take on the role of key actors in the re-creation of an important text, they become personally invested in their version of the script, and collaborating with their peers in a productive way builds the collective identity they have as a class.
This photo shows students reenacting a familiar story during the Fall unit of study. Students self-selected their character roles, used crafts to create their props, and directed their own dialogue. Students worked collaboratively to navigate the scene, and helped supply each other with language from the text, when appropriate and needed.
Engaging in dramatic play not only overlaps with the objective of developing students' oral language expression, but also hits indicators in the area of cognitive development for TSG, such as flexibility and inventiveness in thinking, problem solving, connecting to personal experiences, thinking symbolically, and positive approaches to learning.