Teachers use a variety of Instructional Strategies to help students foster meaningful learning. Effective instructional strategies are developmentally appropriate, monitor growth over time, and is collaborated with students’ cultural backgrounds to make real-world connections. In addition, the variety of instructional strategies gives students the opportunities to demonstrate their prior knowledge and new knowledge, new skills, and comprehension of the content. Finally, teachers can modify instruction by using diverse instructional strategies to help all learners engage in critical thinking and apply content.
To demonstrate how I incorporate various effective instructional strategies, I reference the Multiple Intelligence theory, provide a variety of graphic organizers and models to show a representation of students’ learning, and utilize modern technologies to cultivate student engagement with the content.
Multiple Intelligence
The Multiple Intelligence theory states that every student takes in information differently. For example, one child is more of a visual learner while their peer could be more analytical and benefit from a logical-mathematical perspective. The multiple intelligences include naturalist, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, logical-mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and linguistic. When applying multiple intelligences theory in a classroom, I create a curriculum that will cater to my student’s unique learning needs while staying on task with the same instructional goal. For example, during my student teaching, I added visuals of planets to my everyday direct instruction. These visuals helped the spatial and logical learner grasp scientific concepts about our solar system.
Graphic Organizers and Models
Graphic organizers and models are effective tools to help students’ notetaking skills. These tools can be fun and engaging while teaching students to take comprehensive notes on a topic. For example, the graphic organizer I created for my two-week unit on our solar system guided students through the information they needed to achieve their unit goal. This graphic organizer followed the slideshow presentation and had areas for students to color. Referencing the multiple intelligence theory, this graphic organizer simultaneously helped my visual, intrapersonal, and logical-mathematical learners. After the graphic organizer was complete, students used their notes to complete their solar system model towards the end of the unit. The students also used their organizer to study with a partner for their summative assessment.
Gamification and Game-Based Learning
During my studies at Hollins, I researched the differences between gamification curriculum and game-based learning and how to utilize these tools in instruction. Gamification learning is when information is displayed as multiple choice answers, and the correct answers receive game points. The information is straightforward and more like a test or flashcard layout. Game-Based Learning utilizes the curriculum information but fully engages the student with game levels and abilities to customize avatars and creates critical thinking opportunities. When I was student teaching, a popular game the students enjoyed was Gimkit. Gimkit is a gamification learning tool where students will answer multiple-choice questions to gain points or energy to tag an opponent. This gamification tool enriched instruction by helping students memorization skills and collaboration with their peers. Click here to see the Gimkit I created for my solar system unit.
Next, I introduced the class to Pear Deck. Pear Deck has several games, but my favorite is the game-based learning flashcard game. This game is a simulation of a factory. The students are split into day shift and night shift. The students work with their shift to write sentences for their spelling words and then draw pictures to match the sentence. Afterward, the teacher, myself, would decide if the flashcard would make it past “quality assurance.” Again, I checked for correct punctuation, grammar, and illustrations. Click here to see a tutorial on creating a Pear Deck Flashcard Factory simulation.