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Emily Klemme
Instructor: Al Lindau
10Sped
610 #6
October 18, 2015

Teaching Strategies
Learning is enhanced when students interests are taken into consideration. There are

several strategies that can be implemented in the classroom to engage students. These strategies

can be tied to curriculum, assessments and the students overall outcomes. Different teaching

strategies can be tied to different concepts.

Direct Instruction has been proven to be extremely successful in schools. It is the most

common of strategies and has improved student performance in some of the most failing schools.

This instruction is teacher-led and considered very structured and sequenced. It focuses on small

group, face-to-face instruction. Although not my favorite, I like direct instruction in certain

situations. I believe that it works best when it is tied to other teaching methods.

3-2-1 is a great teaching strategy to use in the classroom. It is also a great way to tie it in

with direct instruction. After teaching a lesson, students are asked to answer the following

questions in their journal or on a piece of paper: three questions they learned from the

text/lesson, two questions they still have and one part of the text/lesson that they enjoyed

learning about. This method allows the teacher to check for understanding and is a great way to

gauge students interest. I really like this strategy because it requires full participation from

students and takes only a few minutes to complete. This encourages writing practice and

eliminates the embarrassment for students who are uncomfortable with raising their hand.
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Four Corners is another great teaching strategy to use, when gauging the understanding of

a lesson. Students are instructed to show where they stand on a certain topic by standing in a

particular part of the room. They can either strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree to

the statement. I really like this strategy because like 3-2-1, this also encourages participation

from the entire class. It also involves movement, which can act as a brain break for students. This

activity can also carry over into a writing or discussion piece relating to the content.

Homework and Practice is a method of teaching that I agree with, but only in certain

situations. The idea is to deepen the students understanding, however, it does not benefit those

students that are already struggling with the content in the classroom. Choices for homework

should be given to students and the quality is far more significant than the quantity. Homework

is not effective if the student does not understand the assignment and has lack of parent

involvement at home. Homework and practice can indefinitely impact a students understanding,

but should not require more time than necessary, where it leaves a student feeling discouraged

and frustrated. It is far more constructive when the homework is given during class time and

students have the chance to ask questions. A better approach is an exit slip, which is a quick

assessment at the end of class or at the end of a lesson. A few short questions related to the

content gives teachers an idea of what needs to be reviewed and what students understand.

Project-Based Learning is a strategy that energizes curriculum. PBL is a more dynamic

and flexible approach to instruction. Students are not learning through a traditional text book, but

rather given a voice and choice to their learning. Students gain knowledge by actively

engaging in real-world problems in their school and community. Students are at the center of

their learning and have the ability to use their creativity to problem-solve and collaborate with
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their classmates. I am a firm believer that students learn by doing and are more engaged when

given a choice.

Scaffolding is a strategy that involves breaking down challenging content into smaller

pieces, so that the student is able to process and manage the information. This method is used to

bridge the learning gap and is used as temporary support for the student. It helps to eliminate the

students frustration with independent tasks. The support may include modeling, examples, hints

or handouts for the student. I like this strategy because it can be used for one particular student or

the entire class. The Scaffold can also be removed at any time, when the support is no longer

needed.

The fishbowl is a strategy that teaches students how to be an effective contributor and

listener in a group discussion. The room is set up with a circle of chairs for the presenters, with

chairs around the room for the other group of students to listen in on the discussion. Both groups

switch after a short period of time and learn to play the other role. I really like this strategy

because it teaches students that listening to the ideas of others is important. It also allows each

student to voice their opinion on an important issue. It requires teamwork and can build respect

within the group.

The jigsaw method is a cooperative learning strategy that puts students in control of their

learning. Students are put into different groups with an assigned leader. Their goal as a team is to

teach other students about a specific topic. Each student is assigned a part of the topic to

research. They are then able to join the other students in different groups to gather the

information. When they go back to their groups, they then present the information to the class.

The leader is responsible for making sure all students are staying on task and presenting their
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part of the assigned topic. This method is a great way to get students up out of their seats and

work together. Students are building self-confidence and gaining public speaking skills.

Graffiti Boards are a great warm-up strategy that provides a way for students to get

engaged in a new topic and share their ideas. A large sheet of paper, chalkboard or whiteboard is

used to introduce a topic or organize prior knowledge. Students go up to the board and write their

comments or questions about the topic. The classroom is asked to remain silent during the

activity and respect the ideas of their peers. I like this strategy because it requires only 5-10

minutes and is a great way to get students involved in a discussion.

Read Alouds are a great strategy to get students reading. It allows for students to develop

skills as active listeners and provides a modeling technique for students who struggle with the

more difficult words in a story. Students are more engaged in the story when the different voices

of characters are spoken. Students can imagine themselves in the story as it is read aloud and be

assigned the various characters. It encourages all students to participate and provides fun

strategies to ensure all students are paying attention. I enjoyed the idea that was brought up in

class about adding in a piece that doesnt fit in the story, to see who is following along. It also is

a great surprise for students when there is a guest invited for a read aloud. It adds excitement

and brings new faces into the classroom that encourage reading.

There are many great teaching strategies to use in the classroom and I consider these to

be very effective and exciting for students. Students are successful when they are presented with

engaging activities and take an active role in their learning. Most of these strategies require

whole class participation and encourage mutual respect and teamwork.

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