foridahoteachers.org / instructional strategies
We know that students learn best when they are truly engaged in what they are learning, when they have the opportunity to explore, debate, discuss, examine, defend, and experiment with the concepts and skills which we want them to learn.
Students learn best when instruction is:
- Based on Real-World Problems and Situations - Student need to understand how the skills and concepts they are learning fit into their lives. When will they need to use decimals? How does democracy affect them? How will they benefit from being able to read more quickly? Connect the skills and concepts to things that already know. Make them relevant.
- Meaningful and Interesting - We shouldn't be waiting until after the ISAT and IRI testing are over before we begin the "fun" activities. We know that these activities are the ones that students love, that they remember. We should be using engaging activities all year, using science experiments to practice math skills and social studies projects to work on reading and language, for example. Kids will learn the basic skills better when they have the chance to practice them in a meaningful context... And these types of activities make teaching more fun and fulfilling, and make school a more pleasant place to be.
- Purposeful - You (and your students) should be able to explain the purpose of each activity or assignments. Why is it worth spending time on? What are they expected to learn?
No one instructional method will work for all students, for all teachers, or in all subject areas. The information on these web pages is intended to provide you will some ideas, strategies, and resources to help you better meet the needs of your students.
On these pages you will find a variety of resources and ideas you can adapt to fit your needs. For more information, or to share your own ideas, e-mail teacher@foridahoteachers.org
