There are a great deal of Instructional Approaches that I am likely to use as I progress through my teaching career. Some of the main ones, that I feel I will use the most, are as follows:
- Direct and Indirect Teaching: I feel that these two approaches combined make a very powerful way in order to teach your classroom. I feel that there is always a time and a place in which to use direct teaching. You need to be able to convey information to your students in a structured way so they can understand what is to be achieved by them. However, when you pair this with Indirect Teaching, it becomes an even more powerful strategy. I feel this method scaffolds perfectly for students, in the sense that they are shown what is expected of them, then they are given problems to figure out and solve on their own. I feel when you task the student with trying to find the answer on their own, it give them a chance to take their learning into their own hands. When the students have this feeling, they will feel more motivated and driven to try to come up with the answer on their own in order to further their independence and knowledge.
- Interactive Teaching: I believe that teaching on an interactive level, isn’t only more engaging for the students, but will also improve their motivation within the classroom. I believe in giving the students a chance to break free from the binds that is a lecture based classroom on a daily basis in order to extend their knowledge as well as gain a new perspective on a topic. It is good for the students to be able to share their ideas with the class in order to gain this new perspective from their peers.
- Think/Pair/Share and Student Led Conversations: This was actually a strategy I never thought twice about at the start of this year. I sort of figured that this was just an opportunity for students to goof off and not stay on topic. I couldn’t have been anymore wrong. While having to do this semester electronically through Zoom, I really learned how beneficial the breakout room system can be. Having the opportunity to discuss concepts with your peers and gain new perspectives really promotes a growth mindset over a fixed mindset. Also, giving students the opportunity to lead a class on a topic is a huge benefit in a sense that they take control of their own learning. It makes a student feel powerful and in control when they get to plan a lesson inside their own head. It has been a really effective strategy for me as a student, I can only imagine it will be just as effective for my future students as well!