Standard 4: Multiple Instructional Strategies

Description

The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage student development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.

Reflection

I believe that this standard is a direct continuation of standard three. Since all classrooms are likely to have diverse learners then as teacher we must have diverse or multiple instructional strategies if we want our students to truly understand concepts rather than just try to memorize them. According to Bloom’s taxonomy there are many different steps important to a students learning. If we were to instruct with only one strategy than it would be difficult to ask our students to go beyond the first step of remembering. To help our students progress up these steps to a true understanding we must utilize a variety of techniques such as, but not limited to,  experimentation, problem solving, collaboration, and class discussion. If class consist of only lecture and sample problems than we are asking our students to just recall information and not to understand, apply, or evaluate any concepts.

Evidence

As a soccer coach it was imperative to know each individual player, just as it is for a teacher. During my two years with the North Country Community College women’s soccer team I gained valuable knowledge on the importance of multiple instructional strategies. If the practice became too repetitive and routine the players would start to lose interest and their work ethic would decline. It is important on the field and in the classroom to mix up the instruction so that it is somewhat new and exciting.

Also each player on my team had a different personality, it is important to realize this when teaching. I know that there were some players that I could push harder then others and what strategies certain players responded to better.

This standard has been the topic of many lessons during my classes at SUNY Oswego. Below is a link for a thematic unit that I developed for one of my classes.

INSERT UNIT HERE WHEN FINISHED!!