Teacher Centered

Lecture Demonstration Questioning Discussion

Instructional Strategies
Note: Movement along the continuum is possible and encouraged

Guided Practice Independent Practice Grouping Role Playing Simulation Reflective Inquiry/Thinking

Student Centered

Which is the best approach?

Teacher centered? Student centered?

Best approach?

Teacher-centered & Student centered approaches

Teachercentered
Deductive Direct instruction Studentcentered Inductive Indirect instruction

DEDUCTIVE APPROACH
It is based on the idea that a highly structured presentation of content creates optimal learning for students
It starts with the introduction of formulas or principles and follows by their applications in specific examples

INDUCTIVE APPROACH
The concept of inductive teaching : It is based on the claim that knowledge is built primarily from a learners experiences and interactions with phenomena

The process in Inductive Approach

Specific examples Observation Research Identify Analyze Making generalization

Teaching Strategies

Effective instructors use an array of teaching strategies because there is no single, universal approach that suits all situations.
different groups of students Different skills and fields of knowledge Different student backgrounds Different learning styles Different abilities
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Teacher-Centered Instruction (Authoritarian Approach)

Focus is on instructor Instructor talks, students listen Students work alone Instructor monitors and corrects students Instructor answers students questions Instructor chooses topics Instructor evaluates student learning Classroom is quiet

Learner-Centered Instruction (Democratic Approach)

Focus is on both students and instructor Instructor models; students interact with instructor and one another Students work in pairs, in groups, or alone depending on the purpose of the activity Instructor provides feedback/correction when questions arise Instructor is an information resource Students have some choice of topics Students and instructor evaluate learning Classroom is often noisy and busy

Teacher centered approach: Direct Instruction

More teacher-directed instruction, less seatwork Active presentation of information Clear organization of presentation. Step-by-step progression from subtopic to subtopic Use many examples, visual prompts, and demonstrations Constant assessment of student understanding Alter pace of instruction Effective use of time and maintaining students' attention

Teacher centered approach: Direct Instruction

Direct teaching strategies are instructional approaches in which the teacher structures lessons in a straightforward, sequential manner Introduce new skills or concepts in a relatively short period of time Academically focused Clearly stating the goals of the lesson Monitors students understanding and provide feedback Teacher in control of: the content or skill to be learned the pace of the lesson

Example of Direct Instruction: Lecture

traditional lecture can be an effective way to achieve instructional goals The advantages of the lecture approach: to communicate a large amount of information to many listeners maximizes instructor control non-threatening to students

Example of Direct Instruction: Lecture

The disadvantages : lecturing minimizes feedback from students assumes an unrealistic level of student understanding and comprehension disengages students from the learning process causing information to be quickly forgotten

Group work
Strategy 1 lecture Hand out How to make lecture approach more effective?

How to make lecture approach more effective?

1. Fit the lecture to the audience 2. Focus your topic 3. Prepare an outline that includes 5-9 major points 4. Organize your points for clarity 5. Select appropriate examples or illustrations 6. Present more than one side of an issue and be sensitive to other perspectives 7. Repeat points when necessary 8. Be aware of your audience - notice their feedback 9. Be enthusiastic - you dont have to be an entertainer but you should be excited by your topic.
Source: Cashin, 1990, pp. 60-61

Basic Skills of Lecturing

Explaining using examples & illustrations Orientation opening a lecture, intro to a topic or theme Closure summarize and linking topics Liveliness generate interest & hold attention Teaching aids use of technology Giving directions how to do things / solve problems Comparing giving similarities/differences Narrating reading a book to illustrate or exemplify Varying students activities
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Interactive Lectures
How can a didactic lecture be student-centered?

Interactive Lectures Toward a Student-Centered Classroom

Breaks the lecture at least once per class Students participate in an activity that lets them work directly with material. Allows students to:
Apply what they have learned earlier; or Gain a context for upcoming lecture material.

Interactive Lectures Toward a Student-Centered Classroom

Possible activities
Interpretation of graphs Making calculations and estimations Predictions of demonstrations Brainstorming Tying ideas together Applying what has just been learned in class or reading to solve a problem Collecting student responses

Interactive Lectures Toward a Student-Centered Classroom

Possible activities Think-pair-share (several sources) Case studies during lecture (Goodman, et al., 2005) Rapid response test 10 T/F in 5 min (Rao, 2006) Role playing by students (van Loon, 1993) Pause midway through lecture (Trautwein, 2000) Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) (Angelo & Cross, 1993)
High Tech & Low Tech

Interaction scoreboard promoted readiness (Kumar, 2003) Colored letter cards (DiCarlo & Collins, 2001) Lecture sketchbook (Smoes, 1993) Five Bits of Information Learned Today (VanDeGraff, 1992) Blunder Lecture (Nayak, et al., 2005) Broken Lecture (Nayak, 2006)

Questioning and discussion: creating a dialogue

Did you know? The two most common verbal interactions in the classroom between teachers and students are questioning and discussion Questioning is, by far, the most dominant teaching strategy after lectures in upperelementary and secondary classrooms (Gall, 1984).

Discussion strategi
Strategy 2 discussion

Hand out How to participate and contribute to the discussion of ideas?

How to participate and contribute to the discussion of ideas

o Listen carefully in class o Mark or make notes of the points you wish to answer or discuss or question o Quick introduction of idea: ... "As I understand it.... o Restating the discussion/author's main idea --shows that you are trying to understand, and shows where you are in understanding o Clear summary and when giving opinion o Keep comments to the point, refer to notes if required o Making an arguments, begin with examples from the author o After spoken, ask for feedback

Questioning Strategy
Why ask questions?
1. Checking for student understanding of instruction 2. Evaluating the effectiveness of the lesson 3. Increasing higher-level thinking

Questioning Strategy
Levels of questions: convergent vs. divergent; Blooms taxonomy

Convergent and divergent questions: Convergent questions focus on a correct response Divergent questions are more demanding of a students thought processes

Questioning Strategy
Convergent questions 1. About concrete facts (who, what, when, and where questions) that have been learned E.g. Who is the Prime Minister of Malaysia? What is 5 + 3? Where is Johor Bahru located?

Questioning Strategy
Convergent questions 2.Convergent questions may also require students to recall and integrate or analyze information to provide one expected correct answer E.g. Based on our definitions of war, can you name any countries that are now engaged in war?

Questioning Strategy
3.Most alternate-response questions such as those that can be answered yes or no or true or false, are also classified as convergent e.g. Is x + y = 3 a quadratic equation? Are the results what we expected from this experiment?

Questioning Strategy
Divergent questions 1. Questions calling for opinions, hypotheses, or evaluations are divergent since there are many possible correct responses. E.g.
What would be a good name for this story? Why is it important that we continue to explore space?

Questioning Strategy
Categories of questions: Blooms Taxonomy of questions 1. Knowledge What is the best method for calculating the circumference of a circle? Who discovered the Mississippi River?

Questioning Strategy
Categories of questions: Blooms Taxonomy of questions 2. Comprehension
What do the words hasta la vista mean? Given the present population birth rate, what will be the world population by the year _____?

Questioning Strategy
Categories of questions: Blooms Taxonomy of questions 3. Application
Given a pie-shaped lot 120 ft x 110 ft x 100 ft, and village setback conditions of 15 ft in all directions, what is the largest six one-story home you can build on this lot?

Questioning Strategy
Categories of questions: Blooms Taxonomy of questions 4. Analysis
What are the facts and opinions in the article we read? How does an effective teacher conducts his or her teaching?

Questioning Strategy
Categories of questions: Blooms Taxonomy of questions 5. Synthesis What are the common causes of soil erosion? How would you go about determining the chemical weight of an unknown substance?

Questioning Strategy
Categories of questions: Blooms Taxonomy of questions 6. Evaluation
Who can judge what is wrong with the architects design of the plumbing and electricity?

Questioning Strategy
Types of questions
1. Focusing questions - to determine the level of learning and to increase student participation - Should the United States assume the role of world peacekeeper?

Questioning Strategy
Types of questions 2. Prompting questions
When a student fails to answer a question

students feel a sense of failure E.g.

What is the chemical formula for water, John? [Pause.]. I dont know. Well, if a water molecure consists of two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen, what is its chemical formula? [Pause.]. H2O. Right.

Questioning Strategy
Types of questions
3. Probing questions
Probing questions force students to think more thoroughly about the initial response.

E.g.
What do you mean by that? Would you rephrase that? Can you explain more fully?

Questioning Strategy
Questioning techniques 1. Redirecting
-- ask several students to respond to a question.

E.g.
We have now studied the contributions of several great men and women of science. Which scientist do you think made the greatest contributioni? [Pause. Several hands go up.] Carol? Albert Einstein. Marie Curie. Mike, your opinion? Thomas Edison

Questioning Strategy
Questioning techniques
2. Wait Time -- Students need time to think and ponder the responses they will give to your questions -- Research (Rowe, 1974a, 1974b, 1978) has shown that teachers on the average wait only about 1 second for students to answer questions

Questioning Strategy
Questioning techniques
2. Wait Time -- Research by Rowe revealed that when teachers learn to increase the time they wait following a question to between 3 and 5 seconds, the following things occur: i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. The length of student responses increases Failure to respond decreases Questions from students increase. Unsolicited responses increase. Student confidence increases. Speculative thinking increases.

Questioning Strategy
Questioning techniques

3. Halting Time

Teacher pauses but no questions are asked. Teacher presents some of the complex materials or directions and then stop for students to think or carry out the directions. During the halt, teachers checks with the class to see whether they appear to understand. If students are confused, teacher may want to ask questions or redo the explanation or directions.

Questioning Strategy
Questioning techniques
4. Listening

-- Listen to what your students have to say, and when they have finished, formulate further questions or comment on their answers -- Develop the use of silent time the time taken after a student has finished speaking before you reply or continue. -- Increase silent time to between 3 and 5 seconds to prevent teacher from cutting off students and to allow time for other students to interject their comments

Questioning Strategy
Reinforcement after an acceptable responses has been given, you must react : praise? Approval? accept the answer without response or comment?