Monday, October 26, 2009
Secret 3 Part 7
Part 7 discusses the secrets of effective instruction: Introduction/anticipatory set, teach the new skill, practice the new skill with students, let them try the new skill on their own, and review what has been learned. These steps seem so simple and easy. Is there ever a time when you can leave a step out? If so explain when and why?
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I do not feel that you can ever leave a step out. They are all connected to each other. You have to start out with a "hook" and proceed from there. The most effective learning takes place when all of the steps are covered by the instructor.
ReplyDeleteAlthough you try to pace the lesson accordingly, many times some thing takes longer than you think. Many times in social studies you don't have a specific skill (like math, for example). If I were to leave one out it would be to practice the skill or try it on their own. Introduction and review are vital.
ReplyDeleteMathematics is a subject that requires all of the steps. Leaving out a step will cause the students to not fully learn the new skill.
ReplyDeleteAs seems to be a common theme, I believe it depends on the subject as to whether you can eliminate a step(s) or not. Many times, we are not learning a new skill, but rather discovering new information through a process. If the process is not a new one, the teaching or practicing of the new skill may not be necessary. A simple review of the skill or the steps to follow may be all that is necessary. I don't believe you can ever really eliminate the introduction/A.S or the review of what was learned or discovered.
ReplyDeleteThe steps described are vital to teaching and retention. I don't think we leave steps out, but sometimes there is a long period between learning the new skill and the evaluation. For example, when we begin our sewing unit, I do not review each day as to what happened yesterday because I allow each student to choose their project so there are many different things going on at the same time in the room. At the end of the unit, they do a self evaluation, or review before turning the project in.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like common sense that all the steps are vital to student understanding and learning. I think they need to add going back to periodically review what has been learned. In my own experience you need to keep practicing what you've learned. Sometimes I have the students practice with partners and groups instead of learning entirely on their own. This helps the students that need that extra support for learning. Many times these students learn from the observation and interaction of their peers.
ReplyDeleteI try to never leave one of those skills out, although there are some of those skills that do get more time than others. I think it really depends on the lesson. In my class we seem to spend a lot of time on the practice as a class skill. If everyone seems to be really "getting it" we will not spend as much time on the part where they do a lot on their own. I have a lot of students who also get very overwhelmed with assignments if they seem long, so we do a little a lot.
ReplyDeleteIn Physical Education, we stick to this type of progression. By skipping steps, we would be surpassing the building blocks in any of the physical skills we teach. I feel, those building blocks need to be taught, re-taught, and taught again.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think you can leave a step out. Depending upon the results from their pretests, students can bypass certain parts if they have already learned a skill. Similarly, we may have to slow down and really focus on a part of the unit if pretest data shows students are not ready to move on.
ReplyDeleteWhen I teach French, I don't always use all the steps, as we may spend several days covering the same vocabulary or same grammar point. I will always do all the steps, but not each day. When we are doing projects, say our Francophone Country project, where they are researching and making a power point, there won't be all those elements.
ReplyDeleteAs Rich said, when you skip a step the kids are going to miss a fundamental skill needed to complete the objective. I'm sure my 5th graders think that I focus on producing a good tone and proper hand position too much but that is the bottom step in a huge staircase of playing an instrument. Every day starts with that bottom step and moves up from there.
ReplyDeleteI think whenever a step is left out, the kids don't do as well. I spend a lot of time reviewing, then short quizzes. I always do a practice test two days before the test, with the day in between going over it and reviewing last minute questions. Whenever I try to rush that process, I regret it.
ReplyDeleteLeaving steps out in your teaching process will not benefit everyone. Review is good for all and practice does make perfect.
ReplyDeleteAll of these steps are very important and none should be left out. The amount of time spent on each step may vary depending on the make-up of the individual classes. Some classes may need more group practice before proceeding to independent practice. It is important to remain flexible and be willing to slow down to reteach skills that have not yet been mastered. Then, when the students are ready...proceed.
ReplyDeleteSince I teach math, I feel that leaving out a step may not be the thing to do. Since math is sequential, leaving out a step may keep the student from learning all steps necessary to get the problem right.
ReplyDeleteI think the introduction/anticipatory set and the conclusion/review are vital steps. The steps in the middle can be spread out over time, rearranged, or even left out depending on several factors. One being, what do the kids already know?
ReplyDeleteI feel that I need to include all steps. It may take longer to get from one step to the next but that will depend on the students and their comprehension of the concept. I check for understanding by giving bellringers and exit cards. This lets me know if we are ready to move on to the next step.
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