Instructional Strategies

Words and Visuals

A picture is worth a thousand words. No matter how much you describe what a
flower would look like using words, the impact that a picture creates is far
greater than the one created by words. While teaching and learning, this idea of
dual coding should be kept in mind. Both visuals and text must be used while
learning to expand the understanding of the subject. For example, let me explain
what a bulldog looks like. To begin with, it is a small dog, it has physically
distinctive features of a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail and it is
cute! Then show students a picture of a realistic bulldog. This strategy can be
used with any grade level, used in any content area, and with any group setting
yet, preferably a large group. This strategy is interesting to me because students
will take in what is said, sometimes, but give them keywords along with a visual so
they can make a connection for future recall.

Examples

Provide concrete meaningful examples. Examples help to simplify concepts, and

this will make learning more efficient. For instance, if you are teaching addition
and subtraction, you need to show your students what it means to add to and take
away. When presenting addition and subtraction are having a group of objects to
add more to and take away from. This strategy can be used in a k-2 grade level.
Examples are provided in academic areas such as math, science, and ELA. This
strategy is interesting to me because without example how will students know
what is expected of them? Teaching is modeling therefore we as educators model
this strategy daily. “Showing is better than telling”

Elaboration

This is the process of presenting information in connection with the previous

knowledge that a student might have. For example, hearing is something that
people know about. How the ear work and its nuances is a lesser-known concept.
Connect existing knowledge to the knowledge that is going to be presented. When
students can connect the concepts, they will be able to learn more effectively.
Elaboration can be used in the third-fifth grade. At these grade levels, students
can go in-depth with their opinion or self-thought detailed information in teacher
lead class discussions, and respectfully agree and disagree with peers. This
strategy should be used with large groups and small groups. The interesting thing
to me about this strategy is hearing academic content from a child’s perspective
is an impressive-feeling. Hearing what they think, how they feel as well as what
they would do…gives me an insight as to how they are retaining the information.

Space Practice

Just to be clear, I do not remember everything I learned in school. There is a

forgetting curve that we must acknowledge. When we do not use the things that
we learned, we tend to forget them and that is just human. Students must revisit
the material over and over to ensure that they retain the information. Cramming
before an exam is not a clever idea. Tons of homework and assignments are not
going to work either. This does not mean that teachers should not give any
homework to their students. While homework does play a key role in making
students independent, to ensure that they understand the concepts and improve
their academic performance, revisiting the study material at regular intervals is
of foremost importance. This is like revision. This is effective because it helps to
feed the information into long-term memory. This is helpful with all grade levels
and can be used daily or weekly. This is interesting to me because I have always
seen homework as extra work for students. However, this revisiting of lessons
can also be a morning recap or an end-of-the-day ticket out the door.

Retrieval Practice

Another effective learning strategy that is sure to help my students while in the
classroom. Asking the students to retrieve what they have learned without the
help of any materials or textbooks will help them to recollect what they have
learned. This can be an activity that is conducted in the classroom. For example,
trying to remember the answer to a math question is more effective than looking
up the answer in the study material. This will boost students learning efficiency.
I would use this as a small group or individual setting. I would use this to recall
information as well as an assessment. Which is impressive and interesting. No
pencil and paper, no long-drawn-out testing time frame, and no stress on students
of pass/fail.
 References
Evidence-Based Teaching. 2019. 7 High-Impact Learning Strategies You Must Teach
Your Students. [online] Available at:
<https://www.evidencebasedteaching.org.au/learning-strategies-you-must-teach-
your-students/> [Accessed 18 October 2022].
Leboff, D., 2022. 17 Learning Strategies to Implement in Your Classroom | Top Hat.
[online] Top Hat. Available at: <https://tophat.com/blog/learning-strategies>
[Accessed 18 October 2022].
Optimistminds.com. 2022. [online] Available at: <https://optimistminds.com/what-
are-the-main-learning-strategies-2> [Accessed 18 October 2022].