InTASC Standard #8 is Instructional Strategies. I’ve talked a lot about the importance of differentiated instruction, but I can’t stress enough the necessity of tailoring your instruction to your students. The best way to be an effective teacher is by using a variety of educational techniques, developing your plans to address each student’s needs, and to incorporate technology as much as possible in the classroom.
As a teacher, I take pride in learning and implementing new ways of teaching my students. Maria Montessori was an educational visionary, who believed in the creative learning process. My classroom is very heavily inspired by collaborative and creative Montessori techniques.
Differentiated instruction does not stop at the planning phase. Getting to know my students helps me understand how to best reach them. Sometimes one lesson can take up an entire class period, and not every intelligence has been catered to. It’s important to leave time in every class to individually address any concerns or questions my students have. Giving each student one-on-one time lets me assess his/her progress, and gives him/her a chance to clarify any details that may be confusing for him/her. This devoted one-on-one time also helps strengthen our relationships.
Incorporating technology into the classroom is something that not only can engage more student interaction with the lesson, but can also help strengthen the relationship between student and teacher. By using 21st Century Learning as a guideline when incorporating technology into your lessons, you are considering the student, his/her relationship to the community, and the difference technology makes in his/her day-to-day lives. This allows the student to bridge the gap between real-life and the classroom, strengthening the relationship between teacher and student. Below is more information on 21st Century Learning and its benefits in the classroom.
When teaching my class I try to connect my lessons to everyday life, so my students not only have a chance to identify when they use the information outside of school, but also to help them connect to why it’s important to learn it in the first place. For example, I introduced my students to ethos, pathos, and logos through the use of a commencement speech Steve Jobs made at Stanford. We went through the speech and identified places where he used all three. Each student was able to define the concepts and see their practical use in everyday life, and that made it easier for them to identify the use of ethos, pathos, and logos throughout the play Julius Caesar.
