Module Five Instructional Organisers

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MODULE FIVE

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Aims for this session

• _{To develop participants’ awareness of the role}_{Instructional}

Organisers and how they influence the teacher’s wise selection of classroom interventions

• _{To develop participants’ knowledge of specific examples of}

Instructional Organisers

• _{To further refine participants’ understanding of the}

interplay between Instructional Organisers and Instructional Concepts, Skills, Tactics and Strategies in classroom practice.

• _{To extend participants awareness of relevant research}

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Instructional Intelligence involves

awareness of…

• _{Instructional concepts} • _{Instructional skills}

• _{Instructional tactics}

• _{Instructional strategies}

• _{Instructional instructional organizers}

– _{Collectively, these concepts are known as}

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Instructional Organisers

• _{Organisers are frameworks or bodies of research that}

assist teachers in organising an array of skills, tactics and strategies into a coherent set of teaching

methods

• _{They are the lenses that clarify or enhance thought}

about how we instruct

• _{They increase teacher wisdom about the teaching}

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Instructional Organisers

• _{Multiple Intelligence} • _{The Human Brain}

• _{Culture and Ethnicity} • _Emotional

Intelligence

• _{Children at risk}

• _{Learning Disabilities} • _{Learning Styles}

• _Gender

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Concept and skill relationship

• _{Why do we need to be aware of the difference}

between concepts, skills, tactics, strategies and organisers?

• _{Many experienced and effective teachers might not}

consciously realise the complexity around something as simple as asking a question so as to involve all

students

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Concepts and skills

• _{Without clear understanding, we are less able to}

thoughtfully meet with student needs

• _{We can “do” skills, e.g. providing wait time for}

students to think about questions

• _{We cannot “do” concepts, e.g. motivation, variety-}

we must do things to make these concepts come alive

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• _{Instructional concepts}_{- safety, social}

justice, interest, accountability etc.

• _{Instructional skills}_{- wait time, framing} questions, probing

• _{Instructional tactics}_{- Think Pair Share,} Venn Diagrams, Word Webs

• _{Instructional strategies}_{- Concept} Mapping, Academic Controversy

• _{Instructional organizers}_{- Multiple}

Intelligence, Bloom’s Taxonomy,

learning disabilities, gender, culture, at risk factors

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Impact understood as ‘power’

• _{Power is a term that tells us how much of a}

difference an innovation makes.

• _{Power generally increases as you shift from}

skills, to tactics, to strategies.

• _{Strategies are researched based approaches}

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Our instructional task

• _{We need to move from being}_{tacitly skilled}_in

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Integrating methods

• _{How do wait time, framing questions,}

think/pair/share, concept attainment,

safety, accountability, active

participation, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Brain

Research, etc., work together?

• _{Our conscious integration of these}

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Everything a teacher does can be

classified into four areas …

• _{Information provided}

• _{Activities assigned or selected} • _{Questions asked}

• _{Responses to students’ efforts}

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The Concept of Motivation

Why investigate motivation?

• _{To understand the factors that increase the}

chances students want to be involved in learning

• _{To see that motivation is just as important as}

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Why integrate motivation into lessons?

• _{When students are motivated to learn, they}

learn more and learn it faster. They are also less likely to misbehave.

• _{Attribution Theory: unless students attribute}

their successes and failures to their own

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What does research suggest?

• _{There are six concepts that we as teachers can}

control in the classroom that increase the chances students will be motivated. However:

• _{Students must learn that their success or failure}

depends on their effort

• _{If students who work hard do not achieve success,}

alternative strategies must be employed

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Success

• _{If students regularly experience success and}

have a healthy self-concept, they need to have successful experiences 75% of the time

• _{Students who do not experience success and}

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How can we affect success?

• _{Teachers need to teach at the correct level of}

difficulty

• _{Teachers must actively involve the learner in}

meaningful learning

• _{Skills: framing questions with learner in mind,}

applying wait time

• _{Strategy: Bloom’s Taxonomy} • _{Tactic: think pair share}

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Bloom’s Taxonomy

• _Remembering_{– recall, recite}

• _{Comprehension/Understanding}_-explain,

provide examples

• _Application_{-act on understanding}

• _Analysis_{-compare/ contrast, pull apart}

• _Synthesis_{-reinvent, create, look at in a new}

way

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Concern

• _{If zero concern exists, there will probably be}

zero learning

• _{Too much concern can lead students to}

becoming frustrated

• _{Too little concern can lead to students}

becoming bored

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How can we affect concern?

• _{Increase accountability}

– _{Framing the question, wait time, checking homework} • _{Increasing visibility}

– _{Moving around the room increases chances students will}

be involved in the lesson

• _Consequences

– _{When students know they can enjoy the fruits of their}

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How can we affect concern?

Time

• _{If students know how much time they have to complete}

a task, they are more concerned about the intensity of their effort

_Help

• _{If students know that avenues of help exist, their level}

of concern is reduced

• _{Guided practice}

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Meaning

• _{The more the learning relates to the students’}

past, present or future learning, the greater the chances the students will be involved in the learning

• _{Connecting to learning already stored in the}

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How can we affect meaning?

• _{Mental Set at beginning of lesson-providing a}

hook to arouse students’ curiosity

• _{Sharing/ discussing/ negotiating the purpose}

of the lesson increases chances students will want to participate

• _{Drama, role plays, field trips, discussion, films/}

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Positive feeling tone

• _{Making learning environment a safe one increases chance}

students will want to continue learning

• _{Appropriately responding to students incorrect/ partially}

correct responses, silly responses, guesses is important

• _{Impact on brain when threatened or placed under stress}

(Davidson and Cao, 1992)

• _{Uncaring environment has negative impact on student}

learning (Soar and Soar, 1979)

• _{Research on gifted children reports that students want}

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Interest

• _{People are motivated to do things that they find}

interesting

• _{We attend to things that are novel, varied, vivid}

• _{Teachers who demonstrate humour and enthusiasm}

create interest

• _{Enthusiasm increases student academic engaged}

time (Mary Collins, 1978)

• _{Enthusiasm identified as a key characteristic of}

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Knowledge of results

• _{When we know that what we are doing is}

being done well, or needs to be improved, and when we know what we must do to improve, we are motivated to continue

• _{Monitoring students’ learning and adjusting}

teaching (checking for understanding) is important

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Motivating students

• _{It is through our awareness of how organisers,}

skills, tactics, strategies and concepts can be integrated that we learn how to motivate

students effectively

• _{Being able to judge how best to integrate}

these factors that makes us effective teachers

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Motivation and the enthusiastic teacher

• _{Research literature reports that when teachers}

are enthusiastic, students more likely to be focused on the information presented.

• _{Humour and enthusiasm rank first in over 80%}

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What communicates enthusiasm?

• _{Vocal delivery} • _{Word choice} • _Humour

• _{Eye movement}

• _{Facial expressions} • _Gestures

• _Movement • _{Energy level} • _Acceptance • _Variety

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Role of organisers

• _{Relates to specific bodies of knowledge rooted}

in research

• _{Each body of knowledge is a lens through}

which we see our students’ needs and the diverse ways in which they learn

• _{Being aware of these bodies of knowledge}

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Examples of organisers

• _{Multiple intelligences} • _{Emotional intelligence} • _{Learning styles}

• _{Research on the human}

brain

• _Gender

• _{Culture and ethnicity}

• _{Children at risk}

• _{Learning disabilities}

research

• _{Bloom’s Taxonomy} • _{Child development}

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Multiple intelligence

• _{Originated with Howard Gardner in the 1960s} • _{Reminds teachers that students bring different}

strengths to a learning situation

• _{Educators focused on logical-mathematical and}

verbal-linguistic

• _{We as teachers are by default socialised into not}

responding to the reality that students have different problem solving and creative skills

• _{Each person possesses each of the intelligences and}

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Multiple intelligence

• _Linguistic

• _{Logical-mathematical}

• _{Bodily-kinaesthetic}

• _{Intrapersonal}

• _Musical

• _Spatial

• _{Interpersonal}

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Points to consider

• _{What are the implications of this research for}

educators?

• _{Moral imperative? Legal imperative?}

• _{How can I vary my teaching practice to reflect}

my deeper understanding of multiple intelligence and how students learn?

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Appealing to visual learners

• _{The material that follows relates to the case}

study ‘Lyndon Johnson and the Vietnam War, 1963-1968’, which is a case study in the topic The United States and the World, 1945-1989’ in the Leaving Certificate history syllabus.

• _{See the syllabus at}_{www.eduaction.ie}_{and at}

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Teaching history: Lyndon Johnson

and Vietnam, 1963-1968

• Complex political issues • Need to make issues

meaningful for students today

• Need to arouse curiosity with a “hook”

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TIME magazine

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To consider

• _{How might the use of the preceding visual}

images impact on student learning?

• _{How does your knowledge of concepts and}

organisers affect your view of the

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Brain research

• _{Very influential body of research emerging in}

brain research

• _{Like other organisers, being aware of this}

research can help us to make wiser choices

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Key ideas about brain research

• _{The brain is “holistic”}

– _{We do not teach to one side or area}

– _{Structuring activities to nurture right or left side}

not supported by neurologists

• _{The brain’s goal is survival}

– _{Functions more effectively in an environment}

where it is challenged but safe

– _{Connects to interpersonal intelligence, emotional}

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Key ideas about brain research

• _{Emotion is powerfully connected to thinking}

– _{When students are emotionally engaged, they are}

more likely to retain the learning in long-term memory

– _{When lesson is meaningful, novel and varied,}

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Key ideas about brain research

• _{The brain remembers what is important}

– _{If learning not meaningful, relevant, authentic, the brain}

will get rid of it

• _{The brain needs to make connections} – _{Needs to sense relationships and analyse} – _{Brain is a pattern seeker}

– _{Value of such tactics as Venn diagrams, Mind Maps, Time}

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Key ideas about brain research

• _{Intelligence is mediated/ enhanced by social}

situations

– _{Brain needs to experience talk} – _{Value of co-operative learning}

• _{The brain is hardwired for “Experience Expected”}

situations

• _{The brain is also wired for “Experience Dependent”}

situations

– _{Dendritic area increases throughout life, but most}

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Key ideas about brain research

• _{Brains that live in enriched environments have}

40% more neuron connections than brains that live in bland environments

• _{Neurons more efficient with practice}

• _{Dull, boring environments cause loss of}

dendritic connection

• _{Students need to actively and meaningfully}

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In conclusion:

• _{Important to bear in mind:}

– _{the effective use of instructional strategies (e.g.}

groupwork, co-operative learning) and tactics (e.g. Venn diagrams, round robins, brainstorms etc)

depends on how well the teacher invokes an

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Final word

– _{NB: The key to effective teaching is how we}

consciously integrate all these methods to improve student learning

• _{We as teachers must move from being:}

“accidentally adequate” to