Instructional Strategies for Online Courses

Deanna E. MayersDirector of Curriculum

Strategies to Clarify Understanding

1. Identifying similarities and differences2. Summarizing and note taking3. Reinforcing effort and providing recognition4. Homework and practice5. Nonlinguistic representations6. Cooperative learning7. Setting objectives and providing feedback8. Generating and testing hypotheses9. Cues, questions, and advance organizers

Setting Objectives

• Provide students with a direction for their learning

• Simple Text items• Internet based resources• Go Animate Introductions

Providing feedback

Make sure feedback is corrective in nature; tell students how they did in relation to specific levels of knowledge.

Rubrics•Projects•Journal Reflections•Discussion board prompts•AP Writing Rubrics

Nonlinguistic Representations

• According to research, knowledge is stored in two forms: linguistic and visual.

• Important to focus instruction in both forms

. • Use of nonlinguistic representation to also increase brain activity

Homework and practice

Generating and testing hypothesesAssignments and Projects

• A deductive approach (using a general rule to make a prediction) to this strategy works best

• Require students should clearly explain their hypotheses and conclusions

Advanced Organizers:

Cause/Effect Multi flow map Sequence Flow Map

Cues, questions, and advance organizers

• Vary the style of advance organizer used: Tell a story, skim a text, or create a graphic image.

• There are many ways to expose students to information before they "learn" it.

Questions About Things and People

 Things and People:1.    What action does this thing or person usually perform?2.    What action is usually performed on this thing?3.    How is this thing usually used?4.    What is this thing part of?5.    What is the process for making this thing?6.    When this thing is used, does it present a particular danger or other things or to people?  What is it?7.    What particular color, number, location, or dimensionality does this thing have?8.    How is this thing usually sold?9.    What particular emotional state does this person have?Example – After reading a quote from Georg Percy, what are your impressions of this “New Land” as an Englishman? Why do you believe, with this information, would anyone want to leave England for a land with this description? 

Questions About EventsEvents:1.    What people are usually involved in this event?2.    During what season or time of year does this event usually take place?3.    On what day of the week does this event usually take place?4.    At what time of day does this event usually take place?5.    At what point in history did this event take place?6.    What equipment is typically used in this event?7.    How long does this event usually take?

Example:What factors contributed to America being able to win the Revolutionary War?

Questions About States

State1.    What is the basic process involved in reaching this state?2.    What changes occur when something reaches this state?

Example:

Scientific evidence indicates that carbon dioxide added to the air by the burning of wood and fossil fuels is contributing to "global warming," a rise in global temperature. Tropical rain forests are estimated to be responsible for more than 20% of global photosynthesis, yet their consumption of large amounts of carbon dioxide is thought to make little or no net contribution to reduction of global warming.

Why might this be? (Hint: what happens to the food produced by rain for street when it is eaten by animals or the tree dies?)

Questions About Actions 1.    What thing or person usually performs this action?2.    What effect does this action have on the taste, feel, sound, or look of this thing?3.    How does this action typically change the emotional state of a person?4.    How is the value of this thing changed by this action?5.    How does this action change the size or shape of a thing?6.    How does this action change the state of a thing?

Example: Why did these social reform movements occur, who were their leaders, what was their impact on American society?ReligionTemperance (no alcohol)Women's rightsEquality

Summarizing and Note-TakingResearch shows:

1. Promotes greater comprehension2. Analyze to expose what's essential3. that taking more notes is better than fewer notes4. Teachers should encourage and give time for review and

revision of notes5. Notes can be the best study guides for tests.

Note-Taking

Summarizing the Lecture

Many formats “T” notes

More Advanced Organizers

• Cause and Effect• Bubble Map• Character Map• Comparison Table• Concept Map• Fishbone• Flow Map• Hypothesis Map• KWL chart

• Plot line• Problem – Solution• SQ3R• Storyboard• Story Map• Summary Notes• Tree organizer• Venn diagram• W’s Organizer• Wheel and Spoke

Learning LogTips for best practice:1.Use to reinforcing effort and provide recognition 2.Encourage students to chronicle their learning across several days or weeks3.Must have a plan for learners to review the learning log

Teacher posed question to answer – student reflection

Deanna E. MayersDirector of Curriculumdmayers@blendedschools.net

ReferencesClassroom Instruction That Works by R. J. Marzano, D. J. Pickering, and J. E. Pollock, 2001, Alexandria, VA: ASCD.http://www.tltguide.ccsd.k12.co.us/instructional_tools/Strategies/Strategies.html“Collaborative Learning Enhances Critical Thinking” by Anuradha A. Gokhale JTE Volume 7, Number 1.Cooperative learning: A guide to research. Totten, S., Sills, T., Digby, A., & Russ, P. (1991). New York: GarlandMind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. By Vygotsky, L. (1978). Cambridge:Harvard University Press. Productive Group Work by Nancy Frey, Douglas Fisher, and Sandi Everlove, 2009, Alexandria, VA: ASCD.“Teaching Students to Construct Graphic Representations,” Beau Fly Jones, Jean Pierce, and Barbara Hunter, Educational Leadership, December 1988.Building Academic Vocabulary, by R. J. Marzano and D. J. Pickering, 2005, Alexandria, VA: ASCD.The Global Development Research Center, http://www.gdrc.org/kmgmt/c-learn/strategies.htmlSource: Adapted from Classroom Instruction That Works by R. J. Marzano, D. J. Pickering, and J. E. Pollock, 2001, Alexandria, VA: ASCD.http://www.tltguide.ccsd.k12.co.us/instructional_tools/Strategies/Strategies.html