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Instructional Strategy - Comparison and Contrast

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Instructional Strategy - Comparison and Contrast

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This strategy involves determining the similarities and differences between parts of a given unit. This strategy can be a useful way to help students identify relationships in the material. There are a variety of different ways to use comparison and contrast during classroom activities, including diagrams, graphic organizers, and keys (Granite School District, 2014).

This is an appropriate strategy to use during the taxonomy unit, as identifying relationships between organisms based on defining traits is a major part of learning taxonomy. While this strategy typically requires less complex assignments to be effective, correct use of comparison and contrast can be useful for teaching high school level students due to requiring analytical thought from students to an effective teaching tool (Granite School District, 2014).

References
Granite School District. (2014). Examining similarities and differences. Retrieved from https://graniteschools.instructure.com/courses/1118234/pages/examining-similarities-and-differences

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Scaffolding is a strategy in which a teacher begins a unit with less complex material, then builds up to more complex material as student comprehension improves. This method is helpful in preventing students from becoming overwhelmed during a lesson, as new information is presented in pieces rather than all at once (Alber, 2014). For example, a teacher may begin a lesson by going over specific vocabulary before going into how the words are applied.

This method is appropriate for high school science because there is a fairly high chance of students may be exposed to entirely new concepts and vocabulary. Taxonomy, for example, uses Latin terms which are likely to be entirely new to the students involved. Immediately trying to teach the defining traits of a taxonomic group before ensuring all students are familiar with new vocabulary can potentially lead to confusion during the lesson. Scaffolding instruction can also help the teacher determine if their students have achieved the desired results for less complex material before moving on to more complex material (Alber, 2014).
References
Alber, R. (2014, January 24). 6 scaffolding strategies to use with your students. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/scaffolding-lessons-six-strategies-rebecca-alber

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The Jigsaw Method of instruction is a form of group instruction in which students individually study parts of a topic in expect groups, then put the learned information together in home groups to form the entire picture. Splitting up the material this way is helpful for units of the curriculum which have a large amount of individual topics to discuss, since it allows for student led investigation of a topic without each student being bogged down by a large amount of work (Reading Rockets, 2017).

Due to the amount of information present in a taxonomy unit, the Jigsaw method can be effectively used to promote understanding. For example, if kingdoms were being discussed, the teacher could split the class into different expert groups to study one or more kingdoms, then present the information on each kingdom to form a complete understanding of kingdoms as a whole. The student led aspect also makes this method effective when working with high school students, as it supports the development of research skills and communication of learned material.
References
Reading Rockets. (2017, October 30). Jigsaw: Classroom strategy. Retrieved from https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/jigsaw

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A mnemonic are a learning device, typically a phrase or acronym, which helps support memorization of material. Codifying the material into an easy to remember mnemonic can improve the chances of accurate recall by allowing the student to create associations between the material and the easier to remember phrase or acronym. Also, since it is necessary to convert the mnemonic back to the correct material, the use of mnemonics requires the student to think about the material being learned rather than simply repeating it (Raudys, 2019).

Mnemonics are particularly useful when teaching material in which terminology is specifically ordered. Due to this, taxonomy is a common example of a topic in which mnemonics are utilized (Raudys, 2019). For example, when learning the levels of classification, students may be encouraged to memorize a phrase using the same first letter of each level of classification. When a student recalls the mnemonic, they will more easily remember the proper order of each level based on the position of each word in the phrase.
References
Raudys, J. (2019, February 05). 7 Experiential learning activities to engage students. Retrieved from https://www.prodigygame.com/blog/experiential-learning-activities/

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An exit slip is a simple form of formative assessment which involves asking students a single question which can be answered right before the end of class. This may involve answering a question about the material learned during a particular lesson, or may ask students to clarify areas where their understanding is lacking (Reading Rockets, 2017).

Exit slips are an effective form of formative assessment because they can be used to gauge understanding of more specific material, or can determine a more general idea of which material needs more attention (Reading Rockets, 2017). For example, if multiple students write in a lack of understanding on a particular topic, the teacher can decide if reteaching is necessary. The teacher can quickly determine if the desired results of the lesson are being achieved, and adjust the next day's lesson if needed.
References
Reading Rockets. (2017, October 30). Exit slips: Classroom strategy. Retrieved from https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/exit_slips

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Learning Experience - Student Generated Quiz

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Learning Experience - Student Generated Quiz

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This activity involves students writing a set number of questions with answers based on the material of the lesson, then pairing up to quiz their classmates. This activity has students take the role of both the question asker and answerer,  resulting in a student led learning experience (Raudys, 2019).

The activity being student led allows the students involved to develop a greater understanding of the material through their direct involvement in all sides of the assessment. This can also be a helpful activity for teachers, as it provides teachers with an idea of which concepts were seen as most important by the students. For example, if a majority of the student generated questions focus on material which isn't part of the desired results of the lesson, the teacher may need to reassess their lesson plan to ensure the required standards are getting the amount of attention needed.
References
Raudys, J. (2019, February 05). 7 Experiential learning activities to engage students. Retrieved from https://www.prodigygame.com/blog/experiential-learning-activities/

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Learning Experience - Summary Presentation

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Learning Experience - Summary Presentation

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For this activity, the students produce a summary of a particular part of the lesson, then present the summary to the class as a whole. The creation of this summary typically involves both written and oral products, and allows the student to both demonstrate their knowledge of the material, and provide other students an opportunity to review the material (University of Tasmania, 2018).

Summary presentations also provide the teacher with feedback regarding which parts of the lesson are less understood. The teacher can then adjust the lesson to increase emphasis on parts which the students demonstrate having a less clear understanding (University of Tasmania, 2018). For example, if students demonstrated a clear understanding of the defining characteristics of the animal kingdom, but had overall less detailed summaries of the fungus kingdom, this would demonstrate to the teacher which kingdoms need more attention in future lessons.
References
University of Tasmania. (2018, October 01). Examples of learning activities. Retrieved from https://www.teaching-learning.utas.edu.au/learning-activities-and-delivery-modes/planning-learning-activities/examples-of-learning-activities

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Through this method, students begin by thinking individually about a topic, then pair up with a partner to discuss the their thoughts over the topic. After the paired students have shared their thoughts, the sharing can be opened up by the teacher into a full class discussion. This method provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate their understanding of a topic with another student, as well as correct any held misconceptions between each member of the pair (Reading Rockets, 2017).

Think-Pair-Share typically occurs before the main lesson, which allows teachers to gauge the starting level of understanding of each student. Determining what each student knows about particular topic before the beginning of the lesson, including specific misconceptions, can allow the teacher to determine which parts of the lesson the students will need to spend more time with. Think-Pair-Share can also help the teacher begin a new lesson with engaged students  (Reading Rockets, 2017). This method would be effective for older students, as they are likely to have a solid pool of prior knowledge to pull from during the discussion and benefit from developing cooperative discussion skills.
References
Reading Rockets. (2017, October 30). Think-Pair-Share: Classroom strategy. Retrieved from https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/think-pair-share

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This learning activity involves students using material learned during a lesson to solve a real world issue. This method can be used both individually and in groups, and requires analysis of the situation presented and the material learned during the lesson (University of Tasmania, 2018).

This method can be useful for high school students as it encourages the development of critical thinking skills. Providing real context to material learned in class is also a good way to help students engage with the lesson (The Science Teacher, 2019). In the context of developing taxonomy knowledge, this method can provide specific context for the material learned, such as presenting a case in which an organism needs to be identified using specific clues.
References
The Science Teacher. (2019). Using context in science lessons. Retrieved from https://thescienceteacher.co.uk/science-in-context/

University of Tasmania. (2018, October 01). Examples of learning activities. Retrieved from https://www.teaching-learning.utas.edu.au/learning-activities-and-delivery-modes/planning-learning-activities/examples-of-learning-activities