Matthews - MS/Social Studies Instructional Strategies by Dillon Matthews https://padlet.com/dmatthews18/z1vgpj1sur9b Instructional Strategies for the Classroom en-us 2019-07-07 14:09:21 UTC 2019-07-09 01:52:09 UTC hello@padlet.com https://imgglb.padletcdn.com/v13/image?t=g_auto&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpadlet.net%2Ficons%2Fpng%2F1f5fd.png Classroom Discussion dmatthews18 https://padlet.com/dmatthews18/z1vgpj1sur9b/wish/370422663 ·         Classroom Discussion
 For this strategy, students will learn how to properly and successfully discuss a topic with a large group. The teacher will step away and merely facilitate while the class participates in an open-ended discussion. This can be done as a formal assessment for a reading assignment or to assess the grasping of a general topic or idea. (Alber, 2015)
 For my classroom, I would use this as a strategy of discussing different historical accounts from different people in Texas History. Middle school students enjoy speaking to each other, and a classroom discussion fits their personality types quite well.

]]> 2019-07-07 14:13:33 UTC https://padlet.com/dmatthews18/z1vgpj1sur9b/wish/370422663 Vocabulary dmatthews18 https://padlet.com/dmatthews18/z1vgpj1sur9b/wish/370422684 ·         Identifying words and phrases are important for a history class. These key words often give way to grasping the general idea of a certain topic. With specific vocabulary, students can develop a memory of learned material in order to better complete questions and perform better on assessments (Marzano, 2000).
For Texas History, vocabulary would work well, as students will learn many key words at the beginning of the year that will help them to better succeed later in the course. While middle school students do not necessarily enjoy reciting, memorizing, or even thinking about vocabulary words, incorporating some form of technology or competition into vocabulary can improve student outlook and comprehension.

]]> 2019-07-07 14:14:08 UTC https://padlet.com/dmatthews18/z1vgpj1sur9b/wish/370422684 Chunking Material dmatthews18 https://padlet.com/dmatthews18/z1vgpj1sur9b/wish/370422697 ·         With a chunking strategy, students are presented with the same information in smaller sections in order to ensure a better understanding. This allows students to better absorb and retain the information presented since it comes in a smaller amount. For example, instead of presenting how to find the area of a square, circle, and triangle all at once, a teacher could first start with what area is, and then move on to finding the area of different shapes. (Rosenshine, 2012)
For my classroom, this could be used when discussing the causes and events of the Texas Revolution. Instead of telling the entire story at once, I could first start with the independence of Mexico from Spain. After this I could move on to the Mexican rule over Texas y Coahuila until their fight for independence in the following years.

]]> 2019-07-07 14:14:26 UTC https://padlet.com/dmatthews18/z1vgpj1sur9b/wish/370422697 Setting High Expectations dmatthews18 https://padlet.com/dmatthews18/z1vgpj1sur9b/wish/370422712 ·         Students need to know what the standards are in the classroom, and if the teacher sets high expectations from the start of the year, then the better off the classroom will be. If the bar is set high enough, students will challenge that bar and strive to reach it with each assignment. In turn, the expectations will raise with each passing unit, until high achievement become standard in the classroom. (TeachThought, n.d.)
 In my classroom, expectations will be set high. However, they will gradually build with each goal reached. This means that I will evaluate my students at the beginning of the year, set expectations, and then slowly raise them as the year progresses. 

]]> 2019-07-07 14:14:54 UTC https://padlet.com/dmatthews18/z1vgpj1sur9b/wish/370422712 Checking for Understanding dmatthews18 https://padlet.com/dmatthews18/z1vgpj1sur9b/wish/370422727 ·         With this strategy, the teacher often pauses and asks the entire class if they understand the material, so as to not lose everyone in the midst of teaching a new topic. This can be done by asking for a summarization of certain points, or whether they agreed of disagreed with the answer of another student. Rather than asking “Are there any questions?” and a quick move to the next topic, this strategy employs a more patient approach by the teacher wherein they either wait for questions or ask clarifying questions themselves (Rosenshine, 2012).
 For my classroom, this is a crucial strategy to implement. Since Texas History involves multiple points of view from many different historical accounts, students will often have difficulty keeping these accounts straight. Therefore, as a teacher, it is my responsibility to ensure students understand the material in order to proceed without any confusion. I will often pause and ask clarifying questions in order to check for understanding with my students.

]]> 2019-07-07 14:15:15 UTC https://padlet.com/dmatthews18/z1vgpj1sur9b/wish/370422727