A Reflection on my Instructional Strategies Course

When I started along this path of becoming a teacher I thought my schooling would give me a very clear idea of how to go about the day to day business of teaching kids.  As I began my classes it became apparent that there is no such thing.  There is no one way, and if I was looking to be handed all the answers then I would be sorely disappointed.  It stressed me out at first, but the more I learn, the more I realize that there is no end to what I can learn, and that the artistry of teaching changes dramatically and often, from forces both within and without.  I think my biggest takeaway from the course is that there is no one correct pedagogical strategy that will work for every situation.  Some situations might benefit from direct instruction, some from a more inductive standpoint.  Some students may not be able to learn as effectively in groups, others benefit from greatly from cooperative learning.  A student who learns best with visual advance organizers in certain subjects may not benefit as much if they are used in other subjects.  Everything is so up in the air that teaching is really the art of knowing your audience.  This course has really driven home the point that to be an effective teacher is to be one who is adept at a wide range of teaching styles, not just a master at one.

This course has taught me the importance of inductive learning and concept attainment over rote memorization and direct instruction.  I’m not saying that I plan on fully abandoning the latter practices, but memorization can only get you so far.  As Jerome Bruner writes in Some Elements of Discovery:

“We know perfectly well that there are good rote techniques whereby you can get the child to come back with a long list of information. This list is no good, however, because the child will use it in a single situation and possibly not even effectively then” (Bruner, 1996).

The whole point of effective instruction is not to teach a laundry list of facts, but to guide students to attaining real, lasting knowledge which they can apply in numerous setting and situations throughout their lives.  This is why the idea of teaching concepts over facts really resonated with me this quarter.  Since I plan on working with first graders, the picture word inductive model in particular is a strategy I see myself using time and time again.  The example in Lisa Mueller’s classroom in Models of Teaching gave me a very clearly outlines method for teaching important, broad concepts to my given age group, and gave me some of that specific direction I was seeking while at the same time letting me know this is but a single tool in an educator’s toolbox (Joyce, 2015, pg.94-98).

There are really too many new concepts for me to fully appreciate their depth in a single quarter, which is exciting because as a teacher I have the privilege of learning as I go.  I am sure I will start out utilizing but a few as are outlined by the school and the district, but as I grow confident with their usage I can expand my pedagogical repertoire to utilize more and more as my career goes on.  I can see what works, what doesn’t, then revisit past methods based on the needs of my class.  The course has shown me that there is a wide and constantly evolving range of teaching methods available to me and it is gratifying and encouraging to know that even the most experienced and skilled educators are still searching for and devising new methods to reach their students.  Learning is about the pursuit of knowledge, it makes sense that teaching should reflect that.

Bruner, J. (1996). The Culture of Education (from SIS Session 3 Lecture notes EDU 6526: Survey of Instructional Strategies)

Joyce, B., Weil, M., & Calhoun, E. (2015). Models of Teaching. Boston: Pearson Education. Ed. 9