G. Lehmann-EDAT 6115

Description: As teachers begin to move beyond the traditional lecture style instruction, a variety of methods and formats become available. Several important considerations arose from the work of John Carroll in “A Model of School Learning” (1963, 1989), and Slavin eventually identified the following four elements of instruction: “Quality of instruction, Appropriate levels of instruction, Incentive, and Time” (1995). Using these four elements as a guide, teachers may find that they can better serve their students by grouping students, differentiating the content, or adapting instruction through technology. Research has found that the benefits of these structures varies greatly depending on the manner and context in which they are used.  Programs, such as Title 1,  that are intended to support struggling students have demonstrated limited positive impact (Slavin, 2018), and in some cases, such as when students are “retained” or held back, can even have a negative impact on ac...

Description : Even the most capable and talented teachers know that in order for students to maximize and deepen their learning, they will need to take on some of the “heavy lifting” of the learning experience. Constructivist theories recognize that students need to be given opportunities to discover, explore, and apply new knowledge (Slavin, 2018). Students need to take an active role in instruction through student-centered strategies such as cooperative learning and problem solving. While the teacher is removed from the center of instruction, her role is still vital to  design meaningful and relevant activities and provide the appropriate “scaffolding” so that all students are able to engage in the learning. Designing an activity that is within a student’s “zone of proximal development” requires consideration of Vygotsky’s theories of social learning and Piaget’s stages of cognitive development (Slavin, 2018). Analysis: Much emphasis has been placed on student-centered learni...

Description :  In Chapter Six, Slavin (2018) outlines the framework for effective lesson planning and the instructional practices that facilitate learning in the classroom. Learning can take place through “direct instruction”, when the teacher is delivering information and explaining the concepts of a stated objective (or learning standard) or through more student-centered activities such as discussion, independent practice, problem solving, or collaboration (Slavin, 2018). Many available lesson frameworks have a clearly defined progression with similar parts. Slavin’s (2018) seven step lesson plan looks like this: 1. State  learning  objectives  and  orient  students  to  the  lesson.  2. Review prerequisites.  3. Present new material.  4. Conduct learning probes.  5. Provide independent practice.  6. Assess performance and provide feedback.  7. Provide  distributed  practice  and  review. (p...