Instructional Strategies and Freebies!: Teaching Reading + Freebies to Help Teach in December Part 1

The reading process should focus on student learning before teaching practices. What does that mean? The steps of the teaching and learning progression are specific and include:

Instructional strategies specific to the learning situation at hand.
Teacher awareness of teaching strategy on student mental processes
Enhanced student learning

Within the progression are feedback, content and context. Feedback, or formative assessment, is essential to the information loop educators must establish so students know

what they need to learn, the best way to learn it, what their current level of performance is and how that level changes as learning goals approach proficiency.

Feedback: Communicating clear and precise learning objectives. It is essential for students to understand what they are supposed to master and where they are in the progression of learning.
Feedback: Formative assessment in a continual loop. Students understand how feedback relates to the progression of knowledge they are supposed to master.
Content: Direct instruction - including what is important and how all of the parts fit together.
Content: Student practice and active learning - including student-centered learning. Application and practice of concepts.
Content: Using differentiated teaching strategies.
Context: Building relationships. Students feel welcome, accepted and valued.
Context: Communicating high expectation for all. This ensures that even reluctant students feel valued and are open to interact with their teacher or other students.
Context: Engaging students. It is essential for students to be engaged, alert, energized, intrigued and paying attention.
Content refers to what is being taught including the lesson, pace and sequence. This is imperative so students can move from the initial phases of understanding to creative application of ideas.