Strategy Comparison

homepage | O/A Matrix | Strategy | Model

Cheryl DeVincentis and Lori Hamilton

This is an introduction to instructional strategies. Depending on what type of content you are teach (e.g., facts, concepts, principles, etc.), your strategies may differ. There are two perspectives you need to consider for this activity:

  1. What you need to
  2. How you will do it

Your task is to complete the table below with the following steps:

  1. Review the chapter for each type of strategy.
  2. In each box, briefly explain what should be done and give one example of how it can be done.
  3. In the last row of the table, identify those activities that "should be done" that are the same for each type of content.
  4. In the other boxes, highlight the activities that "should be done" which are unique to that type of content. Highlight it by bolding or underlining, or italicizing.
Strategy for ...
 Introduction
 Body
 Conclusion
 Assessment
Problem-solving

Learning task: Videotape a 5-minute interview with a club sponsor
Deploy attention:
Tell learners that they will be creating their first project which may be used on the morning news show.

Arouse interest and motivation:
Have learners view videotape sample of interview assignment.

Establish instructional purpose:
Explain the interview is the key tool for all broadcast journalism, and they will learn how to produce such an interview today.

Preview lesson:
Refer students to itinerary posted on board and go through it.
 Recall prior knowledge:
Review camera and microphone use from previous lesson.

Process information:
Model planning strategies with student volunteers.

Focus attention:
Using sample videotape, call attention to camera angles, microphone use, and interviewer's relationship with subject.

Employ learning strategies:
Have students view another sample interview and discuss positive and negative qualities.

Practice:
Have students create sample questions and practice interviewing each other.

Evaluate feedback:
Give hints and guidance while circulating through room.
 Summarize and review:
Review criteria of good interview by creating evaluation rubric.

Transfer knowledge:
Have students begin plans to complete their own interviews.

Remotivate and close:
Remind students that best interviews will appear on the show.
 		Assess performance:
View videotapes and use rubric to assess completed projects.

Provide feedback and remediation:
Have class discuss completed projects, make personal tips sheet for next interview project, and submit tapes to news show staff.

Declarative Knowledge

Learning task: List the hardware components of a computer.

Deploy attention:
Bring the learners who are normally in a classroom with no computers to a computer lab.

Arouse interest and motivation:
Allow the learners to explore the parts of the computer on the desk.

Establish instructional purpose:
Explain to the learners that knowing the hardware components will assist them on the job when requesting new parts or reporting problems to their IT department.

Previewing the Lesson:
Overview what will happen in the class.

Recall of prior knowledge:
Discuss with the class the prior knowledge of what a computer does.

Processing of information:
 Use facts and lists to describe the parts of the computer.

Focus attention:
Have each student put labels on each piece of equipment.

Employ learning strategies:
Using labels shows imagery so that the student will visually associate the name with the item.

Practice:
Assist the learners in practicing the names in order to recgonize them at a later time.

Feedback:
Walk around the room as students are placing labels on their computer components. Provide verbal feedback as you do this.

Summarize and review:
Pass out handouts that have a visual drawing with descriptions of computer components.

Transfer:
Have students list each computer component and a description of what it does.

Remotivate and close:
Have the learners discuss how knowing what each component does will assist them in their learning.

Assess performance
and
Provide feedback and seek remediation:
Provide a written test to the learners once they are back in the normal classroom, without computers, to see if they can recall the parts of the computer and what they do.

Return tests to allow learners to know how well they performed.

Those who did not perform well will have the opportunity to retake the test.

Leading to Concept

Learning task: to understand the concept of an actor's business and how it differs from an actor's movement
 Deploy attention:
Invite students to tell what actors did in believable performances they have seen.

Arouse interest and motivation:
Have learners view portion of the tape of The Miracle Worker, focusing on the performances of Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft.

Establish instructional purpose:
Explain we will be learning a technique that makes an actor's performance more believable.

Preview lesson:
Refer to itinerary and go through it.
 Recall prior knowledge:
Ask students to briefly discuss concept of movement learned earlier.

Process information:
Explain concept of actor's business and apply to one example from The Miracle Worker.

Focus attention:
Replay Miracle Worker scene and ask students to point out examples of both business and movement.

Employ learning strategies:
Guide students into creating concept trees of business and movement in the scene.

Practice:
Have students view another scene from the video and work in groups to create concept trees for that scene.

Evaluate feedback:
Have students present findings and discuss as class.
 Summarize and review:
Review difference between business and movement.

Transfer knowledge:
Have students apply concept to "Adele Scene" exercise by adding business to the scene they have already performed.

Remotivate and close:
Announce we will be viewing new, improved "Adele Scenes" after a class devoted to practice.
 Assess performance:
Use rubric to evaluate performances.

Provide feedback and remediation:
Discuss evaluations noting what was good and what needs improvement in next performance.
Leading to Principle

Learning task: to understand the principles used in microphone selection for a video production
 		Deploy attention:
Show learners the three types of microphones used in the studio and ask them to note visual differences.

Establish instructional purpose:
Explain that by the end of the period they will know how to select the appropriate microphone to use in different video productions situations.

Arouse interest and motivation:
Explain that in future they will need to select which equipment they use for each production.

Preview lesson:
Refer to itinerary and review.

 Recall prior knowledge:
Ask learners to brainstorm on board all of the microphone situations they have seen in video productions.

Process information:
Explain principles of use for each microphone.

Focus attention:
Give learners blank chart and ask them to fill in the usage principles.

Employ learning strategies:
Give several situations and ask learners to apply principles and make microphone selection.

Practice:
Have learners work in small groups to apply principles to new list of situations.

Evaluate feedback:
Ask each group to report back to class and explain decisions they made.
 		Summarize and review:
Restate principles and give best example of each.

Transfer knowledge:
Have students work in groups to create example situations and list on chart started earlier.

Remotivate and close:
Ask learners what they will do about microphone selection in the next video project requiring a separate microphone.
 		Assess performance:
Have learners examine a list of five videotaping scenarios and select the appropriate microphone to be used in each case.

Provide feedback and remediation:
Discuss selections made, why they were right or wrong, invite those with problems to come in for extra help.

Attitude change, motivation, and interest

Learning task: to understand how to overcome stage fright.

Deploy Attention:
Have the members of a clogging group join together and openly discuss how many times they have gotten lost during a routine because they were to focused on the crowd.

Arouse interest and motivation:
Show the group of dancers a video of a person on who is on stage and freezes because they see the crowd and get stage fright.

Establish instructional purpose:
Explain that the lesson will help them overcome their stage fright.

Preview lesson:
Explain that we will discuss stage fright and then practice in front of others to overcome our fears.

Recall relevant prior knowledge
and
Process information:
Discuss with the learners when in their experience they have had stage fright and what the situation was.

Focus attention and
Employ learning strategies:
Once the situations that cause the dancers' problems have been identified, continue the video. The learner should observe what is being done differently.

Practice and
Evaluate feedback:
Continue group discussion on the type of breathing techniques, eye placement, and mental thoughts that those who do not have problems with stage freight are using.

Practice dancing using the techniques taught during the class, while splitting the class in half, some being dancers and some being the audience.

Summary,
Transfer knowledge
and
Remotivate and close:
Summarize the entire lesson by referring back to the dancers in the video who have stage fright and who do not have stage fright. Reference what the dancers have said works for them and what does not.

Assess performance, Evaluate feedback
and
Seek remediation:
Continue role playing so that the class is split by dancers and audience and make sure everyone is able to perform with no problems in front of other people.

Once a group demonstration has been completed have them dance individually for the entire class. This is a different situation then what was presented during the class and the teacher can evaluate the dancers to see if they have applied the techniques that were taught.

Psychomotor Skills

Learning task: to learn how to serve a tennis ball.

Deploy attention to the lesson:
Begin the class by demonstrating serving a tennis ball.

Establish instructional purpose and
Arouse interest and motivation:
Tell learners that learning how to serve the tennis ball will enable them to play an entire tennis match.

Preview the Lesson:
Provide an overview by breaking down the steps involved in serving the ball.

Recall relevant prior knowledge:
Point out the known skills that new skill uses.

Process information and examples
and
Focus attention:
Offer the explanation of the steps again and then demonstrate again.

Employ learning strategies:
Ask the learners to repeat the steps out loud before trying to implement them.

Practice:
Provide learner time to practice what has been presented.

Evaluate feedback:
Walk around and evaluate each student while they are practicing and assist each one as needed.

Summarize and review:
Bring the class back together and break down the steps again. Point out any difficult areas that were observed while providing feedback.

Transfer of knowledge:
Allow time for extended practice to maintain proficiency.

Remotivate and close:
Walk around and for the learners who have mastered the skill of serving the tennis ball, demonstrate how to apply the skill in a tennis match. Partner students who are about the same skill level together in order for them to practice in a live situation.

Assess performance:
Observe performance of students and provide a rating of how well they have learned the skill.

Evaluate feedback and
Seek remediation:
Make sure the learner has a clear idea of how well he or she can perform the skill during a tennis match even if they are not proficient at serving the ball.

Common Elements

According to the current edition of Smith and Regan, the activities of the strategies are the same. However, in Attitude change, Motivation and Interest, and Psychomotor they are grouped differently.

Deploy attention to the lesson

Establish instructional purpose

Arouse interest and motivation

Preview the lesson

Recall relevant prior knowledge

Process information and examples

Focus attention

Employ learning strategies

Practice

Summarize and review

Transfer of knowledge

Remotivate and close

Assess performance

Evaluate feedback and seek remediation