Be Open to New Teaching Strategies:)

Trying new approaches in delivering instruction is exciting for both the teachers and the students.  Changes in everything from seating to activities to assignments and more energize students.  Their curiosity is peaked when they are actively engaged in the learning process.  If teachers tap students' strengths to highlight key components of lessons, they will see students exhibit enthusiasm in completing just about any assigned task because they are being encouraged to solve problems as a team.  This approach is what they will face in college and in the real world.

So how do teachers empower students to become independent learners?  Well since it necessitates incorporating new learning styles, teachers may want to honestly reflect on how they learned when they were in school.  Further, there are other factors which may have influenced academic success--having parents with degrees,  being in a learning environment which assumed every student would go to and graduate from college, having strong academic skills already in place, coming from a home with native speakers of English, etc.  What worked for many teachers will not work for many of today's students.  Teachers must expand their teacher tool kits to accommodate the many needs of today's classrooms.  NEW METHODS OF INSTRUCTIONAL DELIVERY  

Here are two examples of classrooms using new approaches to engage all learners through team work, clear directions, student accountability, clear directions and learning objectives.  The teachers assume nothing in delivering their lessons.  Teachers use table talk, visuals, models, team work, modeling, checks for understanding, active student engagement, and much more to fully engage each class.  Gone are the days where the teacher would lecture, students would read the text and answer questions, and give straight multiple choice tests.  Though the teacher is the expert obviously, s/he does not wear the "sage on the stage' role any longer.  HOW TO DELIVER HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION  (video within article).

Denise

ELL TEACHER PROS