Ideas for Teachers Set B4

  Addie Model by Nandini D P

Addie Model is one of the generic instructional design used to create instructional course materials by teachers for their traditional, online and even blended learning instructions. It is a systematic five phase approach which was developed by the Florida State University in 1975 that has progressed over time. It is simple to use, flexible, and versatile that provides an organised process for designing a new program with clear learning objectives, structed content, by integrated activities and media, and assessment to deliver the desired learning outcome for creating effective training and support tools. Analysis, Design, Development, Implement and Evaluation are the phases which sometimes overlap and can be interrelated for building effective curriculum. The model is iterative basis where evaluation phases contributes to re-analysis and further modification of design and development phases.

Analysis phase is the process of defining what is to be learnt, where Instructional goals and learning environment are established based on learner’s knowledge, skills and gap analysis. Design phase is the process of specifying what is to be learnt by the learners, by outlining the performance objectives i.e., create a blue print for the course. Development phase is the process of using gathered information to produce the course materials and learning activities for the learners. Implementation phase is the process where actual delivery of the course happens along with trainer’s training and delivery, and student assessment. Evaluation phase is the process of assessing learning efficiency, analyse course assessment results and advance instructional strategy and course material for determining the adequacy of the instruction.

Pygmalion effect by Rintu Tresa Varghese

The Pygmalion effect or Rosenthal effect is a psychological phenomenon wherein high expectations lead to improved performance. This effect is an interpersonal motivational phenomenon. I aspire to be a teacher who at no point looks down or demotivates students even by accident. This is not going to be easy to do considering the hectic nature of the job.

Positive reinforcement always leads to better results and those who expect more get more. As a teacher, if I expect a student to perform poorly, there is a high chance that the student will never try to perform any better. Robert Rosenthal defined the Pygmalion effect as “the phenomenon whereby one person’s expectation for another person’s behavior comes to serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy”. The early work of Rosenthal and Lenore among teachers and school students proved that teacher expectations have an influence on student performance.

“When we expect certain behaviors of others, we are likely to act in ways that make the expected behavior more likely to occur.” (Rosenthal and Babad, 1985). Excellence can be cultivated and nurtured. It is impossible to deliberately change one’s expectations of others but one can consciously change the way one behaves with others in order to bring out the best in them.

Constructive Learning by Suchaita Saha

Education is a potential tool to mold the minds of people making them capable to think rationally and creatively to bring about changes and advancements in the society leading to its progression. The notion of having a superior brain being the reason for better learning is disapproved. The traditional form of learning such as lecture method treats the brain as a device where it was considered if we feed knowledge into the brain like we feed data in the computer, some output will come out in the examination or in the future career. It is pointed out to be similar to imitation because I feel in this way of learning learner is not provided with enough opportunities to use their creativity and critical thinking skills. Compared to this constructive learning is a progressive way of learning which is more effective because the learner learns from their experience, an attempt is made to make learning connected with real-life situation, the learner constructs the meaning of their experience and then act in a meaningful way to bring about changes in the world.

Constructive learning provides the students with opportunities where they not only gain information in the classroom but become capable of comprehending that information, relate it with real experience and apply that knowledge outside the classroom. It presents the students with problem based tasks where the prior skills and knowledge of students are activated, new ones are acquired and their creativity, critical thinking and rational thinking skills are stimulated. It discourages rote learning and encourages original contribution of the students where students work individually as well as in groups and create something new. Constructive learning demands the students to do independent research which makes them accountable for their own learning process. Independent learning is a key for active engagement of the students in the teaching learning process where a love for learning is instilled in them. They learn to integrate their learning into their daily lives thus making their way of living more efficient and useful.

Students learn to reflect on their strengths and weakness, find ways to work on them and strive to attain all round development of their personality. A plethora of career opportunities have mushroomed in the millionaire giving rise to cut throat competition. Acquiring the important 21st century skills of communication, collaboration, creative thinking, critical thinking, rational thinking, problem solving abilities through constructive learning experience will not only ensure

individual development and progress of the students but lead to them becoming contributing members of the society at a global level.

Differentiated Instruction

by Sanchalita Mullick

Just as everyone has different fingerprints, every student has their own way of learning. Chances are, not all your students can understand a topic in the same way or share the same skill level. So how can the lessons be properly delivered to meet everyone in the classroom? Consider differentiated instruction, which is why you are here, a strategy you might have about but have not explored.

In this video, learn exactly what it means, how it works, and the pros and cons of it. What is Differentiated Instruction then? Differentiated instruction is defined as first factoring the specific learning styles and preparation levels of students before developing a lesson plan. Research on the efficacy of distinction demonstrates that a wide variety of students, from those with learning disabilities to those deemed to be of high capacity, benefit from this process.

Differentiating instruction may involve teaching all students the same content using a variety of instructional techniques, or it may enable the instructor to provide lessons based on each student's skill at varying levels of difficulty.

Teachers who practice differentiation in the classroom may:

• Design lessons based on the learning styles of students.
• Group students by mutual interest, subject, or capacity for assignments.
• Assess the learning of students using formative evaluation.
• Manage the classroom to build an atmosphere that is healthy and welcoming.
• Evaluate and change lesson material constantly to meet the needs of students.

There are four ways to differentiate instruction. They are content/ process/product/learning environment

The benefits of differentiation in the classroom are often accompanied by the discomfort of an ever-increasing workload. Here are a couple of variables to bear in mind.

The Pros are: For high-quality students as well as students with mild to serious disabilities, research shows that differentiated instruction is effective. And students take more responsibility for their own learning when learners are having more choices about how they can learn content. Students also tend to be more interested in learning, and in classes where teachers have distinct lessons, there are reportedly less disciplinary issues.

The Cons are: Differentiated teaching requires more effort during the preparation of classes, and often teachers struggle to find spare time in their schedule. The learning curve can be high and there are no professional development opportunities in some schools.

This was all about differentiated instruction today. Hope you enjoyed my video. Stay tuned!