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How can I direct and facilitate a variety of learning experiences for all students?

Each student is unique and has a different learning style, so providing a range of learning

methods and experiences is important to facilitate full comprehension and retention.

Mathematics is commonly taught using a direct approach, lecturing and modeling a skill, guiding

students through practice problems, and then providing independent practice. When presenting

new skills, this approach is effective and concise, but I worry that the monotony of this type of

learning method day after day is not effective for engagement or retention. Bandura discusses the

effectiveness of modeling by stating that, "because people can learn from example what to do, at

least in approximate form, before performing any behavior, they are spared needless errors"

(Bandura, 1977, p. 22). In Math, students tend to get overwhelmed and discouraged when they

make a mistake, so I can use direct instruction to minimize those mistakes through modeling.

Not all students will excel with this type of instruction; therefore, many students will lose

interest. When students are not interested in the topic that they are learning, they are much less

likely to remember it or apply it.

Inductive methods provide the students with the opportunity to discover what they are

learning through questioning, hypothesizing, analyzing, and hands-on activities. Students learn to

work with their peers by engaging in critical thinking in order to solve problems. Whenever

possible, I think that Math teachers should utilize this type of learning method. Inductive

methods introduce students to group work and also begin to nurture the social skills required for

students to become autonomous learners. TPE 2.1 states that educators should, "promote

students' social-emotional growth, development, and individual responsibility using positive

interventions and supports, restorative justice, and conflict resolution practices to foster a caring

community where each student is treated fairly and respectfully by adults and peers" (California
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Commission on Teaching Credentialing [CTC], 2016, p. 13). These social skills need to be

developed before students can participate in cooperative or collaborative learning.

Cooperative learning takes the structure of direct instruction and the social aspect of

inductive methods and allows students to master specific roles within the group dynamic.

Cooperative learning is structured and explicit, but it allows for more autonomy for the students.

They learn how to work together in different roles in order to accomplish a common goal. There

are, "five elements of cooperative learning that distinguish it from other forms of group work: 1.

positive interdependence; 2. face-to-face promotive interaction; 3. individual and group

accountability; 4. interpersonal and small group skills; 5. group processing" (Pitler & Stone,

2012, p. 161). These social skills are essential for the success of cooperative learning, and they

need to be explicitly taught before students can be expected to perform them. As the students

master these social skills they grow closer and closer to autonomy, which prepares them for

collaborative learning. Collaborative learning is similar to cooperative learning, but the most

essential difference is that students are responsible for their own learning. "Students organize and

negotiate efforts themselves... they decide when the work is complete" (Dr. Kane, 2017). In order

for collaborative learning to occur, the teacher must prepare the students to take on the

responsibility of their own learning.

The progression of these learning methods parallels Vygotsky's Gradual Release of

Responsibility Model. The crucial teaching aspect is preparing the students for each step,

socially, emotionally, and cognitively. Teachers should encourage students to become more

independent learners; it facilitates metacognition, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and

socio-emotional maturity. TPE 4.7 states that teachers should, "plan instruction that promotes a

range of communication strategies and activity modes between teacher and student and among

students that encourage student participation in learning" (California Commission on Teaching

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Credentialing [CTC], 2016, p. 16). Teaching students using a variety of learning experiences

allows them to acquire necessary academic and social skills to become life-long learners. They

will become more confident, independent, and competent, attributes that transfer to any activity

or situation.
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References

Bandura, A. (1977). Origins of Behavior. In Social Learning Theory (p. 16-55). Englewood

Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Burden, P.R., & Byrd, D.M. (2016). Methods for effective teaching: Meeting the needs of all

students (7th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

California Commission on Teaching Credentialing (CTC). (2016). California Teaching

Performance Expectations, TPE 2 & 4, p. 13-16.

Fisher, D., & Frey, N. (2008). Better learning through structured teaching: A framework for the

gradual release of responsibility. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Pitler, H., & Stone, B. J. (2012). A handbook for classroom instruction that works (2nd ed.).

Alexandria, VA: ASCD.