“TEACHERS MUST BE VERY SKILLED, VERY AND
EXQUISITELY WELL-TRAINED, BECAUSE NEITHER
THE TEACHER NOR THE SURGEON CAN SAY :
‘EVERYBODY SIT STILL UNTIL I FIGURE OUT WHAT IN THE
HECK WE’RE GOING TO DO NEXT.’’
-MADELINE HUNTER
-Opening statement of Iroquoian Law
GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES
“We, the people, to form a union, to
establish peace, equity and order…”
Chief
Cannasatego
Iroquois
Confederacy
founded in
1500s
Six Indian
Nations
banding
together for
the common
good.
EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
Objectives:
 To gain an awareness of classroom instructional
strategies which have a positive effect on student
achievement.
 To gain an understanding of why each of these
instructional strategies are so effective.
Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based
Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement
by Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering & Jane Pollock
OVERARCHING CONCEPT
Relevance - In order for students to learn
something it must be relevant to their real lives.
 Engagement - In order for students to learn
something they must feel safe and be actively
engaged in the learning.

BRAIN THEORY
Memory = Connections


Nothing we learn can stand in isolation.
New learning has to be related to what we already
know.
HOW DO MESSAGES TRAVEL THROUGH THE BRAIN?
1. Survival
2. Emotions
3. Learning
Learning and Memory: The
Brain by Marilee Sprenger.
in Action
4 WAYS LEARNERS IN TAKE INFORMATION
Modalities of Learning
Teachers must…
Engage at least two of
these modalities
OR
 Engage one of these
modalities coupled
with an emotional
experience.

WHAT IS REAL LIFE TEACHING?
List of Prohibited Words
he
him
it
me
myself
their
us
whom
her
his
its
mine
our
them
we
you
hers
I
you
my
she
they
who
yours
WHAT IS REAL LIFE TEACHING?
RELATING THE SKILLS TO THE REAL LIVES OF STUDENTS.
Teacher A - PRONOUNS




Definition - A pronoun
takes the place of a noun.
Example Sentences
List pronouns
Identify pronouns by
underlining them in a
sentence.
Teacher B - PRONOUNS



List of pronouns posted
Students are asked to
complete a variety of
activities without using the
posted words.
 Tell something about
themselves.
 Write a sentence about
themselves
 Read a paragraph.
 Have a conversation.
Why are these words so
important in our language?
KEY STEPS FOR LONG TERM MEMORY STORAGE
The teacher
must carefully
think through
the
instructional
sequence and
build in
opportunities
for the
students to
interact with
the
information
in a relevant
and
meaningful
manner.
Active emotional
engagement appears
to be the KEY to
learning.
LEARNING = CONNECTIONS
Nothing we learn
can stand in
isolation.
New learning has to
be related to what
we already know.
Only the student
themselves can
make the
information their
own.
The teacher must
carefully think
through the
instructional
sequence and build
in opportunities for
the students to
interact with the
information in a
relevant and
meaningful
manner.
JUMBLES
When you
rearrange
the letters . . .
“SNOOZE ALARMS”
becomes:
ALAS! NO MORE Z’s
INSTRUCTIONAL
STRATEGIES
RETENTION RATE – AFTER 24 HOURS
Lecture – 5%
“Tell me and I forget.
Teach me and I remember.
Involve me and I learn.”
-Benjamin Franklin
Reading – 10%
Audio-Visual – 20%
Demonstration – 30%
Discussion – 50%
Practice by Doing – 75%
Teach Others/Immediate Use of
Learning – 90%
WHICH STRATEGIES GIVE TEACHERS THE
“MOST BANG FOR THE BUCK”?
What
Do You Think Are the
Most Effective Instruction
Strategies?
Classroom Instruction That Works:
Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement
by Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering, Jane Pollock
KEY STEPS FOR LONG
TERM MEMORY STORAGE
Making
Connections
(short-term memory
to working memory)
SETTING OBJECTIVES AND PROVIDING
FEEDBACK

Setting objectives gives students a direction for
learning.


Focus on the BIG ideas
Giving feedback keeps students moving in the
right direction.

Corrective; Timely; Specific
Students begin thinking
about where this new
information will fit into the
schemata of their brain.
NONLINGUISTIC
REPRESENTATIONS
Symbols
 Pictures
 Models


Mental Pictures – Imagery

Kinesthetic Activity
Connect words to pictures, actions, or images.
The brain needs imagery to store words.
Condensation
Students should be
involved in creating
their own
nonlinguistic
representations.
Water Droplet + Dust =
Cloud Formation
Precipitation
Evaporation
CUES, QUESTIONS AND
ADVANCE ORGANIZERS

Help students…
Retrieve, Use or Organize
…what they already know about a topic.

Educators must develop cues, questions and
advance organizers which…
Focus on the most important concepts/skills.
Require high level thinking skills.
Are well organized.
Used effectively they guide the thinking
process so learners can “see” how the new
information connects to their prior
knowledge.
How do each of the instructional
strategies listed below assist students in
making connections to new information?
Setting Objective and Providing Feedback
Non-linguistic Representation
Cues, Question and Advance Organizers
The teacher must plan with the end outcome in mind in
order to have the information, resources and questions
prepared to effectively guide students through the learning
process.
KEY STEPS FOR
LONG TERM
MEMORY
STORAGE
Relevance
Making it their
own.
(Working Memory to
Long-term Memory)
STUDENT INTERACTION

Allows students to…





Interact with one
another in order to
process their learning.
Discover new insights.
Catch misconceptions.
Practice using and
retrieving information
from their long-term
memory.
Be actively engaged in
their learning.
SUMMARIZING AND NOTE TAKING
Enhances students’ ability to recode and
reorganize information to make it their own.
 Summarizing helps students process the most
important information.
Summary Frames (Limits students to specific
questions/topics addressed in their summaries.)
 Describe the Lesson in 10 words or less


Note taking organizes important information to be
remembered.

Present students with a variety of note taking formats.
The best tools for identifying and understanding
the MOST IMPORTANT aspect of what they are
learning.
Why is it so important for students to recode new
information and make it their own?
How do the instructional strategies listed below assist
students in “making meaning” of new information?
Student Interaction
Summarizing and Note Taking
Learning
Using information
in new situations.
(Working Memory to
Long-term Memory)
AND
(Long-term Memory to
Working Memory)
KEY STEPS FOR
LONG TERM
MEMORY
STORAGE
HOMEWORK AND PRACTICE

The purpose of homework should be identified
and articulated
PRACTICE – structured around content with
which students have a high degree of familiarity.
I.



A skill needs to be practiced at least 24 times to
mastered.
Practice should be spread out over time.
Practice develops the conceptual understanding of a skill.
PREPARATION for New Content
III. ELABORATION on New Content
II.

Homework should contain feedback.
GENERATING AND TESTING
HYPOTHESES
When students explain their thinking they
deepen their understanding of concepts.
 Gives students practice using their new
knowledge in novel situations. (LEARNING)

THE PATH TO LEARNING
INFORMATION
ASSOCIATIONS
MEMORY
CONNECTIONS
THINKING
LEARNING
Behavioral
Instructional
Strategy
REINFORCE EFFORT
PROVIDE RECOGNITION


Reinforcing effort enhances students’ understanding of
the relationship between effort and achievement.
Recognition shows students that effort pays off.
REINFORCE EFFORT
PROVIDE RECOGNITION
Effort Rubric
4 = I worked on this task until it
was completed and viewed
difficulties as a way to
strengthen my understanding
of the concept/skill.
3= I worked on the task until it
was completed. I pushed
myself to continue working
even when difficulties arose.
2 = I put effort into the task, but
I stopped working when it
became difficult.
1 = I put very little effort into
the task.
Achievement Rubric
4 = I exceeded the objectives
of the task/lesson.
3= I met the objectives of the
task/lesson.
2 = I met some of the
objectives of the
task/lesson.
1= I did not meet the
objectives of the
task/lesson.
THE
Most
Effective
Instructional
Strategy…
IDENTIFYING SIMILARITIES AND
DIFFERENCES
Make new connections
 Experience new insights
 Correct misconceptions
Effective Forms





comparing /contrasting
classifying
creating metaphors
creating analogies
The brain stores information based on similarities.
The brain retrieves information based on differences.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0fJKvdjQgs
&feature=related
Are you a teacher or an educator?
Resources
Marzano, R., Pickering, D. & Pollock, J. ( 2001). Classroom instruction that works:
Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, Virginia:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Sprenger, M. ( 2005). How to teach so students remember. Alexandria, Virginia:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Spenger, M. (1999). Learning & memory: the brain in action. Alexandria, Virginia:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Teri L. Johnson
Director of Special Services
St. Michael-Albertville Schools
terij@stma.k12.mn.us