The modern teacher’s instruction of lessons shouldn’t evolve by accident. But, for most of us, that’s how lessons evolve. We use an additive model.
We believe we have our own unique way of teaching. We make an adjustment in a lesson here, “experiment” there. Sometimes an increase in student learning occurs, but no one is sure which of what we did results in that increase. So, we repeat what we were doing until we come up with another trial, all the time hoping for more changes in learning.
Believe it or not, some teachers instruct lessons that all learners learn as do the most accomplished people in society. They accelerate, increase, and deepen (AID) learning routinely. You can do so too, if you so choose.
1. A year around view of instruction
Consider using a learners’ view of teaching as your go-to foundation for instruction. A learners’ view is of choices learners make on the shortest and fastest path to learn your lessons.
You can use it to organize a 50 minute class lesson, or to reduce, say, instruction of a prerequisite skill to a single 10 to 20 second lesson. A learners’ view can be used to show learners how to complete simple or complex tangible or intangible tasks.
In the process, optimize your professional confidence with demonstrated learning rate changes – and recognition – when you adopt these Rules of Teaching: Digest of a Learners’ View of Teaching as you have whenever someone learns one of your lessons. A gentle reminder, these rules are extrapolations to procedures teachers use when learners learn lessons. Extrapolations occur from commonalities across over a century of experimental behavioral and sociological research as principles of learning.
2. Choose a data-based model
Fundamentally, teachers have two choices, whether or not to use a data-based model for instructing lessons. Other choices for instruction extend from these two choices. Fewer steps between research data and your model for instruction increases your chances of students learning your lessons.
3. Direct instruction
Is there anything more classic or simple than direct instruction? It’s like the gray suit of business, always present when completing a deal or lesson successfully. (OK maybe a gray suit is not as apparent in Silicon Valley and Seattle, unless you work in a bank.) Ask your dentist how she learned to perform her diagnostics and fix your tooth ache; ask your mechanic how she learned to fix your car; and ask your technician how she learned to find and remove the virus that blocked you from using your computer. They all learned from direct instruction of tasks to perform in order to learn all of the information and procedures to help make your life more efficient, easier, and more comfortable.
Edited: August 16, 2017