Standard 3: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
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Standard descriptor 3.3.1: Include a range of teaching strategies.
Long has the question circulated, "what constitutes a good teacher?". My personal philosophy of teaching is that of Williams and Williams (2011); everyone is able to learn but it is finding the right motivation that allows for effective teaching and learning to take place. This motivation is correlated with the incorporation of a range of engaging teaching strategies as evident in my Year 2 Mathematics lesson on map references (Pawar, 2017).
The lesson was based on the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model where I first modelled the concept of reading a map and then involved the students in a class discussion using a think-pair-share. Students actively participated sharing ideas reflecting on own understanding, promote reasoning and gain new understandings from peers in a social environment based on Vygotsky's theory of social constructivism (Ritchhart & Perkins, 2008; Hertzberg, 2012).
Another strategy I used is the Learning Intention and Success Criteria. They are an important part of the lesson as they tell the learner what the “intended outcome of the lesson” will be and the
expected “result of the lesson” for self-assessment at the end of the lesson (Crichton & McDaid, 2016; Paige, Lambert & Geeson, 2017).
I elicited students’ knowledge from previous lesson using an anchor chart of terminology or statements of learning so that they may be able to apply learnt content to this lesson (Killeen, 2016). I revisited direction by having the students go outside as a Physical Activity Break and play a direction game. This allowed students to calm themselves following recess so that it sets the classroom tone and also links content to reality as it replicates giving directions to a driver in a car (Delk, Springer, Kelder & Grayless, 2014).
As part of individual practice, I used the classic Battleship game. A game of memory, logic and strategy. The game engaged the students as they tried to guess where their opponents’ ships were positioned but also learning how grids work. It developed students’ problem-solving skills in an engaging context that they will come across later in life and teaches skills that are transferable to other Key Learning Areas (Killeen, 2016). Students used this skill in the Geography unit on People and Places to locate points on a map using map references.
Adhering to my initial teaching philosophy, effective teaching and learning is about finding the right motivation. The more engaging lessons I implement using a range of teaching strategies such as Physical Activity Breaks and game-playing, the better the motivation of the students to learn.
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