Leveling the Playing Field: Models of Teaching

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Leveling the Playing Field Models of Teaching

• Linda S. Behar-Horenstein, Ph.D.
• Distinguished Teaching Scholar and Professor
• Department of Educational Administration and
  Policy
• University of Florida
• Diane Archer-Banks, Ph.D.
• Program Coordinator
• UF Alliance
• College of Education

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Imagine the conversation

• Classrooms where teachers carefully explained to
  students what and how they were going to teach
  and told students exactly what they wanted
  students to be able to do as a result of their
  teaching-learning interactions.

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Imagine the sense of sharing

• The feeling that you were going to be part of
  something bigger than you.
• The sense of excitement of learning something new
  -- that you could almost taste it.

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Imagine

• The feeling of empowerment

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Schools as places that students longed to attend
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Overview

• Models of teaching
• Benefits, limitations
• Questions for critical reflection

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What are Models of Teaching?

• Prescriptive strategies to guide planning and
  instruction
• Supported by research based-evidence

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Models of Teaching

• Detailed overview of how to teach
• Role of instructor
• Type of classroom structure
• Ways teacher supports student efforts

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What are Models of Teaching?

• Provide common language to discuss facets of
  instruction common across all classrooms among
  administrators and teachers.

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What are Models of Teaching?

• Conceptual frameworks grouped by purpose and
  intended outcomes into 4 families.
• Promote awareness about how individuals and
  collective faculty teach.
• Helps students learn how to learn.

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What are Models of Teaching?

• Eliminates differences due to gender,
  race/ethnicity, socio-economic status.
• Increases probability of learning certain
  skills/knowledge.

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FAMILIES OF TEACHING MODELS
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INFORMATION-PROCESSING FAMILY

• Enhances making sense of new information.
• Help students learn how to construct knowledge.

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Information-processing models An example

• Fourth grade students seated around a center.
  Jack Jones, the teacher, lights a candle and
  places a jar with 6 inch circumference over the
  candle. The candle burns out.
• He repeats this exercise several times with jars
  of varying circumference and places them over
  lighted candles.
• He tells students, Now we are going to develop
  some ideas about what just happened.

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SOCIAL FAMILY

• Uses group inquiry and problem-solving
  strategies.
• Encourages assimilation and understanding.
• Relies on students personal and social values.

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Social models An example

• Janie Hrocks 12th grade class begins with a
  videotape of a court room scene. A mother is
  fighting to prevent a father from having time
  together with their 9 year old daughter. Parents
  have joint custody.
• As the case proceeds Ms. Hrock asks students to
  document the issues and their questions.
• Following the tape, the students describe issues,
  defend positions and ask questions.

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PERSONAL FAMILY

• Emphasizes self-actualizing, self-awareness,
  directing destinies.
• Exploration and reflection about goals or future
  careers.

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Personal models An example

• Terrace Banks 6th grade students enter Language
  Arts classroom on first day of school. As they
  take their seats, Banks tells students to write
  about what they want to be when they grow up and
  asks to them to explain why.
• After about 30 minutes, students share essays
  aloud. As students read, Banks asks them what
  skills they think they will need to enter chosen
  professions.

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BEHAVIORAL FAMILY

• Develop mastery in subject matter or skills
  acquisition.
• Seeks specific behavioral changes.
• Measurable outcomes.

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Behavioral models An example

• Lem McCoys 4th grade students arrive to class
  and find a quiz on their desks.
• Students are given 100, 1 by 1 digit
  multiplication problems. McCoy tells them to
  complete as many correctly in 5 minutes are they
  can.

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• Explicit use of teaching models can accelerate
  rate of learning, capacity and facility in
  learning.

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TEACHER BENEFITS

• Improves the quality of instruction.
• Systematic approach to planning for instruction.

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TEACHER BENEFITS

• Facilitates awareness about students learning
  needs.
• Assess impact of instruction.
• Offers alternative ways of representing
  content/skills.

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TEACHER BENEFITS

• Develop learning experiences that yield
  successful outcomes.
• Facilitates student engagement in more meaningful
  ways.

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STUDENT BENEFITS

• Increases aptitude for learning and retention.
• Learn more rapidly.
• Facilitates different kinds of learning.

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STUDENT BENEFITS

• Builds academic self-esteem.
• Acknowledges characteristics and aptitudes.
• Promotes student awareness of how they will be
  taught and what changes are sought.

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Caveats

• Do not replace pedagogical expertise
• subject matter knowledge
• creativity
• interpersonal skills
• No model is effective for everyone
• Some methods increase or diminish desired
  outcomes

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WHY USE MODELS OF TEACHING?

• Meet learning needs of heterogeneous groups.
• Varied outcomes, different levels of
  sophistication.
• Repertoire of approaches.

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Questions for Critical Reflection

• What models do you use during instruction?
• What other approaches do you want to use?

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References

• Anusavice, S. H., Behar-Horenstein, L. S.
  (2005). Looking into classrooms
• Student achievement, student absenteeism, teacher
  efficacy, and teacher
• Instruction of highly mobile students in
  specialized and traditional
• school settings. Curriculum and Teaching 20,
  15-39.
• Behar-Horenstein, L. S., Ganet-Sigel, J. G.
  (1999). The Art and Practice of
• Dance/Movement Therapy. Needham Heights, MA
  Pearson Publishing
• Solutions. 209 pp.
• Behar-Horenstein, L.S., Seabert, D. M. (2005).
  Looking into
• classrooms Teachers' use of models of teaching.
• Educational Practice and Theory 27(1), 49-66.

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References

• Joyce, B. Calhoun, E. (996). Creating Learning
  Experiences The Role of Instructional Theory and
  Research. Alexandria, VA Association for
  Curriculum Development and Supervision.
• Joyce, B., Weil, M., Calhoun, E. (2004). Models
  of Teaching. 7th ed. Boston Allyn Bacon.

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Dr. Linda Behar-Horenstein

• Distinguished Teaching Scholar and Professor
• University of Florida
• Lsbhoren_at_ufl.edu
• [phone],
• Ext. 299