Strategies -Based Instruction
Strategies-Based Instruction
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Strategy instruction is an educational approach that demonstrates to students the methods for acquiring necessary content or skills. This practice offers clear strategies, like note-taking and thinking aloud, to assist students in processing, retaining, and communicating the knowledge they acquire. It prioritizes learners and consists of two main elements: (1) explicitly teaching students strategies to facilitate language learning and language use tasks, and (2) integrating strategies into daily class materials, either explicitly or implicitly. The first element is often taught independently and referred to as strategy training, strategies instruction, or learner training. The second element focuses on incorporating strategies into classroom language tasks. Teachers may start with a particular set of strategies to emphasize, and design activities to introduce and reinforce them.
The purpose of this approach is to help students become more aware of their most effective learning methods and how to enhance their target language comprehension and production (Andrew D. Cohen, Tao-Yuan Li, 1996).
Importance of Strategies-Based Instruction
The importance of Startegi-Based Instruction is that it encourages students to take greater responsibility for their learning by discovering and utilizing learning strategies that best suit their needs and preferences. Moreover, they develop confidence as they identify and employ strategies that align with their unique learning styles. In addition, this approach fosters autonomy, enabling learners to acquire a new language independently using their personalized strategies rather than relying solely on teacher instruction. (Yin Ze-Sheng, 2008).
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Several scholars and studies have emphasized its significance in language education:
1. Strategy instruction allows students to "take more responsibility for their learning and become effective learners" (Chamoy and Rubin, 1994)). By explicitly teaching strategies and embedding them in language tasks, teachers can guide students toward more conscious and efficient learning practices.
2. It was found that "strategy-based instruction could significantly improve Chinese EFL learners' use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies in EFL reading" (Zhang and Lu, 2014). This suggests that strategy instruction can lead to meaningful improvements in students' language skills and comprehension.
3. It emphasizes the role of strategy instruction in individualizing learning experiences, stating that it helps learners "become more effective by taking into account their own preferences, purposes, and goals" (Oxford, 1990, p. 10). This tailoring of strategies to students' needs can result in more effective language acquisition.
4. In another study by Oztürk and Güneş (2018), strategy-based instruction was found to have a positive effect on students' language learning strategies, autonomy, and self-efficacy. The researchers argue that strategy instruction helps learners become more aware of their own learning processes, leading to more effective strategy use and greater autonomy.
Examples of Strategies-Based Instruction in various fields.
Strategies-based instruction has been applied across various fields and disciplines, providing learners with effective tools to enhance their learning, problem-solving, and performance.
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Here are some examples that demonstrate it:
Language learning: In their book "The CALLA Handbook: Implementing the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach," Chamot and O'Malley (1994) provide a comprehensive framework for implementing strategies-based instruction in language learning contexts. They outline strategies to help learners improve their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.
Mathematics education: In a study by Verschaffel (1999), strategy instruction in mathematics was found to positively impact students' problem-solving abilities. The authors emphasize the importance of teaching students various problem-solving strategies and providing them with opportunities to practice these strategies in different contexts.
Science education: In an article by Marulcu and Sobral (2017), the authors highlight the importance of explicitly teaching students strategies to help them analyze data, draw conclusions, and communicate their findings.
Reading comprehension: Reciprocal Teaching is a well-known strategies-based approach in reading comprehension instruction (Palincsar & Brown, 1984). This method involves teaching students four strategies – predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing – to enhance their comprehension and engagement with texts.
Writing instruction: In a meta-analysis of strategy instruction in writing, Graham and Perin (2007) found that teaching students various writing strategies, such as planning, drafting, and revising, led to improvements in their writing quality and overall writing performance.
These examples demonstrate the versatility and effectiveness of strategies-based instruction in different fields and disciplines. By explicitly teaching learners various strategies and providing them with opportunities to practice these strategies in context, educators can help students develop essential skills and become more effective learners.
Putting Strategy Instruction into Practice
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Implementing strategy instruction in the classroom necessitates careful planning. Kyle Redford considers ‘focusing on cognitive strategies, metacognitive strategies, or both, while incorporating five key elements’(2015):
Identify and prioritize: Determine an area where your students struggle within the curriculum. Select a strategy that addresses this issue, such as employing mnemonics to assist with memorization challenges. Choose a strategy that can address this issue, such as using mnemonics to help with memorization difficulties.
Integrate the strategy into class activities or assignments: Teach the strategy within the context of a relevant activity or assignment, emphasizing its value and motivating students to master it. For example, when teaching the order of operations in math, introduce the mnemonic "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally" to help students remember the sequence.
Explicitly and sequentially model the strategy: Introduce the strategy, explaining its purpose and benefits to engage students. Demonstrate each step clearly, using explicit instruction and think-alouds to show your thought process. Break the strategy into manageable parts and practice each separately to avoid overwhelming students, especially those who learn and think differently.
Facilitate strategy internalization through practice: Provide ample opportunities for students to practice the strategy, starting with simpler examples and gradually increasing difficulty. Allow students to apply the strategy in various contexts, such as using mnemonics for memorizing the order of planets in science. Offer specific, positive, and corrective feedback during practice, and encourage reflection and self-assessment to help students become fluent with the strategy.
Support and reinforce the strategy: Be prepared to reteach, remodel, and remind students of the strategy steps, offering continued corrective feedback as needed. Discuss the strategy's broader applications in other subjects and life tasks to encourage transfer and generalization. Actively promote the use of strategies in diverse activities and assignments, helping students apply them across different learning situations and real-life contexts.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Pros
- Promotes self-regulated learning: it helps students develop self-regulation skills, enabling them to take responsibility for their own learning and become more independent learners (Zimmerman, 2002).
- Enhances metacognitive awareness: By explicitly teaching cognitive and metacognitive strategies, this approach heightens students' awareness of their thought processes, which can lead to better understanding and retention of information (Hartman, 2001).
- Improves problem-solving skills: it equips students with a repertoire of strategies that can be applied to various problem-solving situations, fostering their ability to tackle complex tasks (Swanson, 1990).
- Increases motivation and engagement: When students learn effective strategies and experience success in applying them, their motivation and engagement in learning can increase (Pressley et al., 1992).
Cons:
- Time-consuming: Explicit instruction and modeling of cognitive and metacognitive strategies can be time-consuming, potentially limiting the amount of content covered in a given timeframe.
- Teacher training requirements: Effective implementation of strategies-based instruction requires teachers to have a deep understanding of cognitive and metacognitive strategies, as well as the skills to model and scaffold their use effectively.
- Possible cognitive overload: For some students, explicitly teaching multiple strategies simultaneously may lead to cognitive overload, hindering their ability to effectively apply the strategies.
- Challenges in assessment: Assessing the acquisition and appropriate use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies can be complex and may require alternative assessment methods beyond traditional tests.
Authentic contexts to use strategies-based instruction
Authentic contexts play a crucial role in strategies-based instruction, as they provide meaningful and relevant situations for students to practice and apply the cognitive and metacognitive strategies they have learned. Here are some key points about the use of authentic contexts in strategies-based instruction.
1. Real-world tasks and problems: Strategies are taught and practiced in the context of real-world tasks and problems that students might encounter in their daily lives or future careers. This helps students see the relevance and applicability of the strategies (Bransford et al., 2000).
2. Project-based learning: Strategies-based instruction can be effectively integrated into project-based learning approaches, where students work on authentic projects that require the use of various cognitive and metacognitive strategies.
3. Case studies and scenarios: Realistic case studies and scenarios can be used to present authentic contexts in which students can practice applying the strategies they have learned.
4. Field experiences and internships: Strategies-based instruction can be reinforced through field experiences, internships, or other immersive learning opportunities that provide students with authentic contexts to apply their strategies in real-world settings.
5. Multimedia and technology integration: The use can create authentic contexts for strategy application and practice (Kozma, 1991).
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