[QM Rubric Standards #3.1, #4.1, #5.1]

Instructional Strategy

"A teaching technique is a discrete, specific teaching activity. Lecturing, leading discussions, setting up small group work all are teaching techniques.

An instructional strategy, on the other hand, is a set of learning activities, arranged in a particular sequence so that the energy for learning increases and accumulates as students go through the sequence. This usually requires, among other things, that you set up some activities that:

(a) get students ready or prepared for later work,
(b) give them opportunities to practice—with prompt feedback—doing whatever it is you want them to learn to do,
(c) assess the quality of their performance, and
(d) allow them to reflect on their learning.

To assist in this, the diagram below can help you develop a sequence of in-class and out-of-class activities.

I affectionately call this the “Castle Top” diagram (Figure 7). The question marks ask you to identify the learning activity for each in-class and out-of-class block of time.

The goal is to create a sequence of activities that build on each other."

FOR IN PERSON OR HYBRIDS...

Figure 7 The Castle Top Template for Creating an Instructional Strategy.JPG

Fink, L. Dee, A Self-Directed Guide to Designing Courses for Significant Learning, page 27

FOR FULLY ONLINE...

See Also: The Nine Instructional Events of a Class/Unit