A Recipe for great Instruction : Effective Instructional Strategies for teaching the 21st Century Student

Like any good recipe there are key ingredients that can’t be overlooked or excluded.  Close your eyes and imagine your grandmothers best dessert that she makes for Thanksgiving for the past 20 years.  It’s a staple at the dinner table and everyone can’t wait to taste it because grandma’s a great baker.  Now imagine if she decided to add a new twist to her recipe and it changes the flavor.  Thanksgiving will probably never be the same or even worst grandma’s dessert may not be welcomed anymore.

Teaching incorporates the same ingredients as your grandma’s dessert.  The key ingredients and outcome shouldn’t change because of something new.  However, that new improvement should only be an enhancement.  Technology is the new ingredient to teaching.  Teaching and learning strategies should blend when creating an enhancement to instruction when incorporating technology. 

tutorsweb.com graphic of effective teaching strategies

To meet the needs of the 21^st century student educators must provide instructional strategies that support student growth and promotes growth through student engagement.  When students are engaged students yearn for more as they start to take ownership of their learning.  One effective strategy is creating a student-centered learning environment. Students have the ability to learn from each other and collaborate with their peers; another great strategy is Project-Based learning (PBL) which allows the student to apply real-world applications when learning a new concept.  Teachers can also create a flipped learning environment so all students can learn at their own pace and not feel rushed or inferior to their peers.  Instructors can incorporate interactive games to get real-time data on student growth or deficits.  Technology provides students with more choices to make learning possible for all.

When using various instruction strategies with technology instructors become cognizant of each individual student.  Instructors will create more diverse classroom environments to pay more attention on how students learn.  They will differentiate learning through activities that appeal to individual student learning style and each student’s level of understanding.   Great teachers like great bakers can make changes and still create that delicious dish.😉