Component Four: Instructional Strategies

The most common source of strategies is Joyce, Weil, and Showers (1992) book Models of Teaching (first published in 1972). They identify ten strategies. Another source that contains strategies is Eggen, Kauchak, and Harder's (1979) book, Strategies for Teachers -- they identify four strategies (also identified in Models of Teaching).

Other books and articles exist on specific strategies: e.g., Buzan (19 ) and Marguilles' work on Mind Mapping; the Johnsons' (1990) work on the essential attributes of effective group work; the Sharans' (1992) work on Group Investigation; and Novak's and Gowin's (1984) work in Concept Mapping. Other strategies exist related to specific subject or learning areas: e.g., Palinscar and Brown's work related to Reciprocal Teaching; and Madden, Slavin, and Stevens' work re Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC) and Slavin Madden and Leavey's (1986) work re Team Accelerated Learning in Mathematics etc. Although extensive, the list of theory based instructional strategies is far less than that of instructional tactics and instructional skills.

Like instructional tactics, teachers are aware of when they are employing instructional strategies; most likely because strategies are complex processes, and involve steps or have components. They involve organization and on- going thinking on the part of the teacher and the students. Although the purpose of this paper is not to focus on the research that supports or does not support any particular skill, tactic, and strategy, the researched effect does becomes a critical issue when we try to understand why educators take specific actions related to the application of various skills, tactics, and strategies. The research often being contradictory or ill-conceived related to an understanding of the teaching and learning process. In summary, the research base on instructional skills is extensive, although not that supportive related to the effect they have on student learning. The research on tactics is almost non-existent. The research on instructional strategies is extensive and most strategies report meaningful or powerful effects on student learning (see Johnson and Johnson, 1990; Rolheiser-Bennett, 1986; Sharan and Shachar, 1988; Slavin, 1990; Pressley, Levin, & Miller, 1981.

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