Effective Teaching: Balancing Quantity and Quality
I strongly believe that an effective teacher would find a balance between quantity of curriculum to review with students and quality of their learning experience because covering the instructional material or content quickly may compromise the quality of the learning experience (Stabile & Ershler, 2015, p.115). Furthermore, finding a proper balance between quantity and quality is critical to fostering comprehension, retention, and application of what has been learned to other content in class or real-life situations (Wolfson, Cavanagh, & Kraiger, 2014). When teachers attempt to cover every concept during class, they bring little or no value to the learning environment (Stabile & Ershler, 2015). Bombarding students with all information in book is likely to impede the quality of the learning experience - the students’ ability to retain, understand, and apply the content of the instruction (Stabile & Ershler, 2015, p.115). Lastly, the balance is important because students, particularly nontraditional learners, prefer learning things that are practical and relevant to real-life situations (Merriam, 2018).
Comparing Personal and Peer's Experience
When I compare my personal experience against my peer’s experience, I find consistency in balancing of instruction, material, and style across the two classes. There was a balance between the amount of information their students needed to know, understand, and apply and the quality of learning experience. For example, there was no racing - cramming too much content in a single slide or race through 45 slides in 45-minute blocks (Stabile & Ershler, 2015, p.115). However, my class had more continuity in finding the balance. In my class, the balance was continually repeated by chunking the course materials into smaller and more manageable sections. Moreover, both classes integrated a variety of instructional materials and techniques such as lecture, presentations, facilitated group discussions, and graphic organizers, which helped satisfy the different learning needs and styles exhibited in class (Willingham, 2018).
The 30-20-10 Principle and Participative Instruction Techniques
The use of the 30-20-10 principle worked well as it helped to amplify the instruction and enhance students’ learning. The principle helped integrate more participative instruction techniques and activities such as case studies, the KWL method, role plays, group discussions, and reflection. These facilitated better retention, comprehension, and application of the knowledge and skills that were imparted in the students. This observation is consistent with Stabile and Ershler’s (2015) assertion that "learning is more solidified in doing and reflecting – not listening to the lecture" (p.116).
Integrating Graphical Organizers for Contextual Learning
Another strategy that really worked well was careful integration of graphical into the instruction. The use of graphical organizers such as concept maps, Venn diagrams, and PowerPoint presentation made the teaching more task-oriented. Rather than promoting memorization of the course content and concepts, these tools helped to contextualize the learning experience, summarize and visualize the instructional material vividly, and sustain students’ interest in the class. The simplicity and attractiveness of these tools helped to cultivate students’ motivation and engagement in the learning activities.
Assessing Student Progress and Engagement
However, I think including more opportunities for assessing students’ progress and understanding of the course material would have made the instruction better. Ongoing testing would have enhanced reinforcement of new concepts by strengthening the neural connections of what has been learned (Soderstrom & Bjork, 2014). Lastly, I must acknowledge that the students were deeply engaged in the learning experience. The integration of applied practices (e.g. group discussions, role plays, questions, case studies) coupled with graphical organizers provided many opportunities for the students to actively engage in the instruction.
References
Merriam, S. B. (2018). Adult learning theory: Evolution and future directions. In Contemporary Theories of Learning (pp. 83-96). Routledge.
Soderstrom, N. C., " Bjork, R. A. (2014). Testing facilitates the regulation of subsequent study time. Journal of Memory and Language, 73, 99-115.
Stabile, C., " Ershler, J. (Eds.). (2015). Constructivism Reconsidered in the Age of Social Media: New Directions for Teaching and Learning, Number 144. John Wiley " Sons.
Willingham, D. T. (2018). Ask the Cognitive Scientist: Does Tailoring Instruction to" Learning Styles" Help Students Learn?. American Educator, 42(2), 28.
Wolfson, N. E., Cavanagh, T. M., " Kraiger, K. (2014). Older adults and technology-based instruction: Optimizing learning outcomes and transfer. Academy of Management Learning " Education, 13(1), 26-44.
