Notes on StrategiesBy: Candice M. de Ausen

01.05.10FHM Honduras

Content Objectives: Select learning strategies appropriate to a

lesson’s objectives Incorporate explicit instruction and student

practice of metacognitive and cognitive strategies in lesson plans

Recognize the value of scaffolding instruction and identify techniques to scaffold for verbal, procedural, and instructional understanding

Language Objectives: Identify language learning strategies

to use with students Discuss the importance of asking

higher-order questions to students of all proficiency levels

Write a set of questions with increasing levels of

difficulty on one topic

BackgroundInformation is

retained and connected in the brain through “mental pathways” that are linked to an individual’s existing schema.

Background If schemata are well-

developed and personally meaningful, new information is easier to retain and recall, and proficient learners initiate and activate their associations between new and old learning.

Learning Strategies Mental processes that enhance

comprehension, learning, and retention of information

Special thoughts or behaviors that individuals use to help learners comprehend, learn, or retain new information

Strategies Teaching students

many self-regulating strategies improves student learning and reading Self-regulated learning

improves autonomy and control by the individual who monitors, directs, and regulates actions toward goals of information acquisition, expanding expertise, and self-improvement

3 Types of Learning StrategiesMetacognitive

StrategiesCognitive

StrategiesSocial/

Affective Strategies

Metacognitive StrategiesMetacognition

process of purposefully monitoring our thinking

Metacognitive Strategies Characteristics:

Matching thinking and problem-solving strategies to particular learning situations

Clarifying purposes for learning

Monitoring one’s own comprehension through self-questioning

Taking corrective action if understanding fails

Metacognitive Strategies Use of these implies

awareness, reflection, and interaction

Strategies used in an integrated, interrelated, and recursive manner

When taught explicitly, improves reading comprehension

Metacognitive Strategies Characteristics:

Matching thinking and problem-solving strategies to particular learning situations

Clarifying purposes for learning

Monitoring one’s own comprehension through self-questioning

Taking corrective action if understanding fails

Cognitive Strategies Help students organize the

information they are expected to learn through the process of self-regulated learning

Directly related to individual learning tasks and are used by learners when they mentally and/or physically manipulate material, or when they apply a specific technique to a learning task

Examples of Cognitive Strategies previewing a story before reading establishing a purpose of reading consciously making connections

between personal experiences and what is happening in the story

taking notes during a lecture completing a graphic organizer creating a semantic map

Social/Affective Strategies Identified as the social

and affective influences on learning

Learning can be enhanced when people interact with each other.

Examples: group discussion cooperative learning group

to solve a problem

Continuum of Strategies (Muth and Alvermann, 1999)

Teacher-Centered

Teacher-Assisted

Peer-Assisted Student-Centered

Lecture Drill and Practice Role Playing Rehearsal Strategies Repeated Readings Selective Underlining Two-Column Notes

Direct Instruction Discovery Learning

Peer Tutoring Elaboration Strategies Mental Imagery Guided Imagery Creating Analogies

Demonstration Brainstorming Reciprocal Teaching

Organizational Strategies Clustering Graphic Organizers Outling

Recitation Discussion Cooperative Learning

Strategies Ultimate goal: students to develop

independence in self-monitoring and self-regulation through practice with peer-assisted and student-centered strategies

Many ELs have difficulty taking an active role in using strategies because they are focusing their energy on developing their language skills.

Therefore, it is important for SI teachers to scaffold to provide opportunities for them to use the strategies.

Suggested Behaviors for Teachers: Focusing attention selectively; that is, focusing on

the big picture and most important information Situating new learning in context; that is, building

on what students already know and what is familiar

Applying self-monitoring and self-corrective strategies to build and expand a knowledge base; that is, knowing how to “fix-it” when comprehension is impeded

Evaluating one’s own success in a completed learning task; that is, self-assessing one’s competence and knowledge

Suggested Behaviors for Teachers: Recognizing the need for

and seeking assistance appropriately from others

Imitating the behaviors of native English speakers to complete tasks successfully

Knowing when to use native language resources (human and material) to promote understanding

REMEMBER:Strategies

should be taught through explicit instruction, careful modeling, and scaffolding.

DYAD/TRIAD ACTIVITY: Facilitator will call on some participants to

choose their partners. Choose a strategy stated in the hand-out. Show the audience how this is going to be

done. Use any medium you want to use. Be creative.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes Presentation Time: 3 minutes

Approaches: Mnemonics

memory system involving visualization and/or acronyms

Examples: ROYGBIV – for the colors

of the rainbow Every good boy does fine.

– for the notes on the staff

Approaches: SQP2RS

Surveying – scanning the text to be read for 1 to 2 minutes

Questioning – having the students generate questions likely to be answered by reading the text, with teacher guidance

Predicting – stating 1 to 3 things students think they will learn based on the questions that were generated

Reading – searching for answers to questions and confirming/disconfirming predictions

Responding – answering questions and formulating new ones for the next selection of text to be read

Summarizing – orally or in writing summarizing the text’s key concepts

Approaches: PENS

Preview Ideas Explore Words Note words in a

complete sentence See if sentence is okay

GIST Get the gist of the story

Approaches: Rehearsal Graphic Organizers Comprehension

Strategies prediction self-questioning monitoring determining importance summarizing

Scaffolding Techniques: Verbal

Paraphrasing Using “Think-Alouds” Reinforcing

Contextual Definition Procedural Instructional

graphic organizers

Questioning: Move from literal to

critical Students write their own

questions before they use the internet

Consciously plan and incorporate questions to promote linguistic thinking

Reference: Echevarria, Jana, Vogt, MaryEllen,

Short, Deborah J. Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners: The Siop Model, 2nd ed.