There are varieties of learning and teaching approaches and techniques nowadays. In different education levels and academes, each teachers, instructors, and professors has their own preference of strategy in teaching the students. In this case, they may assume that the strategies they are using are the one they think is most effective for the student to learn.
However, not all assumed strategies of these teachers, instructors, professors succeeded, such that, t5he students learned their lessons very well. There are times that in a class, there are only few who could understand the style of the teacher, or in worse case scenario, there could be no one who understand the teacher.
It is probably because the persity of the human being. Each student has his or her own uniqueness of understanding and learning. Could you think of teaching 30 students in a class with different attitudes, races, and cultures? It might be really hard for the teacher to adapt to each of the students for in fact, the teacher only encounters the students first time in his class. In a class whose students are from different walks of life, it is hard to use only one strategy, what if the majority could not adapt to this learning strategy? The lessons being taught by the teacher is useless because the students do not learn what the teacher wants them to learn.
Amidst this dilemma are the established and emerging different approaches in learning and teaching. These strategies are for the instructors to use and to be their pattern and guide in teaching the students in their class.
Some of the instructional strategies are the direct instructional strategies, indirect instructional strategies, interactive instructional strategies, independent study instructional strategies, and experiential instructional strategies. These are only common instructional strategies. There are still research-based strategies and approach that are newly discovered and experimented in different academes in the world.
Each of the strategies has different characteristics, methods, and applications. Not to deal too much with each of one, one of these strategies could be considered as the best for some particular circumstances and situations.
If I would to use an instructional strategy, I would prefer the indirect instructional strategy. This strategy is centralized to students in terms of the way of teaching. It could be considered as combined interactive and conventional way of learning. The attitudes and interpersonal skills of the students are being developed. The long-term memory learning and retention of concepts could also attain when the indirect instructional strategy is applied into teaching.
One specific form of indirect strategy is the concept mapping. It is done to correlate the different ideas and concepts being discussed. The relationship of those subject matter are clearly shown by doing different activities so that the students will be able easily understand the relationships of the concepts. Aside from that bunch of ideas could be summarized and recap for a review for the students.
In terms of solving problem approach, it could be a group or partner work for the first round of the exercise. After the output of a team work, then, it could already be an inpidual work. This time, this is to test their ability and what they have really learned, and if they have really learned the lesson being discussed. In this case, the decision-making of the students could be tested such that participation and exchange of ideas, from pros and cons, could also be manifested and attained.
Aside from concept mapping and problem solving, another way of indirect instructional strategy is the relative discussion. It is also a way of teamwork or working with partner to discuss the specific topic that is still needed for further elaboration. This is also to tackle the vague part of their previous discussion so as to make it clear.
Another one, which also falls under the indirect instructional strategy, is the concept attainment. This time, the process of teaching is inductively given, in such a way that there are specific examples given on the discussion for clearer understanding of the lesson. It is also way of developing the understanding skills of the students in particular topics. This could also be related to the Elaboration Theory of Sequencing. It is a way of ensuring the student’s knowledge about the subject matter through giving different examples related to only one topic. This show the trickery and persity of the subject that should be understood by the learner.
In this case, I would prefer this strategy because it is a merge of interactive and theoretical way of learning things. An inpidual involved in this way of teaching would not only develop his general knowledge but would also develop his potential as a member of the society. It is because one learns how to adapt with different people. He learns how to communicate and work with other students. While the social skill of the person is being developed, the independency also matters in this kind of strategy. One is only dependent on himself of understanding the lesson no matter how group mates or partner he has. It is because the group and partner work is only for a while and not permanently done, so, one is automatically out of choice but to understand the lesson himself.
Moreover, the indirect instructional strategy is a good way of testing how the students learned the lesson. It is not an ordinary lecture type such that the teacher would spoon-feed almost all the information to the student. In this way, the students enhance their reasoning skill and critical thinking towards a particular topic or discussion. They are tend to be more depth, unlike other students who think a box is just a box, nothing more, nothing less. Students are also enhancing their expression and communication skills. This is to say that they should know how to express their ideas while others could comprehend what he is saying. In expressing your ideologies and ideas, you should straight to the pint and be specific and use the most appropriate word in speaking. All these skills of the students could be developed using the indirect instructional strategy.
In a nutshell, this type of instructional strategy, the teacher or instructor would only guide and facilitate the students as they learn the topic. The students are the ones who are the main element of this strategy and the instructors as the support character. This is a good way of teaching and learning for me, since I could see the essence of working and socializing with other people, because in the world of professional, this is what we must have, the social ability.
There are particular situations and circumstances that the indirect instructional strategy is most effective to use. One example is when there is less bond and unity of students in the class. Since this strategy is particular with group work and partnership, then, the tendency of the students is to learn to communicate and work with his other classmates. This is to show them and to teach them the values, interpersonal skills, and attitude, in such a way that the concept of needing other’s help is present and clearly shown.
Another situation is that when students do not clearly understand the subject matter. Some students are shy of asking question to the instructor of facilitator during the discussion. It might be an intuition of them that they would appear funny or maybe they are shame of not understanding the lesson. As a result, they just tend to keep it, though they do not really understand the lesson. Indirect instructional strategy is the best way to use to elaborate more and discuss further the lessons that are did not understand fully by the students. There is such relative discussion with group of other students. In this case, one would not be shy of asking question because they are all students and are in the same level. The questions could also be addressed by the group and not by an inpidual alone.
However, like other strategies, it has also some negative sides and disadvantages. For example, one of these is the student might dominate the class alone since it is a student-centered strategy. In this case, the teacher should be sensitive enough to monitor the students class while the discussion is ongoing.
Another one disadvantage is that the students would not always click each other’s attitudes and views. Since the indirect instructional strategy has more group work and partner works, there could be some arguments and conflict between the students with different views. In the first case, the outcome of any discussion and activity might not be so good instead of working it very well since the members of the group who work are not vibes with each other. This is to say that one person would not always go along with the other person. Students in the group might not like each other or the other member of the group.
The tendency of this scenario is that the student who is being disliked by the group might isolate himself from the other students, such that the effect is not good psychologically and emotionally. In the second case, ideology of one could be different from the ideology of the other. In this case, it could ignite arguments and conflicts between the member of the group or between the partners. It is not always an assurance that the members of the group or the partners would always click on what they are doing. It could start a gap between students if they would not take it professionally.
In these cited disadvantages, the teacher or instructor should always be sensitive, vigilant, and alert of the status and what is happening to the students to avoid such conflict and misunderstanding in the class.
Therefore, when using this indirect approach, there should always be guidelines to follow. The different methods I have metioned before, I would use that in every specific circumstances like what I have also presented in the first part of the paper. To use this strategy, the class that I would handle, I should also observe first if they really fit to this strategy. Any instructor should know first the pre-requisite of the strategy that he would use, and that pre-requisite are the students that the instructor would be handling.
Reference:
- Retrieved August 15, 2007 from the Worl Wide Web: http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/physed/physed2030/instruction.html
- Retrieved August 15, 2007 from the EDPY 489 Module on the World Wide Web: http://www.quasar.ualberta.ca/edpy489/modules/edpy489_10_Strategies.htm