Models of Teaching

There are many different models of teaching. These models can help teachers tailor their instruction to meets the needs of their diverse learners. Despite having many of the same characteristics, the different models of teaching are unique in their own way. Each model of teaching will primarily fall into four different families. For the next few pages we are going to take a look at these models and the families they fall in.

The first family is called the information-processing family. This family uses techniques that deal with organizing information and problem solving. The first technique we will look at is called inductive thinking. Inductive thinking is all about analyzing data and concept creation. Hilda Taba is regarded by many as a pioneer in the work of inductive thinking. Bruce Joyce has also made many contributions to this technique. Inductive thinking can be used across curriculums and ages. It requires students to make a hypothesis and test that hypothesis in connection with sets of data that have been organized by the student. The next technique in this family that we will look at it is concept attainment and rightly so based on its close relationship with the inductive model. Concept attainment, as the name implies, is all about helping students learn concepts. It is based on the work of Jerome Bruner and it was adapted by Fred Lightfall and Bruce Joyce (Joyce, Weil, & Calhoun, 2009).

The next model we will examine within the information-processing family is the picture-word inductive model. This model is based on the work of Emily Calhoun. This technique is based on research that shows how students acquire skills in the area of print literacy in addition to showing the development of listening-speaking vocabularies. It is important to note that this model also incorporates the models we discussed in the previous paragraph. Depending on the needs of your students, this model can be used with different age groups. Joseph Schwab was one of the main pioneers in the word of scientific inquiry. This is the next model that will be discussed within the information-processing family. When teachers use this technique they hope to bring students into the scientific process and help them gather and scrutinize data. This is a great model to use when introducing young students to the scientific process and it makes gender differences minute (Joyce et al., 2009).

Mnemonics is the next model in the information-processing family that will be discussed. Based on the work of Michael Pressley, Joel Levin, and Richard Anderson, this strategy is used to assist students in regards to assimilating and memorizing information. It is all about helping students absorb the information they are taught. Synectics is the next model in this family and William Gordon is one of the key developers. It can be used in secondary and elementary settings and it assists individuals in regards to problem-solving and writing activities as they relate to topics across an array of fields. The last model in this family is advance organizers. This model helps students understand material presented through various avenues. Cognitive structure is at the heart of this model. David Ausubel is a pioneer in this work (Joyce et al., 2009).

The next family of models that will be discussed is the social family. The models within this family take advantage of something called synergy which is the collective energy generated by a group of people working together. Partners in learning is the first technique we will look at. Simply put, partners in learning, is all about cooperative learning and the success that can come when people work together. Partners in learning can be incorporated across subjects and ages. It can be used to improve social skills and self-esteem. The pioneers in this work are David Johnson, Roger Johnson, Margarita Calderon, and Elizabeth Cohen. The next model in this family is group investigation. John Dewey and Herbert Thelen are the main developers of this technique. This model deals with the direct teaching of the democratic process. This model can be used with a range of subjects and ages. This model can be a great aid for students who are delving into academic and social problems. The teacher's role when using this model is to help students define problems and explore the different viewpoints within the problem (Joyce et al., 2009).

Role playing is the next model and Fannie Shaftel is the key pioneer in this area. Role playing is unique because it allows students to see and understand the role they play in various social interactions. It is also an important model because teachers can use it to literally show students how to effectively solve problems. Role playing also gives students the skills they need to collect and organize data in regards to social issues (Joyce et al., 2009). This model can force students to take roles they may have never considered or thought of and because of this students may grow socially and academically.

The last model in the social family is jurisprudential inquiry. While many of the models we have previously discussed can be used across different subjects and ages, this model will be used primarily in the social sciences and at the high school level. The teacher's role in this method is to guide students through a detailed study of social issues. These social issues might be at the community, state, or national level. They can even be at the international level. This model is centered on the case-study method that is seen in legal education (Joyce et al., 2009). It is easy to see how jurisprudential inquiry and role playing belong within the same family. The role playing perspective, which is obviously present in role playing, is also clearly seen in jurisprudential inquiry when students are required to not only identify issues related to public policy but determine ways to deal with these issues.

The next family to be examined is the personal family. The two models in the personal family are nondirective teaching and enhancing self-esteem. Nondirective teaching is based on the work of Carl Rogers. The model is drawn from theories from the field of counseling. The teacher's role in this theory is to help students take control of their educations by teaching them how to set goals and what actions need to be initiated in order to reach those goals. It is the teacher's responsibility to help the student keep up with their progress throughout their endeavors. The teacher has to be careful regarding the role they play with the student because they want to be that of an advisor while not taking on a decision making role for the student. This is because ultimately you want the student to be in charge and held responsible for their decisions. This model can be used across many different settings. It can be used in to base whole school programs around or it can be implemented when helping students plan independent or cooperative study projects. The final model in the personal family is called enhancing self-esteem. It was developed by Abraham Maslow with redeveloping efforts by Bruce Joyce. The teacher's role when using this model is to help students in 4^th through 12^th grade who have lost confidence in their abilities. This multidimensional approach deals primarily with reading (Joyce et al., 2009).

The final family we will look at is the behavioral systems family. The first model within this family is mastery learning. It was developed by Benjamin Bloom and James Block. As far as academic goals are concerned within the behavioral systems family, this model presents one of the most common applications within the system. The student takes the information they want to learn and organizes it based on how difficult it is. The material is then presented to the individual through various means and the student will be tested on the material after being exposed to it. If the student shows mastery on the test, they will move on to the next skill. If mastery is not obtained then students will go back and relearn the skill. The next model is called direct instruction. Pioneers in this model include Tom Good, Jere Brophy, Carl Bereiter, Ziggy Engleman, and Wes Becker. Direct instruction is based on research that was done on effective and less than effective teachers. The theory of social learning also plays an important part in this model. Guidelines for this model include direct statements of objectives and activities related to those objectives. The teacher's role in this theory also includes monitoring the progress of their students and giving feedback regarding achievement. The final model in this family that will be discussed in detail is based on learning from simulations (training and self-training). The simulation model is based on the work conducted by the theorists who developed cybernetic principles. Simulations involve not only teaching skills but reinforcing the skills through the use of demonstration, practice, and feedback. Real-life situations are at the core of simulations. In the classroom it will be the teacher's job to create a realistic environment so students can gain skills in authentic surroundings. It is important to note that social learning and programmed schedule are also parts of the behavioral-systems family. Albert Bandura is a pioneer for the former and B.F. Skinner for the latter (Joyce et al., 2009).

Personal Application

As a reading teacher there are many models that I can use in my classroom. I want to briefly touch on the ones that are most suited for the learning environment I want to create. Regarding the information-processing family, the picture-word inductive model would be a great learning tool to implement in my classroom. Sight vocabulary is vital regarding a students skills in reading and writing. This model takes the development of this skill head on. There are a variety of instructional and nurturant effects when it comes to the picture-word inductive model. Instructional effects range from self-teaching capacity to conceptual control over reading and writing. Nurturant effects include becoming a culture of readers and learning collaborative skills. The role I will take in this model involves scaffolding the student to accomplish in order to accomplish highly difficult tasks. It should be noted that this model can be used in the social sciences assuming sufficient reading skills (Joyce et al., 2009).

In regards to reading, most of the models in the social family are not well suited for that type of environment. The model within this family that would be the most beneficial would definitely be role playing. My middle school students love to get involved and take an active part in their learning. Role playing is a great tool for us to use when we are reading a story that has many complex characters. There are many times when my students cannot understand the decisions and actions of characters in certain stories. When we do role playing it gives them the opportunity to step in the shoes of those characters and see for themselves how they may have handled the situation. Sometimes they may handle a situation differently and then sometimes it is clear to them why certain characters do what they do.

At first glance the personal family may not seem like it has the models that would be useful in a reading class, but one of them is actually directly related to reading. Many of the students in my class do not take responsibility for their learning and actions. Nondirective teaching is a great model to use for students like this. As has already been explained, nondirective teaching gives the teacher the opportunity to place the plan of action and responsibility in the students lap. If the teacher carries out the plan in the way it is intended, students will gain metacognition skills that are vital to all learning endeavors. Developing positive self-concepts, as has already been mentioned, is directly related to teaching reading. This model is extremely useful for a teacher like me. A lot of my students have very little confidence regarding their reading skills and this model is all about bringing success to these students (Joyce et al., 2009). Confidence is so important in all aspects of life. Without confidence individuals who possess the skills to be successful in certain endeavors will undoubtedly fail to reach their potential in said areas without confidence. As a reading teacher, there is no reason that a negative self-concept should ever hold a student back from becoming a good reader.

Finally, mastery learning is one of the most useful models I can use within the behavioral systems family of models. Each day I am working with students who have limited reading skills and in order for me to teach the skills I need I have to use somewhat of a progression. By that I mean we have to start at the bottom, sometimes the very bottom of the ladder and work our way up. There is no way my students will ever acquire the skills they need unless I first make sure that the prerequisite skills are present. Mastery learning gives me the opportunity to implement a model that takes all of this into account. Mastery learning helps me make sure that prerequisite skills have been attended too and that the student is ready to go on to higher order skills.

Each model of learning from each family offers its own unique perspective to learning. It is absolutely essential that we study the different models to determine what techniques are the most effective for our classroom. It is also important that we understand these models so that we can use them in combination with each other to produce better results. While one model might seem to offer its own set of advantages, it is easy to see how using a combination of models could produce better results in the classroom.

References

Joyce, B., Weil, M., & Calhoun, E. (2009). Models of teaching (8^th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.