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| "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead. |
| TECHNIQUES USED IN STUDENT-DIRECTED TEACHING |
Teaching Styles are part of a system where the student tells the teacher what they need from the teacher to have successes in learning. There are 5 Teaching Styles the students may choose. Each Teaching Style has its own set of guidelines for both the teacher and student to work most effectively. The 5 Teaching Styles are,
If a student is not exhibiting the characteristics of the Teaching Style they have chosen they are required to make a new choice. Students have 61/2 seconds to prove to the teacher the Teaching Style they have chosen is the correct style for them or they need to make a new Teaching Style Choice.
In all Teaching Styles the teacher will create a unit plan using objectives. This plan details the work that is to be completed in small bite size pieces, using language that the students can understand and includes the time required to complete each days tasks. This unit objective time-line will have a certain number of objectives that must be completed within a class or go home for homework. Students must be equivalent or ahead of the Command or Task group in order to choose Peer-Partner, Student-Teacher Contract or Self-Directed. If they fall behind, their only choice is between Command or Task.
Teaching Styles involves a great deal of choice for students who are capable of learning more independently while still providing formal instruction for those who need it. The five Teaching Styles incorporate the individual learning styles of students. It becomes the responsibility of each student to choose the Teaching Style that works best for them. The choice is never not to work, the choice is how to work.
A very high percentage of students are capable of a much greater degree of independence then many teachers thought possible.
Teachers who have used Teaching Styles in their classrooms have reported a decrease in the amount of time needed to complete a unit, increased class averages, reductions of discipline problems and an enhanced relationship with parents.
Students working in the Command or Task styles will have their time organized for them by the teacher. However, Peer-Partner, Student-Teacher Contract and Self-Directed students need to be able to organize their own time. We know the program is working when we see the students understand the importance of staying focused, showing high engagement, compacting objectives and maximizing their learning. The students become true learners, not just good students.
Students working in Peer-Partner, Student Teacher Contract and Self-Directed organize their own time. These students will experience the instructional process as initiators of instruction rather then merely recipients of it. They receive no formal instruction unless they ask for it. They may decide to listen to some or all of the formal instruction given to the Command and Task groups.
The numbers of students that fall into each Teaching Style is not important. The fact that the students understand how they learn and have the opportunity to exercise that ability in making decisions is truly the most important thing.
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