Six Questions for Strategic Teaching

"How you teach not only has a dramatic effect on what students learn but also on how students learn to think," author Harvey Silver told his Fall Conference audience today.

Effective strategies are versatile, build skills, and help students learn content. As part of his interactive presentation, Silver suggested six questions to ask when selecting the right strategy for the learning task:

• How does the strategy fit into unit design?
• What learning styles does the strategy engage?
• What facets of understanding does the strategy develop?
• What hidden skills does the strategy build?
• How does the strategy incorporate research on instructional effectiveness?
• What types of knowledge does the strategy teach?

A common approach to strategic teaching can help schools move from conversations about "us" and "them" to a culture of "we," Silver added.  

How do you select teaching strategies?

Go to the Strategic Teacher group on ASCD EDge to download presentation materials and chat with other strategic educators.