Effective Instruction

Educators face the challenge of teaching the general education curriculum to students at diverse learning levels within the same classroom. The use of research-validated instructional methods is the most powerful tool for teachers to target the specific needs of individual students. The goal of improving student achievement is contingent on the rigorous use of these effective teaching principles.

Instruction is the purposeful design, implementation, and evaluation of student learning toward a specific goal. Specifically, effective instruction involves the organization of content, the selection of appropriate learning activities, and the ongoing assessment of student progress toward learning objectives. It is the one variable in the classroom that we control. The goal of effective instruction is to improve student achievement and produce independent, self-regulated learners. Critical to the teaching and learning process are these four knowledge and skill areas:

1. Stages of Learning: Teachers match instructional practices to the student's current stage of learning, which may range from initial acquisition to independent use of learning.
2. Categories of Knowledge: Effective instruction includes simple knowledge forms and complex knowledge forms delivered through teacher-directed lessons.
3. Principles of Effective Instruction: Teacher-designed instructional opportunities are grounded in principles of effective instruction.
4. Effective Instructional Strategies: Teachers select and match instructional strategies to learning objectives and student needs.

Effective instruction must also include these important components:

• Lesson Plans Linked to PA Academic Standards: Instruction is based or referenced to the Pennsylvania Academic Standards and Benchmarks or the Preschool Targets from the Early Childhood Learning Continuum Indicators. The priority of instruction is the knowledge and skills necessary for students to demonstrate proficiency towards specific benchmarks at the basic, proficient, and advanced levels.
• Ample Instructional Time: Effective instruction requires sufficient practice for skill mastery. Ample time must be allocated to cover content, and teachers must make good use of allocated time by actively engaging students in the learning process.
• Flexible Grouping and Materials: Effective instruction ensures students have the opportunity to move among learning groups which best correspond with their current performance level. Curricula materials and instructional programs are research validated and carefully matched to student needs.