Nine Instructional Strategies

"A child is not a vessel to be filled, but a lamp to be lit".

The book Classroom Instruction That Works by Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering, and Jane Pollock has identified nine instructional strategies that are most likely to improve student achievement across all content areas and across all grade levels. These strategies are:

1. Identifying Similarities and Differences
The ability to break a concept into its similar and dissimilar characteristics allows students to understand (and often solve) complex problems by analyzing them in a more simple way

2. Summarizing and Note Taking
These skills promote greater comprehension by asking students to analyze a subject to expose what's essential and then put it in their own words.

3. Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition
Effort and recognition speak to the attitudes and beliefs of students, and teachers must show the connection between effort and achievement.

According to research, recognition is most effective if it is contingent on the achievement of a certain standard. Also, symbolic recognition works better than tangible rewards.

4. Homework and Practice
Teachers should explain the purpose of homework to both the student and the parent or guardian, and teachers should try to give feedback on all homework assigned.

Research shows that students should adapt skills while they're learning them. Speed and accuracy are key indicators of the effectiveness of practice.

5. Nonlinguistic Representations
According to research, knowledge is stored in two forms: linguistic and visual. The more students use both forms in the classroom, the more opportunity they have to achieve. Recently, use of nonlinguistic representation has proven to not only stimulate but also increase brain activity.

6. Cooperative Learning
Research shows that organizing students into cooperative groups yields a positive effect on overall learning.

7. Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback
Setting objectives can provide students with a direction for their learning. Goals should not be too specific; they should be easily adaptable to students' own objectives.

8. Generating and Testing Hypotheses
Research shows that a deductive approach to this strategy works best. Whether a hypothesis is induced or deduced, students should clearly explain their hypotheses and conclusions.

9. Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers
Cues, questions, and advance organizers help students use what they already know about a topic to enhance further learning.