Planning for
Effective Teaching
Planning for Effective Teaching
Effective teaching MIGHT result in student learning.
Teaching and learning are not necessarily related. Consistently good learning rarely occurs without
effective teaching. The best, most effective, teachers are those who
establish conditions most conducive to learning. There are two basic types of conditions:
Basic desirable
Basic Conditions for Learning
Meaningful ApplicationManageable TasksExamples of Expected PerformanceOpportunities to Learn
Learning tasks should be related to situations with which students are now familiar or to those which they can reasonably expect to encounter in the future. Information and skills should be shown as useful to students.
Basic Condition:Meaningful Application
Basic Condition:Manageable TasksLearning tasks should be organized so that students have the prerequisite skills for what they are asked to do. Tasks should be arranged systematically and set at a difficulty level appropriate for the student.
Basic Condition: Examples of Expected Performance
Students should have access to examples which illustrate how tasks are to be performed. There should be examples of optimum, "error-free" performance (if possible) and examples of what is acceptable achievement in various situations.
Basic Condition:Opportunities to Learn
Students should be able to practice learning what they are expected to learn. This practice may take place in situations which are either identical, equivalent, or analogous to those situations in which students will need to apply or demonstrate what they have learned.
Basic Condition:Knowledge of Results
Students should have information on how well they are progressing. They need to be aware of the errors they make, how to go about correcting those errors, and the extent to which they are succeeding.
Desirable Conditions for Learning
Opportunities for ChoiceOpportunities for SuccessActive InvolvementSupportive Environment
Desirable Condition: Opportunities for Choice
Enabling students to make choices about what and how they learn encourages their participation in the learning tasks. If students lack opportunities to make decisions about their own learning, they will seldom take responsibility for it.
Desirable Condition: Opportunities for Success
Students should have more than one opportunity to complete a learning task successfully. They should be able to make errors without always facing a penalty for failure.
Desirable Condition: Active Involvement
Learning tasks should engage students and hold their attention. Students need not be entertained, but they should be able to participate actively in the learning process.
Desirable Condition: Supportive Environment
Students may be threatened or discouraged by what they are expected to learn. The instructional context should be such that they can get assistance in working through the problems they encounter.
understand what is expected of them are fully engaged in their work get recognition for their work learn quickly about their errors learn from their errors receive guidance for improvement work under a
suitable classroom atmosphere– class discipline– openness to learning
Teaching for learning is enhanced when students:
Basic Conditions for Learning(taken from an article of the same name by D. Rhodes)