THE IMPORTANCE OF USING A VARIETY OF INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES IN MY TEACHING
A Reflective Essay by Sarah Smith
June 18, 2009

Teaching is about learners more than learning. The distinction between the two is subtle yet important. Learning is a process. Learners are the people implementing the process. I teach people. If I am to be an effective teacher I will always keep the person/learner in mind who I am teaching. Knowing my learner will compel me to reflect upon the best way to reach him/her. Instructional strategies are the ways I reach my learner. Learners are different; therefore instructional strategies to reach different learners will vary.

Instructional strategies begin with knowing your learner. Personal knowledge is key. Talking with parents while my students are still in the previous grade at different events during the school year allows me to know them and where they are coming from. Talking with students during mixed class activities and in the hallways or on the playground allows me to know students and reflect/ strategies to reach them before they ever enter my classroom.

As a teacher in a small Lutheran school, I have an advantage on this clearly important strategy of knowing your learner. My advantage is called the home visit. I gain a wealth of information about the student when I visit their home in August and talk with the student and parents. The personal touch is invaluable and allows for more open and clear communication with the parents during the school year as I continually reflect upon how their child learns best and how I can reach them. Compare/contrast to seventh and eighth graders whom I did not get to visit.

The better I know my student and parents by personal interactions, the more I will be able to discover the best ways they learn. Does the student love music? Like to sing? Does the student love Legos and blocks? Has the student been read to? Which affects their vocabulary, listening skills and attention span.

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