Instructional Challenges in the Classroom: An Interview with Dr. Walker

I sat down with my administrator, Dr. Melita Walker for an evaluation, and while we were chatting I was fortunate that she consented to be interviewed for my blog!  Dr. Walker is the principal of a large middle school with a diverse student population. Not only is she a fearless leader, but also has expertise in language arts and instruction. Therefore, my question to her was: What are the biggest challenges in language arts instruction today? What follows is a synopsis of her answer to this question.

Dr. Walker: “One of the biggest challenges in the English classroom today has to do with the delivery of instruction being too narrow. Our students are a diverse group of learners with different skills and backgrounds. In middle school, teachers are challenged to find different instructional strategies for struggling learners, students with developing executive functioning skills, and students that have not yet learned to advocate for themselves and their needs. Because of the changes in our society today, teachers need to change their teaching styles. What has worked in the past, old habits and old ways, will no longer work for our students. Society has changed and our practices need to change also. Teachers in the classroom need to focus on teaching 21st Century Skills, so that students can be successful in tomorrow’s world. Also, teachers should familiarize themselves with a variety of research-based instructional strategies, so that they can reach every student” (Dr. Melita Walker, personal communication, December 2nd, 2019). 

Dr. Walker is concerned that all her staff engage the students in learning. Not only are 21st Century skills evidently important to her, but also that teachers are using many instructional strategies. After our conversation, I looked up some resources to remind myself of the research. Ofcourse, that led me to Marzano:

TEN Effective Research-Based Instructional Strategies

Robert J. Marzano

Robert J. Marzano (2000) identified ten research-based, effective

instructional strategies that cut across all content areas and all grade levels.

1. Vocabulary: Research indicates that student achievement will increase

by 12 percentile points when students are taught 10-12 words a week; 33

percentile points when vocabulary is focused on specific words important to

what students are learning. Requires specific approaches. (Effect size=0.95

or 32 percentile points)

2. Comparing, contrasting, classifying, analogies, and metaphors:

These processes are connected as each requires students to analyze two or

more elements in terms of their similarities and differences in one or more

characteristics. This strategy has the greatest effect size on student learning.

Techniques vary by age level. (Effect size=l .61 or 45 percentile points)

3. Summarizing and note-taking: To summarize is to fill in missing

information and translate information into a synthesized, brief form. Note-

taking is the process of students’ using notes as a work in progress and/or

teachers’ preparing notes to guide instruction. (Effect size=l .0 or 34

percentile points)

4. Reinforcing effort and giving praise: Simply teaching many students

that added effort will pay off in terms of achievement actually increases

student achievement more than techniques for time management and

comprehension of new material. Praise, when recognizing students for

legitimate achievements, is also effective. (Effect size=0.8 or 29 percentile

points)

5. Homework and practice: These provide students with opportunities to

deepen their understanding and skills relative to presented content.

Effectiveness depends on the quality and frequency of teacher feedback, among

other factors. (Effect size=O.77 or 28 percentile points)

6. Nonlinguistic representation: Knowledge is generally stored in two

forms—linguistic form and imagery. Simple yet powerful non-linguistic

instructional techniques such as graphic organizers, pictures and

pictographs, concrete representations, and creating mental images improve

learning. (Effect size=0.75 or 27 percentile points)

7. Cooperative learning: Effective when used right; ineffective when

overused. Students still need time to practice skills and processes

independently. (Effect size=0.74 or 27 percentile points)

8. Setting objectives and providing feedback: Goal setting is the process

of establishing direction and purpose. Providing frequent and specific

feedback related to learning objectives is one of the most effective strategies

to increase student achievement. (Effect size=0.61 or 23 percentile points)

9. Generating and testing hypotheses: Involves students directly in

applying knowledge to a specific situation. Deductive thinking (making a

prediction about a future action or event) is more effective than inductive

thinking (drawing conclusions based on information known or presented.)

Both are valuable. (Effect size=0.61 or 23 percentile points)

10. Cues, questions, and advanced organizers: These strategies help

students retrieve what they already know on a topic. Cues are straight-

forward ways of activating prior knowledge; questions help students to

identify missing information; advanced organizers are organizational

frameworks presented in advance of learning. (Effect size=0.59 or 22

percentile points)

Works Cited 

Marzano, R. (2000). What Works in Classroom Instruction. Alexandria, VA. ASCD.