Describe the importance of the using a variety of instructional strategies and the value they add to education of students in the 21st century. Evaluate the role technology plays in the implementation of various instructional strategies. How will this impact your teaching of students in the 21st century?
The cartoon to the right represents a feeling that many teachers harbour and think about fairly often. Learning the art of education and continuing to mold and change my views on how to deliver the best instruction often leads me back to the the thought of why adolescents are not designed to simply "do what the teacher says." Unfortunately, the task is not quite that easy. Students are complex human beings just like the adults that teach them. Therefore, implementing various instructional strategies such as drill-and-practice, presentation, problem-based learning, discussion, simulation, among others, reflects as a critical technique of any educator. Varying instructional strategies keeps students motivated and benefits different learners at different times, overall benefitting each and every learner equally.
Technology also plays a substantial role in implementing these instructional strategies for the 21st-Century learner. The students we are educating today are quite different from those of past decades, also known as digital immigrants. Today, students are digital natives and have been born into a technologically enhanced lifestyle. Instead of learning technology as adults, they have lived the technology since childhood. Technology can assist in the implementation of instructional strategies such as drill and practice through the use of educational math software that allows students to "drill" problems and see immediate results. Technology can also enhance cooperative learning and discussion through the use of collaborative learning software as well as blogs and discussion forums that encourage educational discussions.
There exist an endless number of possibilities for incorporating technology into an educator's teaching strategies. I feel that technology will allow me to enhance my teaching strategies in the content area of dance to allow for students to enhance critical thinking skills by videotaping students as they progress through learning their dance technique. The students in the video below are using drill-and-practice to enhance their tendu and pirouette skills in ballet. The video could be used as a tool for analysis and a basis for potential discussions.
