Models of Teaching- Chapter 11

Saphier, J., Haley-Speca, M.A. & Gower, R. (2008). The Skillful Teacher: Building Your Teaching Skills, (6th Edition). Carlisle, MA: Research for Better Teaching.

In chapter 11 of “The Skillful Teacher, the authors recognize that it is the responsibility of teachers to always actively seek knowledge for more effective ways to teach their students. In Chapter 11, the authors examine the various models of teaching which form under different families of thought: Information processing, Social, Personal, and Behavioral. A model of teaching is a pattern or instruction that is recognizable and consistent. The authors state, that the different forms of models acts as a design for planning lessons to achieve two outcomes: the teaching of content and the teaching of a particular way of thinking. The authors identify that models of teaching provide a way for teachers to be more articulate and precise about implicit learning students take from instruction. This allows students to reach a higher level of intellectual experiences in school. I feel the concepts outlined in chapter 11 can be applied to my classroom. Like discussed throughout this chapter and the readings from Moore that there must be a fine line between the different strategies used within the classroom. I truly believe there is no perfect way of teaching; there are only more effective ways to increase the learning capabilities and knowledge of the students.

Using Indirect Teaching Methods

Using Indirect Teaching Methods

Moore, Kenneth D. Effective Instructional Strategies. Chapter 6: Using Indirect Teaching Methods

As discussed in Chapter 5, Moore continues to identify the two approaches to teaching: direct and indirect in Chapter 6. The direct approach strategy emphasizes focused, teacher directed instruction, whereas indirect involves students actively engaging in their own learning. The indirect teaching approach places students at the forefront of obtaining knowledge, as the teacher acts as guided facilitator. The author identifies three forms of the indirect teaching approaches: discussions, discoveries, and inquiry. Advantages and disadvantages of the indirect teaching approach are examined.

I am currently at the point in my classroom setting where I have been able to learn and understand how my students function and learn. This chapter was very insightful to me because I wanted to use the indirect teaching strategy throughout this school year, but I did not have the proper knowledge to partake in such a strategy. As I strive to help push my students into higher levels of thinking and learning, I see myself incorporating some of the heuristic methods in my classroom. The most appealing heuristic method was the modes of discovery and inquiry because they represent problem solving. As I move into my Geometry Concepts term, I can visualize my active participation as the facilitator and motivator as my students engage in real life mathematical problem solving. Like the direct teaching approach, indirect teaching teachers play a vital rule in how learning will take place. I think it very important to find the balance between incorporating direct and indirect teaching strategies.

Using Direct Teaching Methods

Moore, Kenneth D. Effective Instructional Strategies. Chapter 5: Using Direct Teaching Methods

In Chapter 5, Moore identifies the two approaches to teaching: direct and indirect. The direct approach strategy emphasizes focused, teacher directed instruction, whereas indirect involves students actively engaging in their own learning. The author examines the direct teaching approach, sometimes called systematic teaching or active teaching as a teacher-centered skill-building model. In the direct teaching approach, teachers stand as the major information provider. The reading suggests that it is the responsibility of the teacher to guide their students to learn how to learn and gain transferable knowledge. The author identifies three types of students and their basic learning needs: students who can learn on their own, students who need some learning support, and students who need a lot of learning support. The chapter goes on to discuss the skills methods, and procedures needed to address all types of student learners in order to maximize their transferable learning capabilities. The exposition method is identified. Exposition teaching with and without interaction is examined as a direct teaching approach. Exposition teaching is defined an effective way to covey a great deal of information in a short amount of time. The author identifies the strengths and weaknesses of this approach. The chapter later goes on to explain the art of questioning and how effective questions asked by the teacher is critical to a students learning.

I strive to be a better teacher by building the skills and gaining the knowledge needed to become a better instructor. This chapter was very insightful for me because I use the direct teaching approach in my math classroom. I lecture everyday and would categorize myself as using the exposition with interaction teaching approach. I possess the mindset that since I teach only a semester to one group of students, the amount of information that I must convey in such a short period of time, makes exposition teaching the most effective way in the first term. I understand that the key to exposition with interaction teaching is questioning. I admit that I can aggressively work on asking more effective questions to my students. I am currently stuck at the level of asking narrow questions to recall information previously taught. This chapter has effectively identified what common pitfalls to avoid when asking questions to my students. I want to promote the integration of critical thinking into my lessons by asking broad questions about math concepts. I plan incorporating these higher level of questions into my classroom by planning questions through the Mental operation question system which categorizes questions as factual, empirical, productive, or evaluative, this moving my students up the ladder of Bloom’s.

Article Critic - Assessments

Cai, Jinfa. U.S. and Chinese Teachers’ Constructing, Knowing, and Evaluating Representations to Teach Mathematics. Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 7(2), 135 – 169 Copyright ©2005, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

“Assessment of achievement through portfolios and teacher-made tests” is a study that critically assesses the achievement of English as foreign language (EFL) students. This study addresses the probable correlation between the scores of portfolio assessment and teacher-made standard tests. In recent years, numerous scholars have debated or joined the “bandwagon” of what is considered to be the most effective and efficient measurements of student achievement, whether standard based teacher-made tests, multiple choice tests, or portfolio assessments there are successes and pitfalls within each. This journal article analyzes the emotional and academic impact portfolios have on EFL students. The subjects of the study were 60 Iranian sophomores in high school. The study compares the assessment of achievement through both teacher-made tests and portfolios for the experimental group, while through teacher-made tests only for the control group. The study concludes that portfolio assessment scores strongly correlate with those of the teacher-made tests, thus making portfolios a promising testing and teaching tool for teachers in EFL classes. The study goes on to claim that portfolio based assessments in conjunction with teacher-made tests can be used to provide the continuous, ongoing measurements of students’ growth helpful for formative evaluation.

As a first-year teacher this article was extremely relevant to how I measure my students’ achievement and progress. Although language and mathematics have completely different aspects of assessment, I found that portfolio-based assessments would allow my students to understand their strengths and acknowledge their weaknesses. The portfolio adds a since of ownership and responsibility to the students. The article hits on one important thought that traditional measures of achievement tend to focus on the possession of knowledge, whereas portfolio-based assessments judge the ability to apply knowledge. Within in my classroom, I experience this dilemma between the possession and application of math concepts. Some students just possess the knowledge but do not have the ability to apply the knowledge in such things as word problems. I am interested in learning more about portfolio-based assessments in the math realm.

Article Critic - Standard Based Lessons

Barootchi, Nasrin, &, Keshavaraz Mohammad,. (2002). Educational Research Journal, Vol 44. No. 30, 279 -288. Assessment of achievement through portfolios and teacher-made tests.


The study, “U.S. and Chinese Teachers’ Constructing, Knowing, and Evaluating Representations to Teach Mathematics” takes a strategic and critical look at academic lesson plans from the Western World and Eastern World. The purpose of this study is to investigate U.S. and Chinese teachers’ conceptions and constructions of representations in mathematics instruction. It was evident that differences would be found in the study not only academically, but also culturally. The study attempts to compare and analyze the difference between U.S. and China’s standard aligned lesson plans, mathematical approaches to problems, and approaches to student understanding. The study compared the fluid and diverse math lesson plans of the U.S. to the detailed and unified math lessons of China. The study examined the differences and similarities between U.S. and Chinese teachers and students. It was evident that differences would be found in the study not only academically, but also culturally. The study attempts to compare and analyze the difference of unified standard aligned lesson plans, mathematical approaches to problems, and approaches to student understanding. The study contributed to the understanding of the cross-national differences between U.S. and Chinese students’ mathematical thinking. The study also contributed to the understanding of the teachers’ beliefs in from a cross-cultural perspective.


I found this study to be very intriguing on a personal level and now as a member of academia. The study was very informative as it looked at the facts of how students in China perform and how students in the U.S. perform. The study opened up my eyes to the cultural differences that students and teachers from the U.S. and China have. One aspect of the study that I think should have been addressed more is the idea of respect. In my opinion, many students in the U.S. have lost the respect for their teachers and their education. It seems to me as a high school teacher, materialistic things are valued higher than education, while in other parts of the world education is everything. I have learned that teacher actions determine student actions. In my opinion, students have more to learn than just national academic standards. There is no perfect way to teach, but results matter. I think American teachers can learn from the Chinese and vice versa.