TEC 538 - Module 2

Using a variety of instructional strategies in the classroom today is of great importance. Assuring that learners are truly learning information and are able to extrapolate the learned information in to real-life settings is the goal that I try to achieve while educating students today. Varied instructional strategies allows students in a classroom to have an opportunity to learn in his or her own learning style. Some learn by hearing, some by doing, some by seeing, and others require more than one strategy to grasp the objectives that are to be taught. Learning involves retention and understanding which can be achieved by linking a student's learning to the student's life experiences.
Technology can be integrated into lessons in different ways. When using teacher-centered instructional strategies such as presentations or demonstrations, technology can be used to enhance the presentation or demonstration by adding the visual and auditory aspects to what the teacher is already doing. This makes the information much more interesting to the learners, which, in turn, helps the learner to retain what is being taught. Integrating technology into student-centered instructional strategies is a simple task because 21st century learners are already using a lot of technology in everyday life. For example, learning games, simulations, and discussions can all be conducted online. Learners are already familiar with online activity so lessons that incorporate working online to learning will be of great value to these learners.
Teaching mathematics has always seemed to me to be a student-centered task. I choose to teach with a problem-based teaching/learning style or strategy. I present facts in short segments and then ask questions and present discovery opportunities to my students. I allow the students to ponder, research, and discover. Then I present a few more facts that shed a little light on the questions that my students have. I continue this cycle allowing students to use books, internet, graphing calculators, or other technology to come to a final conclusion. In the end, I review the presented information and recap what the students have discovered. An assignment is then usually given and the class ends with discussion.
I sincerely hope that students are gaining and retaining knowledge from the classes that I teach. I thoroughly enjoy teaching them and am eager to continue improving, learning and growing along with my 21st century students!