The Interview

7 February 2012                    Tips for Effective Exposition of Language Arts
Prepared by:                           K. D. Womack
Interviewed Educator:          Dr. J. Haviland
Years of Experience:             9 years teaching secondary education students

Teach writing through universal design to benefit all learners. All students need the opportunity to practice skills for future mastery. Provide multiple models across learning styles.

Use the Ralph W. Tyler method: Anything you want to teach needs to be taught through repetition with increasing expectation for increased sophistication. (For instance, each time the Diamante Poem is a part of the lesson plan students should, through instruction, adhere to the poem’s format. Teacher’s expectations of the students’ newest draft are understood for improvement.)

*Four parts of Tyler Rationale:
 1. What educational purposes should the school seek to attain?
(Defining appropriate learning objectives.)
2. How can learning experiences be selected which are likely to be useful in attaining these objectives? (Introducing useful learning experiences.)
3. How can learning experiences be organized for effective instruction?
(Organizing experiences to maximize their effect.)
4. How can the effectiveness of learning experiences be evaluated?
(Evaluating the process and revising the areas that were not effective.)

Use the George Hillock method:      1. Provide a model     2. Identify rules/Understand expectations   3. Practice       4. Share           5. Peer feedback         6. Revise         7. Publish

Possible way to view method in segments:
Objectives – expectations
Opening - provide a model
Introduction to new material - recognize specifics in model
Guided practice -practice model , share, peer feedback
Independent practice – revise/practice
Assessment – publish most recent draft
(Use as an informal assessment until students have had a fair amount of practice.)
Peer feedback:
Editing is essential to becoming a better writer. Editing can be done orally or in fairly detailed written responses. Students can learn from their peers once guidelines for editing are communicated by instructor.


Use the Jerome Bruner method: a constructivist approach through spiral curriculum for learning and teaching. (Bruner coined the term scaffolding.) Activate students’ prior knowledge on a subject. Establish relationship between previous and new knowledge. Stimulate student interest with curiosity. Create tailored learning experiences to motivate learners. Provide opportunities for students to make real-world connections. 

*Bruner’s four key themes for The Process of Education: 

- the role of structure in learning and how it may be made central in teaching
- readiness for learning  
- intuitive and analytical thinking
- motives for learning

Educators should know the complexity level of material being taught to determine expectations and the amount of time to spend on model and practice. (For instance, learning the rules of manipulation for Sonnets takes more time than learning how to produce a Limerick Poem.) Teachers judge the level of expectation before moving on. It is fair to move on if 80% of the class has mastered the skill. Provide supplemental support for the remaining 20%. Other opportunities will be presented for student progress throughout the school year. Repetition of material may occur in September, November and March for additional exposure and practice.

The months listed are an example of the frequency material may reoccur in an academic year. As a current or future teacher, adjust the material as you see fit for your learners.

*Resources used to prepare the tips above:
http://www.infed.org/thinkers/bruner.htm
http://www.learning-theories.com/discovery-learning-bruner.html
http://fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/~daniel_schugurensky/assignment1/1949tyler.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Hillocks,_Jr.