The instructional strategies standard is important for ensuring that teachers both understand and use best practice within the classroom. Teachers should encourage students to deeply engage with the content material and draw on cross curricular and life connections. By modeling the material, making time for small group instruction, and allowing for pair work, I let students build skills and apply what they are learning in meaningful ways.
Modeling and guided practice is a strategy that I have come to utilize almost daily. After completing the warm-up, students open their notebooks and copy down a problem as I model the steps for them. Modeling here includes working though a problem together and allowing students both the time and opportunity to ask as many questions they deem necessary. Then, students attempt a problem on their own that mimics what we had just done as a class that they can guide me through when finished.
After modeling new material, I try to leave plenty of time for students to rotate through different work stations. One of those stations is small group instruction with me. Typically, rotation groups are organized based on skill levels. This allows me to go deeper with students, notice where they are getting stuck, and really address their specific problems in a way that they can better understand. Then, I can do a quick check to ensure they are understanding the content before we move forward as a class.
Pair work is another working station that I utilized often. For a typical day, students will either work independently, work with me in a small group, or work with a partner for a specific amount of time before switching stations. Pair work allows students the time to process the problems with a peer. Then when a problem or question comes up, a student can receive feedback from another knowledgeable student versus going to a teacher for answers teaching them to ask a table-mate for help first and allowing the helper-student the benefit of explaining the material.