Standard 4-Instructional Strategies

A teacher must understand and use a variety of instructional strategies to encourage student development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.

Substandards

A. understand Minnesota's graduation standards and how to implement them;

B. understand the cognitive processes associated with various kinds of learning and how these processes can be stimulated;

C. understand principles and techniques, along with advantages and limitations, associated with various instructional strategies;

D. enhance learning through the use of a wide variety of materials and human and technological resources;

E. nurture the development of student critical thinking, independent problem solving, and performance capabilities;

F. demonstrate flexibility and reciprocity in the teaching process as necessary for adapting instruction to student responses, ideas, and needs;

G. design teaching strategies and materials to achieve different instructional purposes and to meet student needs including developmental stages, prior knowledge, learning
styles, and interests;

H. use multiple teaching and learning strategies to engage students in active learning opportunities that promote the development of critical thinking, problem solving, and
performance capabilities and that help students assume responsibility for identifying and using learning resources;

I. monitor and adjust strategies in response to learner feedback;

J. vary the instructional process to address the content and purposes of instruction and the needs of students;

K. develop a variety of clear, accurate presentations and representations of concepts, using alternative explanations to assist students' understanding and present varied
perspectives to encourage critical thinking; and

L. use educational technology to broaden student knowledge about technology, to deliver instruction to students at different levels and paces, and to stimulate advanced levels of learning.