Q2.

For your organization wherever you are working or you are likely to work in the
future, develop an instructional strategy incorporating all the essential elements
involved in it.

What are Instructional Strategies?

Instructional strategies are the techniques or methods that a trainer can adopt to meet the
various learning objectives. These strategies help participants to walk on the path of
independent learning and become strategic learners. They equip trainer to make learning fun
and help participants to awaken their desire to learn. Instructional strategies focus on not only
the training content but also on the method and environment of the training process. Trainee’s
development level, interests and experiences are considered while choosing a particular
teaching strategy so that they can self-accomplish their goals.  Instructional strategies enable
trainees to focus their attention, organize their learning material for better understanding and
help teachers to provide a suitable platform for strategic learning. There are a number of
training methods with their various pros and cons. Therefore, the selection of a strategy is
critical and must be done with utmost care by trainer..

Why Instructional Strategies?

Traditional training methods usually revolved around the trainer explaining a particular topic
and participants taking down notes that would help them in their studies. It was centered on
more of a passive learning experience with minimal interaction between participants and
trainers. While this kind of training may have been effective earlier, but today the trainees need
different methodologies to help them become independent and strategic learners.
Instructional Strategies are proven to benefit the trainee with their powerful features such as:

 Involves step-by-step learning process with a number of innovative approaches

 Supports trainees with guided and independent practice, modelling and handling real-
life situations
 Gives platform to trainees to display their skills, ideas and their existing knowledge on a
particular subject
 Encourages trainees to self-monitor and assess their learning
 Effective strategies available for trainees across grade levels, different subjects etc.

There’s been a lot of research in this area and it has been found that trainees develop their
own system of understanding. It’s not only important to decide on ‘what to train’ but we must
also give attention to ‘how to train’. Instructional Strategies answer these very questions,
exploring the best suited environments in which the trainee can enhance their self-learning
abilities and become strategic learners.
 Types of training strategies

A. Direct Instruction
B. Indirect Instruction
C. Experiential Learning
D. Independent Study
E. Interactive Instruction

Advantages Disadvantages
Types of Strategies

 Learning objectives/ targets are  Doesn’t explore the

Direct Instruction
clear and specific creativity of teachers and
 Students are made aware of students
The Direct Instruction
content’s importance  Needs good organization
teaching strategy
 Effective for teaching basic skills and communication skills
mainly focuses on
and facts from the teacher
teacher-directed
 Helpful in knowledge construction  Highly structured, thereby
approaches and is the
 Commonly used and accepted steps need to be followed
most commonly used
method of teaching correctly in order
teaching method.
 Can also be used to introduce  Depends on knowledge
Here, the content
other teaching methods and skills of teacher
needs to be prepared
 Fails to address
and organized in
development of higher-
advance. Also, the
level thinking in students
faculty needs to be
aware of student
requirements for the
lessons or sessions.
This strategy is
effective for imparting
knowledge to
students in a step-by-
step structured way
and involves active
student participation.

Methods : It involves
teaching methods like
lecture, structured
overview, explicit
teaching, drill &
practice, compare &
contrast,
demonstrations,
didactic questioning,
guided and shared
teaching etc.
 Awakens students’ interest and  Not very effective for
Indirect Instruction
curiosity elementary level students
 Encourages them to solve  Time constraints may cut
Unlike the direct
problems by themselves down discussion
strategy, Indirect
 Develops analytic and logical skills opportunities
Instruction is more
 Encourages student involvement  Teacher needs to be
student-oriented and
and greater exploration of better prepared in
you can use it to
solutions handling questions and
complement the
 Allows students to apply their give proper instructions
direct instruction
newly acquired knowledge and  Needs to be relevant to
methods. It
skills the students’ needs
encourages students
 Not very effective for
to be more involved –
elementary level students
by observing,
 Time constraints may cut
questioning, problem
down discussion
solving, forming
opportunities
inferences etc.,
 Teacher needs to be
students can explore
better prepared in
their desire to learn.
handling questions and
Here, the teacher
give proper instructions
assumes the role of a
 Needs to be relevant to
facilitator or supporter
the students’ needs
rather than an
instructor. In
preparation for
indirect strategy,
teachers must clearly
define the problem/
situation and teacher-
student roles must be
specified with clear
instructions.
Technology can be a
great aid in this
method of
instruction. 

Methods: This
instructional strategy
involves concepts like
problem solving, case
studies, inquiry,
reflective discussion,
concept formation,
mapping and
attainment, writing to
inform, reading for
meaning etc
 Presents the problem situation in  Shy or self-conscious
Experiential Learning
creative ways to generate interest students may not take an
 Improves team building skills and active role
Experiential Learning
group interaction & coordination  Immediate negative
focuses more on
 Encourages self-investigation, feedback can lead to
activities and requires
acceptance of others’ point of demotivation
the students to apply
view and exploring solutions  Not effective for large
their experience to
 Provides platform for students to groups
other contexts. It’s
practice skills, face challenges etc.  Could be time consuming
more about the
 Quickly grabs attention and keeps and difficult to arrange
process of learning
the students focused  Distractions could lead to
rather than focusing
ineffectiveness and may
on the content.
lose focus on the subject
Students participate in
 Efficiency depends on
the activities, reflect
teacher’s ability to be
and share their
impartial, creative and
experiences, analyse
friendly
and infer the solutions
and formulate plans
to apply their learning
in new situations.
Teachers need to
provide the
environment for
learning and
encourage the
students to be active.
You also need to have
back-up plans for
activities in case of
problems. This model
is used in most pre-
schools today, since
the other models
really do not work
that well with younger
kids. This course can
show you.

Methods :
Experiential learning
involves field trips,
narratives,
experiments &
simulations, games,
storytelling, role-
playing, model
building etc.
 Since students find solutions to  Not effective for
Independent Study
problems independently, the skills elementary level students
and knowledge acquired are and complex subjects
Independent study
retained easily that need detailed
encompasses a range
 Enhances their rate of learning, explanation
of teaching methods
adaptability and self-reliance  Requires self-motivation
that develop student
 Gives opportunity for a disciplined and group skills
skills like initiative,
approach to problem solving and  Unavailability of
self-belief, time
improves their confidence resources can hamper
management and self-
progress
improvement.
 Needs efficient planning
Students are
and monitoring from the
encouraged to
teacher
undertake a planned
activity under the
supervision of a
teacher or guide. It
also involves group
study or learning with
an assigned partner
etc. These methods
are designed by the
teachers carefully to
address the specific
requirements of a
group. As a teacher
you would need to
plan the process of
feedback collection,
monitor performance
and provide the
appropriate resources
for independent
study. One major
hurdle independent
study students face is
preparation for exams

Methods:
Independent study
focuses on essays,
journals & reports,
homework, research
projects, assignments
etc.
 Encourages equal participation by  Some students may not
Interactive
students, creative & logical be comfortable sharing
Instruction
thinking their experiences and
 Improves concepts of might feel less competent
This highly interactive
responsibility and team  Brighter or aggressive
strategy involves
cooperation students might
discussion and
 Activities lead to a stimulating and overshadow the efforts of
sharing amongst
enriching experience for the the group
students, explores
students  Needs to have a fixed
their higher-thinking
 Students learn to be patient, time-frame, else might
process and gives
compassionate with others and lose focus
opportunity to
understand different opinions  Value of learning
develop social skills.
Teachers need to have  Sharing of knowledge and depends on students’
the expertise to experiences leads to enhanced capabilities and skills
facilitate discussions learning
and manage the
group dynamics.

Methods Students
take part in debates,
brainstorming
sessions, laboratory
groups, interviewing,
conferencing, jigsaw,
cooperative learning
and more.

Active learning instructional strategies 1. Exit tickets

2. Flipped Classrooms
3. Minute papers
4. Muddiest point
5. Reflection
6. Think pair share
Assessment-based instructional strategies 1. Assessment
2. Cubing
3. Grade as you go
4. Homework practice
5. Questions and quizzes
Group instructional strategies 1. Case studies
2. Debates
3. Peer instruction
4. Role play
Instructional strategies for advanced students 1. Curriculum Compacting
2. Independent study
7. Organization instructional strategies 1. Agendas
2. Anchor Activities
3. Knowledge charts
4. Learning contracts
8. Tiered instructional strategies