Nature of the Instruction As teachers progress through the continuum, instructional events shift from task-oriented goals in which students demonstrate basic skills or low-level verbal knowledge to learning goals. Learning goals require students to reflect on their existing knowledge, accept or reject new information, and express their new skills or concepts in various formats. Assessments, too, may occur in a variety of formats at the higher end of the continuum and may include the creation of products, demonstrations, presentations, or simulations of real-world experiences with the use of technology. Technology becomes central to the instruction and creates novel learning experiences that are not otherwise possible. A Tale of Two Classrooms: Instruction What is the nature of the instruction? Do students face well-structured or poorly-structured problems? Are assessments norm-based or do they allow for reflective responses and accomodate a variety of learning preferences? Is technology central to the instruction? Looking Back Steven really enjoyed listening to stories from his social studies teacher, Mr. Faircloth, but this wasn't a lecture day. Mr. Faircloth seemed to have all kinds of interesting experiences, like when he spent time on a Navy battleship during Desert Storm or met the president's mother on a plane. However, today was a review day for the next chapter test and that meant that Steven and his classmates had to quietly complete the chapter review from their book. Steven knew the routine and had become very successful at finding the types of questions that were most often on the test. He had a good grade in Mr. Faircloth's class, and he figured this was just a necessary part of getting through. Moving forward Mike Lubeck's social studies class just finished group oral reports. This year's presentations were really some of the best he's seen. Groups of students were required to demonstrate the impacts of different energy sources on their community. Two groups chose to explore the use of fossil fuels; however, one group demonstrated the positive aspects of their use while one group presented against it. Mike thought both groups made strong points and justified their positions well. Beyond using slide shows with bulleted points and graphics, one group used Sim-City simulation software to project the deleterious effects of coal use while the other created a spreadsheet that demonstrated positive impact on factors related to economic growth. The presentations really provoked some great discussions between Mr. Lubeck and his students. Activity: Charting the Continuum (continued) ACOT™ Continuum Review What is the nature of the instruction? Entry • • • Invention • • •