Principles of Instruction: Research-Based Strategies That All Teachers Should Know.

This article presents 10 research-based principles of instruction, along with suggestions for classroom practice. These principles come from three sources: (a) research in cognitive science, (b) research on master teachers, and (c) research on cognitive supports. Each is brie,y explained below. A: Research in cognitive science: !is research focuses on how our brains acquire and use information. !is cognitive research also provides suggestions on how we might overcome the limitations of our working memory (i.e., the mental “space” in which thinking occurs) when learning new material. B: Research on the classroom practices of master teachers: Master teachers are those teachers whose classrooms made the highest gains on achievement tests. In a series of studies, a wide range of teachers were observed as they taught, and the investigators coded how they presented new material, how and whether they checked for student understanding, the types of support they provided to their students, and a number of other instructional activities. By also gathering student achievement data, researchers were able to identify the ways in which the more and less e-ective teachers di-ered. C: Research on cognitive supports to help students learn complex tasks: E-ective instructional procedures—such as thinking aloud, providing students with sca-olds, and providing students with models—come from this research. Even though these are three very di-erent bodies of research, there is no con!ict at all between the instructional suggestions that come from each of these three sources. In other words, these three sources supplement and complement each other. !e fact that the instructional ideas from three di-erent sources supplement and complement each other gives us faith in the validity of these .ndings. Education involves helping a novice develop strong, readily accessible background knowledge. It’s important that background knowledge be readily accessible, and this occurs when knowledge is well rehearsed and tied to other knowledge. !e most e-ective teachers ensured that their students efficiently acquired, rehearsed, and connected background knowledge by providing a good deal of instructional support. !ey provided this support by teaching new material in manageable amounts, modeling, guiding student practice, helping students when they made errors, and providing for su/cient practice and review. Many of these teachers also went on to experiential, hands-on activities, but they always did the experiential activities after, not before, the basic material was learned. !e following is a list of some of the instructional principles that have come from these three sources. These ideas will be described and discussed in this article: