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Strategy Based Instruction (SBI) assists teachers in understanding the symbiotic
relationship between skills and strategies. Teachers have many resources for teaching
skills: worksheets, graphic organizers and organizational tools, activities, etc. but they
have minimum resources to help with the transfer of skills to strategies. When students
are introduced to skills, they are temporal and will be forgotten UNLESS these skills are
used on a recursive basis AND with purpose. SBI staff development focuses on how to
combine skills and strategies to solve reading, writing, spelling, and grammar
problems. The intended goal is for students to select appropriate strategies (which
includes previously taught skills and strategies), monitor progress, and produce an
example of the new strategy. For instance, if a student wants to revise his/her writing
and focus on word choice (specifically verbs), the student needs to have a cognitive
guide to navigate the thinking that includes previously taught skills and strategies.
Below is a cognitive guide of how a student mediates and navigates his/her way
through this strategy,
1. Reread first paragraph of your writing
2. Underline ACTION VERBS that are overused or weak
3. Consider which 2 underlined verbs might be replaced
4. Use thesaurus, word bank, or your own language (for more specific verbs).
5. Visualize the sentence to make sure it is EXACTLY what you want your reader to
see
6. Reread for flow (clarity?)
In the above example, step 2 and 4 are specific skills a student needs to conduct this
strategy. He/she needs to be able to select verbs in his/her writing. If a child cannot do
this skill, he/she can not continue with the strategy. Using a thesaurus or word bank is
also a skill that a student needs to acquire in order to use these resources. Visualizing
and selecting two verbs are strategies that children need BEFORE they can be effective
with this strategy. It is when these previous taught skills and strategies are combined
that children can truly revise and improve their writing. As students master this cognitive
guide, they can extend the learning by considering which skills and strategies to use to
add adjectives to improve his/her writing. This metacognition is the key to self extended
learning.
relationship between skills and strategies. Teachers have many resources for teaching
skills: worksheets, graphic organizers and organizational tools, activities, etc. but they
have minimum resources to help with the transfer of skills to strategies. When students
are introduced to skills, they are temporal and will be forgotten UNLESS these skills are
used on a recursive basis AND with purpose. SBI staff development focuses on how to
combine skills and strategies to solve reading, writing, spelling, and grammar
problems. The intended goal is for students to select appropriate strategies (which
includes previously taught skills and strategies), monitor progress, and produce an
example of the new strategy. For instance, if a student wants to revise his/her writing
and focus on word choice (specifically verbs), the student needs to have a cognitive
guide to navigate the thinking that includes previously taught skills and strategies.
Below is a cognitive guide of how a student mediates and navigates his/her way
through this strategy,
1. Reread first paragraph of your writing
2. Underline ACTION VERBS that are overused or weak
3. Consider which 2 underlined verbs might be replaced
4. Use thesaurus, word bank, or your own language (for more specific verbs).
5. Visualize the sentence to make sure it is EXACTLY what you want your reader to
see
6. Reread for flow (clarity?)
In the above example, step 2 and 4 are specific skills a student needs to conduct this
strategy. He/she needs to be able to select verbs in his/her writing. If a child cannot do
this skill, he/she can not continue with the strategy. Using a thesaurus or word bank is
also a skill that a student needs to acquire in order to use these resources. Visualizing
and selecting two verbs are strategies that children need BEFORE they can be effective
with this strategy. It is when these previous taught skills and strategies are combined
that children can truly revise and improve their writing. As students master this cognitive
guide, they can extend the learning by considering which skills and strategies to use to
add adjectives to improve his/her writing. This metacognition is the key to self extended
learning.
| Testimonials |
| “…I have seen first- hand immediate improvements in student achievement, marked changes in staff motivation, and long-lasting impacts on the educational system!” Dr. Chris Oldham Superintendent Ligonier Valley School District, PA |
“This is far more
than an approach to
teaching the reading/
writing genres; it is
staff development at
its finest.”
Judith R. Wade
Literacy Coach
Apple Valley
Unified School
District, CA
than an approach to
teaching the reading/
writing genres; it is
staff development at
its finest.”
Judith R. Wade
Literacy Coach
Apple Valley
Unified School
District, CA
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Copyright © 2010 Steve W. Dunn. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2010 Steve W. Dunn. All rights reserved.