| High Yield Instructional Strategies | Research says: | Examples |
| Identifying similarities and differences | Students should compare, classify, and create metaphors, analogies and graphic representations | T-charts, Venn diagrams, classifying, analogies, cause and effect links, compare and contrast organizers, QAR, sketch to stretch, affinity, Frayer model, etc. |
| Summarizing and note taking | Students should learn to delete unnecessary information, substitute some information, keep important information, write / rewrite, and analyze information. | Teacher models summarization techniques, identify key concepts, bullets, outlines, clusters, narrative organizers, journal summaries, break down assignments, create simple reports, quick writes, graphic organizers, column notes, affinity, etc. |
| Reinforcing effort and providing recognition | Teachers should reward based on standards of performance; use symbolic recognition rather than just tangible rewards. | Hold high expectations, display finished products, praise students’ effort, encourage students to share ideas and express their thoughts, honor individual learning styles, conference individually with students, authentic portfolios, stress-free environment etc. |
| Homework and practice | Teachers should vary the amount of homework based on student grade level (less at the elementary level, more at the secondary level), keep parent involvement in homework to a minimum, state purpose, and, if assigned, should be debriefed. | Retell, recite and review learning for the day at home, reflective journals, parents are informed of the goals and objectives, interdisciplinary teams plan together for homework distribution, etc |
| Nonlinguistic representations | Students should create graphic representations, models, mental pictures, drawings, pictographs, and participate in kinesthetic activity in order to assimilate knowledge. | Visual tools and manipulatives, problem-solution organizers, spider webs, diagrams, concept maps, drawings, maps, sketch to stretch, K.I.M., etc. |
| Cooperative learning | Teachers should limit use of ability groups, keep groups small, apply strategy consistently and systematically but not overuse. | Integrate content and language through group engagement, reader’s theatre, pass the pencil, circle of friends, cube it, radio reading, shared reading and writing, plays, science projects, debates, jigsaw, group reports, choral reading, affinity, etc. |
| Setting objectives and providing feedback | Teachers should create specific but flexible goals, allowing some student choice. Teacher feedback should be corrective, timely, and specific to a criterion.
| Articulating and displaying learning goals, KWL, contract learning goals, etc.
|
| Generating and testing hypothesis | Students should generate, explain, test and defend hypotheses using both inductive and deductive strategies through problem solving, history investigation, invention, experimental inquiry, and decision making. | Thinking processes, constructivist practices, investigate, explore, social construction of knowledge, use of inductive and deductive reasoning, questioning the author, etc. |
| Questions, cues, and advance organizers | Teachers should use cues and questions that focus on what is important (rather than unusual), use ample wait time before accepting responses, eliciting inference and analysis. Advance organizers should focus on what is important and are more useful with information that is not well organized. | Graphic organizers, provide guiding questions before each lesson, think alouds, inferencing, predicting, drawing conclusions, skim chapters to identify key vocabulary, concepts and skills, A.C.E. anticipation guide, annotating the text, etc. |