MODELS OF INTERACTION

I. INTERACTION WITH TEACHER

What is student-instructor classroom interaction and how does it affect learning?

This theme addresses the climate of communication between the instructor and students
in class. Lessons where students have multiple opportunities to communicate with the teacher are
essential for the effective construction of student knowledge. By welcoming curiosity and
encouraging students to raise their own questions about the content or claims being discussed,
the instructor can guide students to develop habits of mind for framing and answering questions.
When an instructor creates a climate of respect in the classroom and encourages students to
generate their own ideas involving scientific ways of thinking, students are more likely to think
deeply and persist in the face of challenges (AAAS, 1989; Weinstein et al., 2006). The Pedagogy
in Action module on Interactive Lectures can provide guidance for drawing students into the
lecture by engaging them in working with the material.

Characteristics/examples of classes with low and high student-teacher classroom interaction

Classes with an emphasis on lecture are effective for delivering large volumes of content in
limited time but provide few opportunities for student-instructor interaction. While this teaching
method may appeal to a few highly motivated students, it can often leave much of the class
disengaged from the content. Such classes are often characterized by instructors who take the
first shout-out answers to questions (often from the same few students) or answer their own
questions too quickly. 

In contrast, more student-centered classes provide adequate time during activities for students to
think about concepts, receive feedback, and/or participate in discussions that may guide the
direction of the lesson. Some activities may allow students freedom to engage in their own
learning (e.g., online search for relevant information) and/or may involve the students using the
instructor as a resource to provide information as needed. This "guide-on-the-side" model is
indicative of highly reformed, student-centered classrooms. 

Consider structuring your class so that it:

 Contains activities where the instructor can receive student feedback to determine if
there is a need to adapt the direction of the lesson.
 Has multiple opportunities for interaction between the instructor, individual students,
small student groups, and the whole class.
 Capitalizes on the diversity of student experiences to generate alternative solutions to
(open-ended) problems and to explore student ideas within the context of the lesson.
 Includes sufficient time to have meaningful discussions around student activities and
arrive at fully realized responses.

Tips and examples for improving student-teacher classroom interaction

 I want to use specific teaching strategies so that I can adapt the lesson on the basis of
student feedback.
 o To achieve this goal, it is necessary to provide opportunities to hear student
voices and act on ideas originating with the students. 
o Immediate low stakes, formative assessment of concepts can be readily
achieved using ConcepTests, conceptual multiple-choice questions about themes from
the lesson mingled with peer instruction. The use of clickers can facilitate this technique.
o More detailed feedback that will be sufficient to shift the direction of the
lesson to meet key student learning needs will often require open-ended questions that
allow students to identify what they already know and where the instructor can best
invest time and resources. Techniques such as cooperative learning or gallery walks may
support this approach.
 I want to capitalize on the diversity of student experiences to generate alternative
solutions to problems and/or encourage different ways of interpreting evidence.
o The more structured and organized a task, the less opportunity there is for
students to bring their experience and creativity to bear on finding a solution. Activities
that provide the problem, procedures the students should follow, and type of analysis to
be conducted leave little room for the students to contribute original thought. Consider
adapting open-ended questions where the problem is presented but some combination of
procedures, method of analysis, and/or communication of results are left for the students
to design.
o Exercises such as structured academic controversies may provide a model for
this type of cooperative learning strategy in which small teams of students learn about a
controversial issue from multiple perspectives and attempt to come to consensus.
Alternatively, case studies may provide a mechanism for encouraging creative solutions
that synthesize content.
o In these more student-centered learning environments, instructors can serve
as resource persons, navigating the room to keep groups on task and provide assistance
in guiding discussion. 
 I want to provide sufficient time to have meaningful discussions around student
activities and arrive at fully realized responses.
o It is necessary to provide sufficient time for students to process class
information and transfer it to new problems. Such efforts ensure that learning is
happening during class. One simple method to begin this process is to provide structured
breaks for students to be reflective in their response to questions. Whether using
techniques such as Concep Tests or think-pair-share, indicate how long students have to
work before requiring an answer (30 seconds to a few minutes).
o Longer activities will typically allow for greater student creativity and
encourage synthesis of more concepts. Building these activities into a traditional lecture
 class will require some lesson redesign. For example, some material may simply be
omitted, other items may be shifted to pre-class readings or post-class homework.
How is the CLASS organized?
The CLASS describes ten dimensions of teaching that are linked to student achievement and
social development. Each of the ten dimensions falls into one of three broad categories:
emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support.

Emotional support refers to the ways teachers help children develop warm, supportive
relationships, experience enjoyment and excitement about learning, feel comfortable in the
classroom, and experience appropriate levels of autonomy or independence. This includes:

 Positive climate — the enjoyment and emotional connection that teachers have with
students, as well as the nature of peer interactions;
 Negative climate — the level of expressed negativity such as anger, hostility or
aggression exhibited by teachers and/or students in the classroom;
 Teacher sensitivity — teachers’ responsiveness to students’ academic and emotional
needs; and
 Regard for student perspectives — the degree to which teachers’ interactions with
students and classroom activities place an emphasis on students’ interests, motivations, and
points of view.
Classroom organization refers to the ways teachers help children develop skills to regulate their
own behavior, get the most learning out of each school day, and maintain interest in learning
activities. This includes:

 Behavior management — how well teachers monitor, prevent, and redirect misbehavior;
 Productivity — how well the classroom runs with respect to routines, how well students
understand the routine, and the degree to which teachers provide activities and directions so that
maximum time can be spent in learning activities; and
 Instructional learning formats — how teachers engage students in activities and
facilitate activities so that learning opportunities are maximized.
Instructional support refers to the ways in which teachers effectively support students'
cognitive development and language growth. This includes:

 Concept development — how teachers use instructional discussions and activities to

promote students’ higher-order thinking skills and cognition in contrast to a focus on rote
instruction;
 Quality of feedback — how teachers expand participation and learning through
feedback to students; and
 Language modeling — the extent to which teachers stimulate, facilitate, and encourage
students’ language use.
 II. INTERACTION WITH INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

Introduction
In order to provide training that will teach people skills found in the interpersonal
domain, you need the proper instructional materials or you may end up in a situation like this.
Where do you start? Do you create your own instructional materials or do you use pre-existing
materials? How do you decide what materials to select? There are a variety of instructional
materials to choose from and many options to consider when developing your own. This lesson
will provide you with some strategies to consider when selecting or creating instructional
materials for teaching interpersonal domain skills.
This lesson consists of five sections:

1. an overview of the strategies for developing instructional materials

2. strategies for developing the instructional content
3. strategies for media selection
4. lesson summary
5. practice session
6. assessment

Learning Objective
Upon completion of this lesson:

 Given the task of developing a course designed to teach interpersonal skills, the learner
will be able to list the strategies for developing instructional materials that target the
interpersonal domain. This will be measured by the completion of the assessment at the end
of the lesson.
In addition, the learner will also be able to:

 List strategies for developing instructional content

 Name considerations when selecting instructional materials
Overview
Since the interpersonal domain has to do with the relationships between people, the
instructional materials should allow for interaction. The key to success is practice, practice,
practice! Be sure to build in plenty of opportunities for the learner to apply the concepts you are
presenting.
The content should include assessment activities to measure learning, along with
identifying tasks, sequencing, and practice skills. One method of development is to build the
instructional materials with the end results in mind, also known as "Backward Design". What
knowledge or understanding do you want the learner to develop? How will learning be
evidenced? The materials should identify the learning performance standards as these
performances guide the design of the activities.
These are just some of the issues that you will face when developing instructional
materials for the interpersonal domain. For a look at the development phase from a broader
perspective

Strategies for Developing Content

When developing content, provide contextualizing elements (collaboration, role play,
case studies) that permit for multiple and varied perspectives. Contextualizing also helps link
ideas to prior knowledge. Learners bring experience that is unique to their cultural and ethnic
backgrounds. In addition, motivation and decision making should be built in to the materials
being developed. Develop the materials so that the instructor is not built into the process. This
permits the greatest flexibility and encourages the development of materials that are focused on
learner needs.
When developing or modifying instructional materials for the interpersonal domain, the
instructor should ask these questions:

1. What is my instructional strategy? This would include learner analysis, identification

of goals & objectives, sequencing of events, delivery modes (i.e., self-paced, instructor-
led, etc.) and assessment tools.
2. What budget do I have available? This would include not only the cost of developing
or adapting existing materials, but the cost of maintaining the instructional materials over
time.
3. What resources will I have on hand? Keep in mind both your resources and ability to
create the instructional materials as well as the resources and ability of the instructor and
learner to use these materials. Is the technology accessible, flexible, or difficult to learn?
Instructional Elements
Once you have a general plan in mind, you can begin developing and gathering the materials for
your instruction. Since you are developing instructional materials for the interpersonal domain,
you should look for materials that engage the learner in interpersonal activities. Instructional and
assessment activities should draw upon the following elements, depending upon the goals and
objectives of the course:

 peer-sharing
 group activities
 interpersonal interactions
 team games
 questionnaires, surveys, and activities which require gathering input from others
 cooperative learning
 leadership activities
 peer activities such as counseling and tutoring
When selecting or creating instructional materials assess whether or not the content provides for
such elements. If not, the material may not be appropriate for developing interpersonal skills.
Identifying Skills to Develop
When developing the content you should assess the skills that are likely to be developed by using
the instructional materials that you have created or selected. The material should be designed to
develop these skills, depending upon the goals and objectives:

 listening skills
 person-to-person communication
 giving and receiving feedback
 leadership
 teamwork and cooperation
 conflict resolution

III. INTERACTION WITH SELF

MOTIVATING STUDENTS

Few teachers would disagree with the view that motivated students are easier to teach and
that they learn more. As teachers, we hope that all of our students come to the classroom excited
to learn for the sake of learning and that our teaching will inspire them to great heights of
achievement. We are then disappointed if our students seem more interested in knowing what is
on the test or argue for an extra point or two. In reality, our students bring to the classroom a
variety of motivational drives and a wide range of demands on their attention, commitment, and
time. Our students today face the challenge of prioritizing and being self-disciplined when
family, friends, extracurricular activities, and work all vie for their attention.
Effective teachers know their students come with a natural desire to learn. They also
realize that students come with a belief that the teacher is responsible for tapping into that natural
desire by providing a classroom environment that fosters a motivation to learn and an excitement
that continues from the first day of the semester to the last.
Many students believe that good teachers do “motivate” them (Svinicki, 2004) and these
teachers tend to receive high student ratings on items such as: the instructor motivated me to do
my best work; stimulated my intellectual curiosity; encouraged me to express my opinion or
experience; and emphasized learning rather than tests or grades. The following are some
strategies “good teachers” use to motivate their students.

Determine course goals and learning objectives

Spend the time to identify course goals that will promote significant and enduring
learning. Discuss these goals with your students so they understand them, appreciate their
importance, and know ways in which to succeed.

Plan three important task dimensions

Difficulty: More difficult tasks are achievable with specific short-term goals. Determine the
range of what students can do independently vs. with help or guidance from their teacher or
peers. It is important to provide support; e.g., breaking down the tasks into steps, modeling,
coaching, and prompting.

Relevance: Help students find personal meaning and value in the material.

 Find ways to help students put the material to use.
 Capitalize on students' existing needs.
  Find and use examples that are meaningful, interesting, and relevant to students' lives
and/or future professions.

Curiosity/Incongruity/Novelty: What makes your field exciting? How do experts in your field

think and approach problems?
 Discuss or demonstrate interesting “big problems” or current issues that specialists in
your field find challenging.
 Plan special field trips, guest speakers, and other events that promote a natural interest in
the material.

STUDENT INTERACTION FACTORS

Know your students

In addition to their names and experiences, determine their skills and knowledge. One
way is through the Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT) Background Knowledge Probe
(Cross and Angelo, 1993). This strategy uses short simple pretests to determine students' prior
subject knowledge and their readiness to proceed to the next level.

Create a welcoming learning environment

Make students feel comfortable and important. Identify specific ways to let your
professional enthusiasm show through. For example, explain your research to students or
describe ways in which your field is relevant to recent news.

Set and communicate expectations

“Research has shown that a teacher's expectations have a powerful effect on a student's
performance” (Davis, 1993). Be enthusiastic, set realistic and appropriate goals, and provide
adequate challenges. Inform your students of these goals and strategies for success in your
course.
Encourage students to interact positively with one another

A classroom should be open, positive, and receptive to discussion and disagreements.

Cooperative learning fosters intrinsic motivation and plays a role in developing critical thinking
skills when students are required to explain and teach each other. In addition, students develop a
sense of community and commitment to each other.
STUDENT ASSESSMENT/FEEDBACK FACTORS

Provide feedback
Feedback must be frequent, early, constructive, explicit, and tied to effort. The feedback
must provide information about where students did well as well as ways to improve. Make
comments about the task or performance, not about the individual learner.

Increase the probability of success

Reduce test anxiety using strategies such as dropping the lowest test score, providing
practice exams, and aligning homework, assignments, and exams on difficulty and content
levels. In addition, provide help through review sessions and study guides.

Use appropriate grading

 Utilize an absolute or mastery standard of grading rather than a relative scale (“grading
on the curve”), which tends to foster competition and low self-efficacy. Using grades to punish
students reduces intrinsic motivation, such as taking away points for missed or late papers.

Provide some choice and control

Allow students the opportunity to make choices and experience the consequences of
those choices. Let them have options on class projects and in choosing some topics for the
course. Provide them with a sense of autonomy

IV. INTEGRATIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES

What is Integrative Teaching Strategies (ITS)

 Is a well-organized strategy anchored on real life situation that include learners’ interest
and needs creating a variety of meaningful activities and learning experiences.
 It paves the way in connecting what is learned in school to real life world rather that
isolated facts and information.
 The integration of the child’s intelligences and learning style is more effective. That’s
why, teachers should use a broad range of teaching strategies.

Integrative Ladder
The integrative ladder is the guide of teacher in using the ITS. The learners’ interest must be
sustained in order to build connections in context of learning and teaching.
1. Integrate
2. Interconnect
3. Make all the pieces fit
4. Make the long way learning worth wile
5. Make learning more meaningful
Several ways to sustain learner’s interest:
 Use diverse learning activities;
 Relate clearly to individual learning modes; and
 Recognize group’s success through appreciative remarks and rewards.
 Thematic Teaching
 It provides a broad framework for linking content and process from a variety of
disciplines.
 The theme provides coherence; it gives a focus to the activities that accompany by the
unit.
 For this strategy to be effective, teachers must collaborate in order to decide a central
theme that can be used to teach a lesson or unit.

Example of thematic teaching;

 Theme: “Philippines, a Spanish Experience”
 English: identify infinitives by reading a selection entitled, “Philippines: in the Hands of
Spain.”
Content-Based Instruction (CBI)
 It refers to the concurrent study of language and subject matter, with the form and
sequence of language presentation dictated by content material.
 This approach aims at developing the learner’s academic language skills. (Zulueta, 2006)
Example: English and Science
 A lesson in English designed to “develop the ability to locate and synthesize information”
may use content in science (essay or article) such as “The Ecological System” which is
topic on the first year of science (BEC) under “Living Things and Their Environment”.
Focusing Inquiry
 It is an interdisciplinary approach that uses questions to organize learning and it crosses
conventional knowledge boundaries.
 The teacher guides learners to discover answer to questions, whether or not answers pre-
exist.
 Learner become creators of knowledge rather than recipients.
Steps for Inquiry Process:
 Frame a focusing question (linked to prior knowledge of students)
 Present a field of facts ( 5 w’s and h question)
 Help learners connect or relate facts (interpret, give meaning)
 Help learners generate explanatory ideas (Generalization)
 Help learners find answers.
Generic Competency Model
 Generic Competency Model enables students to develop “competencies”. These
competencies are acquired through connecting one subject from the other.
  Personal development, social competence and work/special skills are the most common
competencies being integrated in two or more subjects. (Losabia, 2010)
Example: Objective in Makabayan (Social Study), “Identify material and non-material culture
and to affirm their importance through preparing an exhibit about the culture of the Philippines”,
can be integrated in the three competencies stated.
Advantages of Integrative Teaching Strategy
 Help alleviate fragmentation of learning and isolated skill instruction.
 Train students to think and reason at a higher level (critical thinking).
 Provide instruction in a more relevant and interesting to the students.

V. LEARNING STYLES

Many people recognize that each person prefers different learning styles and techniques.
Learning styles group common ways that people learn. Everyone has a mix of learning styles.
Some people may find that they have a dominant style of learning, with far less use of the other
styles. Others may find that they use different styles in different circumstances. There is no right
mix. Nor are your styles fixed. You can develop ability in less dominant styles, as well as further
develop styles that you already use well.
 Many people recognize that each person prefers different learning styles and techniques.
Learning styles group common ways that people learn. Everyone has a mix of learning styles.
Some people may find that they have a dominant style of learning, with far less use of the other
styles. Others may find that they use different styles in different circumstances. There is no right
mix. Nor are your styles fixed. You can develop ability in less dominant styles, as well as further
develop styles that you already use well.
Using multiple learning styles and �multiple intelligences� for learning is a
relatively new approach. This approach is one that educators have only recently started to
recognize. Traditional schooling used (and continues to use) mainly linguistic and logical
teaching methods. It also uses a limited range of learning and teaching techniques. Many schools
still rely on classroom and book-based teaching, much repetition, and pressured exams for
reinforcement and review. A result is that we often label those who use these learning styles and
techniques as bright. Those who use less favored learning styles often find themselves in lower
classes, with various not-so-complimentary labels and sometimes lower quality teaching. This
can create positive and negative spirals that reinforce the belief that one is "smart" or "dumb".
  By recognizing and understanding your own learning styles, you can use techniques better
suited to you. This improves the speed and quality of your learning.

The Seven Learning Styles

 Visual (spatial): You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.
 Aural (auditory-musical): You prefer using sound and music.
 Verbal (linguistic): You prefer using words, both in speech and writing.
 Physical (kinesthetic): You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch.
 Logical (mathematical): You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems.
 Social (interpersonal): You prefer to learn in groups or with other people.
 Solitary (intrapersonal): You prefer to work alone and use self-study.

Why Learning Styles? Understand the basis of learning styles

Learning styles have more influence than you may realize. Your preferred styles guide
the way you learn. They also change the way you internally represent experiences, the way you
recall information, and even the words you choose. We explore more of these features in this
chapter.
Research shows us that each learning style uses different parts of the brain. By involving more
of the brain during learning, we remember more of what we learn. Researchers using brain-
imaging technologies have been able to find out the key areas of the brain responsible for each
learning style.
For example:
 Visual: The occipital lobes at the back of the brain manage the visual sense. Both the
occipital and parietal lobes manage spatial orientation.
 Aural: The temporal lobes handle aural content. The right temporal lobe is especially
important for music.
 Verbal: The temporal and frontal lobes, especially two specialized areas called
Broca�s and Wernicke�s areas (in the left hemisphere of these two lobes).
 Physical: The cerebellum and the motor cortex (at the back of the frontal lobe) handle
much of our physical movement.
 Logical: The parietal lobes, especially the left side, drive our logical thinking.
 Social: The frontal and temporal lobes handle much of our social activities. The limbic
system (not shown apart from the hippocampus) also influences both the social and solitary
styles. The limbic system has a lot to do with emotions, moods and aggression.
 Solitary: The frontal and parietal lobes, and the limbic system, are also active with this
style.