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Instructional methods from José Manuel Gutiérrez

Advantages and Limitations of Instructional Methods

Pro's and Con's of each instructional method

Advantages and Limitations of Instructional Methods

Instructional Method	Advantages	Limitations
Presentation	Can be used with groups of all sizes Gives all students the opportunity to see and hear the same information Provides students with an organized perspective of lesson content (i.e., information is structured and relationships among concepts are illustrated) Can be used to efficiently present a large amount of content	Requires little student activity Makes assessment of student's mental involvement difficult Doesn't provide feedback to students; by definition, presentation is a one-way approach
Demonstration	Utilizes several senses; students can see, hear, and possibly experience an actual event Has dramatic appeal if the presenter uses good showmanship techniques, such as demonstrating an unexpected result or a discrepant event	May be difficult for all students to see the demonstration Is time-consuming if demonstrations are done live Demonstrations may not go as planned
Discussion	Allows students to actively practice problem-solving, critical-thinking, and higher-level thinking skills Is interesting and stimulating for teachers and students alike Can change attitudes and knowledge level Makes effective use of students' backgrounds and experiences	Students must have a common experience (reading a book, viewing a video, participating in an activity) in order to meaningfully participate and contribute Teacher must prepare and possess discussion-leading skills for the method to be effective
Games	Actively involves students and encourages social interaction through communication among players Provides the opportunity for practice of skills with immediate feedback Can be incorporated into many instructional situations to increase student motivation Helps students learn to deal with unpredictable circumstances	May involve students with competition more than content Can be impossible to play if pieces are lost or damaged Can be time-consuming to set up if games have many components
Simulation	Provides practice and experimentation with skills Provides immediate feedback on actions and decisions Simplifies real-world complexities and focuses on important attributes or characteristics Is appealing, motivates intense effort, and increases learning	Can cause deep emotional involvement {e.g., students in veterinary school get very attached to "sick" animals they diagnose and attempt to "save," even though the animals exist only within the simulation} Both setup and debriefing can be time-consuming
Cooperative Learning	Promotes positive interdependence, individual accountability, collaborative and social skills, and group processing Encourages trust building, communication, and leadership skills Facilitates student learning in academic as well as social areas Involves students in active learning	Requires a compatible group of students {this may be difficult to form} Takes more time to cover the same amount of content than other methods Is less appealing to individuals who prefer to work alone
Discovery	Encourages higher-level thinking; students are required to analyze and synthesize information rather than memorize low-level facts Provides intrinsic motivation (where merely participating in the task itself is rewarding) to discover the "answer" Usually results in increased retention of knowledge; students have processed the information and not simply memorized it Develops the skills and attitudes essential for self-directed learning	Allows for the discovery of "incorrect" or unintended information Can be time-consuming
Problem Solving	Increases comprehension and retention; students are required to work with everyday problems and to apply theory to practice Involves higher-level learning; students cannot solve problems by simple memorization and regurgitation Provides students with the opportunity to learn from their mistakes Develops responsibility as students learn to think independently	Limits the amount of content covered; can be time-consuming Selecting, modifying, and/or designing effective instructional problems can be time-consuming Requires teachers to have good management skills to coach students without giving them the "answer"
Drill and Practice	Provides repetitive practice in basic skills to enhance learning, build competency, and attain mastery Promotes psychomotor and low-level cognitive skills Helps build speed and accuracy	Students can perceive it as boring Does not teach when and how to apply the facts learned
Tutorial	Provides optimum individualized instruction; all students get the individual attention they need Provides the highest degree of student participation Expands the number of "teachers" in the classroom by using students or computers as tutors Frequently benefits student tutors as much as, or more than, the tutees Introduces new concepts in a sequenced, interactive way	May be impractical in some cases because appropriate tutor or tutorial material may not be available for individual students May encourage student dependency on human tutor; students may become reluctant to work on their own

Mt. Hood Community College

Different Instructional Methods

As you might imagine, the different teaching styles outlined above can translate into preferred methods of instruction. An instructional method can be defined as the process by which instruction occurs, whether that might be lecture, class discussion, small group discussion, simulation, experience, or individual project.

The table below summarizes some of the instructional methods that can be affiliated with the various teaching styles and how they both translate to the online environment. If you are thinking about transitioning your face-to-face classroom instruction to the online environment, this might be helpful.

Instructional Method	Teaching Style	Online Relevance
Lecture: A flexible method which can be applied to almost any content. Although lectures can be very engaging, they put students in a passive role.	Formal Authority	Although some instructors can be vibrant speakers, lectures do not translate well to video or text formats. It is suggested that lectures be broken up with other, more active, instructional methods.
Lecture-Discussions:Combines the lecture with short question periods or a series of short question periods for students.	Formal Authority	These tend to work fairly well online; however, instructors need to make sure that any video clips are transcribed for ADA compliance.
Demonstrations: Involves students learning a process or procedure based on instructor performance. The students may be involved in the demonstration and practice.	Demonstrator	This method can work very well online as the instructor can demonstrate tasks on video. Some technically savvy instructors are exploring Virtual Worlds for demonstration and simulation.
Simulations: Simulations put learners into seemingly real situations where they can make decisions and experience the outcomes of their decisions without the risk. Simulations could be used in biology, such as the dissection of a frog, or anthropology, where students could "dig" and process artifacts.	Facilitator / Delegator	Although this method can work very well, simulations can be time consuming to set up in the online environment. It is usually a good idea to see if the textbook publisher has any resources or if they have been developed by another instructor in an online database such as Merlot.
Collaborative Learning:Students process information and derive knowledge through discussing course-related issues and topics with each other.	Facilitator	The method works well online, especially in conjunction with the Groups function of CE 6.0, which allows instructors to break the class into small groups within Discussions.
Cooperative Learning: Small groups of students work together to solve a problem or complete a task.	Facilitator	This method also works well online using the Groups function.
Case Studies: This involves individuals or groups of students working together to analyze a case, a real-life situation which has been written up to highlight problems and solutions.	Facilitator	This method works well online and does not take a great deal of time to set up using Discussions.
Role Play: Students work to solve problems through adopting the different roles associated with it. Role play involves identifying, acting out, and discussing problems.	Facilitator	This method works well online and does not take a great deal of time to set up using Discussions.
Problem Based and Inquiry Learning: Instructors give students a problem which the student must solve by gathering data, organizing data, and attempting an explanation. Students should also analyze strategies that they used to solve the problem.	Delegator	This method could be done online by utilizing a technique called a WebQuest, which asks students to solve problems using information found online.

This info was extracted from the following page: http://www.csn.edu/pages/2359.asp

Here are some links:

http://www.adprima.com/teachmeth.htm
http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/methods/models/
http://teaching.uncc.edu/learning-resources/articles-books/best-practice/instructional-methods

Sorry for the long post. Here's a potatoe: