Question

describe the importance of modeling and guided practice for supporting instruction. How do they provide an informal check for understanding and allow for modifications during instruction?

in your own words for children pre-k through 3rd grade

Answer 1

Modelling and guided practice serves as a very essential and effective method for teaching a child something. In this method, the child's anxiety of performance can be reduced and the chid goes through a series of steps and gradually gains mastery over the material to be learned.

This technique provides an informal check for understanding information and also allow modification during instructions. This is because of the steps which are included in this technique. There are mainly four steps which together serves as an excellent way of teaching. These are:

• Modelling- First, the teacher serves as a model and demonstrates an activity to be learned. For example, let the activity be solving a type of mathematical problem. In this step, the teacher will solve the problem and the student will watch the teacher solving it. This step will thus strengthen the students observation, understanding and comprehension abilities.
• Co-Construction- In this step, the teacher and the student will collaboratively solve a similar problem. The teacher can informally check whether the student is working in the right way and the teacher can modify and deliver some instructions to the student while solving the problem together. This step makes the student competent and reduces his anxiety as he knows that his teacher is there to help him.
• Facilitation- In this step, the student is asked to solve another similar problem alone. The teacher stays there and guides the student if needed. The student thus, gets a sense of autonomy and also feels secured as he knows that at times of difficulty the teacher is there to guide him. The teacher on the other hand can informally put a check on how the student is progressing towards solving the problem.
• Independent practice- Finally the student has learned the ways in which similar problems needs to be solved. In this step he solves many more similar problems without the guide or aid of the teacher. His self esteem and efficacy has already been boosted in the previous stages and he has also learned to solve the mathematical problem.

Thus, it can be concluded that modelling and guided practice is a great technique for teaching and requires an efficient teacher to carry this out.