EDF1401 Chap.9 Selecting Instructional Strategies
Selecting Instructional Strategies
An instructional strategy is not effective merely because it has a recognised name. Selection begins with the intended performance, learner needs, context and the mechanism through which activity is expected to support learning. Strategies such as flipped, project-based or gamified approaches can be useful in particular designs, but each requires adaptation, resources and evidence.
The unit also uses peer learning and co-constructed curriculum: learners research, design and teach material, then engage with the contributions of others. Production alone is not sufficient.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Strategy selection from objective, learner and context
- 02
Mechanisms rather than fashionable labels
- 03
Strengths, challenges and adaptation
- 04
Peer learning and co-constructed curriculum
- 05
Learners as contributors and teachers
- 06
Engagement with peer-created work and evaluation
Worked example · free
Evaluate a peer-contribution strategy
- +2Recognise the intended mechanism: researching and teaching can deepen the producing group's understanding through active contribution.
- +1Identify the gap: without structured engagement, learners receive little access to the breadth of strategies produced by peers.
- +2Add a comparison task requiring each learner to analyse several peer resources against learner, objective and context criteria.
- +2Use peer questions, notes or a transfer scenario as evidence, while monitoring accuracy and unequal workload.
Key terms
- Instructional strategy
- A purposeful approach for organising activity and support to enable intended learning.
- Strategy mechanism
- The process through which a strategy is expected to influence learning.
- Peer learning
- Learning supported through structured interaction, explanation, comparison or collaboration among peers.
- Co-constructed curriculum
- A curriculum in which learners contribute meaningfully to the content or learning experience.
- Contributing student
- A learner who creates material intended to support the learning of others.
- Contextual adaptation
- Modification of a strategy to fit specific learners, objectives, resources and constraints.
Selecting Instructional Strategies FAQ
How do I choose an instructional strategy?
Start with the intended performance and learner-context evidence. Explain how the strategy's activities could support that performance, then test feasibility, access, support and assessment alignment. Compare alternatives and adapt the chosen approach. A familiar label is a starting point for investigation, not proof that a strategy fits every situation.
What is co-constructed curriculum?
It involves learners contributing meaningfully to what others study or how learning unfolds, rather than only consuming teacher-produced material. In the unit, students research, design and share work about instructional strategies. The design still needs structure, accuracy support and engagement with peers' contributions if the whole cohort is to benefit.
Is creating a peer resource enough for peer learning?
Not necessarily. Creation may deepen the producer's learning, but peer learning also depends on others engaging, questioning, comparing or applying the contribution. Add a structured reason to use peer work and evidence that engagement occurred. Consider accuracy, participation and workload rather than assuming publication alone creates learning.
How can I compare two strategies fairly?
Describe how each would operate for the same objective, learners and context. Compare mechanisms, support, access, resources, risks and evidence rather than relying on popularity or broad labels. A strategy may be strong on one dimension and weak on another, so state which trade-off drives the recommendation.
What should remain when a strategy is adapted?
Preserve the feature responsible for the intended learning mechanism. For peer teaching, that may be researching, explaining and responding to questions; the platform or group size may change. If adaptation removes the mechanism, the resulting activity should be justified as a different strategy rather than retaining the original label.
Assessment move
Create a strategy comparison grid with columns for intended performance, mechanism, learner fit, context fit, required support, risks and evidence of effect. Populate it only with claims you can support; do not invent universal rules for named strategies. Use one scenario to compare at least two approaches, then justify an adaptation rather than declaring a winner.
For peer learning, separate the producer pathway from the audience pathway. Ask what contributors learn through researching and teaching, what peers learn through engagement, and what structure connects the two. Practise converting passive exposure into an aligned task such as comparison, questioning, critique or transfer.
In written analysis, use a clear chain: context evidence, strategy feature, learning mechanism, anticipated benefit, limitation and evaluation measure. When a strategy is fashionable, actively search for boundary conditions and resource implications. For portfolio work, explain why the selected approach suits the specific learner and objective, not why the approach is generally popular.
Finish with a realistic plan for checking quality, participation and intended learning, because satisfaction or completion cannot establish that the mechanism operated as expected.
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