Interactive Instructional Strategy

Having the students to work in pairs is fun but it is hard for them to meet the expectation when they are on their own. I tried to write out what I would say to instruct them to follow the steps to build a character. Some of them would understand only parts of it, some of them may understand most of it but do parts of it.

In the last lesson, I tried to apply the "I do, we do, you do" model. As a teacher, I explained how to build a Julius Caesar's sculpture and give him power to move and talk. Then, I invited a student to be my partner and we demonstrated together. The "you do" part was inviting two students to come up and repeat the demonstration. On the other hand, I had a student to write down the steps on the whiteboard. During the activity, I announced which step they should be in. These techniques helped the class to understand and to follow the instructions.

I used to think it takes away students' practice time if I spend a long time on giving instruction. But I didn't help them to internalize what the activity is about and what the expectation is. Involving the students in instruction is also part of the practice time. They were all engaged even if they were only watching their peers building the character. Structure allows creativity. Taking time to scaffold is one of the most important parts of teaching.