11 Principles of Effective
Instruction and 2
misconceptions
Colby Tofel-Grehl, USU
Heavily modified by J. M. Cohoon
2013
Two Truths About Learning
Truth 1. Learning Styles
Learning Styles DO NOT matter
No well-designed study has found any evidence
supporting a relationship between “styles” and
learning outcomes
(Duff & Duffy, 2002; Henson & Hwang, 2002; Kavale & Forness, 1987; Loo,
1997; Richardson, 2000; Stahl, 1999)
Truth 2. Discovery Learning
Having students “discover” solution
DOES NOT enhance learning
» Achievement is poor unless students get the information
necessary to guide informed problem-solving decisions
» Students are likely to become overwhelmed, confused, and
lose motivation to pursue learning goals
» Students who do succeed in discovery learning demonstrate
no advantage on later tasks compared to those who
received explicit instruction (Klahr & Nigam, 2004)
Research Summary
Research Consensus
 Cognitive Science
 Classroom practices of
master teachers
 Cognitive supports
Begin with review
Check homework
Correct errors
Practice for automaticity
Remind students of relevant background concepts
Present in small steps, laced with
student practice
Too much information swamps working memory
Demonstrate and work examples
Tell your neighbor what steps you use for teaching
the concept of recursion
Ask lots of questions & discuss
Ask factual and process questions
» Have students explain how they came to their answer
• How are ___ and ___ alike?
• What are some ways to solve the problem of ____?
• What do you not understand yet about ___?
Involve all students
»
»
»
»
Tell answer to neighbor
Write answer on card and hold up
Rate understanding by holding up fingers
Clickers
Provide models & worked examples
Think aloud while demonstrating how to solve a
problem, and explain underlying concepts
Image credit: <a
href='http://www.123rf.com/photo_17190387_teacher-or-scientistwriting-php-source-code-from-webpage-on-
Guide student practice
Have students rephrase, elaborating, & summarizing
new information
Provide prompts to guide students through the
process
Check for understanding
Do more than ask, “Any questions?”
» Have students summarize so far
» Ask if students agree or disagree with classmates’ answers
» Make connections with other knowledge
Correct misunderstandings
Scaffold difficult tasks
Gradually withdraw temporary supports as students
get more competent
Possible scaffolds include
» Checklists
» Partially completed problems
» Worked examples
Anticipate likely errors and warn students about
them
Require independent practice
Monitor in-class independent practice
Collaborative learning improves independent
practice
Obtain a high success rate
Aim for 80% correct when students participate in
guided practice
» Students are challenged and they are learning
Be sure that students are not practicing errors
Review weekly & monthly
Employ experiential activities after
basic material is mastered
To help overcome stereotype threat in your computing classes
USE INCLUSIVE PEDAGOGY
Self-Affirmation
Identify values &
characteristics important
to you:
» E.g., relationships with
friends, family, being good
at …
Write a short paragraph
about why this value is
important to you
Confirm: “In general, I try to
live up to these values.”
Emphasize Growth in Intelligence
The effort to master
difficult material actually
increases intellectual
ability
See Carol Dweck’s work
“Wise” feedback
“I’m being critical, but
Holding you to high standard
Know you can do it”
Results
 More likely Black students
revised their work
 Reduced Black-White grade gap
See Cohen & Steele
Normalize the Struggle to Master
It takes some time for most
people to “get” this
Keep working on it
and it will click
I’ll help
See Dweck
First experiences are crucial, so use
inclusive pedagogy
Recruit for the next course
Engaging examples
Tie concepts to meaningful uses
Inhibit grandstanding
Use collaborative learning
Build confidence
Scaffold
Encourage
Success experiences
Engaging Examples
?

Inhibit Grandstanding
Collaborative learning is more than
group work
Encouragement builds confidence
Encouragement, Not Sympathy
Do not say: “It’s OK. Not everyone can be good at
computing.”
Praise process, not person
NCWIT Aspirations programs recruit
and retain girls in computing
http://www.ncwit.org/programscampaigns/aspirations-computing
Visibility & Confidence
Increase feelings of belonging and
computing professional identity
Build identity
Provide intentional
role models
Create
community
FILL EXPERIENCE GAPS
Develop spatial rotation skills
Questions or comments?