Directions and Guidelines

During my student teaching, I had the opportunity to learn specific methods of giving students directions and guidelines and analyze the positive effects of such. Early on in my placement, I struggled to give students directions and guidelines that were clear and helpful. In giving verbal directions, I found myself rambling and speaking too casually; students were too often confused or unprepared to begin their work after my directions. After some reflection with my supervisor and cooperating teacher, I focused on developing methods and strategies for creating and delivering effective directions for students. One of the first and most crucial steps was strengthening my "teacher voice," that is, speaking to students with confidence, energy, and assurance. As I grew more comfortable in the role of teacher, that voice became more natural and authentic. I always ensured that my directions were explicit and procedural. I noticed that students were most prepared when I walked them through their work before they began and when I made it clear exactly what I expected from them. This strategy also translated into the assignments I created. I learned the power of using different fonts and sizes of text to make directions and expectations stand out visually on the page. I utilized highlights and bolded text to draw students' attention to the directions on the top of every assignment. Prior to my student teaching, I had not truly realized the power of variety in the visual appearance of an assignment. I also utilized simple but direct wording and often split assignments into several small sections. For instance, the first section would cover vocabulary, the second would cover annotations, and the third would cover questions. Each section had its own directions and provided students more manageable chunks of work. As I strengthened in my direction-giving style and strategy, I noticed that students were more aware of my expectations and were more confident in their work.

I also utilized methods of scaffolding to support my directions and guidelines. I found that, especially because we were working together in a time of confusion and disconnection due to the pandemic, students needed as much support and guidance that I could offer them in their work. Scaffolding provides students with a balance of challenge and support so that they can complete their work while relying on teachers for structure and guidance (Hammond and Gibbons 2005). As such, I utilized scaffolded direction when assigning students writing assignments since I knew that both classes tended to become overwhelmed by writing and analysis. Below, you will find a slideshow I adapted from my cooperating teacher to guide students through the process of writing an analytical summary on poetry. Following the school's MEAL paragraph outline (Main Idea, Evidence, Analysis, Link/Connection), this guide offers students explanations for each part of their paragraphs and sentence starters that they may use to organize their ideas and analyses. I also provided students with examples for each sentence/ section that they could reference while they wrote. I used this slideshow each time we introduced a new writing assignment and walked through each sentence in class. Then, students could choose whether they wanted to work with me while they wrote sentence-by-sentence, or if they wanted to write independently and check in with me after completing their paragraphs. The slideshow was also posted alongside the writing assignment, and students were encouraged to follow along with it as they wrote. According to student feedback, the sentence starters and scaffolded guide helped them make sense of their ideas and organize them into one piece of writing. Students also felt less stress and more confidence in their writing when using the guide. As time progressed, students began to write without sentence-by-sentence help and deepened their analysis beyond the 1-2 sentence form presented. Ultimately, the scaffolded structure supported students as they developed strong writing skills.