SRSD: Using Learning Strategies To Enhance Student Learning
Wrap Up
In this module, you learned about Self-regulated Strategy Development (SRSD), an effective research-based model that teachers can use to help their students learn strategies and to improve their academic performance. A combination of academic strategy instruction and self-regulation instruction, SRSD helps students to analyze a problem, organize information, and regulate their behavior. In so doing, they are more likely to become independent learners. Click on the movie below for a further review of SRSD (time: 2:33).
At the beginning of this module, you met Mr. Carter, who was confused about his students’ inconsistent performance on their assignments. You’ve had the opportunity to learn about implementing strategies and how they can help students like Mr. Carter’s to improve their academic performance. Strategies help students perform tasks more quickly and efficiently. Years of research have proven that strategies can improve the performance of all students, including students with learning disabilities.
Specifically, you learned about the six steps used for strategy instruction developed by Karen Harris and Steve Graham. While each step is important, they can be re-ordered or combined. Each step should be practiced and reviewed along the way.
The first step is to assess students’ background knowledge. Before students can learn a particular strategy, they must have the necessary skills or knowledge to perform the strategy.
The second step is to discuss the strategy with the students. Explain the need for the strategy and how it will help. Then explain the strategy to the students. Show them the steps of the strategy and when and how it will be used.
It’s critical in strategy instruction for the teacher to model the strategy for the students. In this step, the teacher will help the students to understand the thought processes involved in using the strategy and why the steps of a strategy are performed. Effective modeling can demonstrate for students how to become more engaged learners and thinkers.
Students must also master the strategy. They must memorize the steps as well as the action that is performed for each step. Students can practice quizzing each other, or they might even play a game to help them commit the strategy to memory.
Teachers must continually support the strategy. We compared this to learning to ride a bike. The teacher provides a lot of help in the beginning as the students are first learning to use the strategy and then gradually lets the students perform the strategy more and more on their own.
Finally, students will perform the strategy independently. But it’s important at this stage that the teacher continue to monitor students’ performance to make sure it’s being used correctly and is helping students do their work better.
You’ve learned a great deal about strategy instruction in this module. You’re ready now to help students like the students in Mr. Carter’s classroom to improve their academic performance. Strategies work because they enable students to use their knowledge to perform tasks. One student with a learning disability once said, “Of course now I can write a story, someone showed me how.”
Copied with Permission From Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (Producer). (2002). Teaching students with learning disabilities in the regular classroom: Using learning strategies [Videotape 2]. (Available from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1703 N. Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714)
Revisiting Initial Thoughts
Think back to your responses to the Initial Thoughts questions at the beginning of this module. After working through the Perspectives & Resources, do you still agree with those responses? If not, what aspects about them would you change?
Why do you think Mr. Carter’s students are having difficulty in remembering what he has taught them?
What advice would you give Mr. Carter?
What procedures might Ms. Lin suggest?
When you are ready, proceed to the Assessment section.
