Teacher Center

Teaching styles and strategies

Which strategy fits which goal, in one table, with the research summary for each one.

General information, not legal advice. Your district's evaluation plan, its Code of Conduct and your union contract decide the details for you. When something matters for your job, ask your building union representative and your district (principal, human resources or the special education / ENL office). Facts here were checked Nov 7, 2026 from the official sources listed at the bottom.

1. Teaching style vs. strategies

Your teaching style is how you come across: warm, structured, energetic, calm. Any style can work. What matters most for learning is the strategies you use and whether they fit the goal.

A myth to skip: matching lessons to each student's "learning style" (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) is not supported by good evidence, according to a major review (Pashler et al., 2008). Instead, use the best form for the content (a map for geography, a model for a cell) and give everyone more than one way in (UDL).

2. Strategies and when to use each

Strategies
Strategy	What it is	When to use it	What research summaries say
Explicit instruction	Teacher models in small steps, guides practice, checks often, then releases to independent work.	New skills and procedures; when most students are new to the content.	Rosenshine's principles: review daily, small steps, models, guided practice, check understanding, aim for a high success rate (AFT, 2012).
Worked examples	Show a fully solved problem, then partly solved ones, then problems alone.	Early in learning a procedure (math steps, writing a claim).	IES practice guide: alternate worked examples with problems to solve (moderate evidence) (IES, 2007).
Retrieval practice	Students pull answers from memory: quizzes, brain dumps, flashcards. No notes.	Every day, for things learned earlier. Use ungraded quizzes.	IES: closed-book quizzing to re-expose students to content (strong evidence). Dunlosky et al. rated practice testing high utility (APS, 2013).
Spaced practice	Come back to a skill after days, then weeks, then months.	Plan reviews into do-nows and homework (Goal100 uses 1 day, 1 week, 1 month).	IES: space learning over time (moderate evidence). Dunlosky et al.: distributed practice rated high utility.
Interleaving	Mix different problem types in one practice set so students must choose the method.	After students know each method on its own (for example, mixed ratio, rate and percent problems).	Discussed in the Dunlosky et al. review; IES recommends mixing worked examples and problems. Use it after initial learning, not on day one.
Dual coding	Pair words with a matching picture, diagram, timeline or 3D model; put labels next to the parts.	Processes, cycles, structures, maps, number lines.	IES: combine graphics with verbal descriptions (moderate evidence).
Concrete to abstract	Start with objects or pictures, then link them to symbols and words.	Fractions, ratios, area, equations, maps.	IES: connect and integrate abstract and concrete representations (moderate evidence).
Deep questions	Ask "why?", "how do you know?", "what if?", and have students ask them too.	After students have basic facts to reason with.	IES: ask deep explanatory questions (strong evidence).
Guided inquiry	Students investigate a question with structure: a clear question, steps, data, a claim with evidence.	Science investigations, primary-source analysis, projects, once students have the key background knowledge.	Give structure and model the thinking first; check understanding along the way (Rosenshine: scaffolds and guided practice).
Cooperative learning	Structured group work: each student has a role and is responsible for their own part.	Practice, discussion, peer explanation, jigsaw reading.	Build in individual accountability (each student shows their own answer) and a shared goal. Teach the group routine first.

3. A week that uses them together

Sample week
Day	Plan
Monday	Do-now retrieval (last week + last month) · explicit instruction with worked examples · exit ticket
Tuesday	Retrieval · faded worked examples · guided practice on whiteboards · partner practice with roles
Wednesday	Retrieval · interleaved practice mixing this week's and earlier skills · deep "why" questions
Thursday	Guided inquiry or application task · dual-coded summary (diagram + words)
Friday	Ungraded quiz (retrieval) · reteach groups from the results · preview next week with a pre-question

4. Test-taking skills to teach (grade 6 NYS Math and ELA)

Time: glance at the whole section first; skip and mark hard questions; come back.
Break down a question: circle what it asks; underline the numbers or text evidence it gives; cross out extra information.
Multiple choice: solve before looking at choices; then eliminate.
Constructed response: restate, answer, cite evidence (ELA) or show every step and label units (Math).
Calculator: on the NYS Grade 6 Math test, Session 1 is without a calculator. Check the current NYSED test guide for the calculator rules for Session 2.

Grade 6 has NYS tests in Math and ELA only (no NYS science or social studies test in grade 6). Never invent test percentages; use NYSED test guides.

Sources

Rosenshine, B. (2012). Principles of Instruction. American Educator, Spring 2012 (AFT, PDF) (checked Nov 7, 2026)
IES What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide: Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning (Pashler et al., 2007, PDF) (checked Nov 7, 2026)
Association for Psychological Science: Which study strategies make the grade? (Dunlosky et al., 2013) (checked Nov 7, 2026)
Pashler, McDaniel, Rohrer and Bjork (2008). Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence (checked Nov 7, 2026)
CAST: Universal Design for Learning Guidelines (checked Nov 7, 2026)

Teacher Center · written for New York State teachers · last checked Nov 7, 2026. Robert Frost Middle School and Deer Park UFSD do not publish every local procedure online, so always confirm local steps with your building.