Instructional Levels?

Question

Why are instructional levels important in education

Answer 1

From my experience and understanding, an instructional level is the ideal range for which to teach.  One theory is that there are three levels of learning experiences children can have:

1.  Independent level

2.  Instructional level

3.  Frustration level

As a teacher, I feel it is important to be aware of how to utilize this information.  For example, children who are learning to read will work within the independent and instructional level.  When I as a teacher am working one on one or in a small guided reading group, I have students working at the instructional level - the place where I am helping them develop new skills.  After the lesson/guided reading group, the children finish the activity for me, and then continue reading either by working on a challenging book that is at their instructional level - generally something they can sustain reading for a shorter period of time - or they choose one of their other books that is at their independent level - something they can read with little to no assistance.

If children work for too long at the instructional level without the instructional piece, they then shift into the frustration level, where little to no learning takes place, and is instead replaced with frustration.

As a teacher I use this information to guide my lessons, both whole class and small group, so that I am giving my students the opportunity to experiment with new concepts in a safe environment, and offering them the chance to continue practicing the skills they've discovered.

Answer 2

Instructional levels in general?

If so, well there are two main basic reasons:

1. For the teacher, it means that an assessment has been done on the student and the teacher knows at what level the child can operate at- with a little support/push from the teacher. So for example, if a student is reading at a Level 8 reader instructionally, that is what the teacher will work on with him until Level 9 is reached.

2. For the student, in certain circumstances and content areas, it is important to be in a homogeneous setting (all similar level students). Like in the example above- it could take place in a small reading group, and students can feel good about themselves because no one is "ahead."

HOW you as a teacher use instructional level is more important, knowing them is just the beginning. It always depends on your purpose as a teacher.

Answer 3

Instructional levels are important because of the stages of development of the brain.  At certain ages, students are only capable of learning certain things.  It gives students a way to bond with each other and work together while they learn at around the same ages.