Instructional Strategy Finder

exit:{name:'Exit Ticket',prep:'5–10 minutes',why:'One carefully chosen prompt gives quick evidence of what students can explain independently.',tomorrow:'End with one question that targets the lesson goal. Ask for a brief answer plus one reason or example, then sort responses for tomorrow’s next step.',watch:'Avoid asking several broad questions; one diagnostic prompt is more useful.',link:links.assessment}, retrieve:{name:'Retrieval + Elaboration',prep:'None',why:'Students strengthen memory when they recall an idea without notes and then explain how or why it works.',tomorrow:'Close notes. Ask students to list what they remember for one minute, then choose one idea and explain it to a partner using an example.',watch:'Retrieval should be low stakes; use errors to guide review, not punish forgetting.',link:links.assessment}, flexible:{name:'Flexible Grouping',prep:'Planned',why:'Temporary groups based on current evidence let you reteach, practice, or extend without assigning permanent ability labels.',tomorrow:'Use one recent check to form short-term groups: reteach one need, provide supported practice, and give an extension that deepens—not just adds—work.',watch:'Regroup often and avoid public high/middle/low labels.',link:links.grouping}, supports:{name:'Differentiated Supports',prep:'Planned',why:'Students can work toward the same goal with different amounts or types of access support.',tomorrow:'Keep one learning target. Offer a model, vocabulary support, chunked steps, or guided questions to students who need them, and fade support as success grows.',watch:'Different support should not become a permanently easier curriculum.',link:links.differentiation}, stems:{name:'Evidence + Follow-Up Questions',prep:'5–10 minutes',why:'Requiring evidence and teaching students to probe one another moves discussion beyond first reactions.',tomorrow:'Post three follow-ups: “What makes you say that?” “What evidence supports it?” and “How does that connect?” Model one exchange, then require each speaker to use evidence.',watch:'If students lack background knowledge, changing the discussion structure will not solve the core problem.',link:links.questioning}, socratic:{name:'Socratic Seminar',prep:'Planned',why:'A prepared, student-led discussion built around evidence supports sustained analysis and respectful challenge.',tomorrow:'Choose a rich text and one central question. Have students mark evidence in advance, establish discussion norms, and track how ideas build or change.',watch:'Do not launch a seminar before students have enough knowledge and evidence to discuss well.',link:links.socratic}, spaced:{name:'Spaced Retrieval Practice',prep:'5–10 minutes',why:'Brief recall across several days strengthens memory more reliably than one long review session.',tomorrow:'Open class with three no-notes questions: one from yesterday, one from last week, and one older idea. Review answers immediately and revisit missed ideas later.',watch:'Keep it low stakes and cumulative; repeated rereading is not retrieval.',link:links.assessment}, cfu:{name:'One-Minute Everybody-Response',prep:'None',why:'A fast simultaneous response gives usable evidence from many students before you decide what to do next.',tomorrow:'Ask one question aligned to the lesson goal. Give silent response time, collect or display all answers at once, then adjust instruction based on the pattern.',watch:'“Thumbs up if you understand” can hide uncertainty; ask students to produce an answer.',link:links.assessment}, release:{name:'Gradual Release + Scaffold Fading',prep:'Planned',why:'Students gain independence when responsibility shifts in small, evidence-based steps rather than all at once.',tomorrow:'Model one example while naming your thinking, complete a second with students, then have them try one independently. Remove only the support they no longer need.',watch:'Do not fade support before students can succeed with the next step.',link:links.differentiation}, peer:{name:'Peer Support Before Teacher Help',prep:'5–10 minutes',why:'A simple help routine gives students another resource while preserving teacher support for genuine sticking points.',tomorrow:'Teach a sequence: reread the directions, check the model, ask a partner a specific question, then ask the teacher. Practice what a useful peer question sounds like.',watch:'Peers should support thinking, not simply provide answers.',link:links.collaborative}, experiential:{name:'Hands-On / Experiential Learning',prep:'Planned',why:'A purposeful task connects ideas to action and gives students something concrete to analyze.',tomorrow:'Choose one concept students can test, build, sort, observe, or simulate. State the learning question first and end with a short explanation of what the experience showed.',watch:'Activity is not automatically learning; build in reflection and evidence.',link:links.experiential}, movement:{name:'Movement-Based Response',prep:'None',why:'A brief physical response can reset attention while keeping participation tied to a learning decision.',tomorrow:'Assign two to four locations or gestures to possible answers. Ask the question, require quiet thinking, signal responses together, then ask students to justify.',watch:'Protect accessibility by offering an equivalent seated or nonverbal response.',link:links.engagement}, inquiry:{name:'Purposeful Questioning Sequence',prep:'5–10 minutes',why:'A planned progression from noticing to explaining to evaluating pushes thinking beyond quick recall.',tomorrow:'Prepare three linked questions: “What do you notice?” “Why might that be?” and “Which explanation is best, and what evidence supports it?” Give thinking time at each stage.',watch:'More difficult wording is not deeper thinking; students need enough knowledge to reason.',link:links.questioning}, investigate:{name:'Inquiry-Based Learning',prep:'Planned',why:'A meaningful question and evidence-gathering process let students develop and test explanations.',tomorrow:'Start with a focused problem students can investigate. Ask them to predict, gather or analyze evidence, compare explanations, and revise a conclusion.',watch:'Inquiry still needs clear boundaries, knowledge, and timely teacher guidance.',link:links.inquiry} }; var problems=[ {id:'participation',label:'Students aren’t participating.',best:'tps',alts:['write','four'],warning:'If students are quiet because they do not understand the content, increasing participation pressure may make things worse. Check understanding first.',target:{legend:'What seems closest?',options:[['afraid','Students seem afraid to answer publicly.'],['time','Students need more thinking time.'],['passive','Students are simply passive.'],['unsure','I’m not sure.']],map:{afraid:'tps',time:'write',passive:'four',unsure:'tps'}}}, {id:'few',label:'The same few students answer everything.',best:'boards',alts:['tps','write'],warning:'Call on volunteers after everyone has had protected thinking time and produced a response.'}, {id:'directions',label:'Students don’t understand my directions.',best:'directions',alts:['visual','restate'],warning:'If the task itself is beyond students’ current understanding, clearer directions alone will not fix it.',target:{legend:'What is breaking down?',options:[['forget','They forget steps.'],['wrong','They start incorrectly.'],['chaos','Transitions become chaotic.'],['repeat','They keep asking what to do.'],['unsure','I’m not sure.']],map:{forget:'visual',wrong:'directions',chaos:'transition',repeat:'visual',unsure:'directions'}}}, {id:'groups',label:'Group work gets noisy or unfocused.',best:'checkpoints',alts:['roles','transition'],warning:'If students do not understand the task, new group roles will not fix the underlying problem. Clarify and model the task first.',target:{legend:'What is the main issue?',options:[['unclear','Students don’t know what to do.'],['one','One student does most of the work.'],['chaos','Movement or materials create chaos.'],['drift','Students drift off task.'],['finish','Groups finish at very different times.']],map:{unclear:'directions',one:'roles',chaos:'transition',drift:'checkpoints',finish:'checkpoints'}}}, {id:'explain',label:'Students finish work but can’t explain what they learned.',best:'explain',alts:['exit','retrieve'],warning:'A polished product can hide weak understanding. Ask for an individual explanation before assuming the lesson goal was met.'}, {id:'readiness',label:'Some students are ready while others are lost.',best:'flexible',alts:['supports','release'],warning:'Use current evidence and temporary groups. Avoid permanent high/middle/low labels that narrow opportunity.'}, {id:'discussion',label:'Discussion stays shallow.',best:'stems',alts:['write','socratic'],warning:'If students lack the background knowledge needed to discuss the topic, changing the format may not solve the problem.'}, {id:'forget',label:'Students forget material quickly.',best:'spaced',alts:['retrieve','exit'],warning:'Forgetting is information. Keep retrieval low stakes and use errors to decide what needs another example or explanation.'}, {id:'check',label:'I need a fast check for understanding.',best:'cfu',alts:['boards','exit'],warning:'Do not rely on “Does everyone understand?” Ask every student to produce a small piece of evidence.'}, {id:'depend',label:'Students depend on me too much.',best:'release',alts:['peer','directions'],warning:'Removing support before students understand the work creates frustration, not independence.'}, {id:'movement',label:'Students need more movement or active participation.',best:'movement',alts:['four','experiential'],warning:'Movement is not engagement automatically. Tie every movement choice to a response, explanation, or product.'}, {id:'deeper',label:'Students need to think more deeply.',best:'inquiry',alts:['investigate','socratic'],warning:'Deep thinking depends on usable knowledge. Teach missing background before raising the cognitive demand.'} ]; var fields={ grade:{legend:'Grade band',options:[['K–2','K–2'],['3–5','3–5'],['6–8','6–8'],['9–12','9–12']]}, format:{legend:'Where is the problem happening?',options:[['Whole-group instruction','Whole-group instruction'],['Independent work','Independent work'],['Partners','Partners'],['Small groups','Small groups'],['Discussion','Discussion'],['Review / assessment','Review / assessment']]}, prep:{legend:'How much preparation time is available?',options:[['None','None — I need something now'],['5–10 minutes','About 5–10 minutes'],['Planned','I can plan ahead']]} }; var state={problem:null}; function choices(name,legend,options){return '

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