Content area
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Regardless of the teaching model and methods used, effective instruction begins with careful, thorough, and organized planning on the part of the teacher. The quality of instructional planning influences the quality of both teaching and learning. Acquiring an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the content-the substance of instruction-is a major consideration throughout the planning process. Surveying a large amount of content and identifying how to segment it into meaningful manageable parts is no insignificant task for even the most experienced professional. Initially, there might be a tendency to focus on the content pieces-the facts, information, and details associated with content. Yet, a problem remains as to how to arrange the specific items of information so that students can learn them in a meaningful manner and can remember them without resorting to mere memorization.
One way of addressing this issue is to consider the concepts or ideas related to content in the planning of instruction. The concepts become the bridges among items of information. Instruction that reflects the identification of concepts in planning can help students make sense of what it is they are learning and can ultimately contribute to longerterm retention of content. Indeed, it is much more manageable to learn, understand, and remember categories of information and the labels (concepts) that identify categories along with related information than to attempt to learn listings of unrelated pieces of information.
Instructional organization can be enhanced with the completion of a content analysis in the planning stages of any unit. A content analysis is a preinstructional analytical planning tool completed by the teacher. It is usually conducted for a unit of instruction comprised of a series of lessons related to a common topic. There are three major purposes for conducting a content analysis. Purpose Number One: The content analysis helps the teacher identify what is to be learned with respect to concepts. Purpose Number Two: The content analysis facilitates the continued planning of instruction. That is, it helps the teacher develop appropriate goals and objectives. Purpose Number Three: The content analysis helps the teacher select pertinent instructional methods, activities, and materials to use in instruction.
The primary purpose for using a content analysis is to help identify the concepts that are to be learned. Curriculum guides...