When he began teaching in the early 1970s, the district’s instructional
method was the developmental lesson. Briefly stated, the lesson began
with a motivating discussion that sought to relate the students’ own lives
and experiences to the lesson that would take place. Then, the lesson
would develop through a series of pivotal questions. During this develop-
ment, the aim would be elicited and written on the board. About halfway
through the lesson, there would be a medial summary. At the end of the
lesson, the final question would elicit a summary of the main ideas from
the students. This was the sine qua non method and anything else would
be considered “unsatisfactory.”
Mr. Chen was proficient with the developmental lesson. One day,
however, as he was in the midst of the motivating discussion, one student
raised his hand and said, “Can we cut to the chase and get to the lesson?
I’m bored by all these discussions. Let’s just get to what we need to
know.” There were knowing nods by many students.
Once he had tenure, Mr. Chen strayed from the developmental lesson
and used what was then called small-group instruction and even indi-
vidualized (now called differentiated) instruction. He even used the taboo
lecture method after graduates he previously taught visited the school and
told him that no one had prepared them for the lectures all their professors
were giving them in college.
On any given day, Mr. Chen might use a different method for the same
basic lesson in different classes. Some class personalities thrived with
small-group work, while others just couldn’t handle this student-oriented
method. Sometimes, different topics worked better with different meth-
ods. Instead of using one method of instruction, he expanded his reper-
toire to vary instructional techniques with students.
A school leader will see different methods used in the classes he ob-
serves. When his professional expertise tells him that the method used
does not match the topic or class personality, he will discuss alternatives
with the teacher. Otherwise, he will accept the teacher’s expertise and
knowledge of his students. Yes, some lessons he sees will be teacher
dominant and lecture, but if the lectures are well prepared and interest-
ing, then the instruction is legitimate. Some teachers may eschew whole-
class instruction in favor of one-on-one time with students; if all students
are engaged as the teacher works one-on-one with students, then this is
fine. The school leader may even find some old-timers deftly using the
Let Your People Fly 75