MOVES, PATTERNS, AND ABSTRACTIONS
Because teaching combines these eighteen areas of performance, it is important to recognize how they are related to each other. Some of the areas of perfor- mance have specific skills associated with them. We call these skills moves be- cause they represent a brief action or a remark. Moves are quick, discrete, and observable behaviors. They can be counted if you so desire. Many teaching skills can be explained in terms of moves (Figure 2.2).
Other areas of performance involve teaching skills that are more pattern like (Figure 2.3). They can’t be performed or seen quickly. An example would be implementing a model of teaching. For instance, a teacher skilled in using Taba’s (1962) nine-step inductive model orchestrates a series of events and fol- lows certain principles for reacting to students. The performance unfolds over time according to a certain regular and recognizable pattern. Being able to per- form the pattern is the skill. It’s a cohesive, planned package that is greater than the sum of its discrete parts. Skillful teachers understand moves as stand-alone actions and patterns of moves that make sense only when viewed as purposeful packages.
Some of the important things teachers do skillfully are hard to see at all. These skills include choosing objectives, designing learning experiences, organizing curricula, and assessing student learning. These areas of knowledge and skill are abstractions (Figure 2.4). The connections between actions and decisions become clear only over longer stretches of time or in conversation with a teacher because they are driven by big-picture blueprints (overarching objectives, curriculum maps, etc.). They are practiced before school, during planning, or after school while respond- ing to students’ work. Although not directly observable, they nevertheless shape and account for what is going on in a classroom at almost all times. These areas of performance are found in Curriculum Planning.