How do they know....

As I read through the countless instructional strategies it's actually a bit overwhelming to me to see so many possibilities. It's incredible when I really think about it. How do I as a teacher know which one to start with for my group? And yes, maybe this is where the notion of backwards design fits in ie. starting with the end in mind. The link below is worth reviewing. As my classmate indicated, it's a 'gem of a source' and presents a wide range of instructional strategies in a 'tidy package.'

http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/PD/instr/index.html

I know as an educator, I need to assess the effectiveness of my instruction both formatively and summatively. I realize that in doing so I'll have some data to adjust the various elements of my instructional strategies. And the content of those assessments is what will draw out the input I'm looking for from each student. I guess what I wonder about is how 'meta' can I expect a student to get? Here's what I mean.....

As I've completed several courses related to Pedagogy, I've had the opportunity to read about, think about and evaluate my learning style. What's working for me, or not, and why. I even feel like I have developed some ideas about strategies that will improve my own learning experiences. The process of gaining a clearer understanding continues to be incredibly valuable to me, but it also continues to raise more questions about learning for me.

Knowing the effort that's been required for me to reach a meta level on the topic, can I expect my students to be able to articulate what instructional strategies are working for them and which ones are not? And even if I am able to provoke that level introspection, will their analysis likely be a valid representation of their real learning experience.

As I think through this question I'm reminded of a conversation we had earlier this trimester, related to student learning during high school and then student reflection on that learning several years later. What I was told by my classmates is that in many cases, students return to high school only to reminisce about how positive their experience was now that they have been away from it for a number of years. So even though while the student was in the learning they may have complained about it, or thought it was lacking, when they return, a bit more mature, they realize how good they had it.

So bringing this back to instructional strategies, two questions come up for me:

How can I get a student to get meta enough to articulate the effectiveness and over all thoughts on their learning experience so I as an educator can adjust it to meet their needs?

How do I find the balance between what the student is experiencing today and make it as positive as possible, without folded to the student's whim and sacrificing the quality of the learning experience that happens for the student?

Comments are welcome.