ABSTRACT
There is no guarantee that learning opportunities will produce learning: it takes a combination of skill and will, and the right balance of teaching and learning strategies, for that to happen. In this chapter, we turn to what happens within teaching–learning interactions, specifically what it is that teachers do that activates learning when mediating learning opportunities. Anybody can interact with learners while they are engaged in learning tasks, and many people do, but it is strategic teaching actions that make the difference to learning for many students. Through strategic intentional engagement with learners, teachers can ensure that a learning opportunity becomes a learning experience. So, what do teachers do to make this happen? Teaching strategies are the actions of a teacher in responding to the engagement and activity of the learner. Together, the student’s learning strategies and the teacher’s instructional strategies become a dynamic set of interactions, some of which may be predictable, while others are spontaneous and unplanned. The responsiveness of teaching in matching the learning needs of the students is what makes the difference in effective teaching.
