Model+Effectiveness

= Effectiveness of the IMT   =

Effectiveness of the IMT Across Grade Levels
The Incubation Model of Teaching is appropriate for use in classrooms of all ages, from preschool to graduate or professional school. The IMT was successfully utilized in the Ginn 360 and 720 Reading programs for elementary students, a program that is discussed below.Throughout his book, //The Incubation Model of Teaching: Getting Beyond the Aha! //, Torrance notes that graduate students often used the IMT with their peers and in lesson planning for children. The model proved successful for both groups of students. Finally, the IMT has been shown to promote higher levels of thinking for in-service teachers. Weiner's study found that when used in conjunction with Bloom's taxonomy, the IMT allowed for higher levels of thinking while analyzing lesson plans (as cited in Torrance & Sisk, 1997, p. 99). While research on the IMT is somewhat limited, the model seems to be both beneficial and appropriate for students of all ages.

 Effectiveness of the IMT Across Disciplines
The IMT is an effective model across a variety of disciplines. Torrance (2003) notes that the IMT can be successfully implemented in classes of different disciplines to students of varying learning styles, including verbal, kinesthetic, visual, and music and rhythm (p. 7). While the IMT's impact on the facilitation of learning has not been studied, studies have shown that the IMT leads students to further questioning, experimentation, and reading. In 2000, a study in Hong Kong utilized the IMT in secondary schools as a way to teach poetry. Bing and Hui (2000) found that the IMT not only helped students understand the meanings behind modern poetry, but also aided students in developing thinking and creative skills, ultimately leading students to write their own poetry (p. 95). Students often continued their study of poetry beyond the classroom. The IMT has also proven to be successful for teaching reading. The Ginn 360 and 720 Reading programs in the 1960s and 1970s utilized the IMT and, as a result, reported fun and successful learning experiences (Torrance & Sisk, 1997, p. 98). When used with first grade students, the Reading 360 program helped increase a desire to read amongst students. Remarking on the success of these programs, Plooster noted that for these students, "the reading program never ended at any one time period. Instead, it acted as a springboard for daily, weekly, and yearly class activities in all subject areas" (as cited in Torrance & Sisk, 1997, p. 99). Finally, the study can be applied to areas outside of "teaching." Torrance (1993) notes that the IMT can be implemented in lectures, sermons, workshops, seminars, and conferences (p. 234).