STRATEGIC TEACHING: NSDC Presented by Tr. Harvey F. Silver, Ed.D. Tuesday July 21st , 2009
SELECTING THE RIGHT RESEARCH-BASED STRATEGY FOR EVERY LESSON
Silver Strong & Associates | 227 First Street | HoHoKus, NJ 07423 | www.ThoughtfulClassroom.com
Table of Contents What is the key to teaching more effectively? ......................................................................... 4 The Strategic Teacher: An Introduction ...................................................................................... 4 Initial (informal) Asessment ........................................................................................................ 5 Essential Questions & Workshop Goals ...................................................................................... 6 Reflection & Personal Goal Setting ............................................................................................ 7 What is a strategy? Why do we need strategies in the classroom? .......................................... 8 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 8 Is There A Need For Strategy In The Classroom? ........................................................................ 9 What do Research‐Based Teaching Strategies Look Like? ...................................................... 10 Strategy #1: Metaphorical Expression ...................................................................................... 10 Strategy #2: Reciprocal Learning/Peer Reading ........................................................................ 13 Strategy #3: New American Lecture ......................................................................................... 18 Human Interest and Differentiation .......................................................................................... 25 Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies? ............... 27 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 27 What Questions Can Instructional Strategies Answer For Teachers? ...................................... 28 What Does Effective Style‐Based Instruction Look Like? ........................................................ 48 How do we select the right strategy for a particular teaching or learning situation? ............. 55 How Can We Help You Bring Strategies Into the Classroom? ................................................. 62 The Knowing‐Doing Gap Revisited ............................................................................................ 62 The Thoughtful Classroom Portfolio Series: A Tool for Bridging the Gap ................................. 63 The Thoughtful Classroom Portfolio Series & Learning Clubs…Perfect Together! ................... 65 This Teaching Strategy Stuff Really Works! ............................................................................... 65 References............................................................................................................................. 66
What is the key to teaching more effectively?
WHAT IS THE KEY TO TEACHING MORE EFFECTIVELY? THE STRATEGIC TEACHER: AN INTRODUCTION
Read the sentence below. If you had to fill in the blank with one or two words, what word(s) would you choose?
The key to great teaching is ____________________. There are obviously a lot of possible ways to complete the sentence above. Can you guess how we filled in the blank? Unscramble the letters below to come up with the two words that we came up with...
Word 1:
d
i
c
e
s
n
Word 2:
k
i
n
g
a
m
i
o
The way we see it, the key to great teaching is _________________ ________________. (word 1) (word 2) And you don’t just have to take our word for it, either!!! Teachers make hundreds of decisions every day in their classrooms—and research shows that these decisions have a significant impact on student achievement. In fact, many educational researchers have concluded that teachers—and the instructional decisions that they make— have a greater impact on student achievement than any other factor! •
What teachers do in the classroom has 6 to 10 times as much of an impact on student achievement as all other factors combined (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001).
•
Individual teachers can have a profound impact on student achievement—even in otherwise ineffective schools (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001).
•
The key to improving education—more than any other factor—is improving the effectiveness of classroom instruction (Wright, Horn, & Saunders, 1997).
•
Effective classroom instruction works—regardless of students’ socioeconomic status (Schmoker, 2006).
•
Teachers can enhance student achievement by making good instructional decisions—by knowing what teaching strategies actually work and knowing when to use them (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001) .
As my partner Richard Strong always used to say, “There can be no improvement in learning without the teacher!” Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
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What is the key to teaching more effectively?
The degree to which good teaching could enhance student achievement was not always clear, but there is no doubt about it now! For this reason, it is more important than ever to provide teachers with the knowledge and tools that they need in order to teach more effectively. The purpose of this workshop is to help you become more “strategic” teachers by introducing you to a repertoire of research‐based, classroom‐tested teaching strategies that actually work—and by showing you how to select the best strategy to use for every lesson.
INITIAL (INFORMAL) ASESSMENT Every day, teachers have to make decisions about what instructional strategies to use and when to use them. But HOW do teachers go about making these important decisions? Let’s take a minute to find out… Respond to the questions in the boxes below and then compare your ideas with a neighbor.
1) What are 3 teaching techniques/strategies that you or someone you know use(s) in the classroom?
2) What teaching strategy do you use most often? ____________________________ Explain:
1. 2. 3.
3) What are three factors that teachers should consider when deciding what strategy to use? Justify each response—i.e. explain WHY. 1. 2. 3.
4) What might happen if teachers expanded the number of teaching strategies that they used in their classrooms?
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What is the key to teaching more effectively?
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS & WORKSHOP GOALS In this workshop we will address the following essential questions: •
What is the key to teaching more effectively?
•
What is a strategy? Why do we need strategies in the classroom?
•
What do research‐based teaching strategies look like?
•
Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
•
What does effective style‐based instruction look like?
•
How do we select the right strategy for a particular teaching and learning situation?
•
How can we help you bring strategies into the classroom?
The goals of this workshop include:
∗
Introducing you to our learning style model and the Strategic Teaching framework
∗
Showing you how the effective use of research‐based teaching strategies can raise achievement, increase motivation, and help students develop the skills that they need to succeed on state assessment tests and in the world outside of the classroom
∗
Explaining how the practice of ‘strategic rotation’ makes it possible for all styles of learners to succeed
∗
∗
∗
Showing you how ‘Strategic Dashboards’ improve instructional decision making and help you select the right strategy for any lesson Providing you with a blueprint for designing more engaging and effective instructional units
Making it quicker and easier for you to put the latest research about effective instruction into practice
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What is the key to teaching more effectively?
REFLECTION & PERSONAL GOAL SETTING
Let’s conclude the introductory segment of this workshop by taking a moment to reflect on the essential questions and workshop goals that were described on page four. Now take another moment or two to consider your own personal interests and goals. Use the questions below to get you started off in the right direction…
My
thoughts
What interests you most about this workshop? Is there a question that you hope we will address? Which of the stated workshop goals is most important to you? How could we run this workshop in order to make it most effective for you? What could you do to help make this workshop a success?
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What is a strategy? Why do we need strategies in the classroom?
WHAT IS A STRATEGY? WHY DO WE NEED STRATEGIES IN THE CLASSROOM?
INTRODUCTION
Closely examine the picture below.
Now think about this: How do humans differ from other living organisms?
Generate TWO ideas in the space below and then stop writing. 1. 2.
Use the “Give One Get One” teaching tool described below to generate four more ideas. 3. 4. 5. 6.
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What is a strategy? Why do we need strategies in the classroom?
IS THERE A NEED FOR STRATEGY IN THE CLASSROOM?
In 1983, John Goodlad published a landmark research study on American schools. In A Place Called School, Goodlad concluded that, “The American classroom is preoccupied with the dissemination of information and low level intellectual processes and the use of diverse engagement is minimal.” Sadly, it seems that very little has changed in the 25 years since Goodlad’s indictment of the American classroom. Results from a recent study based on 1,500 classroom observations indicate that the problems Goodlad identified still exist in today’s schools (Learning, 2005) their study observations were equally disturbing… Research Observations:
• • • • • • •
Classrooms in which students were either writing or using rubrics: 0 percent Classrooms in which there was evidence of higher‐order thinking: 3 percent Classrooms in which high‐yield strategies were being used: 0.2 percent Classrooms in which there was evidence of a clear learning objective: 4 percent Classrooms in which fewer than one‐half of students were paying attention: 85 percent Classrooms in which students were using worksheets (a bad sign): 52 percent Classrooms in which non‐instructional activities were occurring: 35 percent
Uh oh…
What is going wrong? And what can we do to fix these problems?
Today’s classroom teachers are under a lot of pressure—pressure to cover the content, to differentiate instruction, and to raise achievement test scores. Unsure about how best to tackle the daunting challenges that face them, many teachers end up adopting an approach that educational reformer Grant Wiggins refers to as “teach, test, and hope for the best.” The research findings that were summarized above make it clear that the ‘teach, test, and hope for the best’ approach is not working. In order to fix the problems that plague our classrooms, teachers need strategies—strategies that they can use to promote higher‐order thinking, spark student interest, clarify learning objectives, incorporate writing and assessment tasks, and actively involve students in the learning process. The teaching strategies described in The Strategic Teacher were designed to help teachers do all of these things and more!
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What do research‐based teaching strategies look like?
WHAT DO RESEARCH‐BASED TEACHING STRATEGIES LOOK LIKE?
Strategy #1: Metaphorical Expression
Today’s Lesson: What is Learning? In this lesson, we are going to use a strategy called Metaphorical Expression to explore a concept that is familiar to all of us (the concept of “learning”) in an unusual way. The purpose of doing this is to help us gain a better understanding of this concept. Let’s begin… What is learning? How would you explain the concept to someone else? Below, you will see some of the responses that we got when we asked a group of 2nd grade students to explain what learning meant to them:
“Learning means that you’re getting better each time” “Learning means to me finding out something you don’t know about yet” “I think learning means that I teach myself something.” “I think learning means finding out remarkable things to keep life going.” Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
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What do research‐based teaching strategies look like?
Which of the following best represents you as a learner? Explain your choice.
Each of the items above represents one of four different “styles” of learning.
The paper‐clip represents the MASTERY style of learning The magnifying glass represents the UNDERSTANDING style of learning
The slinky represents the SELF‐EXPRESSIVE style of learning
The teddy bear represents the INTERPERSONAL style of learning
We will learn more about each of these styles of learning later on in the workshop. For now, though, just take a minute to think about which of the four analogies that we explored on the previous page best describes your personal style of learning. Meaning: In your opinion, is learning more like a paper‐clip, a magnifying glass, a slinky, or a teddy bear? Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
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What do research‐based teaching strategies look like?
For me, learning is most like a ____________________________.
I feel this way because:
What type of teaching (or teacher) would appeal to someone with your style of learning?
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What do research‐based teaching strategies look like?
Strategy #2: Reciprocal Learning/Peer Reading
Today’s Lesson: Where does our style model come from? Our learning style model is based on the work of Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung, who discovered that the way we process and evaluate information corresponds to specific personality types. Jung investigated the ways in which people’s minds were similar and different and noticed the following: While everyone perceives the world and makes judgments about it, people perceive and judge in different ways. Jung described two unique ways of perceiving (“Sensing” and “Intuition”) and two unique ways of judging (“Thinking” and “Feeling”). In this lesson, you will use a strategy called Peer Reading (a variation of Reciprocal Learning) to help you gain a better sense of what Jung meant by the terms Sensing, Intuition, Thinking, and Feeling. The good news is that since Peer Reading is a collaborative strategy, you won’t have to try to make sense of these terms on your own—you will have a partner (or “comprehension coach”) to help you! Find someone to ‘partner up’ with, and determine which of you got out of bed earlier this morning. The early bird in the group will start out as a “re‐teller” (more about what that means below…) and the sleepyhead will start out as the “comprehension coach” (more about that role also coming up…). Read through the steps involved in a Peer Reading lesson with your partner, and begin whenever you are ready.
PEER READING STEPS
1. Both the re‐teller and the comprehension coach should read “Reading A”, which provides information about the Sensing and Intuition functions. 2. The re‐teller should the summarize the reading without peeking at the text. The comprehension coach (who IS allowed to look at the text) should listen carefully as the re‐teller summarizes the reading and think about the quality of the re‐teller’s summary. 3. If the re‐teller seems to be having trouble (e.g. missing key information, not explaining things in enough depth, or mixing up the facts), the coach should offer hints and/or ask probing questions. The job of the coach is to prompt the re‐teller to make improvements and/or develop a more thorough and in‐depth summary. The coach should also offer praise and encouragement when appropriate. 4. When the coach is satisfied with the re‐teller’s summary, the coach and re‐teller should switch roles and repeat steps 1‐5 for Reading B, which provides information about the Thinking and Feeling functions. 5. When both readings have been summarized, the coach and re‐teller should use the visual organizer on page 16 to help them review and summarize what they learned about each of the functions as a result of the Peer Reading activity. They should also use the ‘reflect and connect’ activity to make personal connections to the content. Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
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What do research‐based teaching strategies look like?
READING A: Two Different Ways of PERCEIVING (“Sensing” & “Intuition”)
Every mind needs to perceive the world in which it lives. In order to achieve this, every mind comes equipped with two perceptual functions: Sensing and Intuition. SENSING helps the mind to know what IS. Sensing is a concrete function that employs visual, auditory, olfactory and tactile senses to provide us with facts, details and direct experiences with reality. Sensing tell us the characteristics of a person, a place or a thing, characteristics such as fast, long, red and loud. In sensing, what we see, hear, smell, taste or touch is what we perceive. INTUITION helps the mind to know what MIGHT BE. Intuition is a more abstract function that uses hunches, guessing, insight and inspiration to group often hastily perceived facts and details into patterns, possibilities and sources of meaning. Intuition is a kind of instant science, a lightning-fast hypothesizer that lets us see a quickly moving long red vehicle with a blaring horn and treat it like a fire truck. With intuition, what we suppose, surmise, dream or generalize is what we perceive. We all possess and need sensing AND intuition. Sensing grounds us in our reality, while intuition supplies us with concepts that we can use to explain our reality or to predict changes within it. However, we each differ in how much we rely on each function. THE SENSOR PROFILE: People who base their perceptions mainly on what they sense can be described as concrete individuals. They prefer a reality of fixed and concrete details. Sensors are realistic. They are interested in facts and like to learn things that can be put to practical use. They feel comfortable with the standard way of doing things and become impatient when details become complicated. They trust hard work and tangible results and never mix business with pleasure. THE INTUITIVE PROFILE: Intuitives are more abstract. They rely primarily on hunch and insight, as well as surmise and inspiration to construct their perceptions. They prefer a more flexible and movable reality where perceptions are quickly sketched lines on a blueprint of possibilities. They are interested in ideas and concepts. Intuitives like to operate in an environment that generates visions and alternatives, and they often feel uncomfortable with standard operating procedures. They trust insight, inspiration and enthusiasm -- and they constantly mix business with pleasure.
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What do research‐based teaching strategies look like?
READING B: Two Different Ways of JUDGING (“Thinking” & “Feeling”) THINKING helps the mind establish an objective position. Thinking is an abstract function that employs verifiable facts, logical operations, and clear, consistent procedures in order to make decisions reasonable. Thinking tells us how to connect truth and consequences, ideas and evidence, actions and outcomes. It is by thinking that we determine what is true and what is false. FEELING helps the mind establish a personal viewpoint. Feeling is a concrete function that uses human values, personal preferences, and emotional relationships in order to make decisions meaningful. Feelings tell us how to connect what we want to what we have, where we live to where we are going, who we are to those with whom we work. By feeling, we determine what is good and what is bad. Thinking keeps our decisions correct, while feeling makes our purpose clear. As with sensing and intuition, we all think and feel – we just prefer one function to the other. THE THINKER PROFILE. Thinkers make decisions logically. They are objective, orderly and well organized. They rely on well-thought-out procedures and logical principles. Thinkers prefer a world as sharp as a lawyer's argument and as balanced as an equation. They are uncomfortable with feelings, do not need social approval, and they like to look carefully before they leap. THE FEELER PROFILE. Feelers make decisions from the heart. They are subjective, spontaneous and free-flowing. They rely on their own sense of like and dislike, right and wrong, and they seek and enjoy the approval of others. Feelers prefer to live in a friendly, harmonious world. They are uncomfortable with cold, hard facts and leap enthusiastically before they look.
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What do research‐based teaching strategies look like?
REVIEW, REFLECT, AND CONNECT:
What did you learn? Use the visual organizer below to review and summarize what you learned about each of the four functions.
THINKING
SENSING
S T
FEELING
F N
INTUITION
Remember that everyone perceives the world using both sensing and intuition—it is the degree to which people rely on sensing vs. intuition that makes one person different from another. And the same goes for thinking and feeling. Everyone reacts to their perceptions by thinking and feeling—some people just tend to do one more than the other. Note that there aren’t good ways or bad ways of perceiving and judging—just different ways. And it is these differences that give us our own unique styles!
What are your personal preferences? Place an X on the line to the right to indicate your degree of preference for Sensing or Intuition. Place an X on the line to the right to indicate where your judgment preference lies.
Sensing--------------------------------Intuition
Thinking ----------------------------------Feeling
Compare your preferences with those of your partner. Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
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What do research‐based teaching strategies look like?
Reflect on your experience with the Peer Reading strategy: What impact did this way of reading have on your reading?
Which role did you prefer playing? The role of the re‐teller or the coach? Which role (re‐teller or coach) is more challenging? How could you use this strategy in your teaching? Explain why you think so.
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What do research‐based teaching strategies look like?
Strategy #3: New American Lecture
Today’s Lesson: How functions become “stylish” Try this: Pick up your pen and write your full name in script.
Which hand did you use? Now switch hands and write your full name in script again. Which way was more comfortable? Which name looks better? Typically, most people are more comfortable using one hand to write, sketch, throw a ball, hammer a nail, stir a sauce, and so on. We are capable of using both of our hands, but for most of us one hand is stronger, and just feels natural. The same idea is true about learning. We’re all capable of learning in different ways, but most of us develop a preference for one way of learning. These differences in how people learn are called learning styles. You can see your learning style in the way you approach a problem, the way you discuss an idea, and especially, the way you learn. Some people learn by memorizing lists and practicing them over and over. Others are more comfortable learning in a debate or discussion. Some like to design and create projects, while for others the best way to learn is to work as part of a team. Knowing which learning styles you prefer and which styles you tend to avoid is key to succeeding not only in school, but also in the workplace.
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What do research‐based teaching strategies look like?
What is a Learning Style?
S T Y L E S
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What do research‐based teaching strategies look like?
A Map of Style
________________ (____ + ____ ) Pay attention to Careers: ________________ (____ + ____ ) Pay attention to Careers:
________________ (____ + ____ ) Pay attention to Careers:
________________ (____ + ____ ) Pay attention to Careers:
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What do research‐based teaching strategies look like?
Strategy #4: Reading for Meaning
Today’s Lesson: “Boredom and its opposite”
If you ask students a question about school, the answer you are most likely to hear is “boring.” How was school today? “Boring.” History class? “Boring.” Math? “Boring.” You get the picture… But what do students really mean when they say that school is boring? This is a question that we were very interested in knowing the answer to. Before we share what we learned about boredom (What is it? What causes it? What can we do to fight it?), we’d like you to take a crack at the question yourself. So… What do YOU think that students really mean when they say that school is boring?
In this lesson we will use a strategy called Reading for Meaning to deepen our understanding of the four learning styles. More specifically, we will be exploring the connections between students’ learning styles and their motivation to learn, and the ways that knowing about style can help teachers banish boredom from the classroom forever. On the next two pages, you will find a Reading for Meaning organizer containing six statements (1‐6). Read the statements to yourself. If possible, use your background knowledge and/or intuition to help you establish a tentative hypothesis about whether each statement is true or untrue. Next, read the excerpt from “Boredom and Its Opposite” (Strong, Silver, Perini, & Tuculesu, 2003) that follows the organizer. As you read, look for evidence that supports or refutes the validity of each statement. Record the evidence that you collect in the appropriate box on the organizer. Then, decide if the evidence that you collected is sufficient to support or refute the statement. Discuss your ideas and evidence with a partner (or in a small group) and see if you can come to a consensus. Indicate whether you agree or disagree with each statement on the organizer. At the end of the lesson, synthesize what you learned by briefly summarizing the relationship between learning styles and motivation.
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What do research‐based teaching strategies look like?
Reading for Meaning Organizer for “Boredom and Its Opposite” Agree
Disagree
Agree
Disagree
1. A teacher’s personality is a key factor in student boredom. Evidence For Evidence Against
2. The opposite of boredom is engagement.
Agree
Evidence For
Disagree
Evidence Against
3. Boredom is a result of current drives or needs.
Evidence For
Evidence Against
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What do research‐based teaching strategies look like?
Agree
Disagree
Disagree
4. Teachers are not responsible for student boredom. Evidence For Evidence Against
Disagree
5. Paying attention to students’ learning styles can reduce boredom in the classroom. Evidence For Evidence Against
Agree
Agree
6. It is too much to ask of teachers to design lessons or units that address mul styles of learning. Evidence For Evidence Against
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What do research‐based teaching strategies look like?
An excerpt from “Boredom and Its Opposite” by Richard Strong, Harvey Silver, Matthew Perini, & Greg Tuculescu published in ASCD’s Educational Leadership (Sept. 2003)
Over the past three years, we have had the privilege of meeting with small groups of students and conducting interviews, administering surveys, and holding good, old‐fashioned discussions about motivation and boredom. These sessions have taught us that a teacher's personality, voice, or style of instruction are not key factors in producing boredom. Instead, boredom is primarily an effect of curriculum. Curriculum design based on four natural human drives will not only reduce student boredom, but will yield boredom's opposite: abiding interest in the content that students need to learn.
The Drive Toward Mastery As humans, we all strive to increase our sense of mastery. We take delight in developing new competencies, and we have a stake in mastering those skills that will earn the respect of others.
When students say that they are bored, what they frequently mean is, I don't see where this is going, or, I don't think that I can do this well. In our discussions with reluctant learners, almost 30 percent admitted that lack of clear direction or anxiety about their own competence played a significant part in their feelings of boredom. They did not think that they could succeed, so they shut their minds down.
Tools for Increasing Mastery Whether we are teaching about the history of World War II, the water cycle, or wood shop, we should ask ourselves certain questions when confronted with student boredom: • Have we clearly defined the goal of the lesson or unit in terms of a performance or product? • Have students had opportunities to examine the competencies required to produce that performance or product? • What skills have we modeled clearly? What skills have we undertaught? • Have we built on‐the‐spot feedback and revision into the instructional design?
The Drive to Understand Even in a classroom organized around mastery, some students might still be bored because the curriculum fails to spark a sense of wonder. As human beings, we all share a drive to make sense of the world around us. This drive to understand appears in our compulsion to question; our delight in puzzles; our excitement about new ideas; and our sensitivity to flaws, gaps, and contradictions. Students express this drive when they raise questions, point out errors, insist on explanations, and share their opinions. Conversely, the absence of these behaviors gives us a primary clue that our students are bored.
Tools for Increasing Student Interest in Understanding Teachers can awaken students' drive to understand using the following strategies: • Organize units of study around questions designed to provoke students' thoughts and concerns. • Provide students with rigorous and challenging texts, rich not only in information but also in ideas, controversy, and different points of view. • Teach students how to collect, organize, and weigh the value of ideas. • Provide opportunities for students to challenge and correct others and to be challenged and corrected in turn. Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
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What do research‐based teaching strategies look like?
The Drive Toward Self‐Expression The drive toward self‐expression, like all the human interests, is stronger in some people than in others. But all of us have some longing to be unique, to have our differences acknowledged and nourished, to find and express those kernels within us that belong to ourselves alone, and to use those kernels to grow a life that belongs to us and no other.
Tools for Increasing Student Interest in Self‐Expression Students' drive toward self‐expression: choice of projects and guidance in making good choices; modeling of strategies that can help students identify, define, and shape their own purposes and projects; adult and student samples of similar work from which they can borrow both inspiration and technique; and time to discuss their work and the problems that they face in pursuing it. Thus, when a student or class is bored, we might ask such questions as • What role does choice play in my classroom? • Do I regularly model the strategies that students need to shape their projects to their own interests and concerns? • Do I make a rich set of samples available for students to study? • How much time and guidance do students have to explore their work and their problems with it?
The Need to Relate As humans, we all share a need to interact with others. We all hope that our work is not just an intellectual exercise or an expression of our own point of view, but also of value and interest to others.
Tools for Increasing Interpersonal Interest Today, many teachers are helping their students learn about and change the world around them. In doing so, they have awakened some students from the sleep of boredom. But awakening our common drive toward relationship and meaning requires more than projects rooted in the lives of our students and the world that surrounds them. It also requires • Teaching students investigative strategies for collecting and organizing information about that world (for example, the bike survey and interviews). • Providing samples of adult products from which students can draw the inspiration and ideas that they need to create products and performances that work in the world. • Developing criteria and rubrics with which to reflect on and improve performance. • Identifying audiences, clients, and customers who need or appreciate the work and provide feedback for improvement.
Human Interest and Differentiation Although all of us share the four human interests described here, the drives for mastery, understanding, self‐expression, and interpersonal relationships exist in varying degrees in different people. Some students' interests are more likely to be aroused and sustained by mastery‐oriented curriculum designs, whereas other students respond to a more interpersonal orientation. Even more important for educators, research suggests that students' performance in school depends significantly on their style of interest. For example, Superintendent Maria Ehresman and her staff at Williamson Central High School in New York State recently administered the Learning Preference Inventory (Hanson & Silver, 2000) to identify the learning style profiles and dominant patterns of Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
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What do research‐based teaching strategies look like?
interest of its 9th grade population. When Maria and her staff correlated these results with failure rates and performance on state tests, the results were striking: students with a strong interpersonal style of interest (43 percent of the student population) and students with a strong self‐expressive style of interest (20 percent of the student population) had the highest failure rates and lowest test scores across the board (Williamson Central School District, 2001). A large‐scale study conducted by Hanson and Dewing (1990) found a similar pattern: Students with self‐expressive and interpersonal interests had the greatest difficulty in school. Little wonder, Hanson and Dewing concluded, because these two styles of interest are among the least addressed in the upper grades. These findings suggest that teachers need to learn how to design the curriculum around student interests and to differentiate instruction to appeal to all four styles of interest.
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR TEACHERS TO HAVE A WIDE REPERTOIRE OF TEACHING STRATEGIES? INTRODUCTION Can you complete the following snippet of dialog by filling in the blank below? Contestant: Alex, I’ll take the “Name of the Game” for $500.
Alex: This famous television game show is known for providing answers rather than questions.
Contestant: What is __________________?
In the popular television game show “Jeopardy!,” the typical question and answer format gets turned upside down. Instead of giving contestants questions and asking for answers, the host gives contestants the answers and asks them to come up with the questions. In Jeopardy!, each answer is designed to yield only one question – but outside of the game‐show world, a single answer can elicit many questions. For example, imagine that you’re in Social Studies class and your teacher tells you that the answer is George Washington…How many questions could you generate? How about trying something more relevant to the topic of this workshop? Give this one a try… If “research‐based instructional strategies” is the ANSWER, what might be the QUESTION? Come up with as many questions as you can think of in the next few minutes…
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
WHAT QUESTIONS CAN INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES ANSWER FOR TEACHERS?
Here are four questions that we came up with: Q: How can I differentiate instruction so that all styles of learners are able to succeed? A: Research‐based instructional strategies! Q: How can I help students develop the skills they need to succeed on state assessment tests? A: Research‐based instructional strategies! Q: How can I incorporate the latest research about effective instruction into my lesson plans? A: Research‐based instructional strategies! Q: How can I develop more thoughtful and effective lessons and units? A: Research‐based instructional strategies!
While teachers have been asking questions like these for decades, it is more important than ever before to provide them with answers. Why is this the case? The world of education (and the world in general!) is changing rapidly, and teachers are facing new challenges as a result. In the next section of the workshop, we will show you how research‐based instructional strategies can help teachers address these new challenges and answer all four of the questions above. For each question, we’d like you to think about the following four things:
THE CHANGE: Why is it more important than ever before to answer this question? What has changed? THE CHALLENGE: What new challenge(s) do teachers face as a result of this change? THE CONNECTION: What is the connection to research‐based teaching strategies? THE CONSEQUENCES: What would be the consequences of using teaching strategies to address this challenge?
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
Q:HOW CAN I DIFFERENTIATE INSTRUCTION SO THAT ALL STYLES OF LEARNERS ARE ABLE TO SUCCEED?
The Change
Why is it more important than ever before to answer this question?
The challenge
What new challenge(s) do teachers face as a result of this change?
THE CONNECTION: What is the connection to research‐based teaching strategies? Robert Sternberg and his colleagues at Yale University conducted a remarkable series of studies involving diverse student populations ‐‐ students from Alaskan Eskimo villages and rural Kenya, as well as a wide range of student populations from across the United States. Students in these studies were taught using the five approaches described below:
∙
A memory‐based approach emphasizing identification and recall of facts and concepts
∙
An analytical approach emphasizing critical thinking, evaluation, and comparative analysis
∙
A creative approach emphasizing imagination and invention
∙
A practical approach emphasizing the application of concepts to real‐world contexts and situations
∙
A diverse approach incorporating all of the individual approaches described above
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
Do these “approaches” sound familiar to you??? They should!! When Sternberg and his colleagues analyzed the effectiveness of these five approaches, they noticed some very interesting things…
•
•
When students were taught using an approach that “matched” their own learning style preference, they outperformed students who experienced a teaching style/learning style mismatch. When students were taught using a variety of instructional approaches (vs. one single approach), they outperformed other students on performance‐based assessments and on multiple‐choice memory tests.
What is the significance of these 2 observations? Can they inform your practice in any way?
If you vary the styles of instructional strategies that you use in the classroom, all of your students will eventually get to experience a teaching style/learning style “match.” Why might this be valuable? Generate as many reasons as you can think of in the box below:
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
If you vary the styles of instructional strategies that you use in the classroom, your students will also experience a lot of teaching style/learning style “mismatches.” Believe it or not, these mismatches can also be valuable! Why might this be the case? Explain below:
THE CONSEQUENCES:
Read the following quotation from Robert Sternberg and then respond to the ‘consequences’ question that appears below the quotation. “Many of the students we are consigning to the dust heaps of our classrooms have the abilities to succeed. It is we, not they, who are failing. We are failing to recognize the variety of thinking and learning styles they bring to the classroom, and teaching them in ways that don’t fit them well.”
What would be the consequences if you used a variety of teaching strategies to address the diversity of learning styles in your classroom?
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
Q:HOW CAN I HELP STUDENTS DEVELOP THE SKILLS THAT THEY NEED TO SUCCEED ON STATE ASSESSMENT TESTS ?
The Change
Why is it more important than ever before to answer this question?
The challenge
What new challenge(s) do teachers face as a result of this change?
THE CONNECTION: What is the connection to research‐based teaching strategies?
On the next page, you will see two science questions taken from a state assessment test. The question printed on the left is a more “traditional” type of test question. The item on the right is representative of the “newer” questions that are appearing more and more frequently on today’s state assessment exams. Take a minute to think about how the questions differ… What skills would students need to respond to the “newer” question successfully?
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
While traditional test questions were designed to test students’ mastery of the content material, newer test questions require students to know more than just the content. In order to succeed on today’s state assessment tests, students need to possess a wide variety of skills. Below, you will see a list of twelve academic skills/abilities. Which of these skills/abilities do you think students need to have in order to succeed on today’s state assessment tests? Check the box next to each skill you believe is important. Then compare your responses with a neighbor. Reading and Study Skills Collect and organize ideas through note making Make sense of abstract academic vocabulary Read and interpret visual displays of information Thinking Skills Make and test inferences/hypotheses/conjectures and draw conclusions Conduct comparisons using specific criteria Analyze the demands of a variety of higher‐order thinking questions Communication Skills Write clear, well‐formed, coherent explanations in all content areas Write comfortably in the following nonfiction genres: problem/solution, decision‐ making, argument, comparative Read and write about one or more documents Reflective Skills Construct plans to address questions and tasks Use criteria and guidelines to evaluate work in progress Control or alter mood and impulsivity Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
What skills do students really need in order to succeed on today’s state assessment tests? This was a question that we were very interested in answering—and one that we spent a lot of time investigating. We gathered test questions from every state and from all content areas, analyzed the questions to determine what skills were needed to answer them correctly, and compiled a list of the “most‐needed” skills. The skills that we identified—skills that students need to succeed regardless of grade level or content area – are the twelve skills listed on the previous page. How many of these twelve skills do you teach in your classroom? _______ If your answer was “not many,” don’t worry –you are not alone! In fact, we decided to call the twelve skills on our list the Hidden Skills of Academic Literacy (or “Hidden Skills” for short) because we discovered that these skills are rarely taught in classrooms, rarely assessed or benchmarked at the various grade levels, and rarely addressed in state curriculum documents. Do the Hidden Skills really make a difference? Absolutely! In fact, one of the primary factors that distinguishes ‘high achievers’ from ‘average achievers’ is the degree to which the twelve Hidden Skills have been mastered and developed. How can you help students build these Hidden Skills? Each of the twenty teaching strategies that appears in The Strategic Teacher has the capacity to help students develop at least two – and sometimes as many as six!! – of the Hidden Skills. As a result, you can help your students acquire the skills that they need to succeed on state assessment tests (and in the classroom in general!) simply by incorporating a variety of teaching strategies into your lesson plans.
THE CONSEQUENCES:
What is the value of having instructional strategies that enable students to develop “general” learning skills AND learn content material at the same time? Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
Q:HOW CAN I INCORPORATE THE LATEST RESEARCH ABOUT EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION INTO
The Change
MY LESSON PLANS? Why is it more important than ever before to answer this question?
The challenge
What new challenge(s) do teachers face as a result of this change?
THE CONNECTION: What is the connection to research‐based teaching strategies?
For many years, educational researchers have been interested in finding out whether teaching strategies were actually having a positive impact on student achievement—and if so, which ones. One of the most extensive and influential of these studies was initiated by the renowned educational researcher Robert Marzano, who used meta‐analysis to identify the types of instructional strategies that have the highest probabilities of enhancing achievement for students of all ages, across all content‐areas. Marzano and his team presented their findings in the aptly titled and best‐selling book Classroom Instruction That Works: Research‐Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001). In Classroom Instruction That Works, Marzano describes the nine categories of instructional strategies that affected the greatest gains in student achievement (across all grade levels, in all subjects). These nine categories, which we refer to as “The Marzano Nine,” are listed on the next page. Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
Which three categories of instructional practices/strategies do you think would have the greatest impact on student achievement? Mark your choices with a “X”. CATEGORIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES & STRATEGIES*
Generating & Testing Hypotheses Summarizing & Note‐taking Identifying Similarities & Differences Questions, Cues, and Advance Organizers Reinforcing Effort & Providing Recognition Cooperative Learning Nonlinguistic Representation Setting Objectives & Providing Feedback Homework & Practice
% Gain
Ranking
*We acknowledge the use of nine strategies from Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock’s Classroom Instruction That Works. Copyright © 2001 Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL). Adapted by permission of McREL. 4601 DTC Boulevard, Suite 500, Denver, Colorado 80237. Phone: 303.337.0990. Web: www.mcrel.org/topics/products/19/
How has the research helped us? Three decades‐worth of research have provided the educational community with a very clear picture of what effective classroom instruction should look and sound like. As a result, today’s teachers have access to more information about what works in the classroom than any generation of teachers before them. Why, then, do so many classrooms look the same today as they did thirty years ago?
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
In thinking about how to respond to the question above, we were reminded of a research study performed by Stanford University professors Jeffery Pfeffer and Robert Sutton (Pfeffer & Sutton, 2000) about a decade ago. When Pfeffer and Sutton set out to identify the differences between underachieving organizations and successful ones, they found that the differences in achievement had very little to do with knowledge—i.e. the successful organizations didn’t “know more” than the less successful ones. Rather, what distinguished the top dogs from the underachievers was their ability to do something with the information that was available. Put another way, the underperforming organizations had access to the information that they needed to succeed—they were just having trouble using that information. These organizations were suffering from what Pfeffer and Sutton referred to as a “knowing‐doing gap.” Research suggests that a “knowing‐doing gap” exists in many of today’s classrooms as well. Why might this be the case? (i.e. Why does so little of what we know about effective instructional practice make it out of the research journals and into our classrooms?) No matter what anyone tells you, bridging the knowing‐doing gap in the classroom is not an easy task. Even when researchers present us with ideas that are as clear and logical as Marzano’s, it can be both challenging and time‐consuming to figure out how to implement those ideas in the classroom. For example: The idea that you can raise achievement by improving students’ note‐taking skills is a simple one to understand—and an idea that makes total sense. The fact that an idea is clear and logical, however, does not mean that it is easy to implement in the classroom. How, for example, can you teach students to identify similarities and differences, develop their note‐taking and summary skills, promote the use of non‐ linguistic representations, and incorporate visual organizers into your lessons without taking time away from covering the content??? The Strategic Teacher can help.
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
The Strategic Teacher contains concrete and specific strategies that are easy to use, and that have the principles of effective instruction “built right in.” We know that these strategies should work because they incorporate the latest educational research findings; we know that they actually work because they have been extensively tested in the classroom by real teachers like yourselves.
THE CONSEQUENCES:
If teachers had access to easy‐to‐use, classroom‐tested instructional strategies that had the principles of effective instruction “built‐right in,” what might be the consequences?
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
Q:HOW CAN I DEVELOP MORE THOUGHTFUL AND EFFECTIVE LESSONS AND UNITS?
The Change
Why is it more important than ever before to answer this question?
The challenge
What new challenge(s) do teachers face as a result of this change?
THE CONNECTION: What is the connection to research‐based teaching strategies? For more than thirty years now, we have been helping teachers design strategic instructional units for their classrooms. In an attempt to address teachers’ concerns about unit design and simplify the design process overall, we generated a research‐based, teacher‐friendly unit design framework that we call a unit blueprint. Each unit blueprint contains five distinct types of ‘learning experiences’ – experiences that collectively engage students in the learning process and help them construct knowledge from the ground up. To generate a successful blueprint, you need to have a place for: 1) KNOWLEDGE ANTICIPATION. This is where you aim to “hook” students into the unit by capturing their attention, activating their prior knowledge, and helping them anticipate the things they’re about to learn. 2) KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION. This is where students acquire new information via readings, lectures, or other sources. Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
3) PRACTICING AND PROCESSING KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS. This is where students explore the content more deeply and work hard to master essential skills. This is also a place where teachers or students can provide help by modeling and/or coaching. 4) KNOWLEDGE APPLICATION. This is where students are asked to demonstrate the full scope of their learning by completing a summative assessment task. This is also an appropriate place for formative assessment tasks—tasks that provide students with useful feedback about their progress during the instructional process (i.e. while there is still time for students and teachers to make any necessary adjustments). 5) REFLECTION. This is where students get the chance to take a step back and reflect on what they learned. This is also a good place to think about future learning goals.
Let’s try a more visual approach… If you picture each learning experience taking place in one room within a “house of learning,” you will end up with a unit blueprint like the one on the next page.
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
FOYER
A place for knowledge anticipation
Where we “hook” students into the unit by activating their prior knowledge, arousing their interest, and/or helping them anticipate what they are about to learn
WORKSHOP
LIBRARY
PORCH
A place for practicing & processing
A place for knowledge acquisition
A place for reflection
Where students practice Where students acquire new and process the things information via lectures, that they have learned readings, pictures, etc. and evaluate their progress
Where students sit back and reflect on what they have learned and what they still want to accomplish
KITCHEN
A place for knowledge application
Where students “cook up” a final product that demonstrates the full scope of their learning The information contained on the next few pages was designed to help you gain a better understanding of what is supposed to happen in each room of the house—i.e. the purpose of each room. These pages also contain helpful information about the strategies that you can use to “furnish” each room in your house.
Note that if you were planning an actual instructional unit, you could use this information to help you “spruce up your house” (i.e. to help you select the actual strategies and activities that you wanted to use in each room).
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
THE CONSEQUENCES:
How does the house blueprint make it easier for teachers to design engaging and effective instructional units that meet the needs of their students and meet content standards? Remember to consider the layout and appearance of the house, as well as the items that teachers would use to furnish the house, when developing your response.
Before we move on, it is worth pointing out one aspect of the house blueprint model that we (and many of the teachers that we’ve worked with) think is extremely valuable. The fact that the house blueprint offers you an “aerial view” of your entire unit makes it possible for you to see (at a glance) all of the connections that exist between the various activities and learning episodes in your unit.
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER & STRATEGIES TO USE IN THE FOYER
QUESTIONS:
• How will you help students know where they are going and why?
• How will you help them activate their prior knowledge, assess their skill levels, and identify their interests?
• How will you “hook students in” with engaging and thought‐provoking activities?
• How will you help students develop insight into the products that they will create and the knowledge that they will construct?
STRATEGIES:
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER & STRATEGIES TO USE IN THE LIBRARY QUESTIONS:
• How will students acquire the knowledge, understanding, skills, and attitudes that they will need to complete the assessment task(s)?
• How will you engage students? What tools and strategies will you use to help students obtain the critical information and construct meaning?
• How will you address students’ different learning styles, intelligences, and ability levels so as to engage all students and allow all students to experience success?
STRATEGIES:
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER & STRATEGIES TO USE IN THE WORKSHOP QUESTIONS:
• How will you build in periodic reviews and guided practice opportunities to help students master key skills and content?
• How will you use modeling and coaching to help students refine their skills?
• How will you help students assess their own knowledge and skills so that they can determine their own levels of understanding?
STRATEGIES:
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER & STRATEGIES TO USE IN THE KITCHEN
QUESTIONS:
• How will you equip students with the skills that they will need to develop successful products and performances?
• How will you provide guidance and feedback to your students so they can rehearse, revise, and rethink their work?
STRATEGIES:
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Why is it important for teachers to have a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER & STRATEGIES TO USE ON THE PORCH QUESTIONS:
• How will you encourage students to reflect on and re‐think their work?
• How will students exhibit their new insights about learning and performance?
• How will they set future goals?
STRATEGIES:
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What does effective style‐based instruction look like?
WHAT DOES EFFECTIVE STYLE‐BASED INSTRUCTION LOOK LIKE? What does it look like when you incorporate everything that you’ve just learned about effective classroom instruction into practice? Since you obviously can’t peek into an actual classroom right now to see how it looks when a strategic teacher ‘puts it all together’, we’ve provided you with a classroom narrative instead. The purpose of giving you this narrative is to help you “see” the way in which one strategic teacher (“Mr. Cogito”) uses what he knows about the principles of effective classroom instruction to help him design and deliver a unit about explorers. As you read, we want you to pay attention to the ways in which Mr. Cogito uses what he knows about learning styles, teaching strategies, and unit design to help him plan and present a unit that is both engaging and effective. Specifically, we want you to think about how Mr. Cogito addresses each of the four questions/concepts that we discussed in the previous section of the workshop. The questions listed below are designed to help you stay focused:
How does Mr. Cogito use teaching strategies to appeal to/engage all styles of learners and enable all students to succeed?
What instructional tools and/or strategies does Mr. Cogito use to help his students develop the “Hidden Skills of Academic Literacy” ‐‐ skills that will ultimately enable them to perform better on state assessment tests?
Is there any evidence that Mr. Cogito has bridged the “knowing‐doing gap” that prevents so many other teachers from integrating Marzano’s valuable research findings (the “Marzano Nine”) into their classroom practice?
Do you see any evidence to suggest that Mr. Cogito used the house model to design this instructional unit? Can you ‘see’ any of the five rooms?
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What does effective style‐based instruction look like?
Since it might be difficult (and time consuming!) for you to think about all four ideas at once, we’d like you to work in teams to complete this activity. Find three other people to work with, assign each person one “number” to focus on, and get started. You can use the space to the right of the narrative to take notes. When you finish, meet with the other members of your group to discuss and synthesize your findings. Use what you have learned to answer the following question: What does strategic teaching look like? Describe at least five characteristics.
One final note: When you begin planning and implementing “strategic units” of your own, don’t get discouraged if they aren’t as ‘complete’ as Mr. Cogito’s since Mr. Cogito is a strategy expert who has been doing this sort of thing for a long time. If you can incorporate even one of the things that you learned in this workshop into your next lesson or unit, you are on the right track – and one step closer to becoming a strategy expert yourself!
If you are interested in learning more about the activities and tools that Mr. Cogito used in his lessons, contact us to get a copy of our best-selling book Tools for Promoting Active, In-depth Learning (Silver, Strong, & Perini, 2001).
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What does effective style‐based instruction look like?
NOTES
A STRATEGIC TEACHER AT WORK…
On Day 1, Mr. Cogito begins by writing 15 key terms related to the unit on the board, one word one at a time. With each new word, students consider what they know about the term and make connections between terms to see if they can figure out what topic or “big idea” they will be studying. After the 15 words are written, the class comes to a consensus: The topic has “something to do with explorers.” Mr. Cogito confirms his students’ hypothesis by telling them the name of the unit—Explorers or Exploiters?—and asks, “What comes to mind when you hear this title? What do you associate with explorer? How about exploiter?” Using their learning logs, students generate a preliminary definition of both terms. After sharing and discussion, Mr. Cogito explains that this tension between exploration and exploitation will be a defining theme in the unit. “In fact,” he says, “near the end of the unit, you’ll be participating in a Circle of Knowledge discussion. You’ll have the job of arguing whether the defining legacy of this period is exploration of New Worlds or exploitation of native cultures. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s come back to the new vocabulary words we’ll be learning.” Mr. Cogito returns to the fifteen key vocabulary terms and asks students to assess their initial Vocabulary Knowledge Rating (VKR) understanding of each term using a simple VKR rating scale:
1 = I’ve never heard it;
2 = I’ve heard it, but I’m not sure what it means;
3 = I think I know it but need some clarification;
4= I know it well enough to explain it to others.
After rating their initial understanding of the terms, students compute and share their average VKR scores for all fifteen terms. “Your challenge,” says Mr. Cogito, “will be to make sure that by the end of the unit, your total score is at least a 3.5. That way, you’ll know you have a good handle on the important terms in the unit.” Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
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What does effective style‐based instruction look like?
Next, Mr. Cogito presents the essential questions for the unit: 1. What conditions made exploration possible?
2. Who were the explorers and what did they accomplish? 3. What happened between the explorers and the native cultures they encountered? Should the explorers’ actions be admired or admonished? “What I want you to do for homework,” he tells students, “is to review these questions carefully and to be a historian by asking yourself what else you would like to know about the Age of Exploration. Generate at least one more essential question of your own.” Mr. Cogito also distributes the Assessment Menu for the unit and asks students to review it. The menu contains twelve tasks in all, four tasks for each of the three essential questions, with each task representing one of the four learning styles. For example, for the first essential question (What conditions made exploration possible?), students can: •
Select the five most important developments that led to Columbus’s voyage and develop an annotated timeline (Mastery task)
•
Compare and contrast the time leading up to Columbus’s voyage with the Space Race (Understanding task)
•
Develop a flag that captures the “Spirit of the Age” and write an exploration of what the design elements on the flag represent (Self‐Expressive task)
•
Pretend that they are Columbus and write a personal letter to Isabel and Ferdinand that will persuade them that the time is right for the proposed journey (Interpersonal task)
Over the course of the unit, students will be able to choose their tasks ‐‐ provided that they try tasks in different styles.
On Day 2, Mr. Cogito focuses on the question: “Why was the time right for Columbus in 1492?” Students begin by sharing the questions they generated for homework and working with Mr. Cogito to put them into larger categories. For example, three students’ questions relate to what life was like on ships at the time. “These are wonderful questions,” Mr. Cogito says as he Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
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What does effective style‐based instruction look like?
records them on a poster. “Let’s keep our eye out for answers to these questions during the unit. And let’s get started by getting some answers to one of our three essential questions: What conditions made exploration possible?” Mr. Cogito shows a brief video of Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon and reads an excerpt from Kennedy’s famous speech about the Space Race. Mr. Cogito then asks his class to consider this question: How could President Kennedy, in 1961, guarantee the American people that by the end of the decade the United States would safely land a man on the moon, when the U.S. had not yet even put an astronaut into orbit? To generate some initial ideas, students use Give One, Get One: they generate two initial ideas on their own and then move around the room to collect four additional ideas from other students. After collecting all of his students’ ideas on the board, Mr. Cogito draws a parallel between the first lunar landing and Columbus’s first voyage. “Like landing a man on the moon,” he says, “Columbus’s journey to the New World was the result of a number of factors that came together at the right time. It’s going to be your job as historians to figure out what these factors were using a strategy called Mystery. You’ll be working in cooperative teams to figure out why the time was right in 1492 for the Europeans to discover two new continents.” Mr. Cogito provides each team of students with an envelope of 25 clues to read, group, and label. After grouping and labeling the clues into categories, student teams will generate five hypotheses about why 1492 was an ideal time for Columbus’s journey. Before students start working, Mr. Cogito models the thinking process involved for grouping clues. “First I read the two clues carefully. Then I ask myself, ‘What is the topic? What does the clue say about the topic?’ For example, these two clues both deal with religion.”
Most Spanish expeditions carried priests with them.
“We have come to look for Christians and spices.”
-Vasco da Gama
Mr. Cogito goes on to show students how he searches for more “religion” clues and generates a hypothesis about the role religion may have played in Columbus’s journey. Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
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What does effective style‐based instruction look like?
As students work to group clues and generate hypotheses, Mr. Cogito circulates around the room to listen in on students’ thoughts. The class convenes so Mr. Cogito can explain that they’ll continue the learning process for homework. “You’re going to read the first two sections of your textbook. As you read, you’ll have to collect evidence that either supports or refutes each of your five hypotheses.” Sample Student Homework Entry
Hypothesis 1: Improvements in technology allowed ships to navigate across the Atlantic Ocean.
Evidence: The science of cartography, or mapmaking, had become more sophisticated and accurate by Columbus’s time. New inventions, like the astrolabe and mariner’s compass, made longer and more difficult voyages possible.
On Day 3, Mr. Cogito reviews the assigned homework and explains why the time was right for Columbus in 1492. Students share their hypotheses and the evidence they discovered in the textbook. After the discussion, Mr. Cogito provides his students with a cause and effect organizer that looks like the one below: Cause/Effect Organizer The 5 C’s: Why the time was right for Columbus in 1492 Causes for Exploration Possible Effects Competition among nations
Control of travel to the East Commerce and middle‐class comfort
Creation of new technologies
Courageous explorers
He explains, “The Five C’s in this organizer correspond to the big ideas in your textbook reading.” Mr. Cogito uses New American Lecture to describe the critical information about each of the five major causes in small chunks. To both deepen and assess his students’ knowledge and understanding along the way, Mr. Cogito stops at different points Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
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What does effective style‐based instruction look like?
throughout his lecture to pose a different question from the list below: 1. Why did Europeans want to travel to Asia? Which influential groups supported this travel?
2. What was happening in the Middle East at the time that influenced Europeans’ desire to find a new route to the East?
3. What developments made it possible for Europeans to travel where they had been unable to travel before? 4. What other reasons might explorers have had for exploring new lands? Before moving on to the next essential question, Mr.Cogito asks students look back on what they’ve learned so far. Students review the student‐generated questions they recorded on Day 2 and ask themselves if they’ve found any answers. For homework, students continue their reflection by reviewing their Vocabulary Knowledge Ratings to see if their understanding of the key terms has evolved.
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How do we select the right strategy for a particular teaching or learning situation?
HOW DO WE SELECT THE RIGHT STRATEGY FOR A PARTICULAR TEACHING OR LEARNING SITUATION?
Teachers often ask us if there’s a tool that they can use to help them decide what strategy to use when. When they ask us this question, we direct them to a decision‐making tool that we call a “Strategic Dashboard.” What exactly is a Strategic Dashboard??? And how can it help you? You can find the answers to these questions in The Strategic Teacher OR….you can try to figure the answers out on your own. Are you up for the challenge? If so…
⇒ Take a minute to think of things you know about “regular” dashboards ‐‐ i.e., What is a dashboard? What is a value of a dashboard? How does a dashboard help a driver make good decisions? Jot down everything you can think of in the space below.
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How do we select the right strategy for a particular teaching or learning situation?
Take a minute to examine the ‘strategic’ dashboard that appears on the next page. Then, see if you can come up with the answers to these questions: What six questions does a strategic dashboard answer? How might a strategic dashboard help teachers make good decisions about which strategies to use in their classrooms?
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How do we select the right strategy for a particular teaching or learning situation?
Source: The Strategic Teacher: Selecting the Right Research-Based Strategy for Every Lesson. Copyright © 2007 Thoughtful Education Press. Published by ASCD. *We acknowledge the use of nine strategies from Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock’s Classroom Instruction That Works. Copyright © 2001 Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL). Adapted by permission of McREL. 4601 DTC Boulevard, Suite 500, Denver, Colorado 80237. Phone: 303.337.0990. Web: www.mcrel.org/topics/products/19
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Page 57
How do we select the right strategy for a particular teaching or learning situation?
Metaphorical Expression
Source: The Strategic Teacher: Selecting the Right Research-Based Strategy for Every Lesson. Copyright © 2007 Thoughtful Education Press. Published by ASCD. *We acknowledge the use of nine strategies from Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock’s Classroom Instruction That Works. Copyright © 2001 Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL). Adapted by permission of McREL. 4601 DTC Boulevard, Suite 500, Denver, Colorado 80237. Phone: 303.337.0990. Web: www.mcrel.org/topics/products/19
Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
Page 58
How do we select the right strategy for a particular teaching or learning situation?
Reciprocal Learning
Source: The Strategic Teacher: Selecting the Right Research-Based Strategy for Every Lesson. Copyright © 2007 Thoughtful Education Press. Published by ASCD. *We acknowledge the use of nine strategies from Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock’s Classroom Instruction That Works. Copyright © 2001 Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL). Adapted by permission of McREL. 4601 DTC Boulevard, Suite 500, Denver, Colorado 80237. Phone: 303.337.0990. Web: www.mcrel.org/topics/products/19
Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
Page 59
How do we select the right strategy for a particular teaching or learning situation?
New American Lecture
Source: The Strategic Teacher: Selecting the Right Research-Based Strategy for Every Lesson. Copyright © 2007 Thoughtful Education Press. Published by ASCD. *We acknowledge the use of nine strategies from Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock’s Classroom Instruction That Works. Copyright © 2001 Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL). Adapted by permission of McREL. 4601 DTC Boulevard, Suite 500, Denver, Colorado 80237. Phone: 303.337.0990. Web: www.mcrel.org/topics/products/19
Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
Page 60
How do we select the right strategy for a particular teaching or learning situation?
Reading for Meaning
Source: The Strategic Teacher: Selecting the Right Research-Based Strategy for Every Lesson. Copyright © 2007 Thoughtful Education Press. Published by ASCD. *We acknowledge the use of nine strategies from Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock’s Classroom Instruction That Works. Copyright © 2001 Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL). Adapted by permission of McREL. 4601 DTC Boulevard, Suite 500, Denver, Colorado 80237. Phone: 303.337.0990. Web: www.mcrel.org/topics/products/19
Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
Page 61
How can we help you bring strategies into the classroom?
HOW CAN WE HELP YOU BRING STRATEGIES INTO THE CLASSROOM?
THE KNOWING‐DOING GAP REVISITED
Decades‐worth of research by Bruce Joyce and Beverly Showers have made it clear that most of the information that teachers acquire during professional development sessions does not get used. In fact, for the majority of professional development initiatives, less than ten percent of what teachers learn in workshops and training sessions ends up making it back to the classroom (Joyce & Showers, 2002). Yikes!! I bet you that pesky knowing-doing
What is the
gap is to blame for the problem!
explanation for this? What does it take to bridge the gap? When schools have focused, integrated professional development programs in place ‐‐ programs that include high levels of teacher collaboration and teamwork – it becomes possible for teachers to: 9 9 9 9
Practice using teaching strategies and plan lessons that use the strategies Use Peer Coaching to give and receive feedback from other teachers Analyze work that students generate during strategy‐based lessons Design and deliver effective units of instruction using teaching strategies
The graph on the next page illustrates the impact that each of these behaviors has on the knowing‐doing gap. What can you learn from the graph?
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How can we help you bring strategies into the classroom?
Percentage of information that gets put into practice
Behaviors That Influence the Knowing‐Doing Gap 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
THE THOUGHTFUL CLASSROOM PORTFOLIO SERIES: A TOOL FOR BRIDGING THE GAP
Our Thoughtful Classroom Portfolios, which we developed in collaboration with teachers, administrators, and trainers, make it easier than ever before to bring research‐based instructional strategies into your classroom or school. What is a Thoughtful Classroom Portfolio? Each Thoughtful Classroom Portfolio is a self‐contained “professional development package” – a clear, easy‐to‐use resource that shows teachers how to learn, plan for, and implement one specific research‐based instructional strategy. Copyright ©2009 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission.
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How can we help you bring strategies into the classroom?
Each Thoughtful Classroom Portfolio consists of 3 parts: The portfolio itself (a six‐sided file‐folder), which serves both as a handy reference tool during lesson planning and as a convenient place to store student work The comprehensive Resource Guide, which contains worksheets, templates, examples, and activities that can be used during teacher training sessions A poster that teachers can use to present and explain the strategy to their students While the strategies in the portfolios are thoroughly explained and easy to understand, it will take commitment and time to successfully bring these strategies into your classroom. Truly mastering a new strategy typically takes at least twenty hours. The good news is that you do not have to put in 20 hours of training in a row! In fact, we encourage you to bring each new strategy into the classroom slowly. Move through each of the four implementation phases below at your own pace. Phase 1: Introducing the strategy Learn what the strategy is and “play with it” a bit – i.e. try it out. Phase 2: Planning a lesson Try planning a lesson using the strategy. Invite your colleagues to observe your lesson (and/or lesson plans) and give you feedback. Do the same for them. Phase 3: Evaluating the lesson Evaluate your ability to design a successful lesson using this strategy. Consider your own feelings as well as the feedback that you received from your colleagues. The purpose of this evaluation is to help you refine and improve your practice. Phase 4: Analyzing student work Collect and analyze student work in order to determine the impact of using this strategy on student performance and to see how well you were able to implement the strategy in your classroom.
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How can we help you bring strategies into the classroom?
THE THOUGHTFUL CLASSROOM PORTFOLIO SERIES & LEARNING CLUBS…PERFECT TOGETHER! You can get even more out of our Thoughtful Classroom Portfolios by using them with other teachers – and ideally, by joining a group called a "learning club." A Thoughtful Classroom Learning Club is comprised of teachers (and occasionally administrators) who work together to plan, implement, and evaluate strategy‐based lessons and units in their schools. One of the reasons that Learning Clubs are so powerful is because they provide a forum for teachers to practice their "C.R.A.F.T" – i.e. Collaboration, Reflection, Adaptability, Focus, and Thoughtful teaching. THIS TEACHING STRATEGY STUFF REALLY WORKS! Research shows that Portfolios and Learning Clubs can really make a difference in today’s classrooms. Not only do Portfolios and Learning Clubs help teachers learn new strategies – they help teachers bridge the knowing‐doing gap and actually bring these new strategies into their classrooms! If you want proof, take a look at the impact that using our Thoughtful Classroom portfolios and learning clubs has had on the performance of ten school districts in Kentucky: Accountability Gain From 2004‐2006 8.0 7.2
7.0 6.0 5.0
5.3
5.2 4.7
4.6 4.1
4.0 3.0
6.7
3.3
3.5
2.8
2.0 1.0
0.9
0.0
Average, all KY schools
KY school districts using portfolios and learning clubs
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Page 65
STRATEGIC TEACHING:
References Bono, E. D. (1990). Think, note, write: Thinking tools reproducibles. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: MICA Management Resources. Friedman, T. L. (2005). The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty‐First Century. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Joyce, B., & Showers, B. (2002). Student achievement through staff development, 3rd edition. Alexandria: ASCD. Marzano, R., Pickering, D. J., & Pollock, J. E. (2001). Classroom Instruction That Works. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Mortimore, P., & Sammons, P. (1987). Educational Leadership, 45 (1), 4‐8. Pfeffer, P., & Sutton, R. (2000). THe knowing‐doing gap. Boston: Harvard University Press. Schmoker, M. (2006). Results Now. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Silver, H., & Strong, R. (2004). Learning Style Inventory for Students. Ho‐Ho‐Kus, New Jersey: Thoughtful Education Press. Silver, H., Perini, M., & Strong, R. (2007). The Strategic Teacher: Selecting the Right Research‐Based Strategy for Every Lesson. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Silver, H., Strong, R., & Perini, M. (2007). Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Silver, H., Strong, R., & Perini, M. (2001). Tools for Promoting Active In‐Depth Learning. Trenton, New Jersey: Crestwood Publishing Building. Strong, R., Silver, H., Perini, M., & Tuculesu, G. (2003). Boredom and Its Opposite. Educational Leadership. Walzer, M. (2000). Just and unjust wars: A moral argument with historical illustrations. New York: BasicBooks. Wright, S. P., Horn, S. P., & Saunders, W. L. (1997). Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education.
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Bring this completed form Your presenter
Name:
Position/Title:
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Address:
Work Phone:
Preferred e-mail (please print clearly):
Three ideas from our work today:
One thing I would tell a friend about this workshop:
Before today I thought:
Circle one and explain your choice. Today was more like riding a bike, a walk in the park, a sunrise/sunset, mountain climbing.
Now I think:
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