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Notes from Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works

Classroom Instruction that Works by Marzano

What Works in Schools

About 80% of questions in classroom instruction across the country are at the lowest 2 levels; 60% of instruction is provided in whole group. If this is what they see and experience day after day then why are we surprised that kids describe school as BORING.

Wiki is "QUICK"

When talking about instructional strategies ask yourselves two questions....what is the instructional strategy being used and HOW do we know they are learning from it? What kind of evidence are students able to provide that convince us as educators the strategy we used was effective?

Research supporting these instructional practices include 1998- Marzano and a compilation of over 100 research studies on the effectiveness of instruction.

The instructional strategies supported in Marzano's work average an increase of 1.61 (roughly 45 percentile points)! That's huge!

Teachers believe they already do all this. If this is what good teachers already do, what learning would you hope would occur today?

I. Setting Objectives: (Affective in Nature)Setting instructional goals narrows what students focus on, teachers should encourage and allow kids to personalize their learning, and goals should not be too specific. Communicate the learning goals to students and parents and contract the students to obtain specific learning objectives and goals.

The learning objective is DIFFERENT from the learning activity. The activity works in service to the objective.

Provides focus on what is to be learned: Here's an example: The student understands the ways in which technology influences the human capacity to modify the physical environment. They need to be expressed in STUDENT FRIENDLY terms! The example in "student friendly" terms would change to We will explain how man made technologies have changed our environment. The "We" shows ownership by the whole class. This is OUR objective.

Personalization of the objective: KWL charts are good ways to allow personalization of the learning goal. Allow the student to provide what he/she wants to know within the learning objective.

Contract to obtain specific learning goals: KWHL- What do I already know, What do I want to learn, How will I learn it and What have I learned? This KWHL provides the "contract" for the students to obtain specific learning objectives and goals. Programs such as Inspiration, Kidspiration and Graphic Organizers allows for this component to be carried out in our classrooms. Contracts can also be written for example having a student include what I KNOW....what I WANT TO KNOW and HOW I WILL SHOW I KNOW IT. Have it signed by teacher, student and parent. This can be created in WORD.

Online surveys to set objectives is an idea for a teachers, team, or department to use in order to access. This would be in the form of a pretest so teachers can determine what is truly needed for that particular unit of study.

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT THIS STRATEGY IS EFFECTIVE? The use of rubrics for setting goals can allow us to determine the learning effectiveness of setting goals. Rubrics are NOT scoring guides.

http://rubistar.4teachers.org (This is free and can be used instantly for content areas as well as more performance based projects) Very cool! Need time for teachers to explore this site!

Four Planning Questions for Instruction:

1. What knowledge will students learn? (Setting Objectives and Learning Goals)

2. Which strategies will provide evidence that students have learned that knowledge?

3. Which strategies will help students acquire and integrate that knowledge?

4. Which strategies will help students practice, review, and apply that knowledge?

IIA. PROVIDING FEEDBACK (Affective in Nature)

Feedback tells kids and gives students a direction for how well they are performing relative to a particular learning goal so that they can improve their performance. If there is no learning goal or objective, feedback is not possible!

Feedback should be corrective in nature.
Feeback should be timely (within 48 hours)
Feedback should be specific to a criterion
Students can effectively provide some of their own feedback.
Simply telling students that their answer on a test is right or wrong has a negative effect on achievement!! Do not grade a math test, put a minus 5 at the top, and then go on. Instead, grade the math test and provide feedback to the student on how they can do better the next time.
Keep in mind the different between procedural knowledge and declarative knowledge. For example dates, names, facts, are declarative...scientific inquiry, formulas, long division, etc. would be procedural knowledge.

Classroom Response Systems (CPS): a great way to gain feedback of students. You can program these so you as the teacher can take information directly into gradebooks and also anonymously to gain the pulse of your classroom.

Games for Immediate Feedback: BrainPop, IKnowThat, BBC Skillswise, ExploreLearning

Classroom Recommendations:

1. Use criterion referenced feedback and explanations

2. Focus on feedback on specific types of knowledge

3. Use student-led feedback

(when providing feedback there are behavioral components and academic)...it's okay to say I like the way you are sitting and paying attention...but that is not all the feedback a child or classroom needs.....feedback should be INSTRUCTIONAL just as much as the behavioral.

There are tools in WORD that are turned off and can be accessed including:

1. readability (if you click one button in your Word Document when spell checking it'll provide that readability) TOOLS/OPTIONS/ SPELLING AND GRAMMAR/SHOW READABILITY.

IIB. PROVIDING FEEDBACK--just saying good job, etc is NOT what this is about-(Affective in Nature)

1. Use names

2. Tell HOW and WHY they did a good job

Providing Recognition:

1. Praise for accmpomplishing easy tasks can undermine achievement and lower perception of ability.

2. Rewards are most effective when contingent on attaining some standard of performance

3. Verbal rewards are more effective than tangible rewards (IF you have built the relationship, rapport and connection with those you work with--young or old!)

Generalizations:

1. Rewards do not necessarily have a negative effect on instrinsic motivation

2. Abstract rewards, when given for accomplishing specific performance goals, can be powerful motivators.

3. Abstract symbolic recognition is more effective than are tangible rewards.

Classroom Recommendation:

1. Personalize the recognition

2. Pause, prompt and praise

3. On occasion offer concrete symbols of recognition

Examples of Student Recognitions:

1. Certificates

2. Student Galleries

3. Look at examples of how technology is used to display student work (Artsonia, VoiceThread)

4. How does technology allow for recognition beyond the four walls of the classroom (school webpages)

Movie Shown: ( I CAN) San Fernando HS in Cali (relevance of the parent role in the motivation of the child) This video is about recognizing effort and providing feedback to kids. Good to show teachers and parents. For teachers, it lets us know that even though we have no control over what parents do, we CAN provide nurturing, compassion, support and acceptance of our kids especially those we KNOW are NOT getting it from home.

IIC. Reinforcing Effort ((Affective in Nature))

Enhance students' understanding of the relationship between effort and achievement by addressing students' attitudes and beliefs about learning

innate ability
people around you
luck
effort

The only ONE of these we have CONTROL over as schools is EFFORT.

Classroom Recomendations:

1.Explicity teach students about the importance of effort

2. Define effort

POSSIBLE THROUGH WORD: Create rubrics that include both effort and achievement. You can then chart it so kids can see over time there will be some correlation between effort and achievement.

Gather data from your graduating sixth graders who have experienced much success in elementary and how effort has contributed to their success

Reflective Questions:

1. In what way do adults in your school convey high expectations to all of your students?

2. In what ways can you support those learners who have not traditionally had high expectations for their own performance?

Notes: So...Putting It All Together....

1. These four skills will go from unconscience competent to conscience incompetent....we want to all be conscience competent. These skills will start happening through focused intent and will eventually become automatic.

2. The option of not failing is no longer there; now it is more it'll take you longer and you'll get there in a different way, but you will get there...it is simply expected.

3. Establish a CLEAR rubric from the very beginning. It provides the learning goal, it provides for the feedback and recognition and you can include the effort component along with the academic.

(RUBISTAR....great place to build these rubrics)

This is where we should all start...if we do this successfully...the AFFECTIVE domain...it makes the rest of the work easier down the road.

III. Cues, Questions and Advanced Organizers

Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers (click here to view generalizations, recommendations and examples of advanced organizers)

Wait time is difficult for teachers; if I am not talking they cannot be learning.
SQ3R (Skimming, Questioning, Read, Recite, Review)
Assigning novels OR chapter books: If you assign questions, always ask kids why; it should be more than simply answering questions, handing them in, getting them right or wrong, and moving forward.
Videos in the classroom should not be longer than 12 minutes. Use United Streaming or Safari Montage. We should be using this in our classrooms to a great degree!
Use multimedia as a product for a unit of study and use it as a starting point to go deeper into the unit next time.
Give and Get an Idea--Find someone who shares the same birthday month as you. Share an idea you have for using technology with cues, questions, or advanced organizers. Be sure to get an idea as well.

Possible strategies to use as part of classroom management and varying students called upon:

Sticks out of the Jar--wait time is given while teacher goes to get the stick--everyone's name is in the jar--stick goes back in the jar

SMART board--random number generator is in SMART ideas

IV. Nonlinguistic Representation

Nonlinguistic Representation (click on this link for generalizations, recommendations and examples of great websites to visit in order to use this strategy in our classrooms.)

An example of this would be the fraction 3/4 but if you have a square split into fourths with three shaded in, they get it! This is where manipulatives are of great benefit to kids who have this learning preference.

A Whole New Mind--by Daniel Pink (book about schools--making the move from being focused on the whole mind..not just right or left brained.

Difference between Graphic Orgs and Advanced Orgs--Graphics are done once you have processed and learned information. Advanced Orgs are part of the learning stage toward meeting the learning goal.

Six of Patterns of Graphic Organizers:

1. Descriptive--example is word in the middle, examples around it and links around that

2. Process Cause/Effect--put the event in the middle--on one side identify several causes that lead up to the event--on the other side identify several effects and implications.

3. Time Sequence--you can enter into this website so when you are trying to timeline a person, topic, etc, but it also brings up all other important events that take place during that time as well.

4. Episodic--

5. Generalization Principle- principle is identified followed by examples

6. Concept- used in writing most heavily

Diorama or Shoe Box Float
Legoeducation (www.legoeducation.com)
Mental Pictures--get involved with sights, sounds, tastes, emotions, sensory pieces
Movie Making (PhotoStory)
VoiceThread
Pictures and Pictographs--Drawing!
Excel Graphics and Charting
Kinesthetic Representation--GPS and Wii

Notes beginning Thursday, June 11, 2009

Began the morning looking at McRel WalkThrough software. Training using this software will be provided beginning 2009-2010 for those schools interested in piloting the software.

V. Summarizing and Notetaking (click on the link to find generalizations, recommendations, and links that provide details of this strategy.

Summarizing and Notetaking--teachers help kids do these strategies all the time but RARELY show them how to do it! Provide them the steps on how to summarize!

Summarizing- enhancing students' ability to synthesize information

Rule 1: Delete trivial material that is unnecessary to understanding
Rule 2: Delete redundant material
Rule 3: Substitute superordinate terms for more specific terms
Rule 4: Select a topic sentence and if one is NOT there, invent one

When focusing on this strategy, make sure and POST these rules in all classrooms to provide the common language for learning. For primary grades, use these same four rules but put it in language that is developmentally appropriate for them.

Showed example of using Tracking Changes through WORD to teach summarization.

Showed example of using Auto Summarize through WORD to teach summarization by using text from "Time For Kids." Go to TOOLS/AUTO SUMMARIZE. We can also use this tool as a peer or self review of our own writing. Have students use auto summarize before they turn in drafts. Auto summary is quick, easy, free and can be used at home.

Summary Frames: (used Hey Little Ant book as example) You can find many more examples for summary frames in Classroom Instruction That Works. A few examples are below:

1. Narrative Story Summary Frame:

Who are the main characters?

Where and when did story take place?

What prompted the action?

How did the character express their feelings?

What did the main character decide to do? Did they set a goal? What was it?

How did the main character try to accomplish their goals?

What were the consequences?

2. Conversation Summary Frame:

How did the m embers of the conversation greet each other?

What question or topic was insinuated, revealed, or referred to?

How did their discussion progress?

How did the conversation conclude?

NOTETAKING

Notes are very personalized; who creates the notes may have that perspective but another may not so it's important to provide notes in different formats covering the same material. Notes should really not be collected and graded because it does not allow for the different perspectives. It can be collected and feedback given to student, but also should be communication for the teacher as to whether or not a different format on the same material should be used.

1. Teacher Prepared Notes: This does not mean give them lecture notes. When you prepare notes, you should take them through the process whether it is in text form or nonlinguistic form. Graphic Organizers are a very effective way to provide teacher prepared notes.

Notes activity from Brain Pop on penguins. This activity provided us with an experience as to how we personally take notes. Each person shared their notes and strategies and we compiled to one example including the five main ideas.

2. Combination Notes: Inverted T is the framework. On the left side of the T are the 3-5 big ideas. On the right side of the T are nonlinguistic representations of the big ideas and at the bottom of the T are the 2-3 summarized sentences of the read piece. The idea of the nonlinguistic representation is to have that representation say whatever it is the listed item on the left actually says. Teaching combo notes is easy. Putting together the linguistic and nonlinguistic will be more challenging due to individual learning styles.

VI. Cooperative Learning- ( this link will provide generalizations and recommendations for use in the classroom and cooperative learning)

Cooperative Learning

Research by Kagan and Johnston may be beneficial to learn more about particular structures of cooperative learning and how it can serve content, test taking, and teamwork. When you teach cooperative learning, don't teach it in conjunction with content. Teach the process first and then add the content to that learned structure.

5 Defining Elements of Johnston's model:

A. Positive Interdependence

B. Face to face promotive interaction

C. Individual and group accountability

D. Interpersonal and small group skills

E. Group processing

Rubrics should be made available for the roles and responsibilities of the cooperative learning structure and task. Kids should be clear on their role and how it lends itself to successfully carrying out of the group task.

Example given of using Google Calendar to coordinate with team members due dates, work sessions, task completion, etc. This is a FREE tool. Google spreadsheet is also a possible resource that is similar to Excel with less features, but allows kids to interact and be "on" at the same time.

VII. IDENTIFYING SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES--enhances students' understanding of and ability to use knowledge by engaging them in mental processes that involve identifying ways items are alike and different.

Identifying Similarities and Differences ( this link will give you generalizations and recommendations)

Four Structures to Use in Similiarity and Difference Work:

Comparison - example would be use of Venn Diagram

Classification - example would be sorting items/text; lots of different levels to classification (can be very basis in the beginning but continued further sorting can make the experience be higher level. Give them the steps for doing classification.

Metaphor - Using phrases that actually compare/contrast the two primary terms included in the metaphor. Example provided was HILLS WORN TO THE GRAY BONES. Two items compared/contrasted were hills and bones. When you are teaching something abstract, find a metaphor to attach it to.

Analogy - A is to B as B is to C. Analogies don't always fit into classroom instruction but analogous situations do work well.

Use your wiki capabilities to post movies of teachers using strategies and post to the wiki.

VIII. Homework and Practice (the link below will take you to generalizations and recommendations)--the purpose of homework and practice is to practice, review, and reinforce.

Homework and Practice

If the child is at home and reaches the frustration level, the parent should tell the child to stop his/her homework and notify the teacher. If this happens on a routine basis, there is a bigger problem to look at and solve.

Have students chart the progress they make in practice (for example the progress they make toward math and comm. arts SMART goals)

Steps to Practicing

A. Introduce the skill

B. Shaping the skill

C. Independent practice of the skill

American education does a great job on the first and third phase, but we need to focus more on the shaping of the skill in our classrooms. Practice is best seen in band, choir, PE, Music. Take the discreet skills and build, build, build upon it. Homework is not part of the WalkThrough process. If homework is being done at school, it is practice. Help teachers understand that practice taking place in the classroom is practice appropriate to the child's ability toward the task.

IX. Generating and Testing Hypothesis- enhance students' understanding of and ability to use knowledge by engaging them in mental processes that involve making and testing hypothesis.

(the link provided will cover generalizations and recommendations for this strategy)

Generating and Testing Hypotheses

6 Processes:

1. System Analysis-

explain the purpose of the system, the part of the system and the function of each part
describe how parts affect one another
identify a part of the system, describe a change in that part, and then hypothesize what might happen at a result of this change
when possible,

2. Problem Solving-

identify the goal
describe barriers
identify different solutions to overcome the barrier
try the solution
explain whether your hypothesis was correct and/or create another hypothesis using a different solution

3. Historical Investigations-

clearly describe this event to be examined
identify what is known or agreed upon and what is confusing, contradictory, or controversial
based on what you understand about the situation, offer a hypothesis
seek out and analyze evidence to determine if your hypothetical scenario is possible

4. Invention-

describe a situation you want to improve or a need to which you want to respond
identify specific standards for the inventions that would improve the situation or meet the need
think of ideas and hypothesize the likelihood that each will work
if you hypothesis suggests that a specific idea might work, begin to draft, sketch, and then create the invention
develop your invention to the point that you can test your hypothesis
if necessary revise your invention until it reaches the standards you have set

5. Experimental Inquiry-

Observe something that interests you and describe what has occurred

Explain what you have observed. Do any theories or rules explain what you have observed

Plan an investigation based on your explanation and make a prediction

Conduct an experiement or active to test your prediction

Explain and justify the results of your experiment in light of your explanation

6. Decision Making

Describe the decision you are making and the alternatives you are considering
Identify the criteria that will invfuence the selection, and indicate the relative importance of the criteria by assigning an importance score from a designated scale (eg. 1-4)
Rate each alternative on a designated scale to indicate the extent to which each alternative meets each criterion
For each alternative, multiply the importance score and the rating and then add the products to assign a score for the alternative.
Examine the score to determine the alternative with the highest score
Based on your reaction to the selected alternative, determine if you need to change any importance scores or add or drop criteria