“TEACHERS MUST BE VERY SKILLED, VERY AND EXQUISITELY WELL-TRAINED, BECAUSE NEITHER THE TEACHER NOR THE SURGEON CAN SAY :

‘EVERYBODY SIT STILL UNTIL I FIGURE OUT WHAT IN THE HECK WE’RE GOING TO DO NEXT.’’ -MADELINE HUNTER

GR

EAT S

EA

L O

F T

HE U

NIT

ED

S

TATES

ChiefCannasatego

IroquoisConfederacyfounded in

1500s

Six Indian Nations banding

together for the common

good.

“We, the people, to form a union, to establish peace, equity and order…”

-Opening statement of Iroquoian Law

EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Objectives: To gain an awareness of classroom

instructional strategies which have a positive effect on student achievement.

To gain an understanding of why each of these instructional strategies are so effective.

Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student

Achievement by Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering & Jane Pollock

OVERARCHING CONCEPT

Relevance - In order for students to learn something it must be relevant to their real lives.

Engagement - In order for students to learn something they must feel safe and be actively engaged in the learning.

BRAIN THEORY Memory = Connections

Nothing we learn can stand in isolation. New learning has to be related to what we

already know.

HO

W D

O M

ESS

AG

ES

TR

AV

EL T

HR

OU

GH

TH

E

BR

AIN

?

1.Survival

2.Emotions

3.Learning

Learning and Memory: The Brain by Marilee Sprenger.in Action

4 WAYS LEARNERS IN TAKE INFORMATION

Engage at least two of these modalities

OR Engage one of these

modalities coupled with an emotional experience.

Modalities of Learning Teachers must…

WHAT IS REAL LIFE TEACHING?

List of Prohibited Words

he her hershim his Iit its youme mine mymyself our shetheir them theyus we whowhom you yours

WHAT IS REAL LIFE TEACHING?RELATING THE SKILLS TO THE REAL LIVES OF

STUDENTS.

Definition - A pronoun takes the place of a noun.

Example Sentences List pronouns Identify pronouns by

underlining them in a sentence.

List of pronouns posted Students are asked to

complete a variety of activities without using the posted words. Tell something about

themselves. Write a sentence about

themselves Read a paragraph. Have a conversation.

Why are these words so important in our language?

Teacher A - PRONOUNS Teacher B - PRONOUNS

KEY

STEP

S F

OR

LO

NG

TER

M M

EM

OR

Y

STO

RA

GE

The teacher must carefully think through the instructional sequence and build in opportunities for the students to interact with the information in a relevant and meaningful manner.

Active emotional

engagement appears to be the KEY to learning.

LEA

RN

ING

= C

ON

NEC

TIO

NS

Nothing we learn can stand in isolation.

New learning has to be related to what we already know.

Only the student themselves can make the information their own.

The teacher must carefully think through the instructional sequence and build in opportunities for the students to interact with the information in a relevant and meaningful manner.

JUMBLES

““SNOOZE ALARMS” SNOOZE ALARMS” becomes: becomes:

ALAS! NO MORE Z’sALAS! NO MORE Z’s

When you rearrange the letters . . .

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

RETENTION RATE – AFTER 24 HOURS

“Tell me and I forget.Teach me and I remember.Involve me and I learn.”

-Benjamin Franklin

WHICH STRATEGIES GIVE TEACHERS THE “MOST BANG FOR THE BUCK”?

What Do You Think Are the Most Effective

Instruction Strategies?Classroom Instruction That Works:

Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement

by Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering, Jane Pollock

KEY S

TEPS

FOR

LON

G

TER

M M

EM

OR

Y

STO

RA

GE

Making Connections

(short-term memory to working memory)

SETTING OBJECTIVES AND PROVIDING FEEDBACK

Setting objectives gives students a direction for learning. Focus on the BIG ideas

Giving feedback keeps students moving in the right direction. Corrective; Timely; Specific

Students begin thinking about where this new information will fit into the schemata of their brain.

NONLINGUISTIC REPRESENTATIONS

Symbols Pictures Models Mental Pictures – Imagery Kinesthetic Activity

Connect words to pictures, actions, or images.

The brain needs imagery to store words.

Evaporation

Condensation

Water Droplet + Dust = Cloud Formation

Precipitation

Students should beinvolved in creating their own nonlinguisticrepresentations.

CUES, QUESTIONS AND ADVANCE ORGANIZERS

Help students…Retrieve, Use or Organize

…what they already know about a topic.

Educators must develop cues, questions andadvance organizers which…

Focus on the most important concepts/skills.Require high level thinking skills.Are well organized.

Used effectively they guide the thinking process so learners can “see” how the new information connects to their prior knowledge.

How do each of the instructionalstrategies listed below assist students in making connections to new information?

Setting Objective and Providing FeedbackNon-linguistic RepresentationCues, Question and Advance Organizers

The teacher must plan with the end outcome in mind in order to have the information, resources and questions prepared to effectively guide students through the learning process.

KEY STEPS FOR LONG TERM

MEMORY STORAGE

RelevanceMaking it their own.

(Working Memory to Long-term Memory)

STUDENT INTERACTION Allows students to…

Interact with one another in order to process their learning.

Discover new insights. Catch misconceptions. Practice using and

retrieving information from their long-term memory.

Be actively engaged in their learning.

SUMMARIZING AND NOTE TAKING

Enhances students’ ability to recode and reorganize information to make it their

own. Summarizing helps students process the most

important information. Summary Frames (Limits students to specific

questions/topics addressed in their summaries.) Describe the Lesson in 10 words or less

Note taking organizes important information to be remembered. Present students with a variety of note taking formats.

The best tools for identifying and understanding the MOST IMPORTANT aspect of what they are

learning.

Why is it so important for students to recode newinformation and make it their own?

How do the instructional strategies listed below assiststudents in “making meaning” of new information?

Student InteractionSummarizing and Note Taking

KEY STEPS FOR LONG TERM

MEMORY STORAGE

LearningUsing information in new situations.(Working Memory to Long-term Memory)

AND(Long-term Memory toWorking Memory)

HOMEWORK AND PRACTICE The purpose of homework should be

identified and articulatedI. PRACTICE – structured around content with

which students have a high degree of familiarity.

A skill needs to be practiced at least 24 times to mastered.

Practice should be spread out over time. Practice develops the conceptual understanding of a

skill.

II. PREPARATION for New ContentIII. ELABORATION on New Content

Homework should contain feedback.

GENERATING AND TESTING HYPOTHESES

When students explain their thinking they deepen their understanding of concepts.

Gives students practice using their new knowledge in novel situations. (LEARNING)

THE PATH TO LEARNING

INFORMATION ASSOCIATIONS

MEMORY CONNECTIONS

THINKING LEARNING

Behavioral Instructional

Strategy

REINFORCE EFFORTPROVIDE RECOGNITION

Reinforcing effort enhances students’ understanding of the relationship between effort and achievement.

Recognition shows students that effort pays off.

REINFORCE EFFORTPROVIDE RECOGNITION

4 = I worked on this task until it was completed and viewed difficulties as a way to strengthen my understanding of the concept/skill.

3= I worked on the task until it was completed. I pushed myself to continue working even when difficulties arose.

2 = I put effort into the task, but I stopped working when it became difficult.

1 = I put very little effort into the task.

4 = I exceeded the objectives of the task/lesson.

3= I met the objectives of the task/lesson.

2 = I met some of the objectives of the task/lesson.

1= I did not meet the objectives of the task/lesson.

Effort Rubric Achievement Rubric

THEMost

Effective Instructional

Strategy…

IDENTIFYING SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES

Make new connections Experience new insights Correct misconceptions Effective Forms

comparing /contrasting classifying creating metaphors creating analogies

The brain stores information based on similarities.

The brain retrieves information based on differences.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0fJKvdjQgs&feature=related Are you a teacher or an educator?

Resources

Marzano, R., Pickering, D. & Pollock, J. ( 2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Sprenger, M. ( 2005). How to teach so students remember. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Spenger, M. (1999). Learning & memory: the brain in action. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Teri L. Johnson

Director of Special Services

St. Michael-Albertville Schools

terij@stma.k12.mn.us