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The Strategic Teacher

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Increasing the Power of Student Thinking and Professional Learning

with The Strategic Teacher

Presented by Tr. Harvey F. Silver, EdD

Harvey Silver by the numbers…

87 4 43 34 45All of these numbers have played an

important part in my lifeimportant part in my life. What do you think they might represent?

Year I was born

Number of years I have been married

The number of years ago I partnered

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4543 3487 4

Harvey Silver by the numbers…

The number of years ago I partneredwith Richard Strong to form Silver Strong & Associates

The number I proudly wore playing football in high school and college

The number of members of my family

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87

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Meet your neighbor by the numbers…

• Select three numbers that are meaningful to you that will help someone understand who you are.

• Then write a sentence or question for each number, leaving a blank line where the number should go.

• Share your numbers first and have your partner guess what they represent.

• Then share your sentences and see if he or she can match the correct number to your sentence.

• Discuss what kind of numbers are important to you. Are your numbers more alike or different?

One of the most pressing challenges schools face today is the challenge of:

Teacher Effectiveness

You’re about to watch the introduction to the new Strategic Teacher video we developed with ASCD as part of this initiative. As you watch, you’ll be using a tool called 3‐2‐1 to record…

3 Facts

2 Questions

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1 Big Idea

Note: A full description of this tool can be found on page 140 of Tools for Promoting Active, In‐Depth Learning.


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Examples of How Expert Teachers Use the 3‐2‐1 Tool

An art teacher used 3‐2‐1 at the start of class to see how well her students understood and remembered the key points from the previous day’s lesson about early cave art.

Great question Paul!

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Great question, Paul!

We don’t actually know

the answer, but we can

discuss some possibilities

in class tomorrow.

Examples of How Expert Teachers Use the 3‐2‐1 Tool

A U.S. History teacher uses 3‐2‐1 to keep students engaged during the last few minutes of class when they’d otherwise be packing up and tuning out.

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What is a strategy?

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Teachers have always used strategiesstrategies:

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Socrates conducted dialogues

Medieval scholars gave lectures

Aesop told fables

What is a strategy?

What words, ideas, or pictures come to mind when you think of the word strategy?

Words ideas or pictures Why?

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Words, ideas, or pictures… Why?


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Learning from Wittgenstein

What can we learn from these different uses of the term strategy? What new ideas come to mind?

Ludwig Wittgenstein, the great 20th century philosopher, reminds us that a word’s true meaning is not found in the dictionary. We discover what a word means by paying attention to how it’s used.

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However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.

-- Winston Churchill

Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it's about deliberately choosing to be different.

-- Michael Porter

You have to be fast on your feet and adaptive to use a strategy well.

-- Charles de Gaulle

When you're prepared, you're more confident. When you have a strategy, you’re more comfortable.

-- Anonymous

Strategy requires thought, tactics require observation.

-- Max Euwe

Sound strategy starts with having the right goal.

-- Michael Porter

There is always a better strategy than the one you have; you just haven't thought of it yet.

-- Sir Bryn Pitman

A strategy is a system for analyzing and advancing positions.

-- Gary Gagliardi

A strategy is a style of thinking, a conscious and deliberate process, an intensive implementation system, the science of ensuring future success.

-- Peter Johnson

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However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.

-- Winston Churchill

Strategy is about making choices trade-offs; it's

You have to be fast on your feet and adaptive to use a strategy well

Strategy requires thought, tactics require observation.

-- Max Euwe

Sound strategy starts with having the right goal.

-- Michael Porter

A strategy is a system for analyzing and advancing positions.

-- Gary Gagliardi

choices, trade offs; it s about deliberately choosing to be different.

-- Michael Porter

adaptive to use a strategy well.-- Charles de Gaulle

When you're prepared, you're more confident. When you have a strategy, you’re more comfortable.

-- Anonymous

There is always a better strategy than the one you have; you just haven't thought of it yet.

-- Sir Bryn Pitman

A strategy is a style of thinking, a conscious and deliberate process, an intensive implementation system, the science of ensuring future success.

-- Peter Johnson

Here’s one of our favorite uses of the word “strategy” from a current ad for Bigham Law Firm.

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Create Your Own Simile

Without a winning strategy, teaching is a lot like…

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A teaching strategy is…An instructional management plan which

describes the role of the teacher and student and promotes particular patterns of thought toand promotes particular patterns of thought to achieve specific learning goals.

Robert J. Marzano, The Strategic Teacher


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Why Strategic Teaching Now More Than Ever?

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Teacher effectiveness is the key to raising student achievement

“The quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers.”

McKinsey & Company (2007)McKinsey & Company (2007)

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Teacher effectiveness is the key to raising student achievement

The Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) Project a national multi-year study to “improve…teacher effectiveness.” Among its conclusions:

“A teacher’s effectiveness has more impact on student learning than any other factor controlled by school systems.”


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Teacher effectiveness can’t be improved without improving classroom instruction.

What teachers do in the classroom has 6 to 10 times as much impact on student achievement as the next six factors combined.

Mortimore & Sammons (1987)

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Teacher effectiveness can’t be improved without improving classroom instruction.

As the McKinsey & Co. study of the world’s top 25 school systems concluded:

“The only way to improve outcomes is to improve instruction.”

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McKinsey & Company (2007)

In this session, we’ll show you how The Strategic Teacher can help you increase teacher effectiveness by addressing these critical questions:

1. What is a strategy?

2. Why strategic teaching now more than ever?

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3. What’s the difference between a research‐based practice and a strategy for delivering the practice?

4. How can we help teachers become experts in using research‐based strategies?


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Have you ever used a strategy to get something that you wanted?

Could having a repertoire of teaching tools and strategies help you get what you want and need in o r classroom?

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and need in your classroom?

We will show you how.

Teachers need tools, strategies, a common language, and colleagues to reflect upon their practice in order toreflect upon their practice in order to promote high levels of learning and quality teaching in every classroom.

Educational researcher and author, John Goodland, in his award‐winning A Place Called School, concludes that:

Goodlad concluded:

“The American classroom is d h hpreoccupied with the

dissemination of information and low-level intellectual processes, and the use of diverse instructional strategies to promote active engagement is minimal.”


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Contestant: Alex, I’ll take the “Name of the Game” for $500.

Alex: This famous television game showtelevision game show is known for providing answers rather than questions.Contestant: What is

__________________?Jeopardy

If “research-based instructional str tegies” is the ANSWER h tstrategies is the ANSWER, what might be the QUESTIONS?

WHAT QUESTIONS CAN INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES ANSWER FOR TEACHERS?

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?Q: How can I incorporate the latest research about effective instruction into my lesson plans?A: Research‐based instructional strategies!

Q: How can I increase my students’ level of engagement and commitment to learning?A: Research‐based instructional strategies!

Q: How can I prepare my students to succeed in the 21st century?A: Research‐based instructional strategies!

Q: How can I develop more thoughtful and effective lessons and units?A: Research‐based instructional strategies!


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Having a diverse collection of tools and strategies makes it easier to…

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Differentiate instruction so that all styles of learners can succeed

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We’ll explain how. But first,

A brief introduction to the learning style concept…

Learning means different things to different people

Look at what four 2nd grader said when we asked them to explain what learning meant to them:

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How does each student’s perspective differ from the others?

Learning means that you’re getting better each time.differ from the others?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.


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As learners…

• we get excited about different kinds of learning experiences

• we prefer to learn and be assessed in different ways• we are comfortable with different kinds of thinking

In other words,

WE HAVE DIFFERENT STYLES OF LEARNING

Let’s use a strategy called Metaphorical Expressionto explore the style concept in more detail…

Direct analogy→ Compare two dissimilar objects.

Example: How is guilt like a stain?

Personal analogy→ Imagine that you are a specific object or concept. Describe what you are how you feel what you need etc

Metaphorical Expression

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Describe what you are, how you feel, what you need, etc.

Example: How would you feel if you were a main idea that didn’t get noticed?

Compressed conflict→ Describe a person, idea, or item using two words that contradict each other.

Example: How did Martin Luther King, Jr. exemplify controlled passion?

Which of these objects best represents your style and approach to learning?

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Use Metaphorical Expression to explore your preferred style of learning

As a learner, I am like a because…


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Read page seven of the Strategic Teacher text to learn about the four different learning styles in our model.

Which style do you think each symbol represents?

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MASTERY learners INTERPERSONAL learners

The Four Learning Styles

? ?

Want to learn practical information and procedures.Like drills, lectures, demonstrations, and practice.May experience difficulty when learningbecomes too abstract or when faced with open‐ended questions.Learn best when instruction is focused on modeling new skills, practicing, and feedback sessions

Want to learn about things that affect people’s lives.Like group experiences, discussions, cooperative learning activities, role playing, personal attention.May experience difficulty when instruction focuses on independent seatwork or when learning lacks real‐world applications.Learn best when their teacher pays attention to their successes and struggles.

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UNDERSTANDING learners SELF‐EXPRESSIVE learners

Taken from The Strategic Teacher: Selecting the Right Research‐Based Strategy for Every Lesson. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, p. 7.

? ?

Want to use logic, debate, and inquiry to investigate ideas.Like reading, debates, research projects, independent study, making cases or arguments, asking “Why?”May experience difficulty when there is a focus on the social environment of the classroom (e.g., cooperative learning).Learn best when they are challenged to think and explain their ideas.

Want to use their imaginations to explore ideas.Like creative and artistic activities, open‐ended and nonroutine problems, generating possibilities and alternatives, asking “What if?”May experience difficulty when instruction focuses on drill and practice and rote problem solving.Learn best when they are invited to express themselves in unique and original ways.

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What does all of this “style stuff” have to do with teaching and teaching strategies?

T hi t t i h t l t !Teaching strategies have styles too!


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Mastery tools and strategies focus on increasing students’ abilities to remember, sequence, and summarize important facts and procedures. They motivate by offering clarity, organization, and the opportunity to achieve and demonstrate measurable success.

Example: Interactive Lecture

Interpersonal tools and strategies foster students’ desire to interact with others, relate personally to the curriculum and to each other, and share their feelings and values. They use teams, partnerships, and coaching to motivate students through their drive for membership and relationships.

Example: Reciprocal Learning

Four‐Style tools and strategies engage all four styles simultaneously, thereby encouraging students to develop a balanced and dynamic approach to learning.

Example: Task Rotation

Understanding tools and strategies develop students’ capacities to use evidence and logic, think analytically (e.g., identify similarities and differences), develop interpretations, and see the big picture. They motivate by arousing curiosity and encouraging inquiry.

Example: Reading for Meaning

Self‐Expressive tools and strategies, which often incorporate imagery, metaphor, and 'what if' scenarios, motivate students by appealing to their drive for originality and creativity. They invite students to create and imagine, look for patterns, consider different perspectives, and apply their knowledge in new and different ways.

Example:Metaphorical Expression

Adapted from The Strategic Teacher: Selecting the Right Research‐Based Strategy for Every Lesson. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, p. 4.

Mastery strategies Interpersonal strategies

Four‐Style strategies

New American Lecture Direct Instruction

Graduated Difficulty Teams‐Games‐Tournaments

Reciprocal LearningDecision Making

Jigsaw Community Circle

Window NotesCi l f K l d

The Strategic Teacher contains strategies in all styles

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Understanding strategies Self‐Expressive strategies

Circle of KnowledgeDo You Hear What I Hear?

Task Rotation

Compare and ContrastReading for MeaningConcept Attainment

Mystery

Inductive LearningMetaphorical Expression

Pattern MakerMind’s Eye

Why pay attention to style? Does style really matter?

AGREE OR DISAGREE:

When students “fail to learn at a level that matchesth b l t t l ” t ft b ththeir ability to learn,” it is often because they arebeing taught and assessed in ways that don’t allowthem to “learn and perform in an optimal way.”

(Sternberg and Grigorenko, 2004)


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An experiment: Does style matter?

TEST 1 Write your name and address in the space below. You’ve got 15 seconds…ready, set, go!

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An experiment: Does style matter?

TEST 2 Write your name and address again, but this time, use your opposite hand. You’ve got 15 seconds…ready, set, go!

Worked more slowlyQuality of work decreasedFelt that you weren’t going to be successfulFelt more critical of your performanceFelt more anxious about the task H d t t t h d t l t th t k

Talk with your neighbor. Compare the differences in your work from one test to the next. Put a check next to any of the effects that you experienced the second time around.

Had to concentrate harder to complete the taskMade more noise while workingFelt less in controlQuit in the middle

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Typically, people are more comfortable using one hand to write, sketch, throw a ball, hammer a nail, stir a sauce, and so on. Why do you think this is so?

The same idea is true about learning. We’re all capable of learning in different ways, but most

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capable of learning in different ways, but most of us develop a preference for one style of learning.

Which style of learner do you think is the most successful in school? ____

Which style of learner might be the most ‘at‐risk’? ____

See The Strategic Teacher (p. 7) if you need a “style refresher.”

Mastery Learners Interpersonal Learners

Understanding Learners Self‐Expressive Learners

General Population: 35%

Students at risk: 23%



Understanding Learners Self Expressive Learners





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Why might Interpersonal and Self‐Expressive learners compose the bulk of the at‐risk population (68% of at‐risk vs. 50% of general population)?

How might you explain the fact that there are relatively few Understanding learners in the at‐risk population?

Source: Teaching Boys Who Struggle in School: Strategies That Turn Underachievers Into Successful Learners. K. P. Cleveland, 2011 Alexandria, VA: ASCD. © 2010. (p. 19).

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“Students with creative or practical abilities, who are almost never taught or assessed in a way that matches their pattern of abilities, may be at a

disadvantage in course after course, year after year”

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(Sternberg, Grigorenko, and Zhang, 2008)

Can we teach in a way that allows students of all styles to succeed?

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ABSOLUTELY!

“The question is not, ‘Is it possible to educate all students well?’ but rather, ‘Do we want to do it badly enough?’”

‐‐ Deborah Meier

Once you have a collection of teaching strategies th t i l d t t i f ll f t lOnce you have a collection of teaching strategies

th t i l d t t i f ll f t l

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The trick is practicing strategic rotation!

that includes strategies from all four styles, you can differentiate instruction simply by rotating through the different styles of strategies in your repertoire!

that includes strategies from all four styles, you can differentiate instruction simply by rotating through the different styles of strategies in your repertoire!


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Mastery Strategies Interpersonal Strategies

New American Lecture Direct Instruction

Graduated Difficulty Teams‐Games‐Tournaments

Reciprocal LearningDecision Making

Jigsaw Community Circle

Window Notes

Another option: Use “four‐style strategies”

Four‐Style Strategies

Understanding Strategies Self‐Expressive Strategies

Circle of KnowledgeDo You Hear What I Hear?

Task Rotation

Compare and ContrastReading for MeaningConcept Attainment

Mystery

Inductive LearningMetaphorical Expression

Pattern MakerMind’s Eye

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Four Style Strategies

Task Rotation

Task Rotation is a teaching strategy for differentiating activities, tasks, and formative assessments by learning styles.

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Mastery Interpersonal

Task 1: Remember Task 2: Relate

Task 3: Reason Task 4: Rethink/Apply

Self-ExpressiveUnderstanding

Four tasks or activities, one in each style

MASTERY INTERPERSONAL

Four Styles of Tasks

Mastery tasks emphasize the recall of facts, the demonstration of skills, and the management and organization of information.Mastery tasks ask students to:• Recall • Describe• Sequence• Provide examples• Summarize

Interpersonal tasks incorporate the personal, social, and emotional aspects of the content.

Interpersonal tasks ask students to:• Describe feelings and reactions• Empathize• Prioritize according to personal values • ReflectM k d i i

UNDERSTAND SELF‐EXPRESSIVE

• Summarize

Understanding tasks focus on analytical, logical, and critical thinking.

Understanding tasks ask students to :• Compare and contrast • Prove or disprove• Explain how or why• Classify• Infer or interpret

Self‐Expressive tasks allow students opportunities to express their creativity and imagination.

Self‐Expressive tasks ask students to:• Associate• Think divergently• Develop similes/metaphors• Imagine• Create or synthesize

• Make decisions

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MASTERY TASK: Draw a flowering plant and label its parts

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UNDERSTANDING TASK: Why are plants important to our world? Think of two reasons.

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SELF-EXPRESSIVE TASK: What would our world look like if there were no plants?

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INTERPERSONAL TASK: How would you feel on a sunny (or rainy) day if you were a plant?

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Which room is your favorite? The room with the largest perimeter or largest area?

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Why does “teaching across the four styles” work so well?

Gives all students a chance to shine by allowing them to work in their dominant style.

Enables students to grow as learners by challenging them to work in their less‐preferred styles.

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Helps students develop the kinds of thinking skills that are required on standardized exams (because different strategies develop different kinds of skills).

Counteracts boredom by replacing repetition with variety (no more ‘same thing every day’).

Increases students’ engagement and commitment to learning

• A memory‐based approach emphasizing identification and recall of facts and concepts

• An analytical approach emphasizing critical thinking, evaluation, and comparative analysis

Dr. Robert Sternberg, Provost of Oklahoma State University and former professor of psychology and past president of the American Psychological Association, assigned students to one of the five approaches:

• 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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Sternberg found that when students were taught in a manner that matched their learning styles, they outperformed students who were not.

In other words, when we teach students in a way that fits how they think, they do better in school.

Students with creative and practical abilities who are almost never taught or assessed in a way that matches their pattern of abilities may be at a disadvantage in course after course, year after year.

But more important…Students who were taught using diverse teaching methodologies outperformed both the traditional and the “matched” students.

This approach apparently enables students to capitalize on their strengths and to correct or to compensate for their weaknesses, encoding material in a variety of interesting ways.”

R.J. Sternberg (2006) “Recognizing Neglected Strengths”

“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

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‐‐ Robert Sternberg

ways that don’t fit them well.”

What might be the consequences if you used a variety of ‘stylish’ teaching strategies to address the diversity of learning styles in your classroom?


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What’s the Difference Between a Research‐Based Practice and a Strategy

for Delivering the Practice?

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What’s the Difference Between a Research‐Based Practice and a Strategy for Delivering the Practice?

One of the most extensive and influential studies highlighting the impact of classroom instruction on student learning was initiated by the renowned educational researchers Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock (2001). The authors describe nine categories of instructional practices that brought about the greatest gains in p g g gstudent achievement.

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Which three categories of instructional practices/strategies do you think would have the greatest impact on student achievement?

Category:

Generating & Testing HypothesesSummarizing & Note‐taking Identifying Similarities & DifferencesIdentifying Similarities & Differences Questions, Cues, and Advance OrganizersReinforcing Effort & Providing RecognitionCooperative LearningNon‐Linguistic RepresentationSetting Objectives & Providing FeedbackHomework & Practice

*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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Research clearly indicates the impact of each of these on student learning:

Category: Percentile Gain:

Identifying Similarities & Differences 45Summarizing & Note‐taking 34Reinforcing Effort & Providing Recognition 29Reinforcing Effort & Providing Recognition 29Homework & Practice 28Non‐Linguistic Representation 27Cooperative Learning 27Setting Objectives & Providing Feedback 23Generating & Testing Hypotheses 23Questions, Cues, and Advance Organizers 22

*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/

We know what works to raise achievement. Decades of research have provided the educational community with a very clear picture of what effective instruction should look like

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of what effective instruction should look like.

Classroom observation studies show that we’re not doing many of the things that we know work (e.g., setting goals or using rubrics).

We don’t always do what works.

We have what organizational experts Pfeffer and Sutton call a “knowing‐doing gap.”

Classroom observation results:

• Classrooms in which high‐yield strategies were being used:

• Classrooms in which students were either writing or using rubrics:

0.2%

0%

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• Classrooms in which there was evidence of higher‐order thinking:

• Classrooms in which there was evidence of a clear learning objective:

Learning 24/7 Classroom Observation Study data (2005) as reported in Schmoker, M. (2006). Results Now. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

3%

4%


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Historic improvement isn’t about “reform” but something much simpler: a tough, honest, self‐examination of the prevailing culture and practices of public schools, and a dramatic turn toward a singular and straightforward focus on instruction.

Schmoker, M. (2006). Results Now.Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

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It’s about teaching (Stupid)!

The Strategic Teacher helps teachers do the things that we know can raise achievement

Each strategy incorporates different principles of research on effective instruction.instruction.

Using the strategies ensures that teachers bring the research into their classrooms.

But a recent analysis of teacher effectiveness shows that simply using research‐based practices in the classroom does not ensure that students’ learning will increase.


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Source: Schooling, Toth, & Marzano (2010). “Creating an Aligned System to Develop Great Teachers Within the Federal Race to the Top Initiative.”


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For example:

In some studies, teaching comparative analysis varied from a negative effect of 20 percentile points to a positive effect of 40 percentile points.

That’s a difference of 60 percentile points… or the difference between a d f h th l d h th l !


student performing at the 30th percentile and the 90th percentile!

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0 30th 50th 90th

60 percentile points

How can we ensure that we get the positive i i d l i h h h


gains in student learning that the research suggests we should?

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Just saying “I used the research‐based practice called ‘identifying similarities and differences’” isn’t enough. In fact, we’ve probably all used comparison at some point in the classroom and been disappointed by the


results.

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The Strategic Teacher gives you the “know‐how”

The steps for using each strategy effectively are carefully modeled and explained.(Tips and examples are also provided.)

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(Tips and examples are also provided.)

Steps are designed to maximize the strategy’s benefits and help teachers avoid common pitfalls.

Let’s use the Compare & Contrast strategy as an example…

Why Comparisons Fail and What We Can Do About It

Reason 1:• Most comparisons come as either end‐of‐chapter questions or test items.

This emphasis on evaluation reinforces students’ concerns with finding the right answer, rather than discovering and analyzing.

What We Can Do About It:What We Can Do About It:• Use Compare & Contrast as a learning strategy, and always provide

students with a clear purpose for the lesson.

Example:• “People sometimes confuse bacteria with viruses: Let’s compare them to

make sure we’re clear about how they’re the same and how they’re different.”

83page 76 In The Strategic Teacher


Reason 2:• Students rush into the comparison before getting to know what

they’re comparing.

What We Can Do About It:• Before asking students to identify a single similarity or difference,

we first ask them to describe each item separately. Students use rich sources of information to make their descriptions.

Example:• “Use the two readings to help you develop a clear description of

renewable and nonrenewable energy.”



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Reason 3:• Students don’t know what they’re looking for. Any two objects can be

compared from an infinite number of perspectives. What aspects are critical? How will students know when they’re done?

What We Can Do About It:• Provide or work with students to establish criteria for comparison, and

keep students focused on the relevant information.

Example:• “As you describe Tutankhamen and Hatshepsut, focus in on what made

each leader unique, the challenges each faced, what each accomplished, and what they were like as leaders.”



Reason 4:• Students don’t have a way to visualize and line up parallel

differences.

What We Can Do About It:What We Can Do About It:• Use a Top Hat (or similar organizer) rather than a Venn Diagram.



• Examples:

Differences Differences

Similarities



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Reason 5:• We often treat comparisons as if identifying similarities and differences is the

end of the process. This is why many students feel the process doesn’t go anywhere.

What We Can Do About It:• Use higher‐order thinking questions to help students draw conclusions aboutUse higher order thinking questions to help students draw conclusions about

what they’ve compared.

Examples:• “After reading about the feud between Jefferson and Adams and comparing

each man’s accomplishments, who had the greater impact on the early development of the United States?”

• “Are reptiles and amphibians more alike or different? Defend your position.”



Reason 6:• Students don’t apply their learning.

What We Can Do About It:• Provide a meaningful synthesis task that challenges students to

transfer their learning to a new context or producttransfer their learning to a new context or product.

Example:• “Now that we’ve compared problems that ask you to solve for rate

with problems that ask you to solve for time, I want you to create and solve two new problems. One should require you to solve for rate, and one should require you to solve for time. Then, create a third problem that requires you to solve for distance.”


Compare & Contrast Strategy

Effective comparisons move through four phases:

Source: Compare & Contrast: Teaching Comparative Thinking to Strengthen Student Learning (A Strategic Teacher PLC Guide) by H. F. Silver, 2010, Alexandria, VA: ASCD. © 2010 Silver Strong & Associates.

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The Four Phases of Compare & Contrast in ActionHands of Knowledge

• What can we learn about a person by looking at his/her hands?

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Our Hands…When we think about our humanity, we often think about our hearts and minds. But what about our hands? Human hands are unique and

allow us to do some amazing things:

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Description PhaseLook at your hands. How would you describe their…

• texture?

• complexion?

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• size and length?

• bends and bruises?

• adornment?


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Comparison PhaseFind a partner. Use the criteria from the description phase to

identify key similarities and differences.

My Hands My Partner's Hands

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Similarities

Are your hands more alike or different? Why do you think so?

Conclusion Phase

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Application Phase

What can we learn about a person from his or her hands?

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Why Similarities and Differences MatterBecause:

Comparisons make the invisible visible, the confusable clear, and the neglectable unavoidable.

Similarities cement connections, while differences make distinctions obvious.

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Two ideas linked by similarities and differences last longer than two ideas standing alone.

Comparisons deepen understanding and put knowledge to use.

Because similarities and differences, when used well, is the practice that produces the greatest gains in student learning

What would be the impact on student learning if all of the teachers in your school or district used the Compare & Contrast

strategy with their students over time?

It is the regular use of a strategy over time and in a variety of


It is the regular use of a strategy over time and in a variety of content areas that produces the greatest gains in student achievement.

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But the greatest benefit and power we can get from a strategy comes when students internalize the strategy and use it on their own.


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How Can We Help Teachers Become Experts in Using Research‐Based Strategies?

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Uh−oh! Remember this?But a recent analysis of teacher effectiveness shows that simply using research‐based practices in the classroom does not ensure that students’ learning will increase.


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Source: Schooling, Toth, & Marzano (2010). “Creating an Aligned System to Develop Great Teachers Within the Federal Race to the Top Initiative.”

So, what’s going on?Strategies on their own do not guarantee improved student achievement.

Here are four reasons why:1. Teachers may not know how to select strategies that match their

instructional purposes.


2. Teachers may not have the expertise needed to use the strategy effectively.

3. The school may not have a high‐quality framework and common language for evaluating and improving classroom instruction.

4. School leaders may not have the tools and protocols they need to enhance teacher effectiveness.

In response, we’ve developed three resources to address these challenges.

How can we respond?

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Reason 1: Teachers may not know how to select strategies that match their instructional purposes.Response: The Strategic Dashboard

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Reason 1: Teachers may not know how to select strategies that match their instructional purposes.Response: The Strategic Dashboard

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Reason 2: Teachers may not have the expertise needed to use the strategy effectively.Response: Strategic Teacher PLC Guides

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These guides were designed in collaboration with over 75 schools to help teachers move from entry‐level users to experts and avoid

the common “pitfalls” and mistakes that novice users make.


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In designing these PLC Guides, we began with some troubling research:

For the majority of professional development initiatives, less than ten percent of what teachers l k h d d


learn in workshops and training sessions ends up making it back to the classroom.

—B. Joyce & B. Showers (2002)

Student Achievement Through Staff Development

106

f transfer to classroom

pe

rcentage points)

90

80

70

60

50

40

Behaviors that Influence Transfer of Instructional Practices

On the other hand,

Level of

(in p 30

20

10

0

Adapted from: Joyce, B., & Showers, B. (2002). Student Achievement Through Staff Development, 3rd edition.Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

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We designed the PLC Guides to encourage the behaviors that help teachers transfer their learning to the classroom.

PLC Guides are made up of four sections: • Section 1 is a tutorial on the strategy. It encourages teachers to reflect on their

current practices and analyze and discuss model lessons.

• Section 2 focuses on planning and encourages collaborative analysis of lesson d i d th d l t f “ iti l f i d” f l i d fi i


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designs and the development of a “critical friend” for planning and refining lessons.

• In Section 3, teachers reflect on how their lesson worked in the classroomand provide each other with feedback on how future lessons can be improved.

• In Section 4, teachers analyze student work collaboratively and use that work to make further instructional decisions.


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Each PLC Guide also includes:

A poster that teachers can use to present and explain

the strategy to their students

Source: Compare & Contrast: Teaching Comparative Thinking to Strengthen Student Learning (A Strategic Teacher PLC Guide).

“The greatest sign of success for a teacher… is to be able to say, ‘The children are now working as if I did not exist.’”

—Maria Montessori

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PLC Guides are meant to be used by learning clubs.The members of successful learning clubs…

CCLL

oncentrate on instructional techniques proven to make a difference.

earn new strategies interdependently.


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UUBBSS

se new strategies in their classrooms.

ring student work back to their learning clubs.

elf‐assess throughout the process.

4 65.2

7.2

4 7

6.7

5.35 0

6.0

7.0

8.0Accountability Gain from 2004‐2006


PLC Guides and learning clubs’ impact on the performance of ten school districts in Kentucky:

2.8

4.64.1

0.9

3.3

4.7

3.5

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

KY school districts usingPLC Guides and learning clubs

Average, all KY schools 111


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Reason 3: The school may not have a high-quality framework and common language for evaluating and improving classroom instruction.

Response: Framework for Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness

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Our common language needs to recognize that…

Reason 3: The school may not have a high-quality framework and common language for evaluating and improving classroom instruction.

Response: Framework for Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness

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Organization, Rules, and Procedures

Preparing Students for New Learning

Positive Relationships

D i L iPresenting New

Helping Students Reflect on and

Framework for Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness

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Deepening Learningg

Learninge ect o a d

Celebrate Learning

A Culture of Thinking and Learning

Applying Learning Engagement and Enjoyment


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Organization, Rules, and Procedures

Preparing Students for New Learning

Positive Relationships

Deepening Learning Presenting New Learning Helping Students Reflect on and Celebrate Learning

How do you organize your classroom to enhance

learning and establish rules and procedures

that clarify expectations?

How do you build deep and meaningful

relationships with your students and among students?

How do you establish your purpose, activate students’

prior knowledge, and prepare them for learning?

Framework for Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness

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and Celebrate Learning

A Culture of Thinking and Learning

Applying Learning Engagement and Enjoyment

How do you develop a classroom culture that

promotes serious learning and sophisticated forms of thinking?

How do you motivate students to do

their best work and inspirethe love of learning?

How do you present new information and provide

opportunities for students to actively engage with content?

How do you help students solidify their understanding and practice new skills?

How do students demonstrate their learning and what kinds of evidence do you collect to assess their progress?

How do you help students look back on their learning and refine their

learning process?

How can we build a culture focused on improvement and shared

Reason 4: School leaders may not have the tools and protocols they need to enhance teacher effectiveness.Response: CRAFT of Leadership

on improvement and shared responsibility for learning?

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By mastering our CRAFT

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In order to meet the challenge of improving teacher effectiveness, schools need to practice and master their CRAFT by increasing their capacity to…

CCRR

OLLABORATE, or work as PLCs to improve teaching and learning.

EFLECT, or look at teaching and learning with “two eyes.”

AAFFTT

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DAPT, or develop, implement, and refine professional learning plans.

OCUS on “best bets” or practices proven to raise student achievement.

HOUGHTFUL process for improving professional practice across the organization.

Develop a

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend tosee every problem as a nail.”

—Abraham Maslow

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