Marzano's High Yield Strategies and the Super 7

Did you know that Marzano has done extensive research on 9 instructional strategies that you can use in your classroom that will result in high achievement gains?  Each one of the instructional strategies relate to Marzano's Super 7.  Marzano has identified 7 elements that will have a high impact on the learning that takes place in your classroom.

Here are the 9 instructional strategies and the percent gains they should yield:
1. Identifying similarities and differences (45 percentile gain)
2. Summarizing and note taking (34 percentile gain)
3. Reinforcing effort and providing recognition (29 percentile gain)
4. Homework and practice (28 percentile gain)
5. Non-linguistic representations (27 percentile gain)

6. Cooperative learning (23 percentile gain)

7. Setting objectives and providing feedback (23 percentile gain)

8. Generating and testing hypothesis (23 percentile gain)

9. Questions, cues, and advance organizers (22 percentile gain)

You will notice that several of these instructional strategies relate to a number of Marzano elements.  Marzano research has shown that the following 7 elements from DQ #2,3,4, have the greatest impact on student achievement:
Element #6 Identifying critical information
Element #11 Elaborating on new information
Element #12 Recording and representing knowledge
Element #17 Examining similarities and differences
Element #18 Examining errors in reasoning
Element #20 Revising knowledge
Element #22 Engaging students in cognitively complex tasks involving hypothesis generation and testing

The highlighted elements are included in the Charlotte County Expectations.  Attached you will find a few documents that include what research says about the strategy and how it will look in the classroom.  There are also a few examples included in the document as well. 

Thank you so much for the great response to our Mighty Marzano PLC opportunity.  I was so pleased with the number of teachers who attended and gave their full effort to gain a better understanding of element #7.  I hope that you found it worthwhile.  Based on the information that was provided on the exit tickets, we will continue with our Mighty Marzano PLC. Our next session will focus on Element #18 Examining Errors in Reasoning on February 5^th.    

Processing Information

Active processing results in students' abilities to summarize, make predictions, ask clarifying questions, and discuss chunks of critical content. Processing new information is vital to engaging students in a more rigorous learning. This will help you grow into an innovative and highly skilled teacher who is able to implement, scaffold, and extend instruction to meet all of our students needs.

Students need on going opportunities to actively process new information. You must provide them with some type of processing experience after every chunk of new information they hear, see, or read.

The following teacher behaviors are associated with facilitating the active processing of new information:

• Teaching and modeling various techniques prior to their implmentation
• Planning and providing multiple opportunities for students actively process the information
• Organizing collaborative groups 
• Encourage and Motivate student to persevere through the new information
• Gradually release responsibility to students for their own processing
• Ongoing monitoring for result

Three common mistakes the teacher can make while seeking to become skills with this strategy:

• Does not intentionally plan for enough time that students can actively process the information
• Does not use the power of collaborative groups to assist students with the new information
• Does not gradually release the reins of responsibility for learning to students. 

Here is the main source of evidence that would show you your students are able to process information:

• They can explain or paraphrase after your lesson
• They can volunteer predictions
• They can ask clarifying questions
• They can discuss information by asking and answering questions 
• They can generate conclusionsa
• They can summarize new information
• They can write in response to the new information

There are 6 instructional techniques to facilitate the process of information.

• Using Collaborative Processing
• Using Think Pair Share
• Using Concept Attainment
• Using Jigsaw
• Using Reciprocal Teaching
• Using Scripted Cooperative Dyads

After reading the above, what elements do you think you could hit by using these instructional techniques? I know this is element 10 but it ties into many other elements too. You can use the techniques within DQ2, 3, and 4. 

Here is a link to the book (only some parts) that I pulled the information from:https://www.learningsciences.com/media/catalog/product//p/n/pni_lookinside.pdf

We have a hard copy of the entire book if you would like to borrow it. This will provide you an opportunity to read more about the 6 instructional practices.

Here is a useful video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtmB8uF8KiU

Have a nice week! :) 

Organizing Students to Interact With New Knowledge

At our last PPC meeting, we discussed formulating a plan to provide professional development on the Charlotte County expectations. (Marzano)  We decided that we would offer a few informal afterschool sessions to discuss the expectations.  Several teachers selected element #7 Organizing students to interact with new knowledge as their deliberate practice.  

Organizing students for learning is a powerful instructional strategy that focuses on facilitating small-group discussions in which students use academic vocabulary to talk about content with each other.  This strategy can be formal organization of students or informal conversations with small groups or partners.  This strategy does not encompass whole-class discussions.  While there is a time and place during instruction for teachers to lead whole-class dialogue, this strategy is focused on smaller groups of students interacting with each other rather that the teacher. 

It is important to note that there must be a stated purpose for interaction when you organize students to work together.  Some examples include processing new content, revise thinking, or practice a procedure.  Organizing for learning almost always goes hand and hand with other instructional strategies such as processing new information, practicing skills or processes, examining errors in reasoning, or elaborating on content.  Students are able to interact in two ways: collaboratively and cooperatively. Collaborative learning is interaction in which students share ideas and consider others perspectives as they are learning.  There is low interdependence with this learning interaction.  Their success in completing a task is not immediately ties to their productivity during collaboration.  There should be structures in place to ensure that all students participate and that groups remain focused.  Cooperative learning is interaction to facilitate the accomplishment of a specific end product or goal through students working together.  This type of grouping has higher accountability levels.  There is usually a task or a product that the group is expected to produce.  

Positive interdependence results when students recognize that their success is linked to the success of the members of their group and is an essential prerequisite for effective student interaction.  As you organize your students for learning you should create conditions and set the stage for positive interdependence.  The following teacher behaviors are essential to the effective implementation of organizing for learning:

• Identify critical information (#6)

• Plan meaningful tasks

• Structure intentional interactions

• Organize students into groups

• Establish routines

• Teach and reinforce skills

It is important to avoid the following common mistakes with organizing students for learning. 

• The teacher fails to identify the critical content or information

• The teacher fails to structure purposeful student interaction

• The teacher fails to prepare students to interact in groups

• The teacher fails to stay out of the conversation

Teachers should intentionally monitor their students to make sure they are enhancing their understanding of the critical information during their interactions.  Here are some ways that teachers can monitor the effectiveness of the strategy:

• Students use academic language to talk about content with each other

• Students share perspectives about critical content

• Students know their responsibilities during group work

• Students share the workload equally

• Students use small-group interaction to enhance their learning

While researching information related to this strategy, I am reminded of content that I learned during the Kagan Summer Academy.  I am excited that we will all get to participate in the day 1 training in February.  Please visit the links below for a video and resources related to this Marzano strategy. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL8qK0PXuOo

https://graniteschools.instructure.com/courses/1118234/pages/organizing-students-to-interact

Reflecting on Learning

This does not only focus students' attention on the content but also on themselves as learners. This results in higher ordered thinking on their part. 

Some strategies that you may incorporate, but are not limited to:

Reflective journals- Students can respond to reflective questions. The questions prompt the students to reflect on what predictions they made that were correct or incorrect, what information was easy or difficult, how well they understood the material, how well they think they did during the day, what what they think they could have done differently. 

If they state any of the above they should add why, give evidence!

Think logs- students reflect on cognitive skills-classification, inference, decision making, creative thinking, or self-regulation that the lesson focused on.

Exit slips- The student responds to specific reflective questions at the end of the room. Some examples include: What are the main ideas of today's lesson? What do you feel most and least sure about? Do you have specific questions about today's lesson? What aspects of today's lesson did you feel successful with?

Knowledge comparisons- Students compare and contrast their current level of knowledge on a topic of level of competence with a procedure to their previous level. Multiple methods may be used for this one. 

Two-column notes-Students use a two-column note sheet as an extended reflection activity at the end of the lesson. Left students record facts or other information they found interesting, right they record their reactions, questions, and extended ideas related to the facts or information to the left hand side. (This could easily be done in a Thinking Map fomat too)

The focus for this strategy is to help students understand the learning process as one that requires their attention and effort!

When the strategies in this element produce the desired effect, teachers will observe the following behaviors:

Students can describe what they are clear about and what they are confused about.

Students can describe their levels of effort and the relationship of their effort to their learning.

Student can describe what they might do to improve their learning. 

This resource breaks apart the scale:

https://www.kyrene.org/cms/lib/AZ01001083/Centricity/Domain/42/Art%20and%20Science/Enhanced%20Developmental%20Scales/Enhanced_Developmental_Scale_E13.pdf

Here is a great video on this element:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL_GKyh4FrI

Happy Holidays!

Wow...our year is coming to an end, how did this happen so fast? The first half of the school year is over. This is an exciting and sad time of year. We remember all the memories that we made and look forward to the new ones we will experience in 2018. We are already thinking about new goals and resolutions. My wish is that you spend this last week enjoying your students. Spend some quality time with one another. They will remember these moments the most, I promise! We have four days left with our students- even better they are dress up days! It's time to breathe, cherish these moments, and enjoy the holiday cheer we all bring one another. It has been an exciting, adventurous, and an inspirational year. As a school, we have alot to be thankful for- one being our students and the relationships we built with one another, which is also a blessing. I am leaving this year thankful and blessed. I hope you each take a second to reflect on your year. This may be a great conversation to have with your students as well. How can we be even more successful in the upcoming new year? They look up to each and every one of you. You are a blessing in their life, and they are thankful to have a strong, willing, and heart-filled teacher that provides an education so that they will be be successful. I am very excited for 2018 to begin. I know this year will be even better than 2017. 

Just a few reminders:
No WMM
No Thursday team meeting
Enjoy your found time :)

Monday- Red, White and Green day
Tuesday- Hilarious Hat day
Wednesday- Tacky shirt/sweater day
Thursday- PJ Day, Pot luck, Movie, Twas Night before Christmas

As always, thank you for EVERYTHING you do! Enjoy this last week. Happy Holidays and may you have a Happy New Year! Please take some time over break to relax and spend time with family and friends. 

Examining Errors in Reasoning

Examining Errors in Reasoning Element #18

Examining errors in reasoning is one of the more challenging instructional practices for educators.  It is difficult to teach students how to examine and self-regulate their own thinking processes as well as evaluate the logic of information that is presented to them.  In a recent study of the frequency of various observed content strategies, fewer than 2% of observed instructional episodes contained opportunities for students to engage with new content by either learning how to think more logically and critically from direct instruction about reasoning or applying reasoning to content texts and discussions (Marzano & Toth, 2014). 

Here are some teacher actions or behaviors that have been associated with an effective implementation of examining reasoning:

• ·         Identify critical content for examination by students
• ·         Teach students how to examine and analyze information for errors-or informal fallacies in content or in their own reasoning-through directly instructing, modeling, and facilitating
• ·         Provide ongoing opportunities for students to identify common errors in logic
• ·         Teaching students how to state and support a claim with grounds, backing, and qualifiers through directly instructing, modeling, and facilitating
• ·         Provide ongoing opportunities for students to state and support a claim with grounds, backing, and qualifiers
• ·         Teach students how to examine and analyze the strength of support presented for a claim in content or in their own reasoning through directly instructing, modeling, and facilitating
• ·         Teach students how to analyze errors so they can identify more efficient ways to execute processes through directly instructing, modeling, and facilitating
• ·         Provide ongoing opportunities for students to learn how to support claims and assertions for those claims in relationship to the evidence

There are many common mistakes that can take teaching and therefore learning off course:

• ·         Failing to identify and utilize appropriate materials
• ·         Failing to connect to related instructional strategies
• ·         Failing to provide the necessary instruction
• ·         Failing to show rather than tell
• ·         Failing to provide ongoing opportunities
• ·         Failing to allow students the time to process and deepen understanding

Examining reasoning cannot be rushed, especially when students are first learning how to stop and think about what they have said or heard.  Time is needed for reflection, and when you fail to provide appropriate wait times during which students can process and deepen their understanding of a response or claim, you deprive them of an opportunity to consider the appropriateness of that claim and how it relates to what they have learned. 

Please take time to review the desired result and rubrics that accompany this element.  The following link has more in depth information related to this element.  There is also a video at the bottom of the document that will show you element 18 in action in a kindergarten classroom.  There are also a few pdf’s linked to that document that you may find helpful. 

https://graniteschools.instructure.com/courses/1118234/pages/examining-errors-in-reasoning

 

Identifying Critical Information

Highlighting critical information strategies involves the teacher pointing out what IS important and what is LESS important based on the information he/she is presenting that day. Students are bombarded with information daily, they need to know what is extremely important so they can focus on it and make the instant connection. Students hear the teacher talking, and other students talking about the content. They also read about the content, examine pictures and observe demonstrations, but they do know what they need to take away each day? Not all of the information is equally important. You will see remarkable changes in your student’s ability to process and understand new content once they are able to identify which content is critical and understand how learned content scaffolds into complexity.

Table 6.2 suggest using these strategies.

Repeating the most important content- Repeating not only identifies which information is critical but it helps students remember that information.

Asking questions that focus on critical information- The teacher ask questions that remind students of previous content and highlight what is important in the current content.

Using visual activities- The teacher uses storyboards, TM’s, and pictures to highlight critical information, help students create mental pictures of the information, and promote comprehension and recall.

Using narrative activities- the teacher uses stories to anchor information and signal to students that certain information is important.

Using tone of voice, gestures, and body position- The teacher uses tone of voice, gestures, and body position to emphasize important information.

Use pause time- teacher pauses during the presentation of new content to highlight important points. It gives students the opportunity to take in and process content.

Identifying critical-input experiences- These introduce important new content to students and are vital to enhancing student learning. Teacher take special care in planning for these experiences.

Using explicit instruction to convey critical content- Dramatic activities- skits, role playing, other body movements.

Providing advance organizers to cue critical content- Thinking maps, verbal cues to a classroom chart.

Using what students already know to cue critical content- Teacher uses what they already know to explain critical content. Provides students with a link to old knowledge for every critical aspect of the new knowledge.

When the strategies in this element produce the desired effects, teachers will observe the following behaviors in students:

Students can describe the level of importance of specific information, can explain why specific content is important to know, and visibly adjust their level of attention when teachers present information content.

For further information regarding any of the above strategies you may check out the Identifying Critical Content book-classroom techniques to help students know what is important. 

Here is a link to the book: 
https://www.learningsciences.com/media/catalog/product//i/c/icc_lookinside.pdf