ADDING DEPTH TO LEARNING THROUGH STUDENT ENGAGEMENT Weber School District

Learning Objectives Improve the potential for student learning by increasing engagement. Foster positive student engagement through collaborative learning structures that promote both individual and group accountability. Increase depth of knowledge and rigor in both instructional and assessment practices. Use thoughtful questions to reach higher levels of depth of knowledge.

Which one best describes your classroom?

The First 20 Days Collaborative Learning – a time when students work together to clarify their understanding of the skills and concepts they are learning. Students don’t necessarily come to us with the inherent skills to facilitate productive group work. We need to teach them the norms and behaviors we expect. Three areas of focus: Personal Responsibility Respectful Discourse Collaborative Problem Solving

Numbered Heads Strategy Number off in group by 3s Designate a time-keeper Individually Review information on Chart Prepare to describe & share insights for your assigned classroom type What would be the pros & cons? This chart describes the students. Describe how a teacher might facilitate this type of classroom. #1 Pathological Classroom #2 Well-Managed Classroom #3 Highly Engaged Classroom Have each person take 2 minutes to share without any comments from others. For 1 minute, others may add on or ask questions. Rotate to next person.

What does this mean to you? Fold a paper square. Label each corner with each of “Focus Lesson,” “Guided Instruction,” “Collaborative” or “Independent.” On the back of each section write a word or phrase that summarizes this component in your mind.

Key Components: Statement of Purpose (needs to be interesting and relevant to the students)  Objective in “Student-Friendly” Language Teacher Modeling of “Expert” Thinking  “I” Statements (e.g., I noticed…; When I read that problem, I saw…; I reflected…)  Metacognition (e.g., because or why or how; I can make the following prediction … because the author told me…)

Key Components: Strategic use of questions, prompts and cues Don’t just tell the students what they’re missing, but lead them to understanding. Can take multiple forms: whole group, small group, targeted groups, etc.

The purpose of collaborative learning is to engage students in constructing understanding through the use of academic language. Productive collaboration ensures student-to- student interaction in academic ways using academic language. In order for students to be fluent in the language of the discipline, they need opportunities to produce and practice the language.

Be sure to give opportunities to do independent work both inside and outside of class. Independent work by students needs to support and further the conversations and collaborative efforts experienced during the instructional process. Must have a purpose and a reason.

Magnifying Engagement through Collaboration

Conversation Roundtable Activity More than 52,000 unaccompanied children have crossed the Unites States border since October, This number represents a 92% increase over the same time span last year. This surge in migration has created a crisis in border towns as various agencies work together to manage the thousands of children who have crossed into the U.S. hy-are-thousands-of-unaccompanied-migrant- children-at-the-US-border.html

Conversation Prompt Do you agree or disagree with the current policies regarding migrant children? Support your views. In the next 10 minutes, discuss this issue with your teammates and annotate your findings on the Conversation Roundtable document. Your group must present one common group summary.

The Role of Talking in the Learning Process

What are the similarities and differences between group work and productive collaborative work? Group Work Productive Collaborative Work Interaction Academic language practice and development Clarifying beliefs, values, or ideas Goal is sharing, not solving No accountability or group accountability Interaction Academic language practice and development Consolidating understanding using argumentation Goal is resolving problems, reaching consensus, or identifying solutions Individual accountability Leads to more productive independent work. vs.

Why Use Collaboration? Ensures Student Engagement Facilitates Formative Assessment Fosters Differentiated Instruction Allows Collaborative Construction of Knowledge Develops Communication Skills Prepares for Life After School Knight, J. (2013). High-impact instruction – A framework for great teaching. Corwin: Thousand Oaks, CA.

Mix, Pair, Share & Jot Thoughts Watch Sandi Silbernagel use these two cooperative learning structures…

TEACHING THE SPEAKING AND LISTENING STANDARDS AS A FOUNDATION FOR COLLABORATION

Speaking & Listening Standards - Unpacked K-2 Features

Speaking & Listening Standards - Unpacked

Discipline-Specific Collaboration

Close Reading& Collaboration Reading Anchor Standard 10: Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently. Speaking & Listening Anchor Standard 1: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Reading Anchor Standard 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Key Features of the Standards All components must be present in order for effective learning to occur!

Different Readings have Different Foci Initial reads of the text … What does the text say? After at least one reading … How does the text work? Later readings of the text or related texts … What does the text mean? Shanahan, 2013

Hints for Close Reading… Underline the major points. Circle keywords or phrases that are confusing or unknown to you. Use a question mark (?) for questions that you have during the reading. Be sure to write your question. Use an exclamation mark (!) for things that surprise you and briefly note what it was that caught your attention. Draw an arrow ( ↵ ) when you make a connection to something inside the text or to an idea/experience outside the text. Briefly note your connections. Mark EX when the author provides an example. Numerate arguments, important ideas or key details and write words or phrases that restate them.

Chief Joseph Close Read and Collaboration Exercise “Hear me, my Chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.” -Chief Joseph (1877)

What does the text say? General Understanding

What does the text say? Key Details

How does the text work? Vocabulary

Chief Joseph’s Surrender Speech Video Click the picture to start video…

How does the text work? Structure

What does the text mean? Inferences

What does the text mean? Intertextual Connections

Writing from Sources

REFLECTION How did the questions increase in complexity? Who is delivering the speech? What concerns does Chief Joseph have about the health and welfare of his people? What is the tone of this speech? Who is Chief Joseph referring to when he says… What inner conflict would Chief Joseph have experienced? What is the role of courage in surrender? How was gradual release facilitated through the activity? Independent, small group, partners, whole group, individual How were the core standards addressed? Reading Informational Text Standards 1-9 Speaking & Listening Standards

Discipline-Specific Collaboration

STRATEGIES FOR COLLABORATION

Collaborative Conversations – Suggested Strategies GALLERY WALK Teams rotate around the classroom Composing answers Reflecting on other students’ comments Questions posted on charts Sentence frames can be used

Sentence Frames

Accountability Roles in Student- Directed Groups using a Reciprocal Teaching Model Summarizer Clarifier Questioner Predictor

Using a Reciprocal Teaching Frame Uses own words to explain key ideas. Makes guesses about what a passage might be about or what might happen next. Finds difficult words or ideas and looks for clues to help explain them. Asks questions about a passage. QuestionerClarifier Summarizer Predictor

Mathematical Inquiry Process – Using Reciprocal Teaching to Arrive at a Solution

Jigsaw Students start in “home” groups and read their assigned article. Each student moves to an “expert” group to discuss like material and to brainstorm ways in which to present their understanding back to the “home” group. Students meet in “home” groups to teach their reading and to learn from other members of their “home” group.

Collaborative Poster Students create a poster with specific visual information (drawings and text). All students participate in making the poster using their own colored marker. Students sign the poster in their unique color. Students discuss critically, explain and make decisions to complete this task.

The Take-Away… Individually list three things you are going to “take away” from today’s presentation on the postcard. As a table, have each person share one “novel thing” they have written. As a table, see if you can form a list of 10 things. Add one more thing to your own list after your table collaboration. Circle two things you would like to have implemented by December. Write your name and your school on the back of the postcard. These will be returned to you in January through the Pony as a follow-up to this professional learning experience.

Suggested Presentation Breaks Introduction, Engagement Levels in Classrooms - Slides 1-7 Gradual Release of Responsibility – Slides 8-13 Collaboration Intro and Standards - Slides Chief Joseph Close Read Activity (Standards through Reflection)– Slides 26 – 46 Strategies for Collaboration Slides (presenters may choose to divide this section)