Highland Community School District Instructional Rounds October 15, 2009

Theory of Action If students are engaged in higher order tasks, and if students are doing most of the thinking, and if students are applying knowledge and skills in real world tasks, then students will transfer knowledge and skills across subjects and grade levels.

Problem of Practice Students do not transfer knowledge and skills across content areas and grade levels e.g. students study measurement in math class, but cannot apply the same measurement skill in science class; students spell correctly on spelling tests but not in their writing.  

Questions What tasks students are asked to do? Who is doing most of the work/thinking? What opportunities do students have to apply knowledge/skills, and how do they respond?

THE INSTRUCTIONAL CORE CONTENT Points of entry for improvement of instruction The culture is present in the academic tasks that students are asked to do If you can’t see it in the core, it’s not there Academic tasks define the real accountability system in your school STUDENT TEACHER

Transfer depends on A threshold of initial learning Building on student strengths, prior knowledge Variety of contexts Practice Motivation -- challenge Understanding vs. memorizing Understanding how to use and apply knowledge Threshold of initial needed– it takes time to learn complex subject matter, for transfer to happen students need original learning with understanding. All new learning involves transfer based on previous learning – implications for instruction. Without some level of mastery – students may not transfer. Build on learner’s strengths– students have knowledge relevant to the learning situation that is not activated – assessment of prior knowledge Context – not just taught in context specific examples… more flexible representation of knowledge Overly contextualized can reduce transfer. 1) solve specific case problem, provide other similar cases to learn general principals, 2) What-if problems, 3) problems that apply to whole class or related problems Work across Multiple domains Familiar to unfamiliar situations Practice – time on task is not enough. Students need time to explore underlying concepts and make connections to other info they possess. Too quickly = coverage results in isolated sets of facts that aren’t connected. Students need deliberate practice and feedback, so they can actively evaluate strategies and current level of understanding. The Kind of practice is important Evidence: practice problem solving – use what they know about mathematical concepts to solve the problem vs. repeating a procedure or steps in a rote way. Motivation – proper level of difficulty – new levels of challenge. Learning oriented (Carol Dweck and Fred Newmann) Contributing something to others is motivating. Strong social consequence. Value beyond school --- and the classroom context Not just fun – but meaningful Learning with Understanding: Understanding vs memory. Newmann -Deep knowledge Deep conceptual and procedural knowledge- tied to concepts – holistic understanding – vs thin-fragmented)More than facts Darling Hammond – ambitious meaningful tasks students produce or construct knowledge rather than reproduce Solve rich problems that allow them to construct their own meeting ( bring )significance and coherence to abstract concepts) - Evidence ---- Look for tasks that have students work HOT not just memorizing from text or lecture. Not just facts and details --- learn themes, causes and consequences for events, Application of when, where, why and how to use knowledge they have acquired Evidence are students putting knowledge to work – GIVE STUDENS ABILITY TO REASON OUT COMPLEX UNDERSTANDING Real world situations http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=6160&page=39

Understand and Transfer Facts or Understand and Transfer Arteries and Veins Arteries are thicker and more elastic Carry blood rich in O2 from heart “Art” was thick in the middle – so he wore pants with elastic waste – What if you wanted to move into transfer Change in learning goal, assessments, teaching and learning strategies Imagine trying to design an artificial artery. Would it have to be elastic? Why or why not? Understand– why veins have characteristics, arteries carry blood from the heart, blood is pumped in spurts, (why the need for elasticity) Veins carry back – less need for elasticity – Students learn about/understand functions of elasticity - what happens when non-elastic materials handle differences in pressure. Students are examining how the arteries function in the context of the cardiovascular system and other bodily functions.. Link this knowledge to other knowledge about physical properties of matter (force, gravity – pump from legs to heart) Opportunities to construct and analyze models of how this operates

Toa Transfer What tasks students are asked to do? If students are engaged in higher order tasks, and if students are doing most of the thinking, and if students are applying knowledge and skills in real world tasks, then students will transfer knowledge and skills across subjects and grade levels. Toa Transfer Practice: constructing knowledge, solve problems Motivation: challenging, meaningful with value beyond classrooms Understanding : deep conceptual knowledge and higher order thinking Application: students doing the thinking – real world What tasks students are asked to do? Who is doing most of the work/thinking? What opportunities do students have to apply knowledge/skills, and how do they respond?

Sources of evidence What tasks are students asked to do? Turn to partner – what are sources of evidence. Are they practicing a skill – if yes at what level of complexity? HOT Students combine facts, ideas to synthesize, generalize, explain, hypothesize – arrive at a conclulsion, interpretation VS recite facts Are students given a chance to make connection and relationships to prior knowledge New context. Complex understanding or memorization. http://www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=916

2. Who is doing most of the work/thinking? Turn to other partner… what are ways you can observe or gather evidence for this

What opportunities do students have to apply knowledge/skills, and how do they respond? What level of relevance do you see. Are students making any connections between new knowledge and the world beyond school – social significance. To their own experience Do students need to figure out where, when and why to apply new knowledge -- What levels of motivation and engagement do you notice. How might you find out about this???

“Everyone speaks once before anyone speaks twice” Debrief Roles John listens GPAEA team coaches Network members Stay in descriptive voice Stick to the evidence “Everyone speaks once before anyone speaks twice” 12:30 MIKE

Individually (10 minutes) Read through your notes Star observations that are relevant to POP Select 5-10 pieces of data and record on individual sticky-notes Categorize by 3 questions 12:35 -12:45 MIKE

Small Group (30 minutes) Set up a chart Share observations of each classroom Post evidence for each of the 3 questions Identify patterns and record What type of reading tasks are students performing? How are teachers engaging students in reading activities? How are students demonstrating comprehension? Evidence Patterns 12:45 – 1:15 MIKE

Partner Group (45 minutes) Group 1 & Group 2 Group 3 & Group 4 Group 5 & Group 6 Designate a facilitator, recorder, and reporter (make charts) Compare charts Record evidence, patterns for the 3 ??? Summarize and Predict on Chart 4 1:15 – 2:00 DEB Have demo charts ready

Create a chart for each question What are reading tasks students are asked to do? Evidence Patterns What questions do these data raise for you? Partner groups do this DEB

Reporter – share Chart 4 Prediction: What patterns did you see across 3 questions? Prediction: If you were a student at this school, and you did everything you were expected to do, what would you know and be able to do? What does this tell us about the ability of students to use comprehension skills to understand what they read?

Sharing Out Each group shares Chart 4 Describe patterns and predictions 4 2:00 – 2:40

Next Level of Work Remember Wapello context & plans for sharing with staff Remember Focus on teaching and learning (Core) Aim for clarity about good instructional practice, leadership, and organizational practice Ideas for administrator and building leaders/teams Grain size Tie back to collected evidence related to the 3 questions and predictions 2:40 – 3:15 Bonnie Examples: Opportunities to learn about how to design instruction HOQ vs. the name of speaker

NLOW Form new groups – # List what school leaders need to attend to Leadership Organizational practices Instructional practices 1 Highest Leverage 1 “Where would you start?” Be prepared to share Directions for group formation Bonnie

Share key recommendations with Wapello Leadership Team Round robin – each group shares Chart 4 High Leverage Where to start Wapello Leadership Team - What additional questions did this work generate about the POP? Deb will record

Wrap Up Thank you Wapello leadership team and staff! Evaluate the day 3:45

End of day coaching Plus Great process for debriefing Role modeled well Step by step analysis of info Made sense of 3 questions Preparation (Ask it worth the time) Introduction on transfer Opportunity to think about what evidence would look like Delta Confusion with the two observation templates (Allow for possible templates or personal organizer)

Plus Recognizing the emphasis on complexity of this work Helpful to see 2 schools This group has come so far Liked the opportunities to be in dual role – participant and as facilitator Learning in multiple roles Delta Leadership team would have liked to have read materials Only saw 2 classrooms at Ainsworth v. 6, need more observations to see patterns

Questions Elementary Talking to children- harder to stay out of the teacher role and be observer.

Letters to a Young Poet Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day. Rainer Maria Rilke