Helping Students Generate and Test Hypotheses Design Question 4 - Element 22: How can the teacher engage students in cognitively complex tasks that involve hypothesis generation and testing?

Before we begin… Before we begin talking about element 22, let’s be sure that there is an understanding about how the elements in Design Question 4 are related. This is important as you plan your lessons. While watching the video, please take notes, documenting how the elements in Design Question 4 are related. Click here for the Design Question 4 Video.

Video Notes How are the elements in Design Question 4 related to one another? Element 21 outlines how students should be organized within cooperative learning groups for the purpose of engaging in cognitively complex tasks. Element 22 demonstrates that the teacher should provide students with cognitively complex tasks that allow them to generate and test hypotheses about open-ended questions with multiple correct responses. Element 23 shows that while teachers are in a coach or guide on the side position during this process, they still have a responsibility to provide resources and support as students work through the process. Now let’s talk about element 22, specifically.

This is applicable to ALL classrooms!!!! When most teachers see that Design Question 4 mentions hypotheses, they automatically believe that the elements only pertain to science curriculum but that is NOT true. All content areas have many opportunities to create and test hypotheses. A hypothesis could be a student guessing the ending of a book in reading, estimating answers in math, designing artwork in art, or strategizing movement in PE. The possibilities are endless!

DQ 4 - Students Interact and Apply New Knowledge In DQ 2, students acquire new knowledge but have not stored their new knowledge in long-term memory, and they may have only a shallow understanding. In DQ 3, students practice and deepen understanding of the new knowledge through comparing and contrasting declaratory knowledge, and practicing procedural knowledge, builds connection with concepts already understood and fluency in using the skill, strategy, or process. But DQ 4 allows students to use this knowledge and embed it into long-term memory teachers need to create opportunities for students to engage in cognitively complex tasks.

Review Teacher and Student Evidence NOTE: This list of evidence is not all inclusive but is instead a list of possible examples.

Review Scale for Element 22

Desired Effect in the Students The desired effect is, “students generate and test hypotheses to enhance their understanding of content and the inquiry process..” To receive an Innovating rating, the teacher must monitor and make accommodations so that every student in their classroom achieves this desired effect.

Task While watching the below video, please identify these three things: 1. the types of cognitively complex tasks. 2. when Sharon Euler asks her students to generate and test hypotheses. 3. the subject areas where generating and testing hypotheses can be used. After watching the video you will be asked to identify the teacher and student evidence to rate the teacher on this element. Focus on Joel Holtry doing the culminating activity. Click here for the video.

Video Questions Q: What are the types of cognitively complex tasks? A: There are four types of cognitively complex tasks, which include problem solving, decision making, experimental inquiry and investigations. Q: When does Sharon Euler ask her students to generate and test hypotheses? A: She uses generating and testing hypotheses as an entry point into a unit, providing students with only enough background information to complete the task. Q: In what subject areas can generating and testing hypothesis be used? A: These types of cognitively complex tasks can be used in any subject area.

Task On the next slide is the teacher and student evidence. What evidence did you see and were able to document? Use this to rate the teacher as you walk through the next few slides.

Review Teacher and Student Evidence What did you see?

Review Teacher and Student Evidence What did we see?

How to Rate Teacher and Student Evidence You can only give credit for what you see. The teacher engages students with an explicit decision making, problem solving, experimental inquiry or investigation task that requires students to generate and test hypotheses. The teacher asked students to use the provided materials to create a raft that would hold the most weight. The teacher facilitates students generating their own individual or group task that requires them to generate and test hypotheses. The students looked at what went wrong and how they would make their rafts differently next time. They were so motivated by the project that they continued working on it at home and even took videos to share with the teacher.

How to Rate Teacher and Student Evidence Students are clearly working on tasks that require them to generate and test hypotheses. The students had to make a hypothesis about the best way to build the raft and then test the hypothesis by actually building the raft. When asked, the students can explain the hypothesis they are testing. The little girl who was interviewed was able to clearly explain this. When asked, the students can explain whether their hypothesis was confirmed or disconfirmed. The girl who was interviewed was able to talk about her hypothesis being confirmed on the experiment she continued outside of class. Student artifacts indicate that they can engage in decision making, problem solving, experimental inquiry or investigation. The students’ boats are artifacts of their ability to engage in experimental inquiry.

Review Scale for Element 22 to Rate the Teacher

How we Rated the Teacher We gave the teacher a Developing rating for element 22. The teacher has clearly engaged students in a cognitively complex task involving experimental inquiry. We know that at least one student is questioned, but we lack information as to whether the majority of students are generating and testing hypotheses. If we did have this evidence, the teacher would receive an Applying rating. If all of the students were able to generate and test hypotheses, the teacher would receive an Innovating rating.

Task While watching the below video, please identify what you notice about the thinking that the students share when they think out loud. Click here for the video.

Video Question Q: What do you notice about the students’ thinking when they share out loud. A: What you might have noticed is that the students are able to apply their knowledge or prior learning to real situations. They were all able to articulate their thinking and were working at a more cognitively complex level. Forming and testing hypotheses can be used in all curriculum areas and is a valuable tool in motivating students to delve into deeper and more complex levels of thinking.

What is next? First, start with a self-evaluation. What teacher and/or student evidence can you identify for element 22 in your classroom? What rating do you think you would receive on the scale for this element? Now that you have determined where you rate on the scale, take some time to identify what you need to change or improve upon in order to grow to a higher rating on the scale. Choose a curriculum area that you will be teaching soon. Plan and teach a lesson that requires students to generate and test hypotheses using one of the four types of cognitively complex thinking. The resources on the following slide may assist you as you work.

Additional Resources for Understanding and Using Element 22 How to: Use Cooperative Learning – Copy/paste this link after logging into www.effectiveeducators.com: https://www.effectiveeducators.com/attachment/show/504f5508e4b0ba9a3d2 6b60f Generating and Testing Hypotheses DQ4 -Generating and Testing Hypotheses

More Resources for the Classroom You will need to be logged on to www.effectiveeducators.com in order to access these resources. You will have to copy/paste the links. How To: Use Experimental Inquiry Tasks https://www.effectiveeducators.com/attachment/show/504f5994e4b0ba9a3d26c00a How To: Use Investigative Tasks https://www.effectiveeducators.com/attachment/show/504f7809e4b0ba9a3d270fcb How To: Use Decision Making Tasks https://www.effectiveeducators.com/attachment/show/504f58d3e4b0ba9a3d26be12 How To: Use Problem Solving Tasks https://www.effectiveeducators.com/attachment/show/504f7c38e4b0ba9a3d271a08

Is this element in your PGP? Then you need to… Sign into www.effectiveeducators.com. Click on the Growth tab and then click on the Plans option. Open your current plan and fill out a new Reflection Log, answering all of the questions. Decide how you will change your teaching as a result of viewing this module. Execute your change, reflect on its impact, and fill out another Reflection Log in iObservation.

Further questions? Here are resources in case you have further questions: Your evaluator Another evaluator on your campus Your school’s Classroom Practice Mentors (CPM)