that Classroom Instruction

Learning Goals: Participants will Gain a basic understanding of instructional strategies that research indicates can have a significant influence on student achievement implications of implementing these strategies Consider these characteristics as they plan for improving schools and classrooms this year Learning Goals: Participants will Gain a basic understanding of instructional strategies that research indicates can have a significant influence on student achievement implications of implementing these strategies Consider these characteristics as they plan for improving schools and classrooms this year

What Works in Schools- Robert Marzano 1. Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum 2. Challenging Goals and Effective Feedback 3. Parent and Community Involvement 4. Safe and Orderly Environment 5. Collegiality and Professionalism 6. Instructional Strategies 7. Classroom Management 8. Classroom Curriculum Design School Teacher Student 9. Home Environment 10. Learning Intelligence/ Background Knowledge 11. Motivation

1. Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum 2. Challenging Goals and Effective Feedback 3. Parent and Community Involvement 4. Safe and Orderly Environment 5. Collegiality and Professionalism Factors Influencing Achievement School

Factors Influencing Achievement 6. Instructional Strategies 7. Classroom Management 8. Classroom Curriculum Design Teacher

%ile rank entering %ile rank leaving Average School Average Teacher 50 Highly Ineffective School Highly Ineffective Teacher 503 Highly Effective School Highly Ineffective Teacher 5037 Highly Ineffective School Highly Effective Teacher 5063 Highly Effective School Highly Effective Teacher 5096 Highly Effective School Average Teacher 5078

Factors Influencing Achievement 9. Home Environment 10. Learned Intelligence/ Background Knowledge 11. Motivation Student

1. Identifying similarities and differences Summarizing, note taking Reinforcing effort and providing recognition Assigning homework and practice Creating non-linguistic representations 27 Percentile Gain

6. Using Cooperative Learning Setting objectives &providing feedback Providing cues, questions, and 22 advanced organizers 8. Generating and testing hypotheses 25 Percentile Gain

Identifying similarities and differences Summarizing and note taking Reinforcing effort and providing recognition Homework and practice Nonlinguistic representations Cooperative learning Setting objectives and providing feedback Generating and testing hypotheses Cues, questions, and advance organizers

Briefly, there are some things we learned that caused us to pause and rethink what we thought we knew. validated what we thought we knew

Generating and Testing Hypotheses

Students learn principles or rules and are asked to apply them in multiple novel situations. Learning Situation 1 Students DISCOVER the principle or rule Learning Situation 2 Students ARE DIRECTLY TAUGHT the principle or rule Learning Situation 2 Students ARE DIRECTLY TAUGHT the principle or rule

PERSONAL AHA’s 1.Avoid confusing means and ends.

Identifying Similarities and Differences

c Comparing Classifying Analogy Metaphor : ?

Teachers report that students are frequently asked to compare and contrast. However,when 17-year-old students and 12-year-old students were asked by NAEP to compare… the food eaten during the frontier days, to the food eaten today… Identifying Similarities and Differences

% proficient or above 17-year-old--- approx. 27% 12-year-old---approx. 17% Identifying Similarities and Differences

Generalizations from research on Identifying Similarities and Differences 1.Presenting students with explicit guidance in identifying similarities and differences enhances students’ understanding of and ability to use knowledge. 2.Having students independently identify similarities and differences enhances students’ understanding of and ability to use knowledge.

2.Examine the items and decide what characteristics would lead to an interesting comparison. Comparing 1.Identify what you are comparing and decide on a format to organize your information and guide your thinking. 3.For each characteristic, explain how the items are similar and different. 4.Re-examine your information, and state what you learned or thought about by doing this comparison.

PERSONAL AHA’s 1.Avoid confusing means and ends. 2.If we expect students to do it, we have to teach it.

Summarizing and Note Taking

Plant Reproduction Plants and animals have life cycles—growth, reproduction, and death. Reproduction can happen with seeds or without; when there are no seeds,there are spores. With seeds— conifers, and flowering plants. Conifers have 2 cones, male contains pollen; female has ovules. When the pollen fertilizes the ovules, they become seeds. Seeds have a new plant embryo. Summary: Summary Female Cone Without seeds; with spores With seeds Conifers Flowering plants Death Growth Reproduction Circle of Life Plant Reproduction Male Cone pollen ovule seed

Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback

When students know what they are learning, their performance, on average, has been shown to be 27 percentile points higher than students who do not know what they are learning. If, in addition, they are provided feedback and the opportunity to improve, the advantage can be as high as 37 percentile points.

PERSONAL AHA’s 1.Avoid confusing means and ends. 2.If we expect students to do it, we have to teach it. 3.Research provides support for what is, ultimately, common sense.

Most common reaction from teachers: Most common reaction from administrators: “We already use all of these strategies.” “How can I get teachers to use these strategies?” Classroom Instruction That Works

Identifying similarities and differences Summarizing and note taking Reinforcing effort and providing recognition Homework and practice Nonlinguistic representations Cooperative learning Setting objectives and providing feedback Generating and testing hypotheses Cues, questions, and advance organizers Homework

The Homework Ate My Family KIDS ARE DAZED, PARENTS ARE STRESSED BY ROMESH RATNESAR

Welcome to the web site of Parents United for Sane Homework

N.J. District Limits Homework …….New York Times Piscataway, N.J., school officials voted unanimously to limit the amount of homework teachers assign…

…the best suggestion I have heard came from these authors. They ask to quit calling it “homework.” It is schoolwork. The question is how much of it should be, and can be, done in the home.

Some parents feel “…homework has become an after-hours substitute for fully productive school days. Students are left trading knapsacks for wheeled luggage, and parents are left to navigate how much to help— sometimes, out of mercy, [to decide] how much homework they do themselves, to keep it from wrecking their family lives.

Homework Generalizations from Research on Homework: 1.The amount of homework assigned to students should be different from elementary to high school. 2.Parent involvement in homework should be kept to a minimum. 3.The purpose of homework should be identified and articulated. 4.If homework is assigned, is should be commented on. and Practice

2.Parent involvement in homework should be kept to a minimum. “While it is certainly legitimate to inform parents of the homework assigned to their children, it does not seem advisable to have parents help their children with homework.” “Specifically, many studies show minimal and even negative effects when parents are asked to help students with homework.

When your child has worked hard but cannot complete the assignment in a reasonable time, and you are thinking about sitting down and helping her…….STOP. Get out a piece of paper and write the teacher a note…. Dear Ms. Curie, Sally has worked hard for one hour on this assignment and cannot complete it. I told her to stop and assured her that she had completed her homework for tonight. She doesn’t really understand how to read bar graphs yet so she can’t go on. Please let her know if there will be more instruction in class or if she needs to come in for extra help.

Formats for homework that clarify purpose: Assignment Notebook Language Arts Assignment: Due: Learning Goal: As a result of doing this assignment, I should: Math Assignment: Due: Learning Goal: As a result of doing this assignment, I should: Science Assignment: Due: Learning Goal: As a result of doing this assignment, I should: Social Studies Assignment: Due: Learning Goal: As a result of doing this assignment, I should: Assignment: Due: Learning Goal: As a result of doing this assignment, I should Know more about…? Understand better…? Be more skilled at…?

You know homework is causing stress when you hear YOUR CHILD say… “I am sorry I can’t come out and play right now. I have to help my dad with my homework.” Or when you hear YOURSELF say.. “Please stop your crying. This is how we did it when I was in school. It will be fine.”

You know School Projects might be contributing to the stress when you hear YOUR CHILD say, Or, when you hear YOURSELF say, “Mom, you got an A!” “Hello. JoAnn’s Craft’s? Do you have Styrofoam balls in the shapes and sizes of all the planets? How late are you open?” “Here is my volcano, son. It was your grandfather’s, too. He would be proud—and it is a guaranteed “A.”

Critical Questions: On a scale from 1-4, to what extent do you agree with the following: Schools should have a homework policy for each grade level. Strongly Disagree1234 Strongly Agree A school policy should address…… the time students should spend on homework the time frames that should be allowed the consequences for not completing homework the type of homework that is assigned, the knowledge that is addressed the format requirements for the homework an emphasis on commenting on homework