Effective Pedagogical Practices for Fragile Learners California Educational Research Association December 2011 Alicia Henderson, Ph.D. Franklin-McKinley School District

Effective Pedagogical Practices for Fragile Learners  Robust “First Time Instruction” 1.Basic Skills Instruction 2.Subject-Area Considerations 3.Clarity in Communication  Differentiation / Adaptations

Fragile Learners  “Fragile Learners” include all students with challenges that impact the learning of new content and skills, including English learners Students with disabilities Students living in poverty At-risk students who remain in school but have become disengaged for any number of reasons

Fragile Learners  Many fragile learners can be successful with robust “first time instruction”  Most Fragile learners can be successful with robust “first time instruction” coupled with appropriate differentiation and adaptations  Some fragile learners have special needs that require the support of experts

Robust “First Time Instruction” relies upon Quality Core Instruction  Rigor: alignment of curriculum, instruction & assessment  Frequent formative assessment: instructional decisions are based on data about student learning  Robust: employing UDL principles  Relevance: consideration for prior knowledge  Relationships: respectful & joyful  Shared responsibility for learning: teacher & student

Robust “First Time Instruction” Includes essential UDL components: 1. Basic Skills Instruction 2. Subject-Area Considerations 3. Clarity of Communication

Robust “First Time Instruction” 1. Basic Skills Instruction  Teach preskills  Select & sequence examples  Decide rate of introduction of new skills  Provide direct instruction  Offer practice & review opportunities

Teach Preskills (not always possible by core instruction teacher at secondary level)  Preskills: basic skills necessary for performing more complex tasks  Assess students on relevant preskills  Teach preskills to entire class or to individual students

Select and Sequence Examples  Focus on and prepare selection of examples (aka: exemplars)  Range of example selections should match range of problems types to be used in assessments  Be aware that sequencing of examples has an impact on learning

Rate of Skill Introduction  Introduce new skills in small steps  Teach skills at a rate slow enough to ensure mastery Due to pacing guides and high-stakes testing, it may be difficult to slow down  Slowing down the rate may require identification of essential skills to be mastered

Direct Instruction, Practice, and Review  Fragile learners typically require more direct instruction Indirect instruction is rarely sufficient  Practice should follow direct instruction, not act as a substitute for direct instruction  Problems with retention is common, spiral review assists to cement new learnings

Robust “First Time Instruction” 2. Subject-Area Considerations  Set up the lesson  Activate background knowledge  Include conceptual supports for learning  Frontload key vocabulary

Set Up the Lesson  Determine depth of prior knowledge on topic May include a pre-test Bridge prior knowledge with new information  Present 1-3 Big Ideas in lesson  Explicitly state learning objectives  Catch interest and give reason for engagement  Prompt students to predict

Activate Background (Prior) Knowledge  New learnings are more likely when facilitated with explicit connections to background knowledge  Plan lesson to relate new material to information they already know  Consider background knowledge of your students (it may be different from your own)

Include Conceptual Supports for Learning New Content  Advance organizers  Concept maps  Study guides  Graphic organizers  PowerPoints w/ handouts  Cornell notes

Frontload Key Vocabulary  Identify key vocabulary / terms in lesson  Introduce (1-5 per lesson) prior to teaching new material  Consider multiple representations of key vocabulary: definition, part of speech, visual image, synonyms, antonyms

Robust “First Time Instruction” 3. Clarity in Communication  Use Language Intentionally Avoid “bird walks” that distract from delivery of new content Use precise language to deliver content, monitor use of pronouns and other nonspecific terms  Clarity in Written Communication  Clarity in Oral Communication

Clarity: Written Communication  Ensure all written material on whiteboards, overheads, PowerPoints etc. is large enough & legible enough for all students to read  Utilize considerate text versions of adopted curriculum when available  Ensure written tests do not introduce confounds to assessing learning of new content (either by test format or language used)

Clarity: Oral Communication  Project voice so all students can hear  Enunciate clearly  Support delivery of “signal” and monitor “noise”  Utilize specific strategies Giving directions Asking questions Presenting subject matter

Giving Directions  State command specifically  Use concrete terms  Give “bite size” directions  Avoid long series of directions  Demonstrate what you want them to do  Use cue words for routine directions

Asking Questions  Phrase questions clearly  Ensure students know how to respond  Balance high-level and low-level questions (ala Bloom’s levels)  Adapt questions to language and skill level of class, and individual students  Vary wait time based on the question  Call on volunteers and nonvolunteers

Presenting Subject Matter  Use clear and relevant language  Explain how points relate to main topic  Avoid vague or abstract terms that do not directly relate to new content  Use multiple modes (oral & written) to deliver new content  Include multiple representations of new content (e.g., graphs, diagrams, pictures)

Example of multiple representations for a math concept

Differentiation & Adaptations  Differentiated Instruction Flexible grouping Process, content, product  Adaptations - Grid of 9 Accommodations Modifications

Grid of 9

Support from Experts  Reading specialist  Speech pathologist  Occupational therapist  Psychologist  Behavioral therapist  Special education teacher