Empowering Students and Teachers for Optimal Learning

What is the secret?

Simple: Student Engagement

Question: How do we accomplish this?

Answer: With well-planned lessons

Student Engagement Set or identify purpose Activate background knowledge

Instructing as Explanation Interpretive: Intended to clarify the meaning of term or information (What?) Descriptive: Shows how a series comes together to achieve a goal or an end. Causative: Shows a type of relationship (Why?)

Student Engagement Focus and refocus attention Monitor comprehension by checking for understanding Continue to make connections to prior knowledge

Student Engagement Know what you want students to understand Use advance organizers to show how material fits together Separate units so they are learning one idea at a time Identify points that require special attention Take time to review key prior concepts or definitions

Student Engagement Make explanations as graphic as possible Suggestions: ◦ Visuals ◦ Anecdotes ◦ Demos (science, math)

Verbal Highlighting Cues “This is important.” “This is a key point.” “I’d like you to think for a moment what this means.” “Three important points are.. “ and, of course, “This will be on the test.”

Think What type of visual would make your lesson more meaningful for your students? What key points need a graphic illustration for clarity? How do I scaffold my lessons?

Scaffolding Providing a framework that helps students build on their knowledge. Once learning is complete, the scaffolding can remove and the knowledge that you have helped the student construct will stand on its own.

Focus (setting purpose) Establish a clearly defined purpose for learning: ◦ Today we will.....and before you leave class you will be able to.....

Vygotsky Rules!!! Ways to activate prior knowledge: ◦ K-W-L chart ◦ Journal (as review of previous material and focus on new knowledge to be gained) ◦ Others??

Direct Instruction Think about how you will organize materials. Consider explicit signals to indicate sequencing of ideas: 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd, 4 th.... Key words to emphasize important concepts: important, key ideas Explicit signals to indicate comparisons: “Nevertheless, “ “Similarly,”” On the other hand,” Signal illustrations: “For example, “Such as” Explicit signals for conclusion: “Therefore,” “As a result”

Also consider Vocabulary Note taking Graphic organizers Film clips (12 minutes) Think-Pair-Share Think Alouds for text rendering

Guided Practice What tasks will students perform to practice material just taught? ◦ Labs ◦ Solve math problems ◦ Reading/writing assignment ◦ Language practice ◦ Role playing, jigsaw, cooperative learning

Check for comprehension How will you know students have learning the material? ◦ Formal and informal assessments

Closure Ask students to tell what they have learned about today’s objective, concept ◦ Direct questioning ◦ “What do you know now that you did not know when you walked into class?” Ask a student to restate homework assignment. Tell students what they can expect to learn next class.