Appalachian Teacher Partners Appalachian Math Science Partnership September 23, 2009 We will begin at 9:01

Group Norms Place cell phones on silent or vibrate Come prepared for each meeting Listen actively as others are speaking Avoid sidebar conversations Respect and solicit opinions Rule of 2 feet

Roadmap REVIEW Metacognition Strategies Community Building “What’s My Number?” To Help and Not Hinder

Today’s Road Map Question Pairs Break Out Sessions How to Talk So Teachers Will Listen! Metacognition: Questioning

Community Building

Finding your other ½! You each have a strip of paper. In a few minutes, you will follow the instructions on the strip. - First, read the instructions on the strip you have and take three minutes to think about how you will approach finding the other half of your pair. - After you have found your partner and both of you are convinced that you have the correct pairs matching, prepare one or more mathematical ways to convince the whole class that you are correctly paired.

Time to Reflect

Move to Break Out Sessions!

Metacognition Learning Targets: –I can explain how metacognition improves student understanding. –I can sort questions by “fat, chunky, or skinny”. –I can write questions that are fat, chunky and skinny using my standards as a guide.

Poster Session Using the marker that you have been given: –Think about the metacognition strategies that you have used over the past month with students. –At the appropriate poster, BRIEFLY describe when in your instruction you used the strategy and how it impacted student understanding. –Do this for each strategy used; minimum of 2.

Carousel Walk Now walk around the room and examine the Metacognition posters. –How are your fellow ATP’s using these strategies? –What are some of the results? –Did any of these make you think differently? If so, how?

We must ask where we are and wither we are tending. Abraham Lincoln

Strategy #4: Higher-Order Questions

Planning for Student Understanding There are a variety of types of questions that require various degrees of cognitive “work”. All classrooms must have this variety in their questions in order for student learning and understanding to take place. Please read the indented paragraph on pg. 31 of Teach for Metacognitive Reflection. Using this paragraph, how would you characterize the variety of questions that stimulate student thinking?

Skinny, Chunky & Fat Skinny Questions –These questions trigger students to pull together facts and data. Chunky Questions –These questions trigger students to make sense of the data. Fat Questions –These questions trigger students to use their new learning in relevant ways.

….questioning interactions are such a major part of the school day. pg. 32 Teaching for Metacognitive Reflection

What do YOU think? On the following slide there are several questions. Label each question as either skinny, chunky, or fat. Give reasons for your decision and discuss with a partner.

Let’s Put It to Practice! Using the standards for the lesson(s) you will be teaching NEXT week: –Write a skinny question –Write a chunky question –Write a fat question

Examining Others’ Questions Fold your paper in ½ and when the music starts, trade papers—don’t stop trading until the music stops Read the questions that you have in your hand Label each question as skinny, chunky, or fat Using your Kagan Card, label each question with the type of critical thinking it requires Return the paper to the owner Do you agree or disagree with the labeling? Why or why not?

When one is required to analyze, synthesize, or evaluate information, the mind is more engaged in complex thinking than when one is merely asked to recall facts or comprehend or use and idea. - Teaching for Metacognitive Reflection

Homework for Next Time Read chapter 5 in Shirley Clarke’s Active Learning Through Formative Assessment. Complete the reading guide. The driving question to ponder: –How do questions help to elicit prior knowledge and/or determine levels of student understanding?

Time to Reflect

Ed Leadership Learning Target: I can create a scenario that illustrates the use of coaching, collaborating, and consulting in effective learning-focused conversation using math or science as the context and that ignites learning.

How To Talk So Teachers Will Listen “Teacher Leaders need to engage peers in purposeful conversations about learners and learning.” (p.30) Why is it critical to focus on these two aspects? What would you not want to focus on and why?

Vital Elements Effective learning-focused conversations include three vital elements –1) psychologically safe environment –2) a clear focus –3) differentiated approaches. pg.31

Safe Environment Attending to the conversation physically and emotionally: leaning in, making eye contact, nonverbal acknowledgements Listening to understand the other’s perspective Purposefully choosing exploratory language and a cordial intonation

Clear Focus Thoughtful analysis of multiple sources of data that relate to standards of practice Focus conversation not on teacher’s practice but on factors producing positive results as well as performance gaps

Differentiated Support Coaching Collaborating Consulting

Application of Learning Create a math or science scenario, like the one in the article on pg. 30 between Susan and Barbara, that illustrates the effective use of coaching, collaborating, and consulting to solve a data driven problem. This could be based on a fictitious or not.

Time to Reflect

Today’s Road Map Question Pairs Break Out Sessions How to Talk So Teachers Will Listen! Metacognition: Questioning

For Next Month Our next meeting will be October 29 th. Read Chapter 5 in Shirley Clarke Read Ed Leadership article: Teacher Learning: What Matters?