Ruth Tsu

 Students work together in a group small enough so that everyone can participate on a task that has been clearly assigned.  Students are expected to carry out their task without direct and immediate supervision of the teacher.

 is an approach designed to counter differences in social and academic status in mixed-ability classrooms.  has its roots in a sociological analysis of central features of classrooms - the nature of the task, the roles of students and teachers, and the patterns of interaction. (Cohen & Lotan, 1997)

Curricular Materials Instructional Strategies Status & Accountability Principles of Complex Instruction

 Change our focus from “Who is smart?” to “How is each person smart?”  “Every student in your class is an expert in some valued intellectual skill. Try and find out what these are.” - Elizabeth Cohen

 “To a great extent, students develop expectations for competence (i.e., their perceptions of ‘smarts’) for themselves and for others based on the teacher’s public evaluations of classroom performance.” - Rachel Lotan in “Teaching Teachers to Build Equitable Classrooms”

Many ways to be smart are valued by the teacher and the students. Students frequently and successfully demonstrate their “smarts” and are recognized publicly for their competence and accomplishments.

 “smartness”  learning of mathematics  teaching of mathematics

Must establish a productive and safe learning environment where students learn they can trust each other as they engage in conceptually challenging and intellectually rich learning tasks

 Must teach students the skills to interact respectfully and productively;  Must give them rich enough tasks around which to engage, to struggle, to learn  Must intervene in ways that support their interaction and engagement, but also push on their understanding of key concepts  Must be vigilant about issues of status

 Between teachers  Between teachers and students  Between students  Between teachers and administrators

A status issue is seen as non-participation or dominance growing from “agreed-upon” rankings within a group with relation to perceived academic ability and/or attractiveness as a friend/popularity

 delegate authority through the use of norms and roles  provide learning tasks that require many different intellectual abilities for their completion and that promote interaction  present a multiple-ability orientation to alert students to abilities needed

Students make the groups work by serving as intellectual, academic, and linguistic resources for one another and by holding each other accountable.

 observe and document interaction  intervene to: - assess understanding of individuals - “push” on students thinking/talking - hold individuals & groups accountable - identify contributions of specific students

When teachers and students alike are able to recognize and value the diverse intellectual contributions of all students in heterogeneous classrooms, they show their commitment to close the achievement gap and to develop democratic and caring classrooms. - Lotan (2006)

“How to Recognize Complex Instruction in the Classroom” (handout) Bibliography of articles and books (handout) Contact information (after this week):