1. Elaborating on New Information
Design Question 2 – Element 11:
How do teachers help their students draw conclusions (or make inferences) about newly learned information?

2. Before we begin…
Before we begin talking about element eleven, let’s be sure that there is an understanding about how the elements in Design Question 2 are related. This is important as you plan your lessons. Directions: watch the video on the next slide. Please take notes, documenting how the elements in Design Question 2 are related.

3. Video – how do the elements in DQ2 relate to each other?
Please click on the link to view the video from Pasco County Schools that provides an introduction to the elements in Design Question 2.

4. How were do the DQ2 elements relate to each other?
You should have noticed that
the elements in DQ2 can be taught at the same time, need to be intentionally planned for, and are directed by the teacher or the student.
elements 6-9 are teacher directed but elements are more student directed.
it requires adults to be exposed to new information 7 different times in 7 different ways to learn something so it makes sense that students require more than 7.
Now let’s talk about element eleven, specifically.

5. Review Teacher and Student Evidence NOTE: This list of evidence is not all inclusive but is instead a list of possible examples.

6. Review Scale for Element 11

7. Desired Effect in the Students
The desired effect is, “Students draw conclusions that were not explicitly taught within the chunk.” To receive an Innovating rating, the teacher must monitor and make accommodations so that every student in their classroom achieves this desired effect. In other words, every student needs to draw logical and appropriate conclusions (and/or make inferences) about the newly taught information.

8. What are inferences? What kind of conclusions should students draw?
If you are confused or unsure by what inferences are, please follow these steps to learn more.
Sign into
Click here to watch a quick movie where a teacher is teaching about inferences and provides two examples. If the link does not work, you can search for the video in the Resource Library. The video’s name is Elaborating on New Information (Seventh Grade).
For more of an explanation and for solid examples of how to ask your students to infer, use this reference guide, which is called How to: Use General Inferential Questions.

9. Task While watching the video, which is on the next slide, identify:
What are the students supposed to infer?
What background knowledge are the students suppose to use in order to make their inference (or draw their conclusions)?
After watching the video you will be asked to identify the teacher and student evidence to rate the teacher on this element.

10. Video – What should the students infer and what background knowledge should they use?
Click on the link to view the video from Pasco County Schools related to Design Question 2, Element 11: Elaborating on New Information.

11. Video Questions and Answers
Q1: What did the teacher ask the students to infer? A1: The students were supposed to infer what would happen to northern Europe when the Renaissance occurs there. Q2: What background knowledge were the students supposed to use to make their inference (or to draw their conclusions)? A2: The students were supposed to use what they learned about the Renaissance in Italy.

12. Task
On the next slide is the teacher and student evidence. What evidence did you see and were able to document? Use this to rate the teacher as you walk through the next few slides.

13. Review Teacher and Student Evidence What did you see?

14. Review Teacher and Student Evidence What did we see?

15. How to Rate Teacher and Student Evidence
You can only give credit for what you see. We checked all of the possibilities in the Teacher Evidence box (although that does not guarantee a good rating) because we saw the teacher do all three options. She required students to make an inference when she asked them to predict what would happen in northern Europe. She asked one table specifically, “what do you know,” requiring them to defend their inference, which they did by explaining that England is an island. The Student Evidence we checked was, “Students provide explanations…” because they provided an explanation when they discussed England being physically separate from the rest of Europe.

16. Review Scale for Element 11 to Rate the Teacher

17. How we Rated the Teacher
We rated the teacher as Applying but we want to explain why we did so. In order to receive an Applying rating, a teacher must monitor the majority of students for the desired effect of that specific element. The video showed pictures of the students and we are assuming that these pictures were included in the video because the teacher was going from group to group, monitoring their discussions. We are comfortable with this assumption because the video specifically stated that she was monitoring her students. If the teacher only checked on the one group that she implicitly was taped talking to, then she would receive a Developing rating instead. If the teacher checked in with every student individually and ensured that each student made a logical inference and could defend it, then she would receive an Innovating rating because that means every student achieved the desired effect.

18. More Resources
We found great resources for you! First be sure that you are logged into Then click on the links below:
A video of a dance class – title: Elaborating on New Information (Ninth Grade)
A video of a kindergarten class – title: Elaborating on New Information (Kindergarten)
List of sample questions any teacher can use but offers a specific math example – title: How to Use Elaborative Interrogations
List of sample questions all teachers can use, specifically for general inferential questions and elaborative interrogations – title: Strategies for DQ2 E11

19. What is next?
Identify a lesson plan you have in the next week that teaches new information.
Determine how you can ask your students to make inferences or draw conclusions after you teach the new information.
If you want an Applying rating, what are you going to do to ensure you are monitoring the majority of students, ensuring they are making logical inferences/conclusions?
If you want an Innovating rating, what are you going to do to ensure you are monitoring every student, ensuring they are making logical inferences/conclusions?

20. Is this element in your PGP? Then you need to…
sign into Click on the Growth tab and then click on the Plans option. Open your current plan and fill out a new Reflection Log, answering the appropriate questions.
decide how you will change your teaching as a result of viewing this module.
execute your change, reflect on its impact, and fill out another Reflection Log in iObservation.

21. Further questions?
Here are resources in case you have further questions:
Your evaluator
Another evaluator on your campus
Your school’s classroom practice mentor (CPM)