1. Instructional Strategies and Technology
Based on Robert Marzano’s “ Classroom Instruction That Works”

2. Like Pulling a Rabbit Out of A Hat!
Which one is best???
Learning Styles
Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences
Variety of Methods
Direct Teaching
Problem –Based Learning
Inductive Thinking
Cooperative Learning
Role Playing
Simulation

3. Research-Based Instruction
Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering, and Jane Pollock reviewed hundreds of studies on instructional practices that have proven to effect student achievement.
Beginning with the method statistically proven to be most effective, each method will be described.

4. 9 Instructional Strategies That Improve Student Achievement
Identifying Similarities and Differences
Summarizing and Note Taking
Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition
Homework and Practice
Nonlinguistic Representations
Cooperative Learning
Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback
Generating and Testing Hypotheses
Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers

5. Identifying Similarities and Differences
Presenting students with explicit guidance and asking them to identifying similarities and differences enhances students’ understanding of and ability to use knowledge.
Representing similarities and differences in graphic or symbolic form enhances students’ understanding of and ability to use knowledge.
Identification of similarities and differences can be accomplished in a variety of ways. The identification of similarities and differences is a highly engaging activity.

6. Suggested Teaching Strategies
COMPARING—the process of identifying similarities and differences between or among things or ideas
CLASSIFYING—the process of grouping things that are alike into categories on the basis of their characteristics
- Venn Diagram
- Comparison Matrix
-Word and Picture Sorts
- Column Format
- Concept Mapping

7. Suggested Teaching Strategies
CREATING METAPHORS—identifying a general or basic pattern in a specific topic and then finding another topic that appears to be different but has the same pattern
CREATING ANALOGIES—identifying relationships between pairs of concepts, identifying relationships between relationships
Whale is to Mammal as Snake is to Reptile
The Internet is an information superhighway

12. What Technologies Can Help?
Powerpoint
Inspiration/Kidspiration
Webspiration
Smartboard
Spreadsheet
Word Processor
Online Games
Other Web 2.0 Tools

13. Summarizing and Note Taking
To effectively summarize, students must delete some information, substitute some information, and keep some information.
To effectively delete, substitute, and keep information, students must analyze the information thoroughly.

14. Summarizing and Note Taking
Being aware of the explicit structure of information is an aid to summarizing information.
Provide opportunities for students to summarize key content.

15. Summarizing and Note Taking
Teach students how to process information for their own note taking.
Use summary frames and other organizers to assist students who learn visually.

16. Teaching Strategies Rule – Based Summarizing Summary Rule # 1 Use the
Single Strike Out
to take out material that is not important for your understanding.
Summary Rule # 2
Double Strike Out
to take out words that repeat information.

17. Find the topic sentence, and underline in red.
Summary Rule # 3
Replace lists of things with one word that describes the things in the list.
(example: replace ‘apples, oranges, lemons, and limes’ with ‘fruit’) Highlight these words in red.
Summary Rule # 4
Find the topic sentence, and underline in red.
If you can’t find the topic sentence, make one up and write it in red ink.

18. Teaching Strategies (con’t)
Summary Frames
A series of questions the teacher provides to the student to highlight the critical elements for specific types of information.
Narrative Frame
Topic Frame
Definition Frame
Argumentation Frame
Problem/Solution Frame
Conversation Frame

19. What Technologies Can Help?
Smartboard
Powerpoint
Word Processor
Kid Pix or similar program (write & illustrate)
Inspiration/Kidspiration
Other Web 2.0 Tools

20. Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition
Not all students realize the importance of believing in effort.
Students can learn to change their beliefs to an emphasis on effort.
Rewards do not necessarily have a negative effect on intrinsic motivation.

21. Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition
Reward is most effective when it is contingent on the attainment of some standard of performance.
Abstract symbolic recognition is more effective than tangible rewards.

22. Strategies Charts Token economy Praise Certificates/Awards
Positive Feedback
Showcase their work

23. What Technologies Can Help?
Rubrics w/Rubric Maker or RubiStar
Websites w/interactive Activities
Powerpoint Games
Certificate Maker
Webpages/Wiki to post student work
to parents
Student broadcasts/newscasts as Podcasts

24. Homework and Practice
The amount of homework assigned to students should be different from elementary to middle school to high school.
About 10 minutes per grade level
Parent involvement in homework should be kept to a minimum.

25. Homework and Practice
The purpose of homework should be identified and articulated.
If homework is assigned, it should be commented on.
Establish and communicate a homework policy.

26. Homework and Practice
Design homework assignments that clearly articulate the purpose and outcome.
Vary the approaches to providing feedback on homework assignments.

27. Strategies
Charts
Homework Books
Positive Feedback
Homework Help/Club

28. What Technologies Can Help?
Webpages/Wiki to post assignments, policies, etc..
Informational Powerpoints
Practice websites (
Homework Online Helpers
PJ Pinchbecks’ ( etc..
Homework Hub (

29. Nonlinguistic Representations
A variety of activities to produce nonlinguistic representations should be used.
Creating graphic representations
Making physical models
Generating mental pictures
Drawing pictures and pictographs
Engaging in kinesthetic activities

30. Nonlinguistic Representations
Nonlinguistic representations should elaborate on the pre-existing knowledge or the newly introduced knowledge.

31. What Technologies Can Help?
Inspiration, Kidspiration, Webspiration
Descriptive patterns - facts about specific persons, places , things and events
Time-Sequence patterns – events in chronological order
Process/cause-effect patterns – sequence of steps or specific outcome from cause
Episode patterns – organize information about specific events including setting,
Generalization/principle patterns
Concept patterns

32. Technology (con’t) Word Processor Digital Camera Moviemaker PhotoStory
Discovery Streaming
Web 2.0 tools (Animoto etc..)

39. Cooperative Learning
Organizing groups based on ability should be done sparingly.
Students of low ability perform worse when they are placed in homogeneous groups.
Students of high ability perform only marginally better when homogeneously grouped.
Middle ability students benefit most.

40. Cooperative Learning
Cooperative groups should be kept small in size—3 or 4 members.
Cooperative learning should be applied consistently and systematically, but not overused.

41. Cooperative Learning
Tasks given to cooperative groups should be well structured.
If students do not have sufficient time to practice skills independently, cooperative learning is being overused.

42. Strategies Use the elements of Cooperative Learning
Positive interdependence (sink or swim together)
Face-to-Face interaction ( helping each other, applauding success and effort)
Individual and Group Accountability ( each member must contribute)
Interpersonal and small group skills (communication, trust, decision making & conflict resolution)
Group processing ( How well did we do? Function as group?)
Vary Grouping Criteria
Managing Group Size (3-5 members)

43. What Technologies Can Help?
Webquests
Powerpoint
Online Projects
Scavenger Hunts
Online/ Downloadable Games
Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Twenty Questions, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? Etc…

44. Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback
Instructional goals narrow what students focus on.
Instructional goals should not be too specific.
Goals stated in behavioral objective format are not as effective as goals stated in more general formats.

45. Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback
Students should be encouraged to personalize the teacher’s goals, adapting them to their personal needs and desires.

46. Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback
Feedback should be corrective in nature.
The best feedback shows students what is accurate and what is not.
Asking students to keep working on a task until they succeed appears to enhance student achievement.

47. Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback
Feedback should be timely.
The larger the delay in giving feedback, the less improvement one will see.
Feedback should be specific to a criterion, telling students where they stand relative to a specific target of knowledge or skill.

48. Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback
Students can effectively provide some of their own feedback.
In fact, non-authoritative feedback produces the most gain.

49. Strategies Technology Resources Rubrics for Feedback
Student Self Assessment Forms
Technology Resources
Word processors
Electronic Portfolios
Rubricmaker/Rubistar

50. Generating and Testing Hypotheses
Hypotheses generation and testing can be approached in a more inductive or deductive manner.
Inductive—use general rules to make prediction about specific event.
Deductive—specific pieces of information lead to general conclusion.

51. Generating and Testing Hypotheses
Teachers should ask students to clearly explain their hypotheses and their conclusions.

52. Generating and Testing Hypotheses
Appropriate teaching strategies include:
Systems analysis
Problem solving opportunities
Historical investigations
Invention
Experimental inquiry
Use of decision making

53. Technology Resources Inspiration, Kidspiration, Webspiration
Problem Solving Projects
Excel
Web-based projects
Subject specific websites
Discovery Education Website

57. Was the prediction true or false? Why?
Name:
Prediction Chart
My Prediction
Was the prediction true or false? Why?

60. Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers
Cues, questions, and advanced organizers should focus on what is important as opposed to what is unusual.
“Higher level” questions or advanced organizers produce deeper learning than “lower level” questions or advanced organizers.

61. Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers
“Waiting” briefly before accepting responses from students has the effect of increasing the depth of students’ answers.
Questions are effective learning tools even when asked before a learning experience.

62. Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers
Advance organizers are most useful with information that is not well organized.

63. Strategies Focus on important information Use explicit cues
Ask inferential and analytical questions
Use expository and narrative organizers
Use graphic organizers

64. Technology Resources Inspiration, Kidspiration, Wbspiration Kid Pix
Word Processor
Web 2.0 Tools

65. Resources