Perfomances and Projects that Support Lifelong Learning Or, Let’s concentrate more on what’s not on the test!not on the test.

Perfomances and Projects that Support Lifelong Learning

Perfomances and Projects that Support Lifelong Learning

Or, Let’s concentrate more on what’s not on the test!

Question Question

What do you consider when you develop the classroom assessment/project plan?

Lynn Erickson, from an interview with Leslie J. Kiernan, 1997Lynn Erickson, from an interview with Leslie J. Kiernan, 1997

We know from brain research that students need to see patterns and connections. And if they have no way to make sense of this massive amount of information that's coming at them, they tend to get confused. It just becomes traipsing over trivia.

CURRICULUM MIND SHIFTSCURRICULUM MIND SHIFTS

FROM: Not only

knowing right answers.

TO:

Also knowing how to behave when answers are not immediately apparent.

Lifelong Learner StandardsLifelong Learner Standards

1. Plan and conduct research2. Gather, organize, and analyze data, evaluate processes

and products; and draw conclusions3. Think analytically, critically, and creatively to pursue

new ideas, acquire new knowledge, and make decisions4. Understand and apply principles of logic and reasoning;

develop, evaluate, and defend arguments5. Seek, recognize and understand systems, patterns,

themes, and interactions6. Apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies to

solve new and increasingly complex problems

Lifelong Learner StandardsLifelong Learner Standards7. Acquire and use precise language to clearly communicate

ideas, knowledge, and processes8. Explore and express ideas and opinions using multiple

media, the arts, and technology9. Demonstrate ethical behavior and respect for diversity

through daily actions and decision making10. Participate fully in civic life, and act on democratic ideals

within the context of community and global interdependence11. Understand and follow a physically active lifestyle that

promotes good health and wellness12. Apply habits of mind and metacognitive strategies to plan,

monitor, and evaluate one’s own work.

Thinking about their thinkingThinking about their thinking

Self questioning whether or not the answers make sense

Planning how to approach a test question or homework assignment

Using contextual clues from texts Visualizing and verbalizing what they read Creating and maintaining personal

dictionaries, math journals or other ways to remember previous definitions or solutions

Thinking about their thinkingThinking about their thinking

Making associations between various texts, class discussions and homework

Chunking information into manageable sections Previewing new vocabulary by checking at ends of

chapters and using glossaries Scanning material being read to look for headings

bold or italicized text, glossaries, table of contents and so on that indicate that this information is important

Using mnemonic devices such as LACE Taking notes and outlining material in a way that te

student determines is the best way to remember the information

THINKING VERBS FOUND IN STANDARDSTHINKING VERBS FOUND IN STANDARDS

ANALYZEAPPLYCLASSIFYCOMPARE CONNECTCONTRASTDESCRIBE DISCUSSELABORATE

EXPLOREDIAGRAMIDENTIFYINTERPRETJUDGEOBSERVEORGANIZEPARAPHRASEPREDICT

RESPONDSUPPORTREPRESENTVISUALIZEREASONVERIFYSOLVESUMMARIZESIMPLIFY

Question Question

How do you make sure your students are learning what they need to not only succeed on the SOL tests but also develop the habits of mind of a lifelong learner?

LABELING THINKINGSKILLS AND PROCESSES: LABELING THINKINGSKILLS AND PROCESSES:

"Let's look at these two pictures”

"Lets COMPARE these two pictures.”

"What do you think will happen when…?”

"What do you PREDICT will happen when…?”

"Lets work this problem."

"Let's ANALYZE this problem.”

LABELING THINKINGSKILLS AND PROCESSES: LABELING THINKINGSKILLS AND PROCESSES:

"How do you know that's true?”

"What EVIDENCE do you have to support..?”

"How else could you use this…?”

”In what situations might you APPLY this…?”

“Do you think that is the best alternative?

“As you EVALUATE these alternatives….”

LABELING THINKINGSKILLS AND PROCESSES: LABELING THINKINGSKILLS AND PROCESSES:

"What do you think would happen if…”

"What do you SPECULATE might happen if…”

"What did you think of this story?”

"What CONCLUSIONS might you draw ...

"How can you explain…?"

”How does your HYPOTHESIS explain…?

LEARNING TASKSLEARNING TASKS

Engaging skillfully in a variety of authentic, rich activities that require strategic planning, creative approaches and the application of organized, multiple and complex thinking skills.

EVIDENCE OF UNDERSTANDING:EVIDENCE OF UNDERSTANDING:

CAN STUDENTS:EXPLAIN IT ACCURATELY?GIVE THEIR INTERPRETATION?TAKE ANOTHER’S PERSPECTIVE?EMPATHIZE?ASK FURTHER QUESTIONS?APPLY IT ELSEWHERE?

“THINKING IS THE HARDEST WORK THERE IS WHICH IS WHY SO FEW PEOPLE ENGAGE IN IT.”

HENRY FORD

“THINKING IS THE HARDEST WORK THERE IS WHICH IS WHY SO FEW PEOPLE ENGAGE IN IT.”

HENRY FORD

The Question: Where do we begin?The Question: Where do we begin?

Curriculum?

Instruction?

Assessment?

Improve Student Achievement

Data drives your decisions

Curriculum DataAligned to Standards

Assessment DataAligned to Standards

Data Analysis Data Analysis

Corecurriculum

Diary MapsState andNational

Benchmarks

A Data-Informed Culture

How Knowledge is StructuredHow Knowledge is Structured

Facts Concepts PrinciplesDiscrete pieces of information believed to be true May typically fall within topicsExample: Westward Movement

Early American settlers migrated to the west.Many settlers traveled in wagon trains.

Ways of organizing or categorizing things that have something in common Example:

Concept of migration is a way of viewing Westward Movement ...a way of organizing facts about the settlers' experiences

Ideas and deeper understandings that give meaning to the concepts (essential understandings, generalizations, "big ideas”)Example:

"People migrate to meet a variety of needs" "Migration may lead to enhanced opportunity or

greater freedom."

Question Question

How do you plan your year so that students are engaged and WANTING to work on skills they need?

What is/are Wikispaces?What is/are Wikispaces?

Chinawiki

Curriculum mappingCurriculum mapping

What do we include?Essential questionsContentSkills/activitiesAssessments

Examples--consider Bloom’sK science4th Social Studies

“Education is that which remains after we’ve forgotten everything we learned.”

B.F. Skinner

A curriculum of ideas and concepts and thoughts,

Not a curriculum of topics, skills, facts, and knowledge

Working toward…Working toward…

In Teaching for Understanding, facts…In Teaching for Understanding, facts…

Provide a critical foundation for content knowledge

Are tools for gaining insight into conceptual ideas and for developing understanding

Support big idea focus Are vehicles for students to apply new

knowledge to past knowledge as they integrate thinking around bigger ideas that transfer across time and culture.

“The frameworks of meaning almost work like Velcro—facts can go back and re-attach. And the facts become more memorable because they have a purpose and a context.”

Carol Ann Tomlinson

Why don’t students understand?Why don’t students understand? “The findings of the research over the past 20-30 years

are quite compelling: students do not understand in the most basic sense of that term. They lack the capacity to take knowledge learned in one setting and apply it appropriately in a different setting.” Gardner

“We’ve got to do fewer things in school. The greatest enemy of understanding is coverage.”

Gardner

How do we assess understanding? How do we assess understanding?

Performances of understanding which assess student’s ability to use factual content to support conceptual understanding

Paper and pencil tests--generally inadequate Tasks which require application of knowledge,

facts, and skills in new, unfamiliar situations Authentic, real-world tasks Tasks modeled after how professionals perform

their work

Assessment For LearningAssessment For Learning

Clearly understand the standardDeconstruct into enabling achievement

targetsCreate a student friendly version of targetsCreate high quality assessments of targetsUse assessments in collaboration with

students to track improvement

Rick Stiggins— Student- Involved Classroom Assessment

Seven Wonders of the WorldSeven Wonders of the World

Seven Wonders of the WorldSeven Wonders of the World

Seven Wonders of the WorldSeven Wonders of the World

Seven Wonders of the WorldSeven Wonders of the World

Seven Wonders of the WorldSeven Wonders of the World

Seven Wonders of the WorldSeven Wonders of the World

The Question: Where do we begin?The Question: Where do we begin?

Curriculum?

Instruction?

Assessment?

Classroom Based Assessment TypesClassroom Based Assessment Types

Selected Response—Choose from options that have already been determined and are provided for the student.

Selected Response—Choose from options that have already been determined and are provided for the student.

TypesMultiple ChoiceTrue/FalseMatchingShort Answer Fill in

Extended Written Response—Student is asked to respond in written form with complete sentences that could range from a small number of sentences to a complete written work depending upon the task assigned.

Extended Written Response—Student is asked to respond in written form with complete sentences that could range from a small number of sentences to a complete written work depending upon the task assigned.

TypesPersonal EssayPersuasive EssayAnalytic EssayDescriptive EssaySimple research paperComplex research paperBrief Response

Performance Assessments/Products Performance Assessments/Products

Can be observed from three perspectives: observation during work, observation of work in process to final product of work.

It must include scoring criteria in advance of the observation.

Assessment of process would be dictated from the standard and the inherent learning process required to meet that standard.

Types of Performance AssessmentsTypes of Performance Assessments

Direct Observation Informal

Conversations Independent Work

Process Coaching Conferences Interviews

Products Story Boards Thinking maps and

graphic organizers Story lines Graphs Charts Observational

drawing Note cards Artifact analysis Photo essay with text Comparative

observations Blue prints Power point

presentation Movies/Comic Life

Personal Communications Personal Communications

Conversation Journal Portfolio Letter writing Email Oral examination Running Records Log Interactive Notebook

Highly structured and systematic opportunity for students to convey their learning either from student to student, student to teacher, and/or student to other assessor or through their reflections.

Assessment Method Match to Learning TargetAssessment Method Match to Learning Target

You want your students to master specific subject matter knowledge because it represents an important foundation for later work. You plan a series of instructional activities to help your students reach this goal. Now you want to assess to be sure they’ve got it. In this particular case, you want them to know the material outright, not through the use of reference materials.

Scenario 1: Assessing Student Mastery of Content Knowledge

Assessment Method Match to Learning TargetAssessment Method Match to Learning Target

You are a teacher who has seen to it that your students are able to access important knowledge when required. Now you want to see if they can use that knowledge productively to solve relevant problems. You want to see if they can reason analytically (think about the parts of things) and comparatively (think in terms of similarities and differences), draw inferences, and think critically (take and defend a position on an issue, for example).

Scenario 2: Assessing Reasoning Proficiency

Assessment Method Match to Learning TargetAssessment Method Match to Learning Target

You teach French and wish to assess your students’ skill at communicating in that language in a conversational situation. So the skill of oral language proficiency is your target.

Scenario 3: Assessing Mastery of Skills

Assessment Method Match to Learning TargetAssessment Method Match to Learning Target

You want your students to be able to create quality products – products that meet certain specified standards. They might be samples of writing, term papers, technology products, craft products, artistic creations, or others. Your instruction has centered on helping students learn the differences between products of high and low quality. You have provided practice in developing products that meet your standards. Now it is time to assess their achievement to see if your instruction was effective.

Scenario 4: Assessing the Ability to Create Quality Products

Examples of Concepts/UnderstandingsExamples of Concepts/Understandings Change Patterns Power Equilibrium Systems Revolution Culture Interdependence

Conflict/Cooperation Perception Order Innovation Cycles Time

Concept-based LearningConcept-based LearningConcept-Based Focus on DOING Active application of

knowledge Generalization from facts Expected to remember big

picture ideas Fewer, more significant

topics Active involvement Teach to transfer

knowledge across time and discipline

Knowledge-Based Focus on KNOWING Recall of information Information in isolation Expected to remember

knowledge, facts, skills Focus on covering many

topics Passive reception of info Memorization of facts

Concept-based LearningConcept-based Learning

Concept-Based Significant key principles Textbook is resource

and reference Integration of disciplines

Knowledge-Based Insignificant facts Textbook is course

syllabus Separation of

disciplines

Enduring UnderstandingsEnduring Understandings

Major concepts and ideas that anchor a unit or course

Universal generalizations, big ideas that students will remember long after they’ve forgotten details

Focus on concepts, principles, and processes that apply to new situations within and beyond a subject

Enduring Understandings…Enduring Understandings…

Are linchpin ideasHave lasting valueAre “big picture” ideasHave great potential for engaging

studentsLie at the heart of a discipline Are essential for authentic learning

experiences

Examples…Examples…

Traditions reflect beliefs, values, and heritage of a culture.

Sometimes the best mathematical answer is not the best solution to real-world problems.

Man often exploits the environment for material gains.

There are parallels to life in the US today to life in various periods in US history.

A society is shaped by people from different cultures who make up that society.

Historical events often mold specific character and personality traits among those individuals who experience them; different types of events mold different characters and personalities.

Essential QuestionsEssential Questions

Are critical global, abstract, overarching questions that drive teaching and learning within a unit of study.

Press students to think beyond what they already know.

Are the focus of learning and central questions of inquiry.

Function of Essential QuestionsFunction of Essential Questions

To point to key inquiries and core ideas of a discipline

To create a focus for a unit

To force students beyond learning of facts to a level of conceptual understanding

To help build schema for transfer

To point clearly and explicitly toward big ideas

To reveal richness and complexity of subject

To challenge thinking beyond facts

To engage students in examining what’s really important

Function of Essential QuestionsFunction of Essential Questions

To enhance, encourage, and enable cross-discipline connections

To allow for inductive teaching

To aid and encourage thinking at high levels

To tell what students should learn from what they’re doing.

To take thinking to the level of conceptual understanding

To build knowledge for transfer

What do essential questions look like?What do essential questions look like?

They cannot be answered satisfactorily in one sentence.

They are concept-based, not fact-based.

They are open-ended. They are multi-layered.

They may serve to organize an entire year’s curriculum.

They are universal, global, and abstract.

There are usually 2 to 5 per unit.

They may be difficult, complex, and challenging.

How should we use essential questions in our classrooms?How should we use essential questions in our classrooms?

Post in classroom, on parent information about unit, on handouts, and in student notebooks.

Organize notes and unit information around them.

Let them guide discussions, instruction, and investigations.

Refer to them repeatedly.Ask them over and over.Connect essential questions with

curriculum maps.Share your essential questions

with other faculty members.

Essential Question ExamplesEssential Question Examples How do events and experiences influence the development of

character? (biographies) Is behavior more strongly influenced by nature or nurture? (genetics) Who are heroes in American Literature, and what insights do we gain

into American culture through these characters? What do the best problem solvers do? What does it mean to reason mathematically? How do humans communicate? What can patterns reveal? How can data lie or mislead? What is the ideal role of our government? Who is an American? Must a story have a moral, heroes, and villains? Who is a friend? Is U.S. history a history of progress?

What character traits were most highly prized by Americans in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries? How are they alike or different in different time periods? How did these traits shape historical events?

How did historical events shape these traits? How do the art, literature, and music of each century reflect these traits?

What is the American dream and how has it changed in different periods of American history? What individuals have personified the American dream?