SETTING HIGH EXPECTATIONS - BIOLOGY FOR LIFE€¦ · SETTING HIGH EXPECTATIONS 1. No opt out – a student unable to answer a question must repeat the correct answer after ... repeating

SETTING HIGH EXPECTATIONS

1. No opt out – a student unable to answer a question must repeat the correct answer after another student answers. The goal is that the student will eventually state the answer, even if that amounts to repeating an answer that you or another student supplied. Format 1: teacher provides answer, student repeats Format 2: another students provides answer, initial student repeats Format 3: whole class provides answer, initial student repeats Format 4: teacher provides a cue, student uses it to answer Format 5: another student provides a cue, initial student repeats

Inform the student that you will be back for an answer:

“Take a little more time to think. I’ll wait.”

“Give it some more thought, I’ll be back.”

“Let’s see how you might begin to answer. I’ll come back to you shortly.”

“We can work this problem together. I’ll bring it back to you in a moment.”

Accepting “I don’t Know”:

“You don’t know; however give it your best attempt.”

“I’ll accept that you don’t know all of it if you follow the statement by summarizing what you do know.”

“I didn’t catch that. Can you say it again more loudly and at a little more length?”

Students answer a question that wasn’t asked:

“That’s true; however my question right now is…”

Supplying Answers or Cues:

Ask another student, “How would you answer that, Sarah?”

“Who can tell James where he can find the answer?”

“Who can tell James what the first thing he should do is?”

2. Right is right - do not approve almost-correct answers by “rounding up” (affirming the student answer by repeating it and adding additional detail to make it fully correct). For example, do not say, “Right, except you need to move the decimal.”

Tell students that they are almost there, but that you need more:

“You’re almost there, add more…”

“That’s a good start…”

“You said… does that sound fully correct to you?”

Introducing “No Opt Out” to students:

What will happen

How students should respond

What will be tricky about it

What it will be like over time as they get used to it

Why I am doing this

“I like what you’ve done. Can you get us the rest of the way?”

“I like most of that…”

“Can you develop that further…”

“Okay, but, there’s a bit more to it than that…”

“We’re almost there, can you find the last piece?”

“Keep going with that”

Repeat the students’ words, emphasizing problematic parts:

“You just said…, what can you fix in your answer?”

Insist that students answer the question you asked.

“That’s an example; I was looking for the definition.”

“I want you to describe, not just provide the formula.”

“My question wasn’t about the solution; it was about what we do next.”

3. Break it down – in the case of a wrong answer by a student, go back and ask a question or present information that bridges the material the student knows to the material that was incorrectly answered.

a. Provide an example – (what is an enzyme? / don’t know / helicase is one…) b. Provide context –

1. Remind students when they encountered the material before (“Remember on Monday we listed some examples…”

2. Use the word in a different sentence c. Provide the missing first step d. Repeat the wrong answer – sometimes hearing the incorrect answer allows one to instantly

recognize their own error e. Eliminate false choices – (is it a carbohydrate? No? is it a lipid? No? Is it a nucleic acid? No?

Ok, so it must be a …)

4. Check for understanding – a. Are students learning what you’re teaching them?

1. Data sets: don’t just ask one student a question to gauge a classes understanding. Think of answers to questions as data points- need many to get a sense of the mean.

2. Statistical sampling – ask questions of two low, two middle and two high performing students (cold calling is a good strategy for this)

3. Create a format to make it easy to observe student work done on paper 1. Give instructions that will standardize the format (:write your final, brief answer

in the top right corner”) 2. Use worksheets or packets with clear spaces for answers 3. Say “show me” so students know to point to an item on their work paper when

you are circulating 4. Use self-report methods (“one finger up if you think you got question 1 right”) 5. Ask students to underline, circle or make notes in margins 6. Use “slates” 7. Use a tracking sheet to organize the number and types of errors you are

observing 4. End each class with an exit ticket for data analysis.

1. Write a quick one sentence summary b. Respond to misunderstanding by reteaching (not just repeating)

1. Act quickly 2. Inform students what you learned that they did/did not learn 3. Respond with individuals, a group or the class as a whole

5. Take a stand – students make judgments about the answers their peers provide.

a. Techniques 1. Two stomps if you agree, two snaps if you don’t 2. Stand up if you agree 3. Using your hand, on a scale of 1-5, how strongly do you agree… 4. Thumbs up, down or sideways 5. One finger is you chose to answer 1, two if your chose 2 6. How many people think ……….. is right? 7. Raise your hand when you’re ready to respond to what ……. Just said.

b. Follow up by asking students to defend their response (“tell me why you gave it a three”) c. Be sure to ask others if they agree when the original answer is both wrong and right (don’t

reveal the answer is correct or not)

6. Stretch it – respond to correct answers with a follow up question to extend knowledge and test for reliability (that it wasn’t just luck that the student answered correctly). Ask students to:

Ask how or why:

“How’d you know…”

“Good, can you tell me why?” Answer in a different way:

“I need somebody to make that more specific.” Answer with a better word:

“Can you answer with a different word?”

“Good, now answer using the word…”

Provide evidence:

“What evidence do you have to support your answer?”

Integrate a related skill: “Good, now give me another example.”

Apply the same skill in a new setting:

“Good, now let’s try a harder one.”

“Describe where else have we seen…”

7. Ratio – have the students do as much of the cognitive work – the writing, thinking, analyzing – as possible.

a. Unbundle – break questions into smaller parts to share the work out to more students b. Half statement – express half of an idea and have a student finish it…”so the next step is… tell

me please” c. What’s next – ask both the answer to a step in a problem and what step comes after that one.

“what do I do first”

d. Feign ignorance – pretend you don’t know. Make the student play teacher and narrate what you don’t know.

e. Ask for more examples: “tell me another way…” “What else does that show” “who else does that…”

f. Rephrase or add-on – ask a student to rephrase or add on to an answer given by another student.

1. “You are correct, but rephrase that…” 2. “Who can add on to that to make the answer better?”

g. Ask how and why: such questions demand more rigorous student thinking h. Support with evidence – ask students to use or explain evidence to support an idea

8. Format matters – to succeed, students must take their knowledge and express it in a clear and

effective format that fits the demands of the situation and of society. It’s not just what they say, but how they communicate it.

a. Grammatical format b. Complete sentence format c. Audible format – if it matters to say enough in class, then it matters that everyone can hear it.

Otherwise discussions appear as after thoughts, incidental banter. Make a quick, efficient statement…”voice please”

d. Unit format (for all numbers in math and science) e. Written format

9. Everybody writes – give students the chance to write before a discussion.

a. Why? 1. Allows a focused starting point for discussion 2. Makes students cold call ready 3. Enables students to refine and improve their thinking before it becomes public 4. Supplies direction 5. Upgrades memory (remember more when you write) 6. Gets everybody to answer 7. Connects to notes and evidence

b. How? 1. Keep it time tight 2. Make the question matter 3. Set expectations 4. Build the habit of writing

10. Without apology – do not apologize by:

Telling students something will be boring

Blaming an outside entity for the fact that you are teaching certain material

Diluting material

Classifying students as unable to learn

Alternatives to apology: a. “this material is great because it’s really challenging” b. “Lots of people don’t understand this until they get to college, but you’ll know it now. Cool!” c. “this gets more and more exciting as you come to understand it better”

d. “a lot of people are afraid of this stuff, so after you’ve mastered it, you’ll know more than most adults”

e. “this is one of those things you’re going to take pride in knowing” f. “When you’re in college, you can show off how much you know about…” g. “Don’t be rattled by this. There are a few fancy words, but once you know them, you’ll have

this down.” h. “This is tricky, but I haven’t seen much you can’t do if you put your mind to it.” i. “I know you can do this, so I’m going to stick with you on this question.” j. “It’s ok to be confused the first time through this, but we’re going to get it, so let’s take another

try.” k. “you can take real pride in knowing” l. Don’t be rattled by a few fancy words here, once you know them, you’ll see the meaning…”

11. Normalize error – instruction followed by error is a normal process. Getting it wrong before getting it

right is an acceptable, normal order of events. If all students are getting all questions right, the work you are giving isn’t hard enough.

a. Let errors be a normal, unremarkable, anxiety free part of a learning process b. Neither chasten nor make excuses for error c. With minimal talk about the wrongness, quickly get the student to fix the error d. Don’t normally praise or fuss over right answers e. Acknowledge students work of correction

PLANNING

1. Begin with the end a. Start with unit planning, then lesson planning

i. Review all information about a unit and the number of sessions you have to complete it ii. What is the overarching goal, and how will it be assessed?

iii. What are the three to five most important things students will have to master iv. Draft a sequence of objectives, one for each day of the unit v. Reserve a few lessons for review and reteaching

vi. Incorporate spiraling review and practice

b. Clearly frame an objective for each lesson (be sure to “post it” each day in the class)

c. Determine how you’ll assess your effectiveness in meeting your objecting, ideally every day i. Exit tickets

ii. Verbal checks for understanding

d. Choose lesson activities that work toward the goal and align to your assessment i. Think about what students will be doing, not what the teacher will be doing (see

technique “double plan”) ii. Consider how the activity could be tightened to use time more efficiently and maintain

pacing

2. 4MS – crafting objectives for maximum impact. a. Made first – chosen first to determine what activities the lesson plan includes b. Most important – what’s most important for the class right now on its path

c. Measureable – it’s possible to measure how fully the objective was realized d. Manageable – can be reached within the time of the lesson

3. Shortest Path – the simplest solution is usually the best; find the most direct route to student mastery.

A connected series of short activities might be a shorter path than one long activity

4. Double plan a. When planning, create a t-chart: what will students be doing, what teacher will be doing. b. Ideas for students:

i. Repeating what I say ii. Listening attentively, eyes on me, pencils down

iii. Listening for the answer to a question I have posed in advance iv. Mentally forming a response v. Mentally predicting what question or conclusion I am leading up to

vi. Making a specific response on a worksheet or blank sheet of paper vii. Looking at something I’m using to demonstrate

viii. Searching a page of a reading for some specific information ix. Studying other evidence x. Taking notes

xi. Writing reflections xii. Marking up a text with margin notes and underlines

xiii. Working at the board xiv. Reflecting with a partner xv. Drafting questions of their own raised by the presentation

5. Draw the map – modify seating and arrangement of desks depending on the class activity that is taking

place. a. Pods:

i. Advantages: 1. Small group interactions 2. Sharing materials

ii. Disadvantages: 1. Twisting to see teacher or board 2. Distractions by other students

b. Rows i. Advantages:

1. Attention on teacher and board 2. Easier for teacher to track attention 3. Easy to pass materials

ii. Disadvantages: 1. Some students in the back, others in front

c. Aisles and alleys: teacher should be able to get anywhere in the room to work individually with a student

d. Walls: i. Are they cluttered and distracting?

ii. Is there room for student work? iii. Are tools posted (key concepts, rules for interaction) iv. Is classroom cheerful? v. Are objectives current?

6. The hook - each new topic should start with a SHORT, ENERGETIC, OPTIMISTIC hook to get students

interested a. Story b. Intriguing fact c. Analogy d. Prop e. Media – picture, music, audio recording, video f. Challenge – try to solve a problem or answer a question in advance

7. Name the steps – break down skills and concepts into manageable steps, often giving each step a

name so that it can be recalled. Allows a process to take on a consistent, story-like progression. a. Identify the steps b. Make the steps “sticky” by naming them c. Help students see how the steps are related and how to build from step to step

8. At Bats – repeated practice ingrains skills in learners’ minds, allowing poise and leaving sufficient

memory. REPETITION. a. Begin with a review of previous material b. End with iterations of the skills of the day c. Use homework for further practice

CLASSROOM

1. Post it – a. Post classroom objectives in a visible classroom location each day.

i. Have students write it down or connect it to a previous days learning or answer a question about it.

ii. Make sure it is visible throughout the lesson iii. Call attention to it throughout the lesson, referring to it verbally or with a gesture

b. Put objectives on student handouts and lesson plans c. Post examples of student work in the classroom with specific comments

2. Circulate -move strategically around the room during all parts of a lesson.

a. Break the plane – the imaginary line separating the front of the room from the students – within the first 5 minutes of every class session

i. Shows that the classroom is yours ii. Check and assist individual students

iii. Less disruptive behavioral interactions b. Maintain full access

i. Wide, clear causeways ii. Without verbal interactions (no, “excuse me”)

c. Engage students when moving i. “I like it…”

ii. “Just right…” iii. “that looks good”

d. Move systematically i. Get to everyone, not just trouble spots

ii. Don’t be predictable e. Position for power – remain facing as much as the class as possible

ENGAGING STUDENTS

1. Cold Call – call on students regardless of whether they have raised their hands a. Checks for understanding effectively and systematically b. Many students have insight and will not share unless asked c. Distributes work around the room d. If done for a few minutes every day, students will come to expect it and change their behavior

in advance; they will prepare to be asked questions at any time by paying attention and readying themselves mentally

e. Use with an even, calm tone, quickly and calmly f. Note cards to pick students g. Do not use as a “gotcha” h. Questions must have a clear, succinct answer i. Hands up or hands down. “I’m cold calling now, hands aren’t necessary.” j. Question, pause. Name. k. Can follow on from a previous student’s statement… “Jane said XYZ, what do you think? Pause?

Name…” l. Introduce cold call the first time you use it… tell students how to act, explain why to use it,

frame positively m. You must LEARN STUDENTS NAMES

2. Call and response: Ask a question – whole class answers

a. Signal this kind of question response with a cue… i. Group cues: “Class…” “everybody…”

ii. Count based cues: “everybody on three…” iii. Gestures: hand swipes for everyone, looping finger for everyone, hand to ear

b. Can do just boys, just girls… c. Types:

i. repeat what the teacher says or finish a common phrase ii. Report already known answers (on three, tell me your answer to…)

iii. Reinforce - student answers a question correctly then ask class to repeat correct answer.

iv. Review – review answers or information from earlier in the class or unit v. Solve – ask students to solve a problem in real time and call out the answer in unison

3. Pepper – to review familiar information, faced pace questioning, with or without hands. It’s the speed

that is important. a. Question topics can be review from previous units (keep a stack of note cards with questions) b. Can be a “last man standing” kind of challenge. Two students stand, answer right… remain

standing. Answer wrong… rotates. c. Sit down – all students stand and can only sit once the question has been answered correctly d. Fundamentals of pepper

i. Rapidity ii. Inclusiveness (it’s a group activity)

iii. Portability

iv. Economy of words v. Constant back and forth

e. Logistics i. Great warm up activity

ii. Often involves cold call iii. 10+ questions iv. Shift between topics v. Game gadgets

1. Start and end with a ding on a bell 2. Ask students to stand up 3. Call on students in a unique way 4. Point to students 5. Use pick-sticks 6. I say salt, you say pepper. Salt!! {Pepper}, Salt! {Pepper}

4. Wait time – gives kids time to think and respond with a correct, more thoughtful answer

a. Effects: i. Increase in length and correctness of student responses

ii. Increase the number of students who raise their hands iii. Increase the use of evidence in answers

b. Examples i. Acknowledging and building from the eager:

1. “I see three hands already up” 2. “I see hands in the front row. I’m looking all over.”

ii. Encouraging more participation: 1. “I’m waiting for more hands” 2. “I’d like to see at least 15 hands before I hear an answer” 3. “I’m starting to see more hands now… great.” 4. “Let’s bring a few more thinkers into this conversation.”

iii. Letting students know they have time to think: 1. “I’m going to give everyone lots of time because this question is tricky…” 2. “I’m seeing people thinking deeply and jotting down thoughts… I’ll give everyone

a few more seconds to do that” 3. “Take your time. I’ll start taking answers in ten seconds”

iv. Validating careful, extended thought: 1. “It’s good to think it through before you raise your hand.” 2. “It’s good to be slow and make sure you know.” 3. “Sit with it. It’s supposed to be hard.”

v. Suggesting what students could be doing in order to arrive at an answer. 1. “We’re thinking through our thinking. Do I understand this question? What am I

doing to solve it?” 2. “How can you connect your answer to what we were just discussing?” 3. “Think about the steps involved.” 4. “Remember to use your background knowledge”

vi. Encourage paper work 1. “Your hand is up or your pencil is moving” 2. “Take a few moments to write your responses to this question.”

vii. Encouraging collective focus and enthusiasm 1. “rub those temples, get those minds working.”

2. “tap your brain! “ 3. “Brains are on fire! Keep burning!”

viii. Encouraging trying, taking risks 1. “Take a chance even if you might not be right. We learn by risking.” 2. “Where are my risk takers? Life’s more fun with a little adventure.” 3. “I don’t expect you to get it all the time, but I do expect you to try.”

ix. Eliciting more correct responses 1. “Take some mental time to put it in a complete sentence.” 2. “I can’t wait to hear you use precise vocabulary.”

x. Normalizing positive behavior: “I see XYZ concentrating.” xi. Encouraging use of evidence in answers:

1. “I’m going to ask you to prove it.” 2. “And, we’ll want to know why it is correct.” 3. “Evidence, think of your evidence.”

xii. Encouraging use of more resources: 1. “are there resources you could use to support or improve your response?” 2. “as you solve the problem, I should see you looking at your formula sheet for the

right answer.” 3. “You can go back and use your notes if you need to.” 4. “I’m listening for the sound of notebook pages.” 5. “Find a resource that supports your answer.”

xiii. Encouraging the double checking of answers 1. “How could you check to make sure your answer is correct?” 2. “Think about where people might make a mistake.” 3. “I’ll give everyone a minute to double check” 4. “Use your resources to check your answer.”

xiv. Encouraging reasoning as part of an answer: 1. “be ready to explain how you got your answer” 2. “How will you defend your answer?”

xv. Eliciting alternative possibilities 1. “there might be more than one explanation.” 2. “I can think of two that you could give.” 3. “Your first answer may not be the best one” 4. “think of 2 or 3 other possibilities”

xvi. Prompting collective effort: “let’s listen critically to each other. Think: are they on track? Are any improvements needed?”

5. Vegas – fun that brings students together while processing toward your learning objective.

a. Examples i. Music

ii. Lights iii. Rhythm iv. Dancing v. Chanting

vi. Singing vii. Story telling

1. Be dramatic 2. Vary tone and pace 3. Whisper or boom voice for emphasis

4. Students “ooh” and “ahh” on cue b. End it quickly

BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS

1. 100% - all students listening before speaking. If not, use interventions: a. Levels of intervention:

i. Non-verbal: proximity, gesture or eye contact ii. Positive group correction –quick verbal reminders given to an entire group that describe

what students should be doing. “You should be tracking the speaker…” iii. Anonymous individual correction –verbal reminder to group, explicit that not everyone

is meeting expectation. “I still need three people, you know who you are. I need two people…”

iv. Private individual correction –Correct privately and quietly. “Bob, I’ve asked everyone to track me, and I need to see you doing it too.”

v. Quick public correction- minimize time that the negative behavior is on stage, tell what to do (not what is wrong), divert attention to those behaviors worth of attention (Quinton, I need your eyes, just like Paula.)

vi. Consequence – start small and administer without hesitation b. Emphasize compliance you can see: “pencils down, eyes on me” is better than “I need

everyone’s attention.” c. Be seen looking for compliance d. Emphasize the purpose of 100% with students – not arbitrary power but their success e. Say “thank you” after a student meets the request for correction

2. What to Do: tell students what TO do, rather than what NOT to do

a. Specific: precisely defined actions (not “pay attention,” but “eyes on me”) b. Concrete: clear, actionable tasks c. Sequential: break complex tasks into a series of simple actions and directions d. Observable (therefor maximally accountable) e. Distinguish between three possible causes of off-task behavior:

i. Incompetence: students fail to follow directions because they don’t know how to complete the task proficiently

1. response: teach students what to do ii. Opportunism: students fail to follow directions and take advantage of a lack of clarity

that presents itself to them 1. Response: close the window of ambiguity

iii. Defiance: students want to test you or establish their own power in the classroom, or are processing anger, frustration, or some other emotion

1. Response: provide and clear, quick consequence

3. Voice: commanding attention by: a. Economy of language: when you need to be all business, be clear and crisp and then stop

talking b. Do not talk over: when you need them to listen, your words must be far and away the most

important in the room. Wait until there is no talking or rustling. “Well, most of us are doing an excellent job today…” Use self interruption to get attention.

c. Do not engage: once you have set the topic of conversation, avoid engaging in other topics until you have satisfactorily resolved the initial topic

d. Square up/stand still: when giving directions, turn directly to face the students and stop moving

e. Quiet power: talk slower and quieter

4. Do it again – practice tasks over again until the students do it correctly a. Why:

i. Shortens the feedback loop ii. Sets a standard of excellence

iii. Effective group consequence: “I heard one or two talking. Let’s all try it agan.” iv. Ends in success

b. Cut the task short and ask students to improve: “In this class, we will do everything as well as we can.”

c. Think “good, better, best” i. “That was good, but I want it great.”

ii. “I still think we can do this even better, let’s give it one more shot” d. Manage affect as well as behavior e. Give specific feedback

5. Sweat the details – create order

a. Examples i. Clutter removed

ii. Desk rows tidy iii. Teacher properly attired iv. Outside hallway unlettered

b. The key is preparation

6. Threshold: greet your students as they come into the classroom, setting classroom culture expectations before they enter the room

a. Stand where you can see the classroom and the hallway b. Control the flow c. Shake hands d. Reset expectations (remind students who are in danger of expectations) e. Use positive chatter

7. No warnings: use minor interventions and small consequences that can be administered fairly and

without hesitation. Warnings send the message that the behavior is ok, once. Calls attention to fact that you recognized situation and did nothing. Strive to be:

a. Early in responding b. Reliable, predictable and consistent c. Proportionate to the misbehavior d. Calm, poised and non-judgmental e. Private when possible, public if necessary

BUILDING CHARACTER AND TRUST

1. Positive Framing – make corrections consistently and positively. People are motivated by the positive far more than the negative and by a vision of a positive outcome more than by a vision of avoiding a negative one.

a. Live in the now – avoid harping on what students can no longer fix. Focus on the things students should do right now to succeed from this point forward. For example, “Show me your eyes” not “some of us are looking out the window”

b. Assume the best – don’t attribute ill intentions. “Some people seem to have forgotten to push in their chairs,” not “some people don’t seem to think they have to push in their chairs”

c. Thank students for their behavior – “thank you for starting your warm up” d. Allow anonymity – correcting without using a name. “Check yourself” not “Jason, I need to

see…” e. Build momentum, and narrate the positive – draw attention to the good and getting better. “I

see lots of hands; the left side of the room is really with it.” f. Challenge – exhort them to prove what they can do by building competition into the day.

“second period was awesome at this, let’s see if you can take it up a notch” g. Talk about expectations and aspirations – “when you get to college, your knowledge of this is

going to blow your professors away.” h. Avoid rhetorical questions – don’t ask questions you don’t want answered.

2. Precise Praise –

a. Acknowledge when expectations have been met, praise when exceptional has been achieved b. Praise and acknowledge loud; fix soft c. Use praise to reinforce actions – behavioral and academic d. Praise must be genuine

3. It is possible to be both warm and strict at the same time –

WARM: positive, enthusiastic, caring, thoughtful

STRICT: clear, consistent, firm and unrelenting

Explain to students why you’re doing what you’re doing

Distinguish between behavior and people

Demonstrate that consequences are temporary. Get over it quickly yourself.

Use warm non-verbal behavior.

4. The J-factor… JOY! Find joy in the work of learning. People will enjoy and learn more if work is punctuated regularly by moments of exultation and joy.

a. Fun and games – b. Us – make a classroom culture the binds the class – language, names, rituals, traditions, songs… c. Drama, song and dance d. Humor e. Props – “shout outs,” public praise for those who demonstrate excellence.

i. Must be quick ii. Use movement and noise

iii. Everyone does them iv. Enthusiastic v. Change them up so they don’t get boring

vi. Examples: 1. Two stomps 2. Roller coaster

3. Two hands

5. Emotional Consistency

Control emotions rather than letting students control them; expect their emotions to rise and fall and train self to respond calmly

Use student emotion to keep learning moving forward; “the expectation in this class is that you give your best.”

Earn student trust by being in control of self and the room; use that control respectively to help students cope with emotional trials that interfere with learning

6. Explain Everything –

The logic behind the rules and expectations i. “when I ask for your attention, I am going to need it from everyone every time. That

way I can be sure you know everything you need to know to be successful and happy in my class.”

ii. “I’d love to spend more time talking about this, but there’s a lot we’ve got to do.”

The dynamics of personal and group accountability i. Explain how everyone is a model to those around him or her.

That group success depends on everyone’s participation (100%)

ROUTINES Importance of routines:

Signal that you are prepared

Signal that you know what you expect

Signal that you have high standards

Set a tone of order

Reduce off task student behavior Hallmarks:

Quick: fastest possible right version

Low narration: requires only short prompts and reminders

Well planned: what will students do, where, in what order and with what cues?

Without interruptions

Shared ownership: find ways to let students “own” the routines Creating:

Invest up front: require a lot of initial investment

Number the steps

Model and describe

Pretend practice

Maintain

1. Entry routine: how students enter the classroom and how class begins a. Do Now: brief review, reading, writing, analysis of graphs, answering questions. Students must know:

i. Where they should look ii. What to do

iii. How much time they have iv. What to do with materials that aren’t intended to be kept v. If it’s OK to talk

b. Deposit any homework materials c. Where to sit d. What materials to get out e. Picking up materials

2. Tight transitions

a. Envision what the transition will look like and sound like and how long it will take to execute b. Resources that might help:

i. Stopwatch ii. Consistent cues

iii. Precise praise

3. Binder Control: students keep track of their own previous work and are able to retrieve it when needed a. Build a system for storage b. Have a required format for organization within the binder

i. Number/title each paper ii. Partition/tab various subjects

c. Leave time for them to put away their materials

4. SLANT a. Sit straight b. Listen c. Ask and answer questions d. Nod your head to show you are understanding and listening e. Track the speaker

5. On your mark: everyone is ready to go at the start of class

a. Be explicit about what students need to have to start the class (list of fewer than 5) b. Be explicit about where students need to be and what they need to be doing c. Set a time limit d. Use a standard consequence (loose daily points) e. Provide tools without consequence to those who recognize the need before class f. Process or check homework

6. Seat signals: signal requests without disrupting the class or taking up learning time

a. Nonverbally b. From their seats c. Unambiguously d. Without becoming a distraction e. Examples:

i. Bathroom: two fingers crossed ii. Tissue: left hand pinching nose

iii. Get out of seat: one finger held up and rotated in circular motion f. Training seat signals:

i. Teach to whole class ii. Practice in unison

iii. Teach how to interpret my response iv. Post the signals v. Accept no substitutes

IMPROVING PACING

1. Change the pace –

a. Nothing for more than 10 minutes b. Fluctuate between active and passive

2. Brighten lines

a. Draw a bright, clear line at the beginning and end each time you start a new activity b. Improves the perception that you’ve done multiple discrete things c. Bound each activity with finite time limits (rather than “meandering through time.”)

3. Every minute matters- teach every single minute

4. Look forward – tell students what’s coming up

5. Work the clock – count it down; parcel it out in specific increments. Countdown adds a sense of

urgency

CHALLENGING STUDENTS TO THINK CRITICALLY

1. Functions of questioning a. To guide students towards understanding when introducing material b. to push students to do a greater share of thinking c. to remediate an error – break down a wrong answer by breaking the original concept down into

smaller component parts and adding insight through more questions d. to stretch students – apply a concept at the next higher skill level e. to check for understanding

2. Rules for questioning

a. One at a time – ask only one question at a time b. Simple to complex – ask questions from simple to complex, helps to activate memory of

relevant facts c. Verbatim – if you repeat a question, ask the exact same question. d. Clear and concise – for questions:

i. Start with a question word ii. Limit them to two clauses

iii. Write them in advance when they matter iv. Ask an actual question… not a statement with a questioning tone v. Assume the answer…”who can tell me…” not ”can anyone tell me…”

e. Stock questions – don’t make questions up on the spot. Ask versions of the same few questions over and over.

f. Hit rate – when kids get everything right, it’s time to ask harder questions.

READING

1. Strategies

a. Keep durations unpredictable – kids don’t know when their time might be to read aloud, leads to strong incentive to follow along

b. Keep the identity of the next reader unpredictable c. Keep durations short – move quickly among readers to keep lively pacing d. Reduce transition time – transition rapidly from reader to reader with a minimum of words

2. Vocabulary

a. Teach words that are relevant to the students lives and likely to appear again b. Use the word in multiple tasks:

i. Use word in different settings and situations ii. Circle back to words that have been previously taught

iii. Practice saying the word correctly c. Compare, combine, contrast

i. Distinguish between two words ii. Upgrade: find opportunities to use richer, more specific words whenever possible

d. Back to roots i. Identify roots or affixes and describe how they relate to the meaning

ii. Identify other words containing a root e. Picture this:

i. Draw pictures of words ii. Act out a word

3. Fluency

a. Model reading aloud with spunk b. Ask for drama c. Ask students to identify the 2-3 most important words in a sentence d. Ask students to emphasize a specific word in a reading

4. Reread

a. To smooth out an original read that was wooden or required mechanical correction b. To emphasize some aspect of meaning or incorporate feedback c. For fun because the original read was so good

5. Comprehension

a. Pre-reading techniques i. Provide the context of the reading and the basic information required to understand it

ii. Focal points – point out important information in the reading in advance iii. Front loading – highlight important “scenes” that you’ll read about, much like a preview

to a movie iv. Pre-reading summary: summarize what was read the day before, before reading

additional material. b. During-reading techniques

i. Ask “Do you get it” questions frequently during a reading. Be quick, and return to reading.

ii. Four levels of meaning questions 1. Word meaning 2. Sentence level 3. Passage level 4. Story level

iii. Ask evidence bases questions: 1. How do you know that? 2. Where did you read that? 3. Where does it say…

iv. LATP – look at the pictures and make meaning only from them c. Post reading techniques

i. prioritize information 1. three most important ideas 2. two major arguments

ii. word limits – 1. Summarize chapter in 50 words. 2. Single sentence with fewer than 15 words

6. Better connections

i. text to text: 1. Where else have we seen… 2. can you think of another situation that is similar 3. How is this like…

ii. text to world iii. text to self