Archive of ‘Improving Student Learning’ category

28
Jan
2017

Routines and Ways of Working – to establish in the first few weeks of school (Year 7 2017)

categories: Improving Student Learning, Planning

Ways of working

Questioning to get to deeper levels of thinking

posing and answering – orally and in writing
exit passes
reflections

Thinking – visibly

ABCD
Thumbs/ fingers
mini-whiteboards
Plickers

-deeply

Piggy backing
clarifying question
justifying
giving examples

Making mistakes as a positive part of learning process

Recording

neat, legible, margin – for feedback
Cornell Note Taking System – to develop key word note taking, heading and questions, and summarising

SOLO

develop self assessment and peer assessment against criteria

Goal Setting

ease of reference
monitoring
evaluating

DRAFT (acronym to develop better sentence structure)

delete
rearrange
add connectors
form new verb endings
talk it out

Social skills

Above the line/ Below the line behaviours

What do you want to see, hear, feel in/ about/ from your peers?
What are some things you don’t want to see, hear, feel about your peers?

POOCH

Problem, Options, Outcomes, Choice. How did it go?

Routines

Vocabulary development

Word Wall – included in oral explanations – written

Everyone participating in discussion as much as possible

monitor
“__________what do you think?”
“Can you give an example_________?”

Peer support, constructive criticism

Geography

Distribution of resources and packing up
Cornell Note Taking system
Developing writing along the Register Continuum
Explore writing styles – in texts we read, including graphs, diagrams, captions, etc.

Maths

Mental Routine
- whiteboard markers and cloths to erase
Number Talks
- draw representations to match student’s descriptions
Structure to meet needs of students
- Recall, Apply, Analyse, Evaluate/ Create
- Help Desk
Secret Code strategies
- used to describe processes used
Subitising – expanded

Reading

Pose questions

Answer with

explanation
justification
relate to other ideas/ situations

Here	Hidden	Head	Heart
who	how	why	personal judgement
where			characters
when			situation
			author’s style
			author’s message

27
Nov
2016

Assessment for Learning in STEM – Q and A

categories: Differentiation, Improving Student Learning, Maths, Professional Development, Professional Learning

11
Jul
2016

Differentiating for Learning in STEM Teaching

categories: Differentiation, Improving Student Learning, Professional Learning

Differentiation can occur in regard to:

outcome
intervention – role of adults and students
journey – how
process – ways of access

Frameworks – useful reference points

Blooms Taxonomy
SOLO Taxonomy – Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes

These structures/ quadrants can be used to allow students to choose a suitable pathway forward, depending on their current level of understanding.

Quadrants

1. Identify 2. Explain

3. Use… 4. Draw your own…

PACE

Practice

Apply

Correct

Extend

Double my number using cubes

Solve the word problem on your table.

Do it using a different method.

Double muddle! Correct my mistakes.

Investigate!

Gold coins are doubling in the pirate chest.

Planning

Using scaffolds – (providing floors not ceilings!) – structure thinking to make meaning

Thinking organisers

True/False cards
Card sorts
Venn diagrams
Double Bubble
SOLO Maps
Hexagons – connect concepts through the use of subject specific vocabulary

Graphic Organisers

Blooms Taxonomy Cognitive Level	Type of Activity	Thinking Organiser	Thumbnail
Remember	Define/ Name	Mind Map
Understand	Explain	Concept Map
Apply	Sequence/ Sort	Flow Chart
Apply	Sequence/ Sort	T-Chart
Analyse	Compare/ Contrast	Double Bubble
Analyse	Compare/ Contrast	Venn Diagram
Evaluate and Create	Cause and Effect	Fishbone

Through listening to the discussion generated by students working in pairs/ groups on these scaffolds teachers can make judgements about misconceptions/ further challenges needed. Questioning students to build on their ideas, and then allowing time, directing them to resources and peers who can help them, without just explaining answers, can empower students more. Also expecting students to respond orally in fully developed sentences, using appropriate vocabulary, will provide practice for more developed written responses.

Help Desk

A space which students can go to to access further resources/ support structures,

E.g.

key word lists
technoloical support, devices – ipads, tablets, computers
text books/ revision guides
questions
worksheets
graphic organisers
sentence stems

These can be utilised individual or in pairs.

The aim is to enable all learners, including ourselves, to improve.

09
Jul
2016

Strategies and Tools for Implementing Danielson, Marzano and other Frameworks. – Thinkcerca

categories: Differentiation, Improving Student Learning, Professional Learning, School development Planning

Danielson: Domain 1

Domain 1: Planning and Preparation	Outcome-Driven Instructional Leadership Team Practices
1a. Demonstrating Knowledge of content and pedagogy	Providing time for teachers to understand research base of lesson design
1b. Demonstrating Knowledge of students	Providing regular collaboration opportunities around automated assessment data and student work with colleagues who share cohort of students and with instructional leaders who are accountable for outcomes
1c Setting Instructional Outcomes	Providing alignment documents and pacing guides aligned to other instructional resources, developed in collaboration.
1d Demonstrating knowledge of resources	Providing time for macro planning to ensure successful launch, meaningful integration, and continuous improvement of teacher knowledge, skill and practice.
1e Designing Coherent Instruction	Providing time for macro-planning to ensure successful curriculum development, meaningful integration of resources, and continuous improvement of teacher knowledge, skill and practice.
1f Designing Student Assessments	Providing time to collaborate around larger projects and assessments to benchmark progress.

Marzano Design Questions

Domain 1:

What will I do to establish and communicate learning goals, track student progress and celebrate success?
What will I do to help students effectively interact with new knowledge?
What will I do to help students practice and deepen their understanding of new knowledge?
What will I do to help students generate and test hypotheses about new knowledge?
What will I do to engage students?
What will I do to establisher maintain classroom rules and procedures?
What will I do to recognise and acknowledge adherence and lack of adherence to classroom rules and routines?
What will I do to establish and maintain effective relationships with students?
What will I do to communicate high expectations for all students?
What will I do to develop effective lessons organised into a cohesive unit?

Classroom: Differentiation and Coverage

What are we as instructional leaders doing to create the conditions for success for learning?

People	As a team, have you determined the underlying skills and concepts and the smaller chunks?
Processes	Have you designed the appropriate active learning strategy to match the learning task?
Places	Have you created spaces for active learning, self-pacing, additional help?
Products	Do you have products that support this work?
Time	As a team, are we providing enough time to go deep and differentiate appropriately?

Danielson: Domain 2

Domain 2: Classroom Environment
2a. Creating and Environment of Respect and Rapport
2b Establishing a Culture for Learning
2c Managing Classroom Procedures
2d Managing Student Behaviour
2e Organising Physical Space

Empathy Zones – opportunities for students to work in different spaces depending on their emotional state

“I understand”

“I think I understand”

“I don’t understand”

“I feel great and social”

“I feel ok but not great”

“I want to be left alone”

Planning: Operationalising Teams for Learning

What are we as instructional leaders doing to create the conditions for success for learning?

People	As a team, how are you determining what students should know and be able to do and helping each other to create it?
Processes	As a team, have you determined a good way to help students capture data and establish a good routine for using it?
Places	As a team, are you celebrating success?
Products	As a team, do you have a common resource that can support this work?
Time	As a team, are you allocating the necessary time to the looking at student work samples as one of the keys to monitoring progress?

Danielson Domain 3

Domain 3: Instruction
3a Communicating with Students
3b Using questioning and discussion techniques
3c Engaging students in Learning
3d Using Assessment in Instruction
3e Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness

Danielson Domain 4

Domain 4: Professional Responsibility
4a Reflecting on Teaching
4b Maintaining Accurate Records
4c Communicating with families
4d Participating in the Professional Community
4e Growing and Developing Professionally
4f Showing Professionalism

29
Jun
2016

Differentiating for Learning in STEM Teaching

categories: Differentiation, Improving Student Learning, Professional Development, Professional Learning

Points to explore further:

encouraging/ structuring opportunities for students to pose more questions
I see, I think, I wonder
hinge point questions
fingers, thumbs, mini whiteboards – visible thinking
Can you – identify, explain, use a diagram, draw/ write your own…
Concept cartoons – could I develop these from student reflections and common misconceptions?

Concept cartoons:

Volume:

Identify how to calculate volume of different rectangular prisms – Here are a variety of rectangular prisms. Calculate the volume of each. Check your answer. How accurate are you?

Explain to someone else how to calculate volume of different rectangular prisms – Write or orally record how you calculate the volume of rectangular prisms.

Use a diagram to explain how to calculate volume of different rectangular prisms – Draw a diagram to your ideal piece of fudge, how many pieces would fit in the package and a diagram to show the dimensions that the package would need to be. Calculate the volume of the single serve and the total package.

Write your own problem involving the calculation of volume of rectangular prisms. Record it for others to challenge themselves with.

13
Mar
2016

Alignment in Backward Design: The Two Question Test

categories: Improving Student Learning, Professional Learning

Could students do the proposed assessment(s) well but not really have mastered or understood the content in question?
Could students do poorly on the specific assessment(s) but really have mastery of the content in question?

Could students do all the designer-proposed activities in Stage 3 but not really be ready to explain/ justify/ infer meaning or transfer their learning as demanded by assessments in Stage 2?

Could students do all the proposed activities in Stage 3 but still be ready to handle tasks in Stage 2 that require higher-order inference and other kinds of meaning-making?

09
Mar
2016

Future Directions – Hattie and Griffin

categories: Hattie, Improving Student Learning, Professional Development, Professional Learning

22
Feb
2016

Putting Faces on the Data – Sharratt, Fullan

categories: Improving Student Learning, Professional Development, Professional Learning, Research

The 14 Parameters

Shared beliefs and Understandings
1. Each student can achieve high standards, given the right time and the right support.
2. Each teacher can teach to high standards, given the right assistance.
3. High expectations and early and ongoing intervention are essential.
4. Teachers and administrators need to be able to articulate what they do and why they teach the way they do.
Embedded Literacy/ Instructional Coaches
Daily, Sustained Focus on Literacy Instruction
Principal Leadership
Early and Ongoing Intervention
Case Management Approach: a) Data Walls, b) Case by Case Meetings
Professional Learning at School Staff Meetings
In-school Grade/ Subject Meetings
Centralised Resources
Commitment of District and School Budgets for Literacy Learning and Resources
Action Research/ Collaborative Inquiry
Parental and Community Involvement
Cross-Curricular Connections
Shared Responsibility and Accountablility

07
Oct
2015

Reflections and Frustrations

categories: Improving Student Learning

Even though I haven’t finished watching this yet, I need to record my frustrations – as my son has told me to stop talking to the iPad! I feel saddened to think that in South Australia someone has spent a lot of time researching the dominant pedagogy used (in high schools), when most of us could have simply described the practices that we were exposed to, knowing that things haven’t changed that much. What makes me angry is that not only does this seem to me to be a complete waste of time, I am now worried that the rest of the video is going to tell me how to change this practice – which I have been arguing against for a long time. (And is the implication really that practices like these are also being used in the Early Years?)

Surely, as a system when you provide teachers with a curriculum – now a National one, and a description of good teaching practice (TfEL) and then expect teachers all over the state to use their professional experience and knowledge- which would range considerably, to create interesting, engaging programs, you are setting up a system for text book providers to reap the benefits. To then simply take the examples in the text book and re-fashion these lessons into more meaningful experiences for students seems to be to be an ineffective way to address the inadequacies of our system.

Perhaps we could do something more constructive and supportive of teaching and learning by looking to other states/ places in the world. In other states research has been focused on identifying student learning, observing common misconceptions and providing teachers with support structures to diagnose and act on these. Surely in South Australia we could support teachers more in order to improve the learning of students in our care, and I mean deep learning – not just superficial content.

Now I will see if I can watch the rest of the video.

Ahh… purpose identified…”achievable for teachers.”

Is this enough? Is this what our students deserve?

I think “transforming tasks” is a very slow way of getting change happening.

30
Aug
2015

Assessment for Teaching – Patrick Griffin

categories: Improving Student Learning, Professional Learning, School development Planning

Professional Learning Team (PLT) meeting and cycle:
1. What is the student ready to learn, and what is the evidence for this in terms of what the student can do, say, make or write?
2. What are the possible evidence-based intervention and the associated scaffolding processes for each?
3. What is the preferred intervention, and how will it be resourced and implemented?
4. What is the expected impact on learning, and how will this be evaluated?
5. What was the outcome, and how can this be interpreted?

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