Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement

1. Building Background Knowledge for Academic Achievement Sioux Falls School District Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

2. Introduction • Knowing strong academic background knowledge impacts students’ academic achievement in school. We must use the most effective strategies to create indirect experiences to build student background knowledge. Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

3. How does building background knowledge fit with what we are already doing? • The processes involved in Marzano’s Building Background Knowledge are aligned with Value Added. • The Sheltered Instruction model being used by ELL supports the instructional process in Building Background Knowledge. • Key vocabulary emphasized • Student journals • Word study books • Contextualizing vocabulary Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

4. Food for Thought • What does the research say? • How do we build background knowledge for our students? • The power of wide reading and language experience. • Direct vocabulary instruction. • Defining an academic vocabulary. Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

5. Overview • In order to bridge the gap for our students we must provide them with indirect experiences that build their academic background knowledge. Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

6. The Importance of Background Knowledge • What students already know about the content is one of the strongest indicators of how well they well learn new information relative to the content. • Academic background knowledge affects more than just “school learning.” • Studies have also shown its relation to occupation and status in life. Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

7. Knowledge is Power • A students’ academic background knowledge has impact on the rest of their lives • Success in school has strong bearing on their earning potential. Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

8. How we acquire background knowledge • Our ability to process and store information • Fluid intelligence • The number and frequency of our academically oriented experiences Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

9. Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

10. The Consequences of Poverty • Findings in Figure 1.4 characterize the relationship between poverty an academic success after controlling for ethnicity, family structure, and mother’s education. Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

11. The Consequences of Poverty • Findings in Figure 1.4 characterize the relationship between poverty an academic success after controlling for ethnicity, family structure, and mother’s education. Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

12. Schools can Make a Difference • Direct approaches to Enhancing academic Background Knowledge • Provide enriching experiences • Establishing mentoring relationships • Indirect Approaches: A Viable Answer Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

13. Six Principals for Building an Indirect Approach Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

14. 1. Background Knowledge is stored in bimodal packets in the episodic memory • Glossary of terms • Episodic memory—specific learning episodes • Semantic memory—general understandings over time • Bimodal memory packets • Linguistic-logogen; episodic & semantic propositional networks (The smallest unit of knowledge that can stand as a separate assertion.) • Nonlinguistic-imagens;nonlinguistic representations that accompany the propositional networks) Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

15. Propositional networks depicting a specific event Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

16. Information moves from propositional to de-contextualized propositional Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

17. 2. The Process of Storing Experiences in Permanent Memory Can Be Enhanced • First we must understand the three functions of our memory Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

18. Three Functions of Memory Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

19. 3. Background Knowledge is Multidimensional and Its Value Is contextual • No general set of background knowledge helps us learn in every situation. • Little or no carry over between subjects • Common core = some carry over • Enhancement of Academic background knowledge must be done subject by subject. Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

20. 4. Even Surface level Background Knowledge Is Useful • When we retrieve a packet of information for use in working memory, we initially access its surface-level characteristics only. • Knowledge of a given topic is organized in a hierarchy. • Top level knowledge - specific facts • The next level – more general characteristics • The next level – even more general characteristic associated with the broadest category the word would fit Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

21. 5. Background Knowledge Manifests Itself as Vocabulary Knowledge • Hard facts to support this statement: • Research indicates that vocabulary knowledge is highly correlated with family income • Estimated 4,700 word difference between High and low socioeconomic students (SES) • Mid-SES 1st graders know 50% more words than Low-SES • High SES 1st graders know twice the words of Low-SES Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

22. What does this mean for out ELL students? • Children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds may struggle to comprehend a text or concept presented in class because their schema do not match those of the culture for which the text is written or because they do not understand the academic vocabulary written in English. • Teachers must also be aware of the level of vocabulary knowledge students, especially at secondary levels, nee in order to be successful in content classes. Both Sheltered Instruction and Marzano’s Building Background Knowledge emphasizes the need to practice key terms that will strengthen students’ vocabulary knowledge. Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

23. 6. Virtual experiences Can Enhance Background Knowledge • Virtual Experience: • Information must move from the sensory memory to the working memory (Remember the camping example of how the information moved from the episodic memory to the semantic memory. This is a necessary step in solidify the learning process.) Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

24. The continuous learning process: Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

25. Reflect… • How effective do you feel you are at planning and using strategies that support what we know about the brain and how it learns? • What teaching strategies support our brain’s process of storing information in both linguistic and nonlinguistic memory packets? • What components of your last year’s Value Added training utilizes this brain research? Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

26. Reading is a Form of Virtual Experience • In the working memory the virtual experience is for all practical purposes the same as the direct experience. • Although it is cliché, it is accurate think of reading as a “magic carpet” to new places and experiences • Reading provides the promise of every student’s having a rich array of virtual experiences Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

27. Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) supports the positive impact reading can have on background knowledge. Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

28. Language Interactions as a Form of Virtual Experience • The more students talk and listen to others, the more virtual experiences are generated • Hart and Risley’s research indicates: • By the time children in welfare homes are 1 year only they have only about 50% of the language experience of children from working-class families and only 30% of the language experience of children from professional families. Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

29. Educational Television as a Form of Virtual Experience • Research indicates: • Watching general television programs = little impact on the development of background knowledge • Watching educational television significantly enhanced the development of such knowledge. Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

30. Tapping the Power of Wide Reading and Language Experience • Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) • To be effective the SSR program must have specific characteristics and must be continuous over many years • If done only a year or two the gains might by evident initially but will fade when the program ceases Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

31. More information to support wide reading • Research has shown that past the 4th grade, the number of words a person knows depends primarily on how much time they spend reading (Hayes & Ahrens, 1988; Nagy & Anderson, 1984; Nagy & Herman, 1987; Stanovich, 1986) • Adults that make a habit of reading have a vocabulary that is about four times the size of those who rarely or never read. Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

32. Recommended Modified SSR • Eight Factors needed: • Access (to wide selection of informational reading) • Appeal ( books with topics of interest to students) • Conducive environment (comfortable surroundings) • Encouragement (explicit praise) • Staff training ( consistent implementation using effective strategies) • Non-accountability (student choice and interest driven not teacher assigned) • Follow-up activities (cooperative grouping/relationship building) • Distributed time to read (non fiction) Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

33. A Five Step Process Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

34. Step One: Students Identify Topic of Interest to Them • I-Search helps with the process • Students gather information about a topic of interest, synthesize and organize the information and use it to complete a written response or project of some sort • Personal Read and Reflect Time (PRRT) • Students may change their topic at any time Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

35. Step Two: Students Identify Reading Material • Students use the classroom library and the school library to begin choosing material from which to read and “I-search” their topic • Model—Guided selection and large group activity to begin the process Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

36. Step Three: Students are Provided Uninterrupted Time to Read • Teachers and students should have 20 to 30 minute sessions, twice a week for SSR /Personal Read and Reflect Time (PRRT) • Schedules can be building-wide, grade-by-grade, or class-by-class • Put class rules in place that all must follow • Consider best placement of SSR/PRRT during the school day Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

37. Step Four: Students Write about or Represent Information in Their Notebooks • Use of Academic Notebook (two sections-PRRT and vocabulary) • Responses to reading must be recorded in the notebook • Free responses—open ended responses, expressive writing (linguistic and non-linguistic responses) • Structured responses—guided questions to promote moving knowledge to permanent memory Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

38. Step Five: Students Interact with the Information • Student interaction doesn’t just happen—teacher serves as helper • Group activities must have explicit structure and purpose • Demonstrate interaction activities- taking turns speaking, listening and questioning • Organize into groups of three to five • Students share topic and one thing that they have learned about their topic • Not all students must share each time Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

39. Reflect on the SSR/PRRT process… • What steps of this process are you already doing in your school day? What steps do you need to change in your instruction? • How do the steps of this process capitalize on what we know about how the brain learns best? • Which steps are in the process are value added components? • What would you have to do to fully implement this process? Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

40. Building Academic Background Through Direct Vocabulary Instruction • The Case for Direct Vocabulary Instruction • Three Generalizations: • Estimates of vocabulary size vary considerably • Wide reading may not enhance vocabulary as much as once thought • Direct vocabulary instruction Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

41. Characteristics of Effective Direct Vocabulary Instruction Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

42. Characteristic 1: Effective vocabulary instruction does not rely on definitions When people first learn words, they understand them more as descriptions of words as opposed to definitions. Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

43. Characteristic 2: Students must represent their knowledge of words in both linguistic and nonlinguistic ways. • For information to be anchored in permanent memory, it must have linguistic (language based) and nonlinguistic (imagery based) representations Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

44. Characteristic 3: Effective vocabulary instruction involves the gradual shaping of word meanings through multiple exposures • To understand words at a deeper level, students require repeated and varied exposure to words, during which they revise their initial understandings. Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

45. Characteristic 4: Teaching Word Parts Enhances students’ Understanding of Terms Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

46. Nouns General Specific Verbs General Specific Characteristic 5: Different types of Words Require Different Types of Instruction Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

47. Characteristic 6: Students should discuss the terms they are learning • Discussion helps students encode information in their own words, helps them view things from different perspectives, and allows for self-expression Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

48. Characteristic 7: Students Should Play with Words • Games: • Present manageable challenges for students • Arouse curiosity • Involve some degree of fantasy arousal Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

49. Characteristic 8: Instruction Should focus on Terms that have a High Probability of enhancing academic success. • Beck and Mckeown (1985) suggest that vocabulary be thought of in three tiers: • Tier 1-most basic words • Tier 2-appear infrequently enough in reading that there is little chance of learning them in context • Tier 3- words specific to subject areas Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools

50. Six Steps to Effective Vocabulary Instruction • Applying the Eight Characteristics of effective vocabulary instruction in a program to enhance background knowledge. Research by Robert Marzano on What Works in Schools