Best Practice: A System of Instructional Support

1. Best Practice:A System of Instructional Support

2. In regards to Best Practice… “Techniques and instructional strategies have nearly as much influence on learning as student aptitude.” ~ James Strong Qualities of Effective Teachers

3. Best Practice: What does it mean? Common Characteristics • Based on current research • Includes latest knowledge, technology and procedures • Successful across student populations • Applies across content areas and grade levels

4. A Systems View: Strategies within a focused topic area Strategies within content areas Cross-content instructional strategies Structures Principles

5. Best Practice: A Bit of History • Research • Led by Zemelman, Daniels and Hyde – 1990s • Focus on teaching and learning • Purpose – to discover what’s working • Participants • Classroom teachers/students throughout U.S. • Professional Organizations • Research Centers • Process • Interviews • Meta-analysis of existing research

6. Best Practice: Findings

7. Processing Activity #1 Processing Time (10 minutes) • Review Common Conclusions of Learning & Teaming individually • Discuss at table: • Have you used these documents? • If so, how? • If not, how might you use them?

8. Strategies within a focused topic area Strategies within content areas Cross-content instructional strategies Structures Principles

9. The 13 Principles of Best Practice:

10. Processing Activity #2 Processing Time (10-15 min) • Review the 13 Best Practice Principles • Review the four Michigan Teaching and Learning Standards • How do the two align?

11. Best Practice: A Comparative Look Best Practice Principles MI Teaching and Learning Standards

12. “The literature on instruction suggests that students whose teachers develop and regularly integrate inquiry-based, hands-on learning activities, critical thinking skills and assessments into daily lessons consistently out-perform their peers.” ~ Qualities of Effective Teachers, ASCD

13. Best Practice and Authenticity “Students provided with authentic curriculum achieved at levels 2-3 times higher than students in skills-oriented, ‘low authenticity’ classrooms.” ~ Fred Newman, University of Wisconsin

14. Strategies within a focused topic area Strategies within content areas Cross-content instructional strategies Structures Principles

15. Best Practice: Seven Structures • Reading as Thinking • Representing-to-Learn • Small Group Activities • Classroom Workshop • Authentic Experiences • Reflective Assessment • Integrative Units

16. Best Practice These seven structures are: • Validated • Documented • Supported

17. Best Practice They are also: • Rigorous • Recurrent • Overlapping • Interdependent

18. Best Practice: Reading as Thinking • Interactive • Constructive • Strategic Examples: • Brainstorming • Mapping • Questioning • KWL

19. Best Practice: Representing-to-Learn • Active construction of knowledge • Transferring ideas between mediums for deep understanding Examples: • Journals, logs, sketchbooks • Free writing, mapping, webbing • Variety of expressions; music, visual, etc.

20. Best Practice: Small Group Activities • Makes learning active • Stresses collaboration/teamwork • Preparation for real-life experiences Examples: • Buddy reading, lab partners • Peer response/editing groups • Literature circles

21. Best Practice: Classroom Workshops • Class as studio or lab • Student choice of topic • Process orientation – scientific process, writing process Examples: • Folder/portfolio work • Mini-lessons with teacher modeling • Sharing, presenting, exhibiting

22. Best Practice: Authentic Experiences • Bring school to life • Community connections • Invite world in – take students out Examples: • Speakers in classroom • Primary source books • Field trips, visits • Service projects

23. Best Practice: Reflective Assessment • Student reflection, self-assessment • Multiple measures • Formative assessments Examples: • Portfolios • Performance assessments with scoring rubrics • Student-led conferences

24. Best Practice: Integrative Units • Focus on broad problems, issues, themes across subjects, disciplines • Incorporates student interest • Creates extended inquiries Examples: • Thematic Units • Problem-based learning • Integrated programs (American Studies and Whole Language)

25. Processing Activity #3 Processing Time (10-15 min) • Using the Best Practice Principles/Structures Guide: • reflect on a unit • check which principles & structures apply • Share your thoughts

26. Strategies within a focused topic area Strategies within content areas Cross-content instructional strategies Structures Principles

27. Best Practice: Cross-content Instructional Strategies Marzano’s Classroom Instruction that Works Goal – to find strategies that work for: • all students • all grades • all subjects

28. Best Practice: Process of Identifying Strategies • Meta-analysis of research • Identified effect sizes

29. Best Practice: Effect Size An effect size will help answer the question… “Does the technique produce a large enough impact that it’s worthwhile to pursue?”

30. Best Practice: A Comparative Finding

31. Processing Activity #4 Processing Time (5-10 minutes) Individually reflect and document: Circle – ideas going around in your mind Square – ideas that squared with your thinking Arrow – ideas you want to learn more about Puzzle Piece – ideas for connecting your learning

32. Elements of Effective Pedagogy:A Total Picture Instructional Strategies Management Techniques Curriculum Design Effective Pedagogy SOURCE: Classroom Instruction that Works, Marzano, et al

33. Processing Activity #5 Processing Time (10-15 min) Explain to your neighbor the difference as you see it between: • Best Practice principles • Seven classroom structures • Nine instructional strategies

34. Strategies within a focused topic area Strategies within content areas Cross-content instructional strategies Structures Principles

35. Break-out Session – ELA/Math ReadingWritingMath Best Practice Strategies that Work       Increased Student Achievement

36. Strategies within a focused topic area Strategies within content areas Cross-content instructional strategies Structures Principles

37. Best Practice: Day Two Tomorrow’s workshops focus more specifically within content areas: • Informational Reading: What’s It All About? • Detail/ Examples in Writing: Where Art Thou? • Fun with Fractions (K-5) • Developing Abilities in Algebra (5-7)

38. Best Practice: Guiding Questions to Consider • Who is defining the principle, structure, or intervention as a best practice? (credibility) • Are there other researchers who are in agreement with this practice? • What is their reason or rationale for doing this? (purpose) • Is it an effective practice? When you use it with students are they more successful?

39. Best Practice: Resources Additional tools that can help you: • Recognized literature • Credible organizations • Notable websites • Useful rubrics

40. A final thought… “Best Practice – we admit it is just another name for progressive education.” ~ Daniels & Bizar