Effective Pedagogical Practices for Fragile Learners

1. Effective Pedagogical Practices for Fragile Learners California Educational Research Association December 2011 Alicia Henderson, Ph.D. Franklin-McKinley School District

2. Robust “First Time Instruction” Basic Skills Instruction Subject-Area Considerations Clarity in Communication Differentiation / Adaptations Effective Pedagogical Practices for Fragile Learners

3. Fragile Learners • “Fragile Learners” include all students with challenges that impact the learning of new content and skills, including • English learners • Students with disabilities • Students living in poverty • At-risk students who remain in school but have become disengaged for any number of reasons

4. Fragile Learners • Many fragile learners can be successful with robust “first time instruction” • Most Fragile learners can be successful with robust “first time instruction” coupled with appropriate differentiation and adaptations • Some fragile learners have special needs that require the support of experts

5. Robust “First Time Instruction” relies upon Quality Core Instruction • Rigor: alignment of curriculum, instruction & assessment • Frequent formative assessment: instructional decisions are based on data about student learning • Robust: employing UDL principles • Relevance:consideration for prior knowledge • Relationships: respectful & joyful • Shared responsibility for learning: teacher & student

6. Robust “First Time Instruction” Includes essential UDL components: 1. Basic Skills Instruction 2. Subject-Area Considerations 3. Clarity of Communication

7. Robust “First Time Instruction”1. Basic Skills Instruction • Teach preskills • Select & sequence examples • Decide rate of introduction of new skills • Provide direct instruction • Offer practice & review opportunities

8. Teach Preskills(not always possible by core instruction teacher at secondary level) • Preskills: basic skills necessary for performing more complex tasks • Assess students on relevant preskills • Teach preskills to entire class or to individual students

9. Select and Sequence Examples • Focus on and prepare selection of examples (aka: exemplars) • Range of example selections should match range of problems types to be used in assessments • Be aware that sequencing of examples has an impact on learning

10. Rate of Skill Introduction • Introduce new skills in small steps • Teach skills at a rate slow enough to ensure mastery • Due to pacing guides and high-stakes testing, it may be difficult to slow down • Slowing down the rate may require identification of essential skills to be mastered

11. Direct Instruction, Practice, and Review • Fragile learners typically require more direct instruction • Indirect instruction is rarely sufficient • Practice should follow direct instruction, not act as a substitute for direct instruction • Problems with retention is common, spiral review assists to cement new learnings

12. Robust “First Time Instruction”2. Subject-Area Considerations • Set up the lesson • Activate background knowledge • Include conceptual supports for learning • Frontload key vocabulary

13. Set Up the Lesson • Determine depth of prior knowledge on topic • May include a pre-test • Bridge prior knowledge with new information • Present 1-3 Big Ideas in lesson • Explicitly state learning objectives • Catch interest and give reason for engagement • Prompt students to predict

14. Activate Background (Prior) Knowledge • New learnings are more likely when facilitated with explicit connections to background knowledge • Plan lesson to relate new material to information they already know • Consider background knowledge of your students (it may be different from your own)

15. Include Conceptual Supports for Learning New Content • Advance organizers • Concept maps • Study guides • Graphic organizers • PowerPoints w/ handouts • Cornell notes

16. Frontload Key Vocabulary • Identify key vocabulary / terms in lesson • Introduce (1-5 per lesson) prior to teaching new material • Consider multiple representations of key vocabulary: definition, part of speech, visual image, synonyms, antonyms

17. Robust “First Time Instruction”3. Clarity in Communication • Use Language Intentionally • Avoid “bird walks” that distract from delivery of new content • Use precise language to deliver content, monitor use of pronouns and other nonspecific terms • Clarity in Written Communication • Clarity in Oral Communication

18. Clarity: Written Communication • Ensure all written material on whiteboards, overheads, PowerPoints etc. is large enough & legible enough for all students to read • Utilize considerate text versions of adopted curriculum when available • Ensure written tests do not introduce confounds to assessing learning of new content (either by test format or language used)

19. Clarity: Oral Communication • Project voice so all students can hear • Enunciate clearly • Support delivery of “signal” and monitor “noise” • Utilize specific strategies • Giving directions • Asking questions • Presenting subject matter

20. Giving Directions • State command specifically • Use concrete terms • Give “bite size” directions • Avoid long series of directions • Demonstrate what you want them to do • Use cue words for routine directions

21. Asking Questions • Phrase questions clearly • Ensure students know how to respond • Balance high-level and low-level questions (ala Bloom’s levels) • Adapt questions to language and skill level of class, and individual students • Vary wait time based on the question • Call on volunteers and nonvolunteers

22. Presenting Subject Matter • Use clear and relevant language • Explain how points relate to main topic • Avoid vague or abstract terms that do not directly relate to new content • Use multiple modes (oral & written) to deliver new content • Include multiple representations of new content (e.g., graphs, diagrams, pictures)

23. Example of multiple representations for a math concept

24. Differentiation & Adaptations • Differentiated Instruction • Flexible grouping • Process, content, product • Adaptations - Grid of 9 • Accommodations • Modifications

25. Grid of 9

26. Support from Experts • Reading specialist • Speech pathologist • Occupational therapist • Psychologist • Behavioral therapist • Special education teacher