Cognitive Strategies

1. Cognitive Strategies Moving Students from Novices to ExpertsUNIT IV

2. Complete the stem: Cognitive Strategies are…

3. Examples, please! Prepare one cognitive strategy for the concept addressed in your classroom.

4. Cognitive Strategies “The ‘gap’ between student’s current level of knowledge and the needed degree of expertise has been referred to as the zone of proximal development.” Vygotsky, 1978 “The zone is where the additional instructional techniques occur as the student becomes expert.” Rosenshine and Meister, 1955

5. Cognitive StrategiesWell-structured Tasks • Fixed sequence of sub-tasks • Lead to same goal or answer • Interactive direct instruction teaching patterns provides an effective instructional approach

6. Cognitive StrategiesLess-Structured Tasks • Ill-structured tasks (Bruer, 1993) • Can’t be broken into fixed sequences • Tasks require combining and applying elements and knowledge new to the learner

7. Please Note “Cognitive strategies do not in and of themselves provide a direct route to solution. What they do is facilitate reaching a successful conclusion to the task or problem.” (Unit IV, P. 1)

8. Cognitive StrategiesConspicuous Strategies • Made obvious • “Intermediate in generality” • Individuals who become experts have mastered several steps to the task and employed several strategies • Teachers must explicitly teach students those strategies

9. Cognitive StrategiesConspicuous Strategies • More efficient • Many times the keys to “GETTING IT”

10. Research Findings AboutExplicit Instruction “Teachers who provide students with information through direct explanation and the gradual transfer of responsibility help their students become more independent learners because they provide both the means and the motivation for becoming better readers and writers.” Maryland State Department of Education (1990). Better Thinking and Learning.

11. Cognitive StrategiesFive Facts • Initial teaching is more effective when it is explicit. • Initial explicit teaching is more efficient, even when not particularly more effective―benefits students who are “catching up” with their peers. • Strategies for learning complex problem solving are learned more effectively and efficiently. • Students with learning difficulties almost always benefit from explicit instruction. • All students benefit from inquiry activities when they require application of well-established strategic knowledge.

12. Cognitive StrategiesMediated Scaffolds Types • Materials-mediated - Graphic Organizers - LINCS • Peer-mediated - CWPT

13. Graphic OrganizersRemember “Teachers who help students to structure and process information to be learned through the use of graphic representation strategies facilitate comprehension and recall.” Maryland State Department of Education. (1990). Better Thinking and Learning.

14. Graphic OrganizersRemember “The use of non-linguistic representations (graphic organizers) increases student achievement an average of 21 percentile points and up to 40 percentile points.” Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock. (2001). Classroom Instruction That Works, ASCD.

15. Graphic OrganizersHow to use them? • Organize questions • Take notes • Explore ideas • Check knowledge and comprehension • Create a visual structure for text • Outlines, diagrams, graphs, and charts

16. Working with Graphic Organizers • In your assigned graphic organizer, arrange the information of the text given by the trainer. • Debrief on the task. Were you able to fit your information comfortably on your assigned organizer? • Would this organizer be appropriate for some material in your course? If yes, give an example of its use; if no, justify your answer.

17. Debrief Graphic organizers My article is about … I used a ______ graphic organizer.

18. LINCS-A Starter/Learner Strategy

19. LINCSObjectives Participants will learn how to: • Use memory-enhancement techniques • Apply learning strategies in the classroom • Teach new vocabulary words and concepts using memory enhancement strategies • Transfer LINCS across subject areas • Transition meaning for abstract concepts • Transform information and encourage elaboration

20. LINCSWhat is the LINCS strategy? • LINCS is a materials-led, learner strategy. • The LINCS strategy is excellent for Learning vocabulary words. This Learning strategy instruction focuses on making the students more active learners by teaching them how to learn and how to use what they have learned to solve problems and be successful. • The LINCS strategy enables students to learn new vocabulary words by using powerful memory-enhancement tactics. • LINCS is also categorized as a starter strategy. A starter strategy is an effective and efficient strategy designed to “turn students on” to learning. Starter strategies can be learned quickly; can be readily used within a host of settings and can be taught easily.

21. LINCS DataMean Percentage Correct on Social Studies Vocabulary Tests–One week Test 1Test 2 (Before LINCS) (After LINCS taught in CA) LD students in Class A NLD students in Class A All students in Class B 53% 84% 86% 77% 92% 85%

22. LINCS Three Instructional Goals • Increase students’ ability to independently learn key vocabulary • Empower students to control their learning • Promote student motivation to learn new strategies

23. LINCS-The Steps L = List the parts I = Imagine a picture N = Note a reminding word C = Construct a LINCing story S = Self-test

24. LINCS How does the strategy work? FRONT BACK

25. What is an effective reminding word? • ALWAYS Sounds like part or all of the new word. Is a real word. Has a meaning that you already know. Helps you remember what the new word means. • SOMETIMES Sounds like the beginning of the new word. Sounds like the end of the new word. Rhymes with the new word or sounds like almost all of the new word. Has meaning that is very similar to the new word’s meaning. Can be two or more words that sound like the new word. • NEVER Sounds completely different from the new word. Is a nonsense word. Has a meaning that you don’t know. An effective reminding word is a word that sounds similar to the new word and is used to remind you of the meaning of the new word.

26. What is an effective LINCing story? ALWAYS • Includes the word or the reminding or some form of the reminding word • Links the reminding word to the meaning of the new word • Short and simple SOMETIMES • Includes both the reminding word and the new word • Is funny or bizarre NEVER • Includes only the reminding word • Includes only the new word • Too complex • Too long-paragraph length • Uses words you don’t understand

27. LINCS Card Front Card Back

28. MODEL ONE Say word Give definition Think of image Say reminding word Say meaning of reminding word Say the LINCing story Check to see if correct MODEL TWO Say the new word. Think of the LINCing story. Think of the image. Say meaning of reminding word Check to see if correct LINCSSelf-test Sample (Forward)

29. MODEL ONE Say the meaning of the new word. Think of the image. Think of the LINCing story. Think of the reminding word. Say the new word. Check to see if you’re correct. MODEL TWO Think of LINCing story. Think of reminding word. Think of image. Say meaning of the new word. Say the new word. Check to see if correct. LINCSSelf-test Sample (Backwards)

30. Create Your Own LINCS • Write a vocabulary word from your own content area. • Write a clear, easy definition of the word. • Think of a word that would help the students learn and remember the vocabulary word. • Create a LINCing story that will help the students remember what the vocabulary word means. • Share with the group.

31. Implications for Teaching • Full Scaffold • Partial Scaffold • No Scaffold

32. CWPT • Participants will engage in a simulation that teaches them the CWPT process. • Role play problems/trouble-shooting ideas in a CWPT group-structure.

33. Cognitive StrategiesResearch Shows • All students benefit. • Diverse learners, in particular, benefit from cognitive strategies.

34. Essential Questions How do cognitive scaffolds move students from novice to expert learners? How do the six instructional tools promote quality instruction and support student learning?

35. Based on today’s conversation…. What squares with your beliefs? What is circling around in your mind? What 3 questions do you still have?