Dimensions of Learning: An Overview

1. Dimensions of Learning: An Overview Methacton School District February 17, 2011 8:00-3:00 Presenters: Cindy H. Goldsworthy, Ed. D. Kristen Lewald, Ed. D.

2. Today’s Purpose • Develop a deeper understanding of Dimensions of Learning as a curriculum, instruction, and planning model for use in K-12 school system • Discuss how DOL can help Methacton achieve positive outcomes for all students

3. Welcome and Introductions • Who is here? • About Us…

4. What is Dimensions of Learning? http://www.mcrel.org/dimensions/ What it is… “a learning-centered framework for instructional planning that translates the latest research on cognition and learning into practical classroom strategies” (Marzano)

5. Dimensions of Learning is a comprehensive framework or model to help educators plan learning experiences for their students. It is based on extensive research about learning and how the mind works. It has been designed to help educators improve students' learning through planning curriculum, instruction and assessment using five critical aspects of the learning process, or dimensions of learning.

6. 3 Major Purposes of DOL • Provides a framework for organizing, describing, and developing research-based teaching strategies that engage students in the types of thinking involved in meaningful learning. • Offers a way of integrating the major instructional models by showing how they are connected and where the overlaps occur. • Provides a process for planning and delivering curriculum and instruction that integrates much of the research on effective teaching and learning.

7. Saying it Simply… • Knowing how students learn unlocks how we should teach! This is how students learn….this is how I should teach…..

8. Highlighting the Benefits • Built on long-standing research-based instructional practices • Focuses on whole student – affective and academic • K-12 applicability • Includes unit design component • Highly systematic and explicit learning strategies are the main component!

9. Why Called DOL? • Details what cognitive psychologists have long understood – learning is multi-dimensional • 5 dimensions – of learning! • Each dimension adds to the “big picture” of effective schooling • Each dimension is separate, yet part of the “big picture”

10. Dimensions of Learning Habits of Mind Use Knowledge Meaningfully Extend and Refine Knowledge Acquire and Integrate Knowlede Attitudes and Perceptions

11. Let’s Get Started! ????? What kind of thinking do you wish you would see more evidence of in your students????? “If the day before the day before yesterday was Tuesday, what is the day after the day after tomorrow?”

12. And the Answer is… • The Point! • How did you figure out the answer? • Strategic thinking!

13. What are the perceived roadblocks to teaching kids to THINK? • Standardized tests? • Not enough time? • So much content to cover? • Other?

14. Rethinking the Roadblocks… • Focus on student learning through specific planning processes • Student learning is at the center, not the program • We must understand how students learn different types of content (facts vs. processes) • Strategy instruction has withstood the test of time!

15. DIMENSION 1: Attitudes and Perceptions Habits of Mind Use Knowledge Meaningfully Extend and Refine Knowledge Acquire and Integrate Knowledge Attitudes and Perceptions

16. Dimension One – Attitudes and Perceptions About Learning • Two Categories: • Classroom Climate • Attitudes and perceptions about classroom tasks • What do learners say to themselves that might influence their learning?

17. Questions Learners Ask… • Do I feel accepted? • Am I safe? • Is this information useful or interesting to me? • Can I do this? • Do I know what is expected?

18. Shared Responsibility • Teachers AND students share the responsibility to cultivate positive attitudes and perceptions about learning • Teachers Can… • Foster positive attitudes and perceptions through their own everyday behavior and through specific activities • Students Can… • Learn how to take responsibility for establishing and maintaining positive attitudes and perceptions about learning

19. Specific Strategies – Climate • Help Ss understand that attitudes & perceptions related to climate influence learning • Establish a relationship with each student in the class • Monitor and attend to your own attitudes • Engage in equitable and positive classroom behavior • Recognize and provide for students’ individual differences • Respond positively to students’ incorrect responses or lack of response • Vary the positive reinforcement offered when student give the correct response • Structure opportunities for Ss to work with peers • Provide opportunities for Ss to get to know and accept each other

20. Climate, con’t…. 10.Introduce the concept of “bracketing” 11. Establish and communicate classroom rules and procedures 12. Be aware of malicious teasing or threats inside or outside of the classroom, and take steps to stop such behavior. 13. Have students identify their own standards for comfort and order 14. Help Ss develop their ability to use their own strategies for gaining acceptance from the teacher and peers

21. Classroom Tasks - Strategies 1. Help Ss understand that their learning is influenced by their attitudes and perceptions about the task (How have famous folks approached this?) 2. Establish a sense of “academic trust” (Ss must have consistent experiences with teacher(s) in which they eventually see the value of the tasks) 3. Help Ss understand how specific knowledge is valuable (have Ss share with each other their ideas about value/usefulness)

22. Classroom Tasks – con’t. 4. Use a variety of ways to engage Ss in classroom tasks. 5. Create classroom tasks that relate to Ss interests and goals. 6. Provide appropriate feedback. 7. Teach Ss to use positive self-talk. 8. Help Ss recognize that they have the abilities to complete a particular task. 9/. Help Ss understand that believing in their ability to complete a task includes believing that they have the ability to get the help and the resources needed. 10. Help Ss be clear about the directions and demands of the task. 11. Provide Ss with clarity about the knowledge that the task addresses. 12. Provide Ss with clear expectations of performance levels for tasks.

23. Implementing Dimension 1 • Evaluate your district’s needs • Does it differ by building? • Does it differ by level, i.e., elementary, middle, high? • Professional development options: • Train entire dimension • Choose specific target areas only • In-depth or overview/reminder only • Fits with Dimension Five

24. DIMENSION 2: Acquiring and Integrating Knowledge Habits of Mind Use Knowledge Meaningfully Extend and Refine Knowledge Acquire and Integrate Knowledge Attitudes and Perceptions

25. First step - What do we want students to know and be able to do? Total Body of Content Knowledge Essential, Enduring Content

26. Driving a Car • What is the specific knowledge you need in order to get a driver’s license?

27. Dimension 2

28. Declarative Knowledge:“Know Stuff” • Constructing Meaning • Organizing Information • Storing Information

29. Procedural Knowledge • Know “how to do stuff” • Constructing Models • Shaping • Internalizing

30. Why does this matter? • Students acquire declarative knowledge differently than they acquire procedural knowledge • Therefore, we must TEACH it differently

31. Examples of Each: • Declarative: The learner knows or understands… • Democracy • A numerator • Conventions of punctuation • Rules of basketball • That when oppression meets resistance, conflict occurs • The G. Washington was our first president • Procedural: The learner is able to… • Add and subtract • Write a paragraph • Shoot free throws • Read a bar graph • Set up an experiment • Search a database • Read music • Drive a car

32. Try This… • Think about the field of science. If you listed the declarative knowledge and the procedural knowledge in science, which list would be longer and why? • If you were trying to determine how well I understand music, why might I justifiably object to your assessing my understanding by asking me to sing? • A grad student complained, “I received an A in my stats course. In fact, I think I could pass some of those same tests right now. However, when I started to plan data analysis for my dissertation, I had no idea how to set up my statistical study; I didn’t know which of the formulas to use.” What type of knowledge did the student lack? How could this happen, given that the student received an A in the course and still remembers the formulas?

33. Declarative: • Facts • Concepts • Generalizations • Procedural: • Perform a process • Demonstrate a skills • Go through a series of steps, either physically or mentally “We must be as good at identifying the knowledge students are learning as we are at planning interesting educational activities.” (Marzano)

34. More on the 2 types of knowledge • One is not more important than the other – they both matter! • Example: students who are asked to conduct an experiment to determine the makeup of an unknown substance in chemistry class must be skilled in the scientific process. However, their research will be significantly influenced by their understanding of the properties of chemicals. • Other Misconceptions: • Hands-on activities are not necessarily procedural • i.e., making a model of the solar system is NOT procedural knowledge • What is it then??

35. Declarative Procedural

36. Specific Information Specific Information Topic Specific Information Specific Information Identifying Specific Information Within a General Topic • descriptions of specific people, places, and things ? • time sequences ? • processes or casual networks? • problems and solutions? • generalizations or principles? • concepts ? In this topic are there…:

37. At the end of a poorly planned unit, “factlets” are randomly stored in the student’s brain. f f ff F F ff ff f ff ff f F F,f= factlets

38. Problems and Solutions Time Sequence F Problems F f f f F A better organized unit will lead students to an awareness of key ideas and the relationship among these ideas.

39. Constructing Meaning: Why it is important • Help kids to understand why it is important! • Read the next slide carefully – when you think you know what this is about – raise your hand. • DO NOT SAY THE ANSWER OUT LOUD!

40. Group Activity • The procedure is actually quite simple. First, you arrange items into different groups. Of course, one pile may be sufficient depending on how much there is to do. If you have to go somewhere else due to a lack of facilities, that is the next step; otherwise, you are pretty well set. It is important not to overdo things. That is, it is better to do too few things at once than too many. In the short run, this may not seem important, but complications can easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as well. At first, the whole procedure will seem complicated. Soon, however, it will become just another facet of life. It is difficult to foresee any end to the necessity for this task in the immediate future, but then, one never can tell. After the procedure is complete, you arrange the materials into different groups again. Then, you can put them into their appropriate places. Eventually, they will be used again, and the whole cycle will then have to be repeated. However, that is part of life (Marzano, Dimensions of Learning).

41. Constructing Meaning • Three-minute pause • Experience content using a variety of senses • KWL strategy • Concept Attainment • Reciprocal Teaching • Before, During, After

42. 3 Minute Pause (McTighe) Ask students to do the following: • Summarize what they just experienced • Identify interesting aspects of what they just experienced • Identify confusions and try to clear them up

43. Access a Variety of Senses • Examples: • Picture an electron within the nucleus • Model the visualization for students

44. K-W-L What I Want To Know or What I Think I’m Going To Find Out What I Know or What I Think I Know What I Learned

45. Concept Attainment Examples: Non-examples: Attributes: Concept:

46. Concept Attainment • Let’s try one! ______________________________

47. Step 2: OrganizingDeclarative Knowledge

48. Organizing Knowledge • Help students understand how important it is to organize information • Teacher organizes information • Students organize information • Have Ss use graphic organizers for identified organizational patterns • Provide students with advance organizer questions • Present note-taking strategies that use graphic representations • Have Ss create physical and pictographical representations of information • Have students use graphs and charts

49. Activity: • Remembering the terms…

50. Graphic Organizers • Descriptive • Time sequence • Process/cause-effect • Episode • Generalization/principle • Concept patterns • And, ask questions related to the patterns of information… • “What is the sequence of movement in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony?”