1. Haim Ginott1972-1973: teacher, child psychologist
I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom…my personal approach creates the climate…my daily mood makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess tremendous power..I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal..it is my response that decides whether a ..child [is] humanized or de-humanized.

2. Chief Dan George 1899-1981, Chief of the Coast Salish Tribe
If you talk to the animals, they will talk with you and you will know each other. If you do not talk to them, you will not know them. And, what you do not know you will fear. What one fears one destroys.

3. Teaching excellence with diverse learners
Finding our students’ stories
Teaching excellence with diverse learners
RCDE Faculty Retreat, February 3-4, 2011
Carol Rosenthal, Director Academic Resource Center, Logan campus

4. Teaching excellence… Ensures engaged, active learning experiences
Weave instruction with students’ “stories”
Hones teaching basics.
Simple, yet elegant solutions
Embraces fresh perspectives and methods.

5. diverse learners…. Represent richness and heterogeniety.
Need their “stories” known and integrated into instruction.
Encourages trust, rapport, motivation, effort
Discourages fear, anxiety, isolation, pessimism, (learned) helplessness

6. Discovering richness First week exercise: Learn student stories
“What are some of your family and cultural strengths?”
“What are some talents and skills evident in your family?”
“If I were to walk into your home, describe what I would find that helps me know (you) (what you are most proud of) (how you are unique).”

7. Weave stories into content instruction
Applications, metaphors, examples that fit students’ stories
Displaced worker
Chemistry, Microbiology, Economics, USU 1300, etc.
Time and self-management
Project cycles, customer flow, inventory cycles, family management, self-employment
Cultural approaches to time: compare/contrast
Other examples?

8. KWL: “stories” to prepare for learning
What do you already Know about _____? (and how did you come to know it?)
What do you Want to know about _____?
What did you Learn about _____?
How will you Use what you learned?

9. What drives students’ stories about learning?
Dr. Marlene Schommer-Aikins, Wichita State University
Beliefs about knowledge and learning affect:
active participation
persistence
reading comprehension
learning in complex or poorly structured environments

10. Beliefs about learning
Omniscient Authority
Professor responsible < > self-responsibility
Certain Knowledge
Static < > Dynamic
Simple Knowledge
Fact bits <  Concepts & relationships
Fixed Ability
Innate < > effort: learn how to learn
Quick Learning
One time < > Time/effort
Counterproductive
Productive

11. Think-Pair-Share
What beliefs do you see most prevalent in your students?
In what ways do the beliefs show?
Guiding students through teaching methods

12. Collaborative, active learning Problem-solving tasks
All-knowing authority
Certain, unchangeable knowledge
Simple knowledge
Quick learning
Fixed, innate ability
Collaborative, active learning
Problem-solving tasks
Structured controversy
Exposure to evolution of view points
Teach about Bloom’s
Think Alouds
In-class demonstration of complex tasks
Reflection writing
Share your experiences
Explicit and implicit study strategies instruction
Role models
Scaffolding learning
Tap into current abilities (use their “stories”)

13. Essential teaching strategies
Wait time
…Think Time
Essential teaching strategies

14. “Wait time” as an instructional tool
Dr. Mary Budd Rowe,
1972 study
Average wait time < 2 seconds
Increase to >3 seconds = improved
Logic
Language

15. Higher level of thinking
Length & correctness of responses
Volunteered answers
Variety of questions
Higher level of thinking
“I don’t know”
No response
Amount (quality vs quantity)

16. “Wait time” is “think time”
uninterrupted silence by teacher and students so both can complete necessary information processing (Stahl, 1990)
the primary purpose and activity: complete on- task thinking

17. Information processing
Multiple cognitive tasks take time
We need uninterrupted time to
Process, reflect, think of response
Exercise: cats and dogs
How often are students typically provided sufficient time?

18. Types of “think time” silence
After teacher asks a question
Clear question with adequate cues
“What is the difference between a change on the demand curve and a shift of the entire curve”?
During a student’s response
Allow hesitation as student continues
After a student responds
Other students need time before they comment
Teacher pause time
Consider what your next statement or behavior will be

19. Effects of increased think time
More questions asked
More accurate and complex responses
Students initiated discussions more frequently.
Teachers’ questions = fewer and higher quality
Think time works with all learners.
Especially effective for certain cultures.

20. Questioning Techniques
“The most powerful technology we have in education is the ability to ask good questions”.
(including those questions we ask ourselves!)
“Always the beautiful answer/who asks a more beautiful question.” ee cummings

21. Beautiful Questions help students “dive deep”
Beautiful questions move students from “Beginner” to “Expert” thinking levels:
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis, Synthesis, Evaluation

22. How do we learn: beginner to expert
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Thinking & Learning
Evaluate Can you evaluate, judge, make informed opinion?
Analyze
Can you break info. into parts and examine?
Apply
Can you apply what you know to “real life” situations?
Deep learning
Comprehend
Can you put information into your own words, explain to others accurately
Knowledge: (memorize)
Can you recognize and recall information?
Shallow learning

23. Do you have any questions?
Are there any questions?
What questions do you have?
How do students typically respond to these types of questions – and why?

24. Give students permission to be confused.
Students don’t always know what they don’t know or understand. Or they need a specific focus.
Do you have any questions?
Okay, so summarize why it’s important to use Think Time. (a great Think/Pair/Share)
Which of the following is the better example of an application level question and why?
Are there any questions? What questions do you have?
In the past two lectures, I covered the following concepts. What parts are still confusing for you?
What would you like me to explain better ? What can I clarify?
I know this topic can be really confusing. What things are still unclear or don’t make sense to you?
Give students permission to be confused.

25. Models for your students how they need to think.
Beautiful questions
Take effort, time, practice. Questioning is a skill that must be learned and practiced.
Models for your students how they need to think.
Don’t just happen.

26. Quick Thinks
Brief, active learning exercises that require students to process information individually and collaboratively
Effective for beginning and ending class
Helps you avoid the “What questions do you have?” trap
Great during lectures (with Think-Pair-Share)

27. Select the best response.
Select the best answer for a M/C test question.
Example
Jean stole a loaf of broad in order to feed his starving family. What level of moral development would say that what he did was “OK”? A. Pre-Conventional B. Conventional C. Post-Conventional D. Les Miserables is a sweet musical, I don’t care if it makes me less of a man!

28. Correct the error
Instructor poses a test item that contains an error; students must find the error.
Example next slide

29. The Equilibrium Constant
K =
[Products]
[Reactants]
Reactant
Product
K = 1 K < K > 1

30. Complete a sentence starter
Instructor provides a sentence stem for students to complete (not just at knowledge level)
Example: The three strikes mandatory sentencing laws might result in __________.

31. Compare or contrast
Instructor poses a comparison or contrast item to the class.
Example: Compare Alpha vs Beta Decay relative to radioactive decay.
Relative size
Particle charge
Alpha decay
Beta decay

32. Reorder the steps
Given a set of randomly ordered steps , students are asked to correctly sequence them.
Example
Drawing stereo-images 1. Identify the molecule as R or S. 2. Create a 3-D drawing of the molecule. 3. Draw the mirror image of your 3-D molecule. 4. Draw a "mirror".

33. Support a statement
Students are given a statement and, based on their reading, assignments, or lecture notes, are asked to provide support for the statement.
Example
Criminal behavior is a rational choice made by a motivated offender who perceives that the chances of gain outweigh any possible punishment or loss.  (Criminological Choice Theory)

34. Teaching students how to learn
Note taking systems: how to “dive deep”
Summaries
Self-test questions
Cornell system/adaptations

37. Strategic reading Think Aloud textbook tour
“architecture” of their text

38. Teaching students how to learn
Visual organizers: match how information is organized to the learning task

39. Why teach visual organizers?
Elaborative rehearsal = long term memory
Humans seek patterns
Words alone not sufficient
How we organize information affects comprehension!

42. Patterns help us learn & remember

43. CATs
Classroom Assessment Techniques: Thomas Angelo & Patricia Cross 2nd ed., 1993, Jossey Bass
What are students capable of now?
How well are students learning?
How effectively am I teaching?
Informal, consistent monitoring of students’ learning
Feedback: Are they getting it? >>> teaching effectiveness

44. Minute Paper Excellent for large classes
Quickly assesses student learning vs teacher’s perceptions
More than recall: students evaluate and self-assess
How well did I understand?
Examples
What was most confusing about ____________?
What is the single most significant reason Italy became a center of the Renaissance?
List the 3 most important points from today’s lecture?

45. Class opinion poll
Step 1: Please respond to each of the following statements: strongly agree (1)……..I’m neutral (3)………I strongly disagree(5):
I need to change my teaching methods to improve students’ critical thinking.
I can’t take time in class to add activities or discussion.
I’m reluctant to create any more I have to respond to.
If students don’t take responsibility, what I do doesn’t matter.
Step 2: Discuss answers with your partner.
Step 3: Show of hands poll (I-Clicker). Discuss with class.

46. Defining Features Matrix
Teaching goal: distinguish between theories, systems, processes, etc.
Develops :
Analytical skills
Conceptual and factual understanding
Implicit and explicit study strategy (how to organize information to see relationships)

47. Example CAT Institutional assessment Teacher-directed +
Standardized & validated
Focused on classroom teaching and learning
Replicable
Useful to administrators
Feedback for teachers and students

48. “Misconceptions/Preconceptions”
Gauge where students are at
Develop students’ ability to distinguish between fact and opinion
Determine/develop openness to new ideas

49. Question: What makes the seasons change on Earth?
Sort explanations into categories (e.g., correct; “weather”, “distance”, “other”) Perfect for I Clicker!
Quick discussion to explain choices - Think-Pair-Share
Assignment: Students research which answer is correct and explain in short paper.. Class discusses evidence for each position.
Professor concludes explaining why other models are reasonable, though incorrect.

50. Muddiest Point Advantages: Disadvantages
What was the muddiest point in……lecture, video, lab, discussion, presentation?
Prof. responds in next class with discussion, activity, additional simulation
Advantages:
Excellent for large classes
Safe alternative to asking questions
Focuses future lectures and assignments
Teaches metacognitive behavior (self-testing)
Disadvantages
Students may have difficulty expressing what they don’t know.

51. One more…. What do you want your professor to Start, Stop, Keep Doing?
Source: Teaching Professor: Magna Publication
Start Doing
Stop Doing
Keep Doing

53. ARC:

55. Study Smart Starter Kit