Organizing Students for Cognitively Complex Tasks Design Question 4 - Element 21: How can the teacher organize students for cognitively complex tasks?

Before we begin… Before we begin talking about element 21, let’s be sure that there is an understanding about how the elements in Design Question 4 are related. This is important as you plan your lessons. While watching the video, please take notes, documenting how the elements in Design Question 4 are related. Click here for the Design Question 4 Video.

Video Notes How are the elements in Design Question 4 related to one another? Element 21 outlines how students should be organized within cooperative learning groups for the purpose of engaging in cognitively complex tasks. Element 22 demonstrates that the teacher should provide students with cognitively complex tasks that allow them to generate and test hypotheses about open-ended questions with multiple correct responses. Element 23 shows that while teachers are coaching and guiding, they still have a responsibility to provide resources and support as students work through the process. Now let’s talk about element 21, specifically.

Review Teacher and Student Evidence NOTE: This list of evidence is not all inclusive but is instead a list of possible examples.

Review Scale for Element 21

Desired Effect for Student Learning Strategies will only produce desired effect when implemented accurately and in the right context. The desired effect for element 21 is, “students interact in small groups for the purpose of generating and testing hypotheses to enhance understanding of content.” To receive an Innovating rating, the teacher must adapt and create new strategies for unique student needs and situations in order for the desired effect to be evident in ALL students.

Task Sign into iObservation. While watching the video identify what Dr. Marzano, during his commentary, identifies as the important elements of this teacher’s lesson as it relates to element 21. Be ready to identify the teacher and student evidence in order to rate the teacher on this element. To watch the video, please copy/paste the link https://www.effectiveeducators.com/resource/show/4e2d99fb5d17508eb1089d9 3?popup=true&lookforId=4e2d9b1a5d17508eb1089f78&title=Video.

Video Question Q: According to Dr. Marzano, what are the important elements of this teacher’s lesson as it is related to element 21? A: Dr. Marzano points out: The teacher is clear and concise in what she asks the students to have with them and do once they are in groups. The students are asked to form a hypothesis or make a prediction about the value of the variable. The students are asked to solve the equation and determine whether their hypothesis was correct or not.

Task On the next slide is the teacher and student evidence. What evidence did you see and were able to document? Use this to rate the teacher as you walk through the next few slides.

Review Teacher and Student Evidence What did you see?

Review Teacher and Student Evidence What did we see?

How to Rate Teacher and Student Evidence You can only give credit for what you see. No student evidence was selected because the students were not featured or questioned in the video. We do not know if they would have been able to answer the questions or if they are actually able to work in groups to generate and confirm hypotheses. The teacher establishes the need to generate and test hypotheses. The teacher does this when she asks students to generate a hypothesis about the value of each variable and then solve the equation to test the variable. The teacher organizes students into groups to generate and test hypotheses. The teacher gave clear instructions that the students were to work in pairs or groups to generate and test their hypotheses. She outlined the role of each student in this partnership.

Review Scale for Element 21 to Rate the Teacher

How we Rated the Teacher This teacher earned a Developing rating. While she did organize students into groups to facilitate working on cognitively complex tasks, we did not see the majority of students being monitored for the desired effect of the strategy. If we saw the students working in groups and the teacher monitored the majority she would have received an Applying rating. Further, if we noted that the desired effect was evident in all students, the teacher would have earned an Innovating rating.

Task While watching the below video, please identify how the teacher’s questioning builds the students’ knowledge and sets them up to complete a cognitively complex task. After watching the video you will be asked to identify the teacher and student evidence to rate the teacher on this element. Click here for the video.

Video Question Q: How did the teacher’s questioning set the students up to complete a cognitively complex task? A: The teacher started with what appeared to be basic knowledge to the students. She then used the basis of that knowledge to introduce new information to the students. She related this new knowledge to what the students already knew and led them to find a pattern in the way the verb is conjugated.

Task On the next slide is the teacher and student evidence. What evidence did you see and were able to document? Use this to rate the teacher as you walk through the next few slides.

Review Teacher and Student Evidence What did you see?

Review Teacher and Student Evidence What did we see?

How to Rate Teacher and Student Evidence You can only give credit for what you see. The students were not questioned in this video. However, the video does show them working in a group to generate and test hypotheses. The teacher establishes the need to generate and test hypotheses. The teacher does this when she asks students to generate a hypothesis about the correct conjugation of the verb. The teacher organizes students into groups to generate and test hypotheses. The students were already organized into groups. The teacher outlined a task and then asked the students to work together to complete it.

Review Scale for Element 21 to Rate the Teacher

How we Rated the Teacher This teacher earned an Applying rating. She organized students into groups to facilitate working on cognitively complex tasks and she monitored the majority of the students. After the task was complete, the teacher monitored by calling on students at random to check for understanding. Additionally, the students completed written work. Based on the evidence in the video the teacher cannot be considered Innovating. It is difficult to tell for sure if the desired effect was evident for all students.

What is next? First, start with a self-evaluation. What teacher and/or student evidence can you identify for element 21 in your classroom? What rating do you think you would receive on the scale for this element? Now that you have determined where you rate on the scale, take some time to identify what you need to change or improve upon in order to grow to a higher rating on the scale. The resources on the following slide may be useful in helping you get started.

Additional Resources How to: Use Cooperative Learning – Copy/paste this link after logging into www.effectiveeducators.com: https://www.effectiveeducators.com/attachment/show/504f5508e4b0ba9a3d2 6b60f Generating and Testing Hypotheses DQ4 -Generating and Testing Hypotheses How to: Close the Achievement Gap by Using Heterogeneous Cooperative Groups

Is this element in your PGP? Then you need to… Sign into www.effectiveeducators.com. Click on the Growth tab and then click on the Plans option. Open your current plan and fill out a new Reflection Log, answering all of the questions. Decide how you will change your teaching as a result of viewing this module. Execute your change, reflect on its impact, and fill out another Reflection Log in iObservation.

Further questions? Here are resources in case you have further questions: Your evaluator Another evaluator on your campus Your school’s Classroom Practice Mentor (CPM)