Why Didn’t I Learn This in College? Karen Cushing August, 2010

Session Objective To learn a variety of strategies to increase student engagement and achievement 1

Framing the Learning Grouping Questioning Processing Topics Framing the Learning Grouping Questioning Processing Review and reflection We will be discussing strategies in these areas today Show book Notes: Mention the CD with the book and offer to email templates if requested #4 – If you build relevance, the students will create the links and improve retention #5 – Add Visual, Auditory, Logical, Kinesthetic, auditory, Content adapted from Why Didn’t I Learn this in College, Paula Rutherford, , Just Ask Publishing, 2009

Framing the Learning Let students know: What they are learning Why they are learning it How they will learn it How they will know that they know it Students are not necessarily linear learners that they were a generation ago. You need to help them understand the reasons and structure for their learning and make the connections learning styles are: Visual (spatial). You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding. Aural (auditory-musical). You prefer using sound and music. Verbal (linguistic). You prefer using words, both in speech and writing. Physical (kinesthetic). You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch. Logical (mathematical). You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems. Social (interpersonal). You prefer to learn in groups or with other people. Solitary (intrapersonal). You prefer to work alone and use self-study.

Framing the Learning Provide Agenda/Outline for Day, Unit & Year Course syllabus Unit overview Daily lesson objectives Wall Charts Build the frame to help get students to focus. Make sure they know what they will learn, when and what assignments will be due when. Most CTE courses have or will have a course syllabi – CR project to standardize curriculums Use various ways to address diverse learning styles- not just written or oral. Use a variety of graphics….take advantage of your wall space

Bell Ringers Bell ringers help students: Check for understanding Assess own learning Review/refresh past topics Direct focus on the day’s lesson Bell ringers are good strategies to get the class to settle in and re-direct their focus to the content. They can be used for a variety of purposes and results: Review and correct them immediately and you can group for re-teaching. Make sure they understand the previous day’s content Have them write about what is clear and /or needs more work They are also useful to review math concepts that may ”go stale” if the kids don’t keep using them. You can either review them before beginning or collect and grade then combine the bell ringer grades to equal a test grade. If students know this they will take the activity more seriously They can also be used for the students to focus on previous learnings:

High Expectations I Count, I Care, I Can … Anne Westcott Dodd, Educational Leadership This is important! You can do It! I won’t give up on you! Jon Saphier, The Skillful Teacher Connected, capable and contributing Linda Albert, Cooperative Discipline In order to help all students achieve at a high level and to help students believe in themselves, teachers need to develop a level of competency that allows them to focus on the needs of learners. Given the complexities of the learning process and the diversity of our students, this is a career-long endeavor and we need to revisit our commitment to it periodically. Many of our students may not get this positive reinforcement outside of school so your role is especially important. Take a minute to think about the message you are sending to your students And how often you do so. Jot down 2-3 ways you do or will give students a positive message and write a goal for improvement. Turn to page __ and rate yourself on how often you give this message and in what ways. On the screen you’ll see three resources if you want to refresh your learning on this. Today we will discuss/ review/ refresh your understanding of some tools to support student engagement and learning

Access Prior Knowledge & Make Connections To past experiences Between concepts/activities they have already learned To applications “beyond the classroom” To future areas of study and life For learning to be meaningful for students … and to make them interested in learning, we have to make these important connections. The next page has a tool that you can use to remind yourself about making these connections

Sometimes, we get so busy we skip some of the planning steps. Use this reflection/planning tool when you are about to begin a new unit, to help you think about incorporate connections to students lives and the rest of school. Tie technical content to academic subjects wherever possible.

50% of what we both see and hear 70% of what we discuss with others We learn: 10% of what we read 20% of what we hear 30% of what we see 50% of what we both see and hear 70% of what we discuss with others 80% of what we experience personally 90% of what we teach to someone else You’ve probably seen this before, but it is important to remember. How many of you use groups? What kind of lessons – technical content or academic? Who uses groups for covering the “book content” Grouping for that content will help students learn Thinking about these statistics, it makes sense to incorporate group work because the interaction boosts learning to the 70 – 90% range.

75% of humans learning by talking Why Groups? 75% of humans learning by talking Main reason teachers don’t use groups… fear of losing control Teacher preparation, circulation and observation required When we “shh” a group of students we are telling them to stop thinking Main reason teacher don’t use groups – fear of losing control Smooth transitions and structure help keep groups working Think about the way that students love to interact…When you us groups, you can use their propensity for peer interaction and direct it to learning. Kids love to Move, Mess and talk

Forming Groups Cut ups – cards, maps, cartoons, formulas, advertisements Popsicles sticks w/ names, shapes, colors, stickers Famous pairs – Salt and pepper, Romeo and Juliet Genres – books, music, seasonal activities Line ups – students make two lines and pair with the student across form them Clock buddies –make hourly appointments You can use many different methods to group. Grouping teens can be a challenge unless you have chosen a strategy. Often you want the kids to randomly group so kids are paired with kids they wouldn’t have chosen Cut ups - once you start using this you’ll be saving cartoons, maps, diagrams, to use for grouping. Popsicle sticks – allow you to choose any size group and then prepare your sticks Using note cards - Famous pairs – Romeo and Juliet , salt and pepper, bat and ball Also using cards – use genres – with this you can make the group any size I want to encourage you to use these easy grouping strategies, so Look at the your handout - ____ gets a pack of cards to help you start the cut ups next week ____ gets a set of popsicle sticks

Clock Buddies Make appointments by time – use that sheet through out the semester for easy grouping Make sure they know to keep the sheetand bring it to class-( I recommend using colored paper and page protector). Then you can just say 11:00 buddies. They have a good time making these appointments and then the grouping process is done and it is easy to do..

Expectations Use T-Chart with students to identify what you expect to see and hear See Hear Talking Active listening Sitting together Respecting space Paying attention Implementing their roles Sharing ideas Taking turns speaking Questioning by teammates Summarizing Clarify the behavior you expect to see by completing a T chart of what good group work looks like

Getting Started Think- Pair- Share…. Pairs to squares Assign roles or actions Provide focus questions Pre-write before joining the group Talking tokens promote equal participation It’s hard to get left out of a pair Think pair share is…….. You can combine 2 pairs to a square If you are concerned that they might talk about the worn topic, remember, many of them were probably thinking about the wrong topic while teacher was lecturing. Now, at least, you can know what they are thinking and make an intervention Use poker chips or cut and label your own to: assign roles – scribe, timekeeper, materials manager Assign actions - Blue - = ask a question, red = give an idea green – summarize progress Avoid domination – students get 5 tokens and “spend a token “ each time someone talks, when run out, no participation until others have used theirs up.

Talking Tokens

Prepare and Circulate Have students discuss the instructions for clarity Identify what you expect to see and hear Begin with short interactions Move around and observe/guide behavior Students report out at end Prepare questions, topics, directions, Start with a T chart of expected behavior. Once you identify what you expect, and the students know, you can follow up with observation. You can set a time of 1 minute for each to talk and then 30 seconds to summarize Use popsicle sticks to randomly call on students to summarize the partner discussion If they report someone else’s ideas they are not “on the spot” for the right answer and they will listen more carefully.

Group Observation Form Use the ABCD columns to list the behaviors you are looking for and then record your data. Use this to conference or give a group grade

Think - Pair- Share - Square Take 1 minute to think how you might use grouping in a class Talk to an elbow partner about your plans Find another pair and share your partner’s idea Be prepared to report out the most interesting idea Model the activity of quick grouping . If there are any singletons, jump in and form a trio.

Process New Learning 3 Column Charts Graphic Organizers Graffiti Note-Taking Journals While most people learn by talking, you can address a variety of learning styles by helping students organize their thoughts p/ 100 3 column chart Graphic Organizers p.119

3 Column Chart What I knew What I now know What I still don’t know What I know What I don’t know What I wish I knew Most important Somewhat important Not important at all Already Know Want to Know Learned Each row is a sample for how students could organize their thinking

Graphic Organizers Avoid lengthy note taking Organize thinking Display relationships (sequence, cause-effect) Assist with classification Create a mental image that helps the brain “file” the learning Help students refine their understanding and use of terms as well as integrate the terms within a context

Graphic Organizers I have also included the Venn diagram, which most people know and is very easy for students to create.

Graffiti Used for pre-assessment, prior knowledge or summary Write one topic/concept/problem per sheet ( chart paper or legal size) Students record ideas, solutions, questions Students or paper rotates after allotted time period This strategy can be used any time during a lesson: Use chart paper on wall When to use: Beginning – to find out what students know and can do; Middle – to check on their learning End – review for test or predict what will be on test Use different colors of markers to track contributions

Note-taking Main Idea Details Cornell Notes Can be used to provide an outline of the course, chapter, or lecture. Organized by main ideas and details. Can be as detailed as necessary. Sequential-- take notes as they are given by instructor or text in an orderly fashion. After class, write a summary of what you learned to clarify and reinforce learning and to assist retention. Can be used as study tool: Define terms or explain concepts listed on the left side. Identify the concept or term based on its definition on the right side. Summary: There are a couple of ways that you can take notes. The Cornell method is best when the information is given in a sequential, orderly fashion and allows for more detail. The semantic web/map method works best for instructors who skip around from topic to topic, and provides a "big picture" when you're previewing materials or getting ready to study for a test. There are lots of ways that students can take notes- Displayed is the Cornell notes format that AVID uses. Helps students identify main concepts and then supporting points – helpful if they have to write about it later. What’s important is that students organize the material and have the kinesthetic involvement that helps them remember. Later, they can go back and highlight important points when reviewing Easy to highlight important ideas when reviewing for test Can be converted to audio and “studied” via Ipod

Journals Daily - keeps track of happenings in class from student’s point of view. Teacher creates a template. Question – Students record answers to daily, weekly, or unit question(s) Response to reading, video, demonstrations or lectures 10:2 Theory – Pause every 10 minutes to write for 2 minutes down reactions to readying, lecture or demonstration Several ways to use journals : write reactions to reading, lecture or demonstration Solve problems, Write about feelings or question !0:2 Theory – Pause now to write for 2 minutes about how you could use graphic organizers in your class. Pause now for 10:2

Bloom’s Taxonomy Knowledge = Find recall specific ideas and information Comprehension = Understand ideas, meanings and information Application = Use - apply information, ideas and principles in new situations Analysis = Break down information into parts Synthesis = Create - put together parts to make a whole and do something new with the information Evaluation = Judge - the value of ideas, purposes and methods Everyone is familiar with Bloom’s taxonomy – but sometimes it helps to put it in less technical language. If you want a good reading on your questioning level, you can ask a student or teacher to record all your questions. It is very helpful for you to pair with another teacher and each of you observe the other for the level of questions See handout

Question Stems that Promote Student Thinking How does this match what you thought you knew? What might happen if...? When have you done something like this before? How would you feel if...? How did you come to that conclusion? How about...? What if...? What do you think causes...? Yes, that’s right, but how did you know it was right? When is another time you need to...? What do you think the problem is? Can you think of another way we could do this? What do you need to do next? Based on what you know, what can you predict about...? Does what...said make you think differently about...? Tell me how you did that? How does...tie in with what we have learned before? Suppose...what then? What might...think about this? How about...? What if...? Why is this one better than that one? How can you find out? How is...different (like)...? What have you heard about..? Can you tell me more? What else do you see? How does that compare with...? What do we know so far? I think these stems are helpful to move beyond knowledge and comprehension Keep in mind that you cold provide these stems to groups and ask them to complete/ compose the questions related to their current discussion

Question Stems that Promote Student Thinking What do you need to do next? Based on what you know, what can you predict about...? Does what...said make you think differently about...? Tell me how you did that? How does...tie in with what we have learned before? Suppose...what then? Note that you ave the handout in your packet

Review Use Jeopardy to review I have the question. Who has the answer? Students create test questions Graffiti Journals 3 Columns Highlighting notes Group writes review questions for other group

Reflection This is a god way to get students to think back to what was accomplished/learned during the week.. It is also a good record for reveiw

Exit Ticket Students write about the class as “ticket” to leave: What I really know well What confuses me How today’s lesson is related to…. Favorite part of the lesson The possibilities are endless theinformaiton can be very enlightening

3, 2, 1 Reflection 3 significant learnings from this session 2 areas where you want to deepen your knowledge 1 thing you would like to try next week “Now is your chance to take some time to reflect on how this session helped you. Take 5 minutes to write responses to the 3, 2, 1 activity.

Give and Get Find your Give and Get Sheet . Think about how you will use one of the strategies you saw today Stand up and share your idea with someone and then write their idea on your page. Continue until your page is full. Explain Give and Get If time permits… have participants get up and do activity. Also, use Framing the learning for self assessment o Or Rate yourself and groups

Contact Information Karen Cushing Chicago Public Schools Office of College & Career Preparation CTE Curriculum Specialist voice: 773.553.1217 fax: 773.553.3543 kcushing@cps.k12.il.us