Curriculum Leadership Institute

Pathways to School Improvement

E-Hints Related to Instruction

Below is an archive of E-Hints related to classroom instruction and planning. We welcome you to use them to improve pedagogy in your classroom or share them with a colleague who might benefit.

Thank you for making learning fun for kids, even when it means stepping out of your comfort zone!

Teaching Tip - Follow every introduction of new learning with time for students to reflect and discuss. This way they'll have a more permanent stamp in their memory of what you're teaching them.

Teaching for Reflective Learning

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Portrait of smart female college student with books and a light bulb above her head as a symbol of bright ideas
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As anyone working in education can attest, a greater emphasis is placed on criterion-referenced high stakes testing than in the past. In response to this reality, including reflective thinking in a teacher’s toolbox of instructional strategies can help students think about their learning and ensure that applications are meaningful and relevant in an increasingly demanding world. Using CLI processes prompts for reflective learning can be written into unit outcomes and components. They can be explicitly addressed in the instructional planning resource in the context of methods, activities, resources, and assessments.  Proficiency scales also allow students to practice reflective learning as well as tracking their learning.

Proficiency

Measuring the quality and extent of reflective learning is more challenging than measuring simple recall. Therefore, the criteria for implementing reflective learning must be more extensive than past approaches.  When such criteria are met, however, the results have intense and long-lasting meaning.

In their reflection on learning, students will:

  • describe their personal strengths and weaknesses in the context of the skills and understandings required,
  • identify and question underlying values and beliefs in the context of the skills and understandings required,
  • acknowledge and challenge possible assumptions on which expressed values and beliefs are based,
  • identify and describe feelings of bias or discrimination, and
  • acknowledge fears and inadequacies in attempting to improve.

The reflection required to meet the above challenges is designed to improve self-awareness, the first step to positive change.  It defines learning as being something more than the cognitive accumulation of facts and processes, placing it within a student’s life in ways that make scholastic growth a part of meeting personal, professional, and vocational goals.  It gives students emotional tools to positively weigh what they do, so they can identify approaches that work well and reinforce good practices over time.

Methods that Encourage Student Engagement in Reflective Practice

Educational researchers, such as Robert Marzano, Benjamin Bloom, Thomas Good, and Jere Brophy, referred to reflection as being a means to stimulate higher-order thinking. Many authors who advocate the use of cooperative teaching and learning, as well as constructivist approaches, also consider individual reflective behaviors to be valid behavioral outcomes. Research suggests that extensive student writing and speaking (based on solid inquiry activities) are the best vehicles for allowing student expression that is reflective of engaged thought, beliefs, and emotions.  A Subject Area Committee (SAC) can write unit outcomes and components that are specific to this type of writing and speaking.  On an Instructional Planning Resource (IPR), or other lesson planning structure, teachers can include such methods as reflective journals and other self-evaluative tools, peer critique, debriefing techniques, and dynamic feedback in group settings.  These can show up in the IPR methods, activities, resources, and assessment blocks. 

Reflective Learning versus the Negative Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

We all know that students who are otherwise engaged in their surroundings reject subjects they “don’t like” or find “too hard.”  Consequently, they either fail those courses or just get by well enough to keep teachers and parents mollified.  For whatever reason, they simply don’t learn the subject well enough to make any kind of personal and lasting difference.  Without the personal connection to learning, assessment with formal exams or application assessments, a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy kicks in and they fail.  They justify performance with “I knew I’d fail because I’ve always hated that subject” or “I knew I’d fail because I’ve never been good in that subject.”  Sound familiar?  However, because reflective learning causes students to acknowledge their fears and inadequacies and to identify their strengths, question beliefs, and challenge assumptions – such negativity can be deflected before it becomes ingrained. 

The CLI Model offers an effective platform for addressing this more substantial and meaningful approach to teaching and student learning.  Both a Curriculum Coordinating Council (CCC) and a SAC can systematically build in processes associated with curriculum content and instructional techniques that make mastery real and student performance valid.

The End of the School Year is in Sight

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High School Pupils Celebrating End Of Term
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Yes, the end of the school year is in sight.  Teachers are worried about finishing the curriculum, checking in books, taking posters off the walls, entering grades, and all of their other year-end tasks.  Administrators are ticking items off of their unique building goal lists and sending out reminders and final instructions for the last days of school, all the while contemplating their summer worklists.  In anticipation of the end of the year, we experience a seemingly abrupt conclusion followed by a collective sigh.  Afterward, the thoughts of “Oh, no, we forgot… “ settle into our minds.

Let’s start now to check off the tasks and items that are complete or need follow-up.  

We can then take time to reflect and celebrate the positive accomplishments that we might otherwise overlook in a rush to the end.  The provided checklists are republished to serve as a guide to districtwide and classroom reflection and to remind us of all the tasks that require completion or monitoring to start the next year.

5 Holiday Snack Recipes for Your Classroom!

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As a throwback to our most popular holiday E-Hint, A CLI Christmas Recipe Book, we’ve compiled five more recipes! Bring these delicious holiday snacks to your classroom party or keep them at home for you to munch on. Each one is a tried-and-true hit from our CLI staff.

Happy Holidays!

Want to Improve Reading Comprehension? Keep Science and Social Studies in the Elementary Schools

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It is a familiar scenario and solution.  The pressure is felt to improve reading skills to score higher on standardized tests.  Elementary teachers can’t extend the school day, so they borrow time from a content area which doesn’t have a state assessment or one not as often.   Social studies and science take a backseat.   Even though this move seems logical with the best intentions, the results are counterproductive. Since the 1990s, the amount of instructional time in science and social studies has decreased over 90 minutes per week.   It is often the first place teachers look to “pull” students from if they need interventions. Unfortunately, by cutting these courses, the opportunities for developing content vocabulary and knowledge about real life is also reduced. 

Why teach social studies and science?  Social studies classes provide content knowledge, but most importantly, students learn the foundation for why it is necessary to contribute to society as a good citizen.   Science activities are a way to capture the interest of students with fun, hands-on, and minds-on lessons.  Learning activities related to science and social studies help students develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills while connecting concepts to their world. 

Support for the Key Shifts in English/Language Arts Standards  Many states have revised their English/Language Arts Standards in recent years and have outlined key shifts from past standards. Continuing to schedule regular science and social studies classes allows opportunities to teach needed skills. The background knowledge gained from social studies and science provides the context to understand new and complex text for greater comprehension.   Reading about science is no replacement for phenomenon or inquiry, but it can help build the knowledge base for “doing” science.   Plus, citing textual evidence from informational text helps provide pieces necessary for accurate analysis of an investigation.  

Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension English/Language Arts Standards require students to use domain-specific words in their writing and while speaking.  Science and social studies classes provide opportunities for students to learn word meanings, read and hear them applied correctly in context, and use the words for communicating.  Students receiving explicit instruction over the meanings of affixes and root words benefits the current class, but that knowledge is utilized by the students to become stronger readers in all classes.  Vocabulary acquisition improves the comprehension of complex literary and informational text.

Student Engagement  A significant, well-documented reason to keep regularly scheduled science and social studies classes, is that students love the activities these topics provide!  The natural fit for collaboration and project-based learning allows students opportunities for implicit learning, developing good work habits, and applying what they learn to their lives.  Learning while having fun is impactful in many ways!

Teachers are well aware of the importance of reading on grade level by the 3rd grade.  If this doesn’t happen, opportunities to be successful in the future will be more of a challenge.  Capturing every moment available for learning is critical.  If you are interested in utilizing an integrated approach to teach more than one content area at the same time, download CLI’s FREE Civic Education Resource, Life, Liberty, Law.  This resource is aligned to National Standards in Social Studies but also references ELA, Math, Science, Fine Arts, and Social/Emotional Learning Standards.  Get yours at cliweb.org/resources-2. 

Proficiency Scales and the CLI Model

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Many of our school districts have begun work with proficiency scales, a tool introduced by Robert Marzano and Marzano Research to determine levels of student learning. Teachers have seen success in their classrooms when sharing proficiency scales with their students and allowing students to track their progression from level-to-level; therefore, allowing students to take ownership of their learning. One benefit of including proficiency scales in your curriculum, instruction, and assessment work is that both the teacher and student can use them.  Let’s take a closer look at what proficiency scales are, their purposes, and how they work within the CLI Model.

Proficiency scales, typically a four-point scale, include related curricular targets and scores which are intended to clarify a progression of learning. They allow teachers and students to identify student performance. Please review this sample template. The use of proficiency scales is a decision to be made by your Curriculum Coordinating Council (CCC).  Keep in mind, that proficiency scales can be altered to meet the needs of your school or district.

Additionally, a proficiency scale can aid Subject Area Committee (SAC) members in identifying which curricular targets are a priority and must be on a common assessment. Therefore, creating proficiency scales fits perfectly as the first step of assessment work in year three of the CLI Model. This graphic organizer, revised from the Common Assessment Development Cycle graphic from Marzano Research, illustrates the assessment process that we use in our model.

By creating proficiency scales first, SAC members identify priority curricular targets (components) and use this information to better plan their assessments. Jan Hoegh, a consultant for Marzano Research, recommends the following questions as a way to identify what should be included on a proficiency scale.

What is the primary topic of the outcome? Outcomes are summary statements for a unit of instruction. They are meant to encompass all of the components listed as steps to achieving the outcome. Determine the primary topic of the outcome and use that information to develop your level 3.0 score. Sometimes, one of your components may fully communicate the primary topic of the outcome and can, therefore, be copied and pasted into the level 3.0 field of the proficiency scale.

Are there any components that don’t directly relate to the primary target? Some states include standards that are meant to be repeated from grade-to-grade or are more supplemental in nature. Although these standards are important and work well within an outcome, they may not directly relate to the primary target. If this is the case, they may be excluded from the proficiency scale.

Please remember, however, that even if a component is not included on the proficiency scale, it must still be taught and assessed. Everything that is included in your district’s guaranteed and viable curriculum is essential, and students are still expected to learn it. But, components of this nature may be evident in the final product without having specific items that measure them; they tend to be critical understandings or skills that contribute to the end result.

Are there any components that are pre-requisite knowledge or skills? Evaluate the remaining components to determine if they meet this criterion. If so, these may be included in your level 2.0 score.

Similar to other steps of your curriculum, instruction, and assessment work, please think of these questions as guiding questions, and understand they will not always provide the answers that you need to complete your proficiency scales fully. That does not mean that your curriculum was written poorly, but it does mean that you need to think about the end result and include information on the proficiency scale that will prove beneficial to teachers and students. Remember, the purpose of a proficiency scale is to clarify the learning progression for teachers and students and further allow them to identify where a student lies on that progression.

High Expectations Communicate Respect

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Photo source: Megan Soule / Unsplash

As a new school year begins, educators need to set and communicate expectations to the students in their classrooms. When identifying expectations, teachers often struggle deciding whether expectations are too high, too low, realistic, and uniformly applied. Popular research continues to indicate that setting high expectations leads to better results than setting moderate or low expectations, because students feel respected as participants in the classroom community.

While the classroom teacher is responsible for communicating and enforcing the rules, some expectations can be determined collaboratively among teachers of the building. Examples of collaboratively set expectations may include: descriptions of student success at achieving the prescribed curriculum, student behavior in common areas within the school or playground areas, lunchroom behaviors, or limits to absences or tardiness. However, there are also classroom expectations that must be set and applied within the classroom that are not dependent upon how the other classrooms operate. High expectations for demonstrating responsibility, courtesy, cooperation, clear communication, and honesty represent each classroom individually and demonstrates respect for each student as an individual within the classroom community.

In a 2010 edition from FORBES Media, Sangeeth Varghese, a business consultant for the corporate world, identified several characteristic actions that increase the success of expectations. These characteristics are found to push individual employees to build confidence and strive for excellence.  Those same characteristic actions apply to classrooms and could be used to demonstrate the relationship between learning in the classroom and success in the “real world.” Varghese’s recommendations include:

• Declare very high expectations.

“Sometimes seemingly impossible goals are the most likely to be met. Ordinary expectations can be self-defeating because people realize such goals won’t be hard to accomplish, so they don’t try very hard. Thus you should set goals that will at first provoke the response that they can never be attained. Be clear that you are expecting something truly out of the ordinary. As you declare and continually reinforce what you’re hoping for, those from whom you’re desiring it will start working toward it with such a focused effort that the ball should quickly start rolling toward the goal.”

• Communicate your expectations clearly.

“Make sure that there is no ambiguity about what is expected. Describe what you’re aiming for fully and in a positive way. There should be no confusion in anyone’s mind about what you’re demanding. If your goals and priorities are clearly articulated those who will execute them will be able to focus all their effort on attaining them.”

• Make sure those expectations fit their recipients.

“A leader should make sure that he declares the right expectations to the right people. He should consider his audience’s backgrounds, abilities and circumstances before setting expectations. There is no point in setting a goal that’s far removed from what someone has any experience and expertise in. Only establish expectations that have a real, strong chance of succeeding–even if they do sound impossible at first.”

• Communicate your expectations at every level.

“A leader must reinforce his expectations consistently, in both personal and public settings, formally and informally, inside and outside the organization. Every moment you spend with a person should confirm your trust that he will grow to the level you expect. At the same time, you should also make sure your high expectations for that person are reinforced by being conveyed to others inside and outside his immediate milieu.”

• Reconfirm your expectations constantly.

“Do not be discouraged when someone doesn’t immediately grow to fit your expectations. Rather, continue to encourage by being clear that those expectations persist.”

While following the guidelines for establishing expectations in the classroom, we have found that teachers struggle with the temptation to lower expectations for some students out of compassion or simple inconsistency. Students with identified learning needs must have academic expectations that are realistic with their need, but expectations for behavior and participation should be uniformly applied in order to extend to students the challenge and respect that is necessary to grow as successful citizens. When expectations are arbitrarily applied, students to whom the expectations are not applied feel that they are not worthy of the challenge/disrespected and students to whom the expectations are applied may feel that they are being unfairly challenged.

Teachers must guard against the risk of “selling students short” by lowering expectations for “some” students to avoid being perceived as unfair or not respecting all students’ ability to learn and work together.

At the Curriculum Leadership Institute, we believe all students deserve the respect of high expectations!