Standard 10 Reflection

EDU 6990 Standard 10 Reflection

Standard 10

Teacher leaders will:

understand effective use of research-based instructional practices

Relevant Courses in Program:

Differentiated Instruction (cont. ed)

Supporting High Achievers (cont. ed)

Reflections

Original Experience and Understandings

I have always designed my instruction using our district’s guide, the UPSD “basics” of Instructional Design. When we are observed, these are the aspects we are evaluated on. Through my research in this program, I have found that our district planning protocol aligns well with the researched-based effective instructional practices I have learned about through this program. We are also evaluated using the Marzano framework, which I have growth very comfortable with. Through my research for my continuing education course, I now know how to improve my instructional design through the use of effective teaching strategies.

New Learning

From this program, I have learned more about effective teaching strategies, and developed a deeper understanding of how to strengthen the strategies I already use in my classroom. Setting objectives and providing feedback and reinforcing effort and providing specific recognition for student effort are two high impact instructional strategies that are inextricably linked and strengthened when used closely and intentionally with one another. Both setting objectives and reinforcing effort are imperative strategies to maximize student achievement. While setting objectives and providing feedback, and reinforcing effort and providing recognition are entirely different strategies by nature, they could not exist effectively in the classroom when isolated from one another.

When designing a lesson, setting objectives is truly the most critical component of the planning process. Setting an objective ensures that learning is purposeful, that all tasks align to this objective and, ultimately, informs students of the most important learning for the lesson. While this practice by itself is critical in planning quality instruction, it is even more critical when students are able to receive feedback from their teacher and peers that allows them to strengthen their understanding and improve. Hattie and Timperly (2007) explain that students must know the objective so well that they are able to determine when they have met or reached this objective. This can be achieved by using simple, grade level appropriate language, and clear success criteria so students understand the objective in its entirety and what it will take to be successful (Dean et. al., 2012). Setting objectives ensures that learning is centered around a critical focus (Pintrich & Schunk, 2002). When students know exactly what they will be learning, they are able to take ownership of their learning and determine what they need to do in order to be successful.  According to Dean et al. (2012), having a clear understanding of the direction of their learning can also help build the “intrinsic motivation” of students as they naturally set personal learning goals (p. 24). The second, and equally important, component of this strategy is providing students with specific feedback that is instructive, prompt, and aligned with the learning objective. This feedback allows students to understand their progress in relation to the objective, how to improve to meet the objective, and what success in meeting the target looks like. This allows learners to evaluate their performance and refine their knowledge to ensure that their effort aligns with the central task. If feedback is specific to the target, this guides students to adjust their learning and impacts student achievement as a result. Feedback should be specific, highlight what was correct or incorrect, and should fill in missing information. Providing feedback also promotes tenacity, as students are more likely to put forth the effort to reach a target if they understand what the target is and, ultimately, why it is important (Brookhart, 2008).  

Providing recognition is only effective in increasing student achievement when it is focused on mastery of a task, rather than comparison to the performance of others (Henderlong & Lepper, 2002). This is to say that providing students with recognition that is not linked to an objective is obsolete. It is critical for teachers to praise work ethic and reinforce effort in relation to a learning task as it teaches students the relationship between effort and achievement. This can be attainable when teachers regularly promote effort and consistently highlight the control students hold over their own effort. This empowers students to exercise control over their learning.

Dean et al. (2012) also elucidate the importance of creating advanced organizers that provide context to new learning. This allows students to make connections to the learning, and have a deeper understanding of what is being taught. Prior to this course, I knew that it was important to access student’s previous knowledge, but creating advanced organizers ensures that all students are provided with critical background knowledge necessary to experience success with the task. Another instructional strategy that I have always employed inconsistently is summarizing and notetaking. This strategy is effective because it allows students to interact with new learning in a meaningful way. It also supports student in synthesizing data, organizing key information, and prioritizing new content. When students are taught explicitly how to take notes on critical content, it leads them to a deeper understanding.

Impact:

Since researching high impact instructional strategies, I have found myself being very intention when setting objectives, and when introducing students to learning targets. When beginning a lesson, I introduce the target to my students, and explicitly explain how this target is important, and relevant to their lives. I have also found that it is powerful to connect the objective to previous and future learning and access or build student background knowledge prior to instructing. This makes the learning meaningful for students and illustrates that their effort and learning is worthwhile and connected. I have also learned that a clear objective and meaningful feedback should allow students to determine how close they are to meeting an objective, and what steps are necessary to get to a higher level of performance. Now, during each lesson, I have students self-assess their own progress toward meeting a target.

Comparably to how students track their progress in meeting a critical learning objective, students can also track their effort and its relation to their success. I have now ensured that when students understand a learning objective, and how to reach that objective, they measure their effort in relation to the target. I now do this with students regularly. Providing feedback in relation to a specific learning target or objective is concise and simple and can be done quickly. I now share formative assessment data with my students prior to each lesson, and set goals individually, and as a class to measure student growth. Dean et. al. (2012) lists three recommended practices for providing recognition. Recognition must promote the achievement of a mastery goal, be specific and aligned with desired performance and behavior, and be concrete. Students are now able to create SMART goals with one another, and independently and measure their progress in meeting these goals on a scale.

I have also been much more intentional about creating whole class advanced organizers prior to the lessons, along with note taking guides that allow students to synthesize the most important information. I have found that these note taking guides can also easily be differentiated to supported struggling learners. Since a fair amount of our curriculum involves listening and learning,  note taking graphic organizers have become a critical resource for my students’ daily brief writes.

Artifacts:
Data Mapping 
EL Data

References:

Brookhart, S. M. (2008). How to give effective feedback 2^nd Edition. Alexandria, AV: ASCD.

Dean, C., Ross, E., P., Pitler, H., Stone, B.  (2012) Classroom instruction that works:           Researched-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, WA: ASCD.

Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The Power of Feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77 (1) 81-112.

Henderlong, J., & Lepper, M. R. (2002). The effect of praise on children’s Intrinsic motivation: a         review and synthesis. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12206194