FALs and MDC

Before the Collaborative Activity:

• Meet as a grade level to collaboratively plan in advance the administration of the pre-assessment

• As a grade level, discuss the connections between the content standards and SMP and what students should know and be expected to demonstrate during the FAL

Before the Collaborative Activity(con’t):

• Materials ready – having students cut-out the day of the collaborative activity takes too much time

• Actually administer the pre-assessment

• Groups based on pre-assessment not convenience

• Development of feedback questions based on actual misconceptions on pre-test

Before the Collaborative Activity(con’t):

• Work the task and anticipate areas of misconceptions and strengths before implementing the collaborative activity

• Reference the standards but do not pre-teach the actual collaborative activity or go over the pre-assessment

• Establish and review rules of collaboration

Pre-Assessment• 2/3 into the unit• 10 to 15 minutes the day(s) before the

collaborative activity • No prior teaching or “helping” students• Recommended to complete in pen• Meet with other grade level teachers to

determine trends in conceptual misunderstanding; develop feedback questions based on results of pre-assessment

Pre-Assessment• Complete the Pre-Assessment individually

(5 minutes)

• http://www.online-stopwatch.com/full-screen-online-countdown/?ns=../../s/7.mp3&nslen=1&countdown=00:05:00

Lesson Feedback Questions• Collaboratively developed based on trends

from the Pre-Assessment results

• Should apply to misconceptions or information they previously did not have

• Should be written in the language of the standards

Feedback Questions(con’t)

• Should connect the concepts and learning goals from the Collaborative Activity to the Feedback Question

• Sample questions are included for each FAL

• Questions must come from student work

Feedback Questions(con’t)

• Questions must be answerable; if you can’t answer don’t list

• Questions must be directly related to conceptual (mis)understanding

• Not too many

• Students should individually complete and a class discussion or individual mini-conferences should follow

Feedback Questions• Develop feedback questions (3 minutes)

• http://www.online-stopwatch.com/full-screen-online-countdown/?ns=../../s/2.mp3&nslen=1&countdown=00:03:00

Feedback Questions

Lesson Introduction

• Whole Class Discussion

Lines and Linear EquationsProjector Resources

Flowing Liquid

P-13

Lines and Linear EquationsProjector Resources

Flowing Liquid

P-14

Lines and Linear EquationsProjector Resources

Liquid flowing out of the top prism 1

P-15

Lines and Linear EquationsProjector Resources

Liquid flowing out of the top prism 2

P-16

Lines and Linear EquationsProjector Resources

Liquid flowing out of the top prism 3

P-17

Lines and Linear EquationsProjector Resources

Liquid flowing out of the top prism 4

P-18

Lines and Linear EquationsProjector Resources

Liquid flowing out of the top prism 5

P-19

Lines and Linear EquationsProjector Resources

Liquid flowing out of the top prism 6

P-20

Lesson IntroductionWhole class discussion:

• introduce the lesson but do not explicitly teach or answer questions related to the Pre-Assessment

• ask guiding questions of individual students and the class as a whole to ensure students understand the context of the problem

• projector resources are included to guide this process

•Frame the collaborative activity

Lesson Introduction

Lines and Linear EquationsProjector Resources

Working Together

P-23

1. The graphs represent the flow of a liquid either out of the top prism or into the bottom prism of the container.

2. Take it in turns to match two cards that represent the movement of water in the same container.

3. Place the cards next to each other, not on top, so that everyone can see.

4. When you match two cards, explain how you came to your decision.

5. Your partner should either explain that reasoning again in his or her own words, or challenge the reasons you gave.

6. Some graphs are missing information, such as a scale along an axis. You will need to add this scale.

You both need to be able to agree on and explain the match of every card.

Lines and Linear EquationsProjector Resources

Graphs

P-24

Lesson Introduction(con’t)

Framing the collaborative activity:•explain the directions•consider modeling the collaborative process of taking turns, justifying ideas, and explaining the reasoning behind a specific rationale•give students one minute to read and process the task before beginning the activity

Collaborative Activity

• Complete the collaborative activity.

Lines and Linear EquationsProjector Resources

Working Together

P-27

1. The graphs represent the flow of a liquid either out of the top prism or into the bottom prism of the container.

2. Take it in turns to match two cards that represent the movement of water in the same container.

3. Place the cards next to each other, not on top, so that everyone can see.

4. When you match two cards, explain how you came to your decision.

5. Your partner should either explain that reasoning again in his or her own words, or challenge the reasons you gave.

6. Some graphs are missing information, such as a scale along an axis. You will need to add this scale.

You both need to be able to agree on and explain the match of every card.

Lines and Linear EquationsProjector Resources

Sharing Work

P-28

1. If you are staying at your desk, be ready to explain the reasons for your group’s graph matches.

2. If you are visiting another group, copy your matches onto a piece of paper.

3. Go to another group’s desk and check to see which matches are different from your own. If there are differences, ask for an explanation. If you still don’t agree, explain your own thinking.

4. When you return to your own desk, you need to consider as a group whether to make any changes to your own work.

Collaborative Activity• usually completed in homogenous pairs based

on Pre-Assessment results• teacher facilitates throughout the activity and

creates experts to share their work with struggling students

• hands-on learning; do not rely on lecture or paper/pencil computations only

• Ok for students to grapple with the work but do not let it lead to frustration or shutting down … constantly monitor groups!

Collaborative Activity (con’t)

• try not to make specific suggestions that move students toward a specific solution; rather ask questions to help students reason together

• the purpose of this structured group work is to ensure students engage with each other’s explanations and take responsibility for each other’s understanding

Plenary Discussion• scribe student’s name and his/her response

• elicit response that go beyond answers; look for conceptual understanding or misunderstandings, justifications, or thought organizations

Plenary Discussion• use high order thinking strategies to allow

students to “think outside the box”

• students should be encouraged to expound on previous responses

• monitor and mini-conference with individual groups and students as needed

Post-Assessment• same or very similar to Pre-Assessment; clean copy

• also give students back their individual Pre-Assessments

• do not grade; do go over for growth and gains in understanding

Post-Assessment• make sure they do not merely copy from their Pre-

Assessments

• they are allowed to use their notes, etc… from the Collaborative Activity and Feedback responses

• should also address: what did you learn; how did you feel; what could the teacher have done differently

Post-Assessment

• Class Analysis Worksheet

Lessons Learned

During the Collaborative Activity:• Frame the collaborative activity – explicitly tell the

students what and why • Utilize a timer – benefits both you and the students• Do not use as a teaching opportunity, rather guided

discovery• Group size – pairs work best• If several groups are experiencing the same

dilemma, bring together as a whole group to discuss

• Create experts to assist other groups

During the Collaborative Activity(con’t):

• Encourage and model correct usage of the vocabulary of the standards

• Always prompt with leading questions, not right or wrong answers

• Utilize actual student work, both correct and incorrect ; but do so in a non-threatening manner

• If time runs out, make sure to bring back together for closing – not just “we’ll pick up here tomorrow”

After the Collaborative Activity:• Don’t give post-assessment without having

plenary discussion• Plenary discussion usually gets omitted; this is

a vital component of clarifying student misconceptions

• Post and reference feedback questions• Involve students and script their responses• Let them “see” their growth• Collaboratively meet as a grade level to

discuss areas of concern and success

Five Strategies of Formative Assessment

• Clarifying and sharing learning intentions and criteria for success: basically letting the students in on what’s going on

• Engineering effective discussions, questions, activities, and tasks that elicit evidence of learning

• Providing feedback that moves students forward

• Activating students as instructional resources for one another

• Activating students as owners of their own learning