Prepared for theProfessional Learning Communities of the

Montana Educators’ Summer Instituteby Dan Mulligan, June 2008

Mining for Diamonds in the RoughResearch Strategies that Produce Positive Results

Premise of the WorkshopPremise of the Workshop

We need to stop asking “how?’ We now We need to stop asking “how?’ We now have all the knowledge, the skills, the have all the knowledge, the skills, the

methods, the tools, the capacity, and the methods, the tools, the capacity, and the freedom to do whatever is required to freedom to do whatever is required to

serve all students well. All that is needed serve all students well. All that is needed is the will and the courage to choose and is the will and the courage to choose and

to move on.to move on.Peter Block, 1998Peter Block, 1998

GiveGive OneOne …… GetGet OneOne ……

On the back of your handout, write one way On the back of your handout, write one way being a teacher/administrator in Montana like being a teacher/administrator in Montana like an astronaut on a walk in space. Think and be an astronaut on a walk in space. Think and be creative.creative.

When signaled, circulate the room to meet a When signaled, circulate the room to meet a colleague. Give him/her your answer and get colleague. Give him/her your answer and get their answer.their answer.

You need a total of 2 answers. You may not get You need a total of 2 answers. You may not get more than one idea from an individual. When more than one idea from an individual. When you have completed your task, return to your you have completed your task, return to your seat.seat.

Enjoy!Enjoy!

CategoryCategory Ave. Ave. EffectEffect

Size (ES)Size (ES)

PercentiPercentile Gainle Gain

Identify similarities & Identify similarities & differencesdifferences

1.611.61 4545

SummarizingSummarizing & & note takingnote taking 1.001.00 3434

Reinforcing effort & providing Reinforcing effort & providing recognitionrecognition

.80.80 2929

Homework & practiceHomework & practice .77.77 2828

Nonlinguistic representationsNonlinguistic representations .75.75 2727

Cooperative learningCooperative learning .73.73 2727

*Setting objectives *Setting objectives && providing providing feedback*feedback*

.61.61 2323

Generating Generating && testing hypotheses testing hypotheses .61.61 2323

Questions, cues, & advance organizers

.59 22

66

Identifying Identifying Similarities and DifferencesSimilarities and Differences

What processes can students engage in to What processes can students engage in to identify similarities and differences?identify similarities and differences?

Comparing

The process of identifying and articulating similarities and differences among items.

Classifying

The process of grouping things into definable categories on the basis of their attributes.

Creating Metapho

rs

The process of identifying and articulating the underlying theme or general pattern in information.

Creating Analogie

s

The process of identifying relationships between pairs of concepts (e.g., relationships between relationships).

Similarities and DifferencesSimilarities and DifferencesAnalogies

putter

putter is to a set of golf clubs

as 2 is to the set of primes

2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, …

What is the common relationship?

Three types of curricula exist in any classroom:Three types of curricula exist in any classroom:The Intended CurriculumThe Intended Curriculum: content/skill specified by the : content/skill specified by the state, division, or school at a particular grade level.state, division, or school at a particular grade level.The Implemented CurriculumThe Implemented Curriculum: content/skill actually : content/skill actually delivered by the teacher.delivered by the teacher.The Attained CurriculumThe Attained Curriculum: content/skill actually learned : content/skill actually learned by the students.by the students.

Intended Curriculum

Implemented Curriculum Attained

Curriculum

Effective Instruction #2: Effective Instruction #2: focuses focuses on essential knowledge and essential skills

Montana Content Standards and

PerformanceDescriptors

Content-Related Evidence of ValidityContent-Related Evidence of Validity(Attained Curriculum)(Attained Curriculum)

Essential

Skills & Processes

Essential

Knowledge

Essential

Vocabulary

LEARNINGTARGET

(attained curriculum)

Demonstrate an understanding of and Demonstrate an understanding of and an an ability to use data analysisability to use data analysis, probability, , probability,

and statisticsand statisticsKnowledge Vocabulary Skills

When is a relation called a function?

What does interact mean?

Which event will most likely occur? How do you know?

a. The number of cavities the sixth graders have?b. The number of people in the sixth graders’ families? c. The ages of the sixth graders’ mothers?d. The heights of the sixth graders in inches?

First-grade children from higher SES groups know about twice as many words as lower SES children

High school seniors near the top of their class knew about four times as many words as their lower performing classmates

High-knowledge third graders have vocabularies about equal to lowest-performing 12th graders

Individual differences in vocabulary have a powerful impact on reading comprehension beginning about third grade

CategoryCategory Ave. Ave. EffectEffect

Size (ES)Size (ES)

PercentiPercentile Gainle Gain

Identify similarities & Identify similarities & differencesdifferences

1.611.61 4545

SummarizingSummarizing & & note takingnote taking 1.001.00 3434

Reinforcing effort & providing Reinforcing effort & providing recognitionrecognition

.80.80 2929

Homework & practiceHomework & practice .77.77 2828

Nonlinguistic representationsNonlinguistic representations .75.75 2727

Cooperative learningCooperative learning .73.73 2727

*Setting objectives *Setting objectives && providing providing feedback*feedback*

.61.61 2323

Generating Generating && testing hypotheses testing hypotheses .61.61 2323

Questions, cues, & advance organizers

.59 22

Types of pictures:

• Draw the actual thing.

Marine biologist

Types of pictures:

• Draw the actual thing.

Abraham Lincoln

Mutualism

When one thing helps another.

Types of pictures:

• Draw the concept.

Change

Types of pictures:

• Draw the concept.

Explorer

Types of pictures:

• Draw an example.

revolve

Types of pictures:

• Draw the concept.

Research on Imagery as Elaboration

637 percentile pts. higher

than… …students who kept repeating definitions.

421 percentile pts. higher

than… …students who were using the terms in a sentence.

Students who used imagery to learn vocabulary, on average, performed

# of studies

Step 1 Teacher identifies the new word and elicits background knowledge.

Step 2 Teacher explains the meaning of the new word.

Step 3 Students generate their own explanations of the new word.

Step 4 Students create a visual representations of the new word.

Step 5 Students engage in experiences that deepen their understanding of the new word.

Step 6Students engage in vocabulary games and activities to help them remember the word and its meaning.

50 POINTS 50 POINTS 50 POINTS

100 POINTS 100 POINTS

200 POINTS

a teacher

Organizing Theme:

Things someone would say…

a mother a student

President Bush

Rosa Parks a principal

50 POINTS 50 POINTS 50 POINTS

100 POINTS 100 POINTS

200 POINTS

Ways to make .25

Grade 4 Math Things

that are parallel

perimeter

Types of graphs

area

Types of angles

50 POINTS 50 POINTS 50 POINTS

100 POINTS 100 POINTS

200 POINTS

Science

Experiment

Hypothesis

Energy

Electron

DissolveAtmosphere

KEY QUESTION: Why are common assessments so important?

“You can enhance or destroy students’ desire to succeed in school more quickly and permanently through your use of assessment than with any other tools you have at your disposal.”

Rick Stiggins, Assessment Trainers Institute

WHY do we ASSESS:1. INFORM INSTRUCTIONAL

DECISIONS

2. ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO TRY

Talk to Me…Talk to Me…

DirectionsDirections– Form a team of EIGHT (8) people…– Determine the person with the most sisters and

then send them to pick-up your team ziplock bag… PLEASE DO NOT OPEN!!!

– Determine the person with the least sisters and send them to pick-up a grid sheet for each person.

– Distribute a grid sheet to each team member.

Follow-up DebriefingFollow-up Debriefing

Each pair should share with your other team members Each pair should share with your other team members the method you used to graph the figure.the method you used to graph the figure.

Discuss with your team:Discuss with your team:– Which method appeals to you?Which method appeals to you?– Is there another method that you would prefer?Is there another method that you would prefer?

Prepare for a “pairs choice of method” with a new Prepare for a “pairs choice of method” with a new graph.graph.

Key QuestionKey Question

Did your performance on the second Did your performance on the second attempt to complete the grid exercise attempt to complete the grid exercise improve after having an opportunity to improve after having an opportunity to

self-assess your initial strategy?self-assess your initial strategy?

Formative AssessmentFormative AssessmentFormative assessment is theFormative assessment is the processprocess used used by by teachersteachers and and studentsstudents during instruction during instruction that provides feedback to adjust teaching that provides feedback to adjust teaching and learning for the purpose of improving and learning for the purpose of improving student learning. student learning.

Council of Chief State School Officers, October 2006

Notes:

Process rather than a particular test….

It is not the nature of the test itself that makes it formative or summative…it is the use to which those results will be put.