Touchstones of Effective Teaching
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Set StandardsSet Standards
Goodwin and Hubbell state that effective do not operate on different school calendars or with longer class periods; they simply do things differently with the time they’re given (p. xii, 2013).” Checklists and task trackers can benefit the classroom and allow for timely completion of classroom tasks. Checklists or similar practices can provide a teacher with a visual prioritization and communicate clearly classroom expectations and practices. For younger students, simple, task-based checklists can help them become accustomed to following steps, adding order to the relative chaos of learning, and offering a pathway to accomplishing complex tasks. For older students, they can do all of the above, and also serve as memory aids as they work on unfamiliar or complicated tasks (Marino, 2013, para. 2). Students using checklists or a similar process in the classroom benefit from increased self-awareness and develop skills necessary for problem solving and time management. Additionally, teachers benefit from using standards in the classroom. New teachers are particularly vulnerable to environmental difficulties, such as difficult work assignments, unclear expectations, and inadequate resources (Gordon, 1991, p. 2). Implementing a task/expectation based system in the classroom allows for greater classroom management, planning/organizing/managing instruction, dealing with individual student needs/interests/abilities/problems and boosts teacher communication with the student and parent. The use of a checklist or task based system allows the teacher to address multiple intelligences in the classroom and can promote outside of the box, creative thinking and curriculum implementation. The system individualizes the learning process while also providing instructional focus and easier classroom management. Many schools provide students and teachers access to current technology, which may be used to develop web or computer based task lists that can be virtually shared with parents. Regardless of the use of virtual or traditional checklists, the basic premise is to encourage the three imperatives for good teaching and obtain positive student response. It is also important to note that students may participate in the system design, which would provide an opportunity for greater student conformity to the process. I ensure students SET PERSONAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES for each lesson. The goal setting activity promotes active learning. Analysis of research literature around active learning suggests that students must do more than just listen: they must read, write, discuss or be engaged in solving problems. More importantly students must engage in higher order thinking tasks such as analysis and goal setting (Bonwell & Eison, 1991, p. 5). Goal setting motivates students to learn and actively manage their own learning. Technics for goal setting can help students become self-regulated learners Promoting self-determination is important, especially in early elementary years. For younger children, goal setting can be made into a pleasurable activity. An idea for early elementary goal setting is to use the team concept and sports as a model. The goal challenge can be set up as a baseball game, with the students using each “inning” to work toward a goal. As learners workon tasks, they observe their own performances and evaluate their own goal progress. When students perceive satisfactory goal progress, they feel capable of improving their skills (Schunk, 1990, p. 71). Goal setting activities performed with high school students require different techniques than that of a younger student. Students at any age level should be given short and long term goals with the understanding that conquering the smaller objectives will eventually lead the student to the broader learning goal that overarches the unit or lesson (Goodwin and Hubbell, 2013, p. 24). Older students tend to break goals into categories- school related and life related. A goal setting lesson for an older student might include the student choosing one school related goal and one life related goal. In choosing the goal the student will consider dividing the overarching goal into long-term and short-term goals. The goals should be reasonable and attainable. Students can think in the time frames of 1 week, 1 month, 1 year, etc. Students will use a pyramid model to list their larger goal and the short term milestones leading to the larger goal. It is important to write down the goals and consistently review them to assess progress. The process of writing down goals tells the brain to start paying attention to ambitions and makes the students aware of the opportunities and process to achieve the goals (Baldwin, 2010, p. 31). I peel back the curtain and MAKE MY PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS CLEAR. True formative assessment occurs within a shortened time period to analyze what concepts students comprehend or what skills they are struggling to master (Goodwin and Hubbell, 2013, p. 155). There are many opportunities for formative assessment in the classroom. Much like the goal setting activities, formative assessment keeps students on track with their learning and allows for a measure of self-assessment. It is important to bring students into the assessment process. Doing so will allow them to guide their own learning and assess their progress. Feedback given as part of formative assessment helps learners become aware of any gaps that exist between their desired goal and their current knowledge, understanding, or skill and guides them through actions necessary to obtain the goal (Boston, 2002, p. 2). Formative assessment should reflect the learning and not just the“work.” I think it is important to use multiple forms of formative assessment and prefer to pair them with learning styles (verbal, written, etc.). Because I typically like to provide for multiple learning styles I would use the following forms of formative assessment: Checking Understanding through Verbal Means: Talking points Debate, listening skills Retelling- oral Summary Checking Understanding through Questions: Recognition Recall of information Applying information in a novel way Checking Understanding through Writing: - Interactive writing with classmates, teacher Read and respond - Summary writing Checking Understanding through Projects and Assignments: Problem based learning Project based learning Collaboration Use of media and other materials I MEASURE UNDERSTANDING against high expectations. Create a rubric around the skills being taught with different levels of proficiency identified. Example- Financial Literacy: I created a rubric for the students based off of the learning targets that I gave them in the unit plan and the results of the data from the formative assessment. The rubric is based on the two areas assessed: knowledge and understanding of basic financial concepts and measurement of financial behavior and attitudes. The ultimate goal of this rubric is to assist the learner in becoming increasingly self-directed, motivated, and evaluative. The rubric was created during unit development, however I am considering developing a second rubric with help from the students. Instructors often use grading rubrics to support student goal setting, citing that rubrics helped students set mastery-oriented goals based on the criteria stated in the rubric (Kitsantas and Dabbaugh, 2012, p. 65). Students were provided with their pre-assessment results and a copy of the financial literacy rubric. They were asked to “score” themselves in order to determine areas of strength and opportunity. Students were also asked to create a mini rubric to identify other areas to measure based on the topics presented in each section of the assessment and teacher’s rubric. Each student will create a list of goals based on the information in the rubrics and their pre-assessments. NEFE (National Endowment for Financial Education) provides an online financial planning program for high school students that allows students to track their goals and progress. Students will enter goals into the NEFE system, which will provide an easy tracking system that can show students where there are in progress and allow them to compare the report to the lesson rubric (Braunstein and Welch, 2002, p 40.) |
Be SupportiveI engage student interest with every lesson. Learning is related to and influenced by the climate or culture within which is occurs (Jonassen, 1999, p. 3). Several instructional models, such as problem based learning, have shown promise in engaging students within the classroom environment. The ideas and framework that seem to work best are those that consider real-world relevancy. Example: For teaching financial literacy related subjects successful programs must focus on relating the importance of understanding basic financial literacy to the students’ ability to reach and potentially exceed their goals or levels of aspiration (Mandell and Klein, 2007, p. 106). Based on the goal setting theory of motivation, Locke (1968) and Latham (1990) find that individual goals are likely to determine how well a student performs related tasks (Mandell and Klein, 2007, p. 107). There is current movement in financial education that suggests students retain little of what they learn in personal finance and money management classes because they do not perceive that it is relevant to their lives (Goslin, 2003). Taking the above points into consideration I have found the best way to engage and motivate my students is to allow them to apply what they have learned in real world settings. I am fortunate to teach in a classroom that has computers, so at the end of each lesson I provide an online or interactive component to reinforce the classroom material. I often use “clickers” to engage the students in a Jeopardy style game that gives students the opportunity to “buzz in” and answer questions. Students that answer questions are also given the opportunity to either list one fact they learned in class or provide an explanation of the question or answer they have provided during the game. Students participating and providing correct answers can choose extra credit points of tickets redeemable for snacks or door prizes. Once per week students are given the opportunity to participate in Jump $tart’s “Reality Check” program. This online program provides students with the opportunity to live (virtually) as an adult consumer. This enables them to apply the concepts they have learned in the classroom in a real world type setting. I interact meaningfully with every student. I constantly interact with students in both a large group environment and one-on-one. One to one conferencing with students, work in small groups as well as interaction during projects and classroom “games” provides me with a solid connection to my students and students with connections to their peers. I have found that communication is a key in gaining financial knowledge and making students feel comfortable in discussions about money. I use feedback to encourage effort. Student motivation translates into effort, which in turn has a greater effect on performance than ability does (Goodwin and Ross, 2013, p. 66). In the fixed-mindset world, students worry about making mistakes. They see mistakes as a sign of low ability. They also worry about effort and view it in the same way- as a sign of low ability (Dweck, 2010, p. 303). Fixed mindset feedback often induces students to care more about the way they look on paper than actually learning. Adding growth oriented feedback can teach that mistakes and effort are critical to learning. Growth mindset feedback offers critical feedback in a different way that allows students to embrace their mistakes and welcome challenges (Dweck, 2010, p. 303). The growth mindset feedback is a shift in traditional pedagogy, which has emphasized evaluation and scoring as a measurement of student learning and success. I have seen the slow change in the way elementary school children are measured. When I was in elementary school we received actual letter grades. Many elementary schools have moved from letter grades to a rating system that includes designations such as “meets expectations, approaches expectations, needs practice.” Schools are developing more rubric based evaluations, which also provide growth mindset. Many studies indicate that growth mindset feedback have a positive impact on student’s motivation and self-regulation, which influence growth and achievement more than the person’s initial ability (Duckworth and Seligman, 2005). I create an oasis of safety and respect. As the evidence grows to support the promising effects of growth mindset feedback, the challenge for teachers is how to incorporate it into the classroom while still maintaining a level of accountability and assessment. Feedback is not the same thing as advice, praise and evaluation. The most effective feedback provides guidance on what students are doing well and what opportunities they have for improvement (Goodwin and Hubbell, 2013, p. 99). Using a rubric or scale can provide growth based feedback. Also focusing assessment on strategies, choices and persistence can yield long term benefits in preparing students to complete challenging and meaningful tasks. Teachers may illustrate the concept of the growth mindset by having their students write about, and share with one another, something they used to be poor at and are now very good at. Such discussions encourage students not to be ashamed to struggle with something before they are good at it. Teachers can also ask their students to choose an area in which they would like to improve and then to establish a personal goal that would be a big reach for them. Teachers can identify students who have easily mastered the material and design in-class assignments that include some problems or exercises that require these students to stretch. This way, the teacher will be close at hand to guide students if necessary and get them used to (and ultimately excited about) the challenging work (Dweck, 2010, p. 4). Be IntentionalI make the most of every minute.
The efficient use of time is an important variable in helping students achieve learning goals and making the classroom a pleasant place for students and teachers. Unfortunately how teachers spend time is all too often determined by state or district mandates, school policy and rigid daily school schedules. Most standards based curricula are rigorous courses of student that, in most instances, specify achievement of many more objectives than can be taught to an appropriate depth (McLeod, Fisher and Hoover, 2003, p. 3). Therefore, it is important for teachers to do a “time inventory” to assess how classroom time is being spent. Wong and Wong (2014) describe four types of school-day time: Allocated time: Total time for teacher instruction and student learning. Instructional Time: The time teachers are actively teaching. Engaged Time: The time students are involved in a task. Academic Learning Time: The time teachers can prove that students learned the content or mastered the skill. I choose to use the Wong and Wong (2014) model to evaluate how I use my classroom time. I strive for a balance of each area. Using the four types of school day time can vary depending on the classroom age group. Instructional pacing is a concept that can provide for successful time allocation. Instructional pacing allows teachers to teach key grade level content to a depth that ensures that most students master the content favoring depth over breadth (McLeod, et. al, 2003). My classroom follows this principal, as I choose a limited number of financial literacy concepts to cover so that students have a better chance to master the content. Scheduling is also very important. I schedule major parts of my curriculum at a time that allows for little interruption from holidays, test schedules and other school events. I also use independent work as a way to balance classroom time and learning. Identifying areas of curriculum I can develop using learning centers or other independent work that can be done outside of school. Additionally, I have used a planning instructional activities chart to keep me time focused. The categories on the chart include: preparing and distributing materials, introducing the lesson, delivering instruction, assigning work, assessing progress and closing the lesson (McLeod, et. al., 2003). I help students develop deep knowledge. Students are provided with opportunities to process information during brain breaks, transitions and feedback/goal review. The opportunity to process information promotes active learning. Active learning is an important component of education. By engaging students in the learning process they are better able to apply the knowledge they gain. It is necessary to provide time for students to process the information they have learned because the brain cannot carry out two cognitive processes at one time (Sousa, 2011, p. 31). Allowing students to respond to what they have learned via various mechanisms (small group discussion, fast past question and answer, etc.) provides the opportunity for students to process the information in a way that best suits their learning style (Cooper, Kiger, Robinson and Slansky, 2011, p.2). Many of the assignments and applications in my lessons provide opportunities to learn through experience. Experiential learning is governed by application of learned concepts in real world settings and is guided by the principles of connection, curiosity and context (Beard and Wilson, 2013, p. 5). I coach students to mastery. Students review their progress each class period by updating and reviewing their long term and short term goals. Additionally, the students receive my feedback via an updated rubric that shows them where they land in terms of their learning targets. This would really ensure that students are evaluating their own work and setting individual goals about what they will need to focus on to achieve mastery. Reviewing their goal progress and feedback from the rubric will help them become self-regulated learners, which should increase their ability to master the standards and skills and apply knowledge to real world settings. Research on formative assessment and feedback indicates that both can help students take control of their own learning, i.e. become self‐regulated learners. A key argument is that students are already assessing their own work and generating their own feedback, and classrooms should build on this ability. This shift in focus, whereby students are seen as having a proactive rather than a reactive role in generating and using feedback, has profound implications for the way in which teachers organize assessments and support learning(Nicol and Macfarlane, 2006, p. 1). All assessment-whether conducted by teachers or by learners- involves two key elements. The first is the development of knowledge and an appreciation of the appropriate standards and criteria for meeting those standards. The second is the capacity to make judgments about whether or not the work involved does or does not meet those standards (McCombs and Marzano, 1990, p. 11). This is why using both a rubric and a goal review that includes a rating system of goal progress is important for student self-assessment. I help students do something with their learning. Learning is related to and influenced by the climate or culture within which is occurs (Jonassen, 1999, p. 3). Several instructional models, such as problem based learning, have shown promise in engaging students within the classroom environment. The ideas and framework that seem to work best are those that consider real-world relevancy. For teaching financial literacy related subjects successful programs must focus on relating the importance of understanding basic financial literacy to the students’ ability to reach and potentially exceed their goals or levels of aspiration (Mandell and Klein, 2007, p. 106). Based on the goal setting theory of motivation, Locke (1968) and Latham (1990) find that individual goals are likely to determine how well a student performs related tasks (Mandell and Klein, 2007, p. 107). There is current movement in financial education that suggests students retain little of what they learn in personal finance and money management classes because they do not perceive that it is relevant to their lives (Goslin, 2003). Student motivation translates into effort, which in turn has a greater effect on performance than ability does (Goodwin and Ross, 2013, p. 66). Taking the above points into consideration I have found the best way to engage and motivate my students is to allow them to apply what they have learned in real world settings. Additionally, it is important for me to “hook” student interest at the very beginning of the lesson. In order to accomplish this I ask a question or detail a scenario and ask the students to respond. I will also show videos from YouTube or use visual aids to hook the students, asking them to find the correlation between what they are seeing/hearing and what we are learning in class. |
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