Research-based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement

1. An Overview of… Research-based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement and What Works in Schools: Translating Research into Action (Robert Marzano, 2001 & 2003)

2. Major Factors Influencing Student Achievement • School factors • Guaranteed viable curriculum • Challenging goals and feedback • Parental and community involvement • Safe, orderly, conducive to learning environment • Professionalism and collegiality • Classroom factors • Aligned, viable curriculum • Classroom management • Instructional strategies • Student factors • Home environment • Motivation • Acquisition of knowledge

3. “In teaching it is the method and not the content that is the message…the drawing out, not the pumping in.” - Ashley Montague

4. 9 Research-based Strategies for Instruction (Robert Marzano, 2001 & 2003) 1. Identifying Similarities and Differences 2. Summarizing and Note Taking 3. Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition 4. Homework and Practice

5. 9 Research-based Strategies for Instruction (Robert Marzano, 2001 & 2003) 5. Nonlinguistic Representation 6. Cooperative Learning 7. Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback 8. Generating and Testing Hypotheses 9. Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers

6. 1. Identifying Similarities and Differences • Generalizations from research • Explicit guidance in identifying similarities and differences enhances students’ understanding of and ability to use knowledge. -Students’ independent identification of similarities and differences enhances students’ understanding of and ability to use knowledge.

7. Identifying Similarities and Differences • Generalizations from research (cont.) • Representing similarities and differences in graphic or symbolic form (e.g. Venn Diagram) enhances students’ understanding of and ability to use knowledge. -Identifying similarities and differences can be done in a variety of forms.

8. Forms for Identifying Similarities and Differences • Comparing What are the important characteristics of these topics/ideas that you want to compare? • Classifying What are the rules that govern group membership?

9. Forms for Identifying Similarities and Differences • Metaphors (“Love is a rose”) What is the abstract or nonliteral connection between the ideas? • Analogies (“Oxygen is to humans as carbon dioxide is to plants”) What is the “relationship between the relationships”?

10. Checking for Understanding

11. 9 Research-based Strategies for Instruction (Robert Marzano, 2001 & 2003) 1. Identifying Similarities and Differences

12. 2.Summarizing and Note Taking • Generalizations from research on summarizing • To effectively summarize, students must delete, substitute, and keep some information. - To effectively delete, substitute, and keep information, students mustanalyze the information at a deep level. • The structure of the information can • aid summarizing.

13. Classroom Practice in Summarizing • Rule-based Summarizing • Delete the trivial. • Delete the redundant. • Substitute generic terms for listing. (e.g. “dogs” for “labs, spaniels, and boxers”) • Select/create a topic sentence. • Summary Frames • Create a series of questions to highlight critical elements to guide students in summarizing information.

14. Classroom Practice in Summarizing (cont.) • Reciprocal Teaching (Student leader) • Summarize • Generate questions • Clarify • Encourage predictions

15. Summarizing and Note Taking • Generalizations from research on note taking - Verbatim note taking is least effective. - Notes are a work in progress. • Notes should be used as study guides • for tests. - The more notes taken, the better.

16. Classroom Practice in Note Taking • Teacher-prepared notes • Highlight important points. • Model note taking for students. • Formats for notes • Informal outline • Webbing • Combination

17. Checking for Understanding

18. 9 Research-based Strategies for Instruction(Robert Marzano, 2001 & 2003) 1. Identifying Similarities and Differences 2. Summarizing and Note Taking

19. 3. Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition • Generalizations from research on reinforcing effort - Not all students realize importance of believing in effort. - Students can learn to change their beliefs to an emphasis on effort.

20. Classroom Practice in Reinforcing Effort • Keep track of effort and achievement. • Effort and achievement rubrics • Effort and achievement chart

21. Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition • Generalizations from research on providing recognition • Rewards increase intrinsic motivation if measured as student’s attitude toward the activity. - Reward is most effective when attached to attaining a performance goal. - The more abstract/symbolic the reward, the more powerful it is (e.g. verbal recognition).

22. Classroom Practice in Providing Recognition • Personalize recognition • Recognize “personal best”. • Pause, prompt, praise • Use during demanding task. • Concrete symbols of recognition • Give tokens (e.g. stickers) for achievement of performance goal.

23. Checking for Understanding

24. 9 Research-based Strategies for Instruction (Robert Marzano, 2001 & 2003) • Identifying Similarities and Differences • Summarizing and Note Taking 3. Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition

25. 4. Homework and Practice • Generalizations from research on homework - Students at lower grades should be given less homework than students at higher grade levels. - Parent involvement in homework should be kept to a minimum. - The purposes for homework should be identified and stated. - If homework is assigned, it should be commented on.

26. Classroom Practice in Homework • Establish, communicate, and adhere to clear homework policies. • Purposes (i.e. practice, preparation, elaboration) • Amount assigned • Consequences for non-completion • Description of parental involvement acceptable

27. Classroom Practice in Homework • Design homework assignments that clearly state the purpose and outcome for the assignments. • Vary the approaches to providing feedback. • Manage work load • Maximize the effectiveness of feedback

28. Homework and Practice • Generalizations from research on practice • Mastering a skill takes repeated, focused practice over time. - During initial practice of a skill, students shape their conceptual understanding. The student should deal with only a few examples during this phase to support the depth of reasoning required. Speed is not the focus.

29. Classroom Practice in Practicing Skills • Chart both speed and accuracy. • Focus practice on specific parts of a complex skill or process. • Provide time for modeling the skill, time for guided practice, and time for independent practice.

30. Checking for Understanding

31. 9 Research-based Strategies for Instruction (Robert Marzano, 2001 & 2003) • Identifying Similarities and Differences • Summarizing and Note Taking • Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition 4. Homework and Practice

32. 5. Nonlinguistic Representations • Generalizations from research • A variety of activities produce nonlinguistic representations which enhance student understanding of content. - Nonlinguistic representations should elaborate on (add to) content knowledge.

33. Types of Nonlinguistic Representations • Graphic organizers • Descriptive pattern • Time sequence • Process/Cause-Effect • Episode • Generalization/Principal pattern • Concept pattern • Physical models • Concrete representations of knowledge • Manipulatives

34. Types of Nonlinguistic Representations (cont.) • Mental pictures • Pictures or pictographs • Kinesthetic (movement) activity

35. Checking for Understanding

36. 9 Research-based Strategies for Instruction (Robert Marzano, 2001 & 2003) • Identifying Similarities and Differences • Summarizing and Note Taking • Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition • Homework and Practice 5. Nonlinguistic Representation

37. 6. Cooperative Learning • Generalizations from research • Organizing groups based on ability should be done sparingly. • Cooperative groups should be small in size (3-4 members). • Cooperative learning should be applied consistently and systematically (at least once per week), but not overused.

38. Classroom Practice in Cooperative Learning • Five elements of cooperative learning • Positive interdependence • Face-to-face interaction • Individual and group accountability • Interpersonal and small group skills • Group processing • Grouping patterns • Informal (e.g. turn-to-your-neighbor) • Formal for more complex tasks (with cooperative learning components) • Base groups (long-term)

39. Checking for Understanding

40. 9 Research-based Strategies for Instruction (Robert Marzano, 2001 & 2003) • Identifying Similarities and Differences • Summarizing and Note Taking • Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition • Homework and Practice • Nonlinguistic Representation 6. Cooperative Learning

41. 7. Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback • Generalizations from research on goal setting • Instructional goals narrow what students focus on. • Instructional goals should not be too specific (i.e. not stated in behavioral terms). • Students should be encouraged to personalize the teacher’s classroom goals.

42. Classroom Practice in Goal Setting • Set focused but flexible goals. • Develop contracts with students for attainment of specific goals.

43. Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback • Generalizations from research on providing feedback • Feedback is the most powerful single modification to enhance achievement. • Feedback should be “corrective” with explanation, not just “right” or “wrong”. Ask students to work at the task until they succeed. • Feedback should be timely.

44. Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback • Generalizations from research on providing feedback (cont.) • Feedback should be specific to a particular standard/criterion. • Students can effectively provide some of their own feedback.

45. Classroom Practice inProviding Feedback • Give students feedback in terms of specific levels of knowledge and skill instead of a percentage score. • Develop a rubric for information. • Develop a rubric for process/skill. • Give students specific feedback. • Students can be a part of feedback process.

46. Checking for Understanding

47. 9 Research-based Strategies for Instruction (Robert Marzano, 2001 & 2003) • Identifying Similarities and Differences • Summarizing and Note Taking • Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition • Homework and Practice • Nonlinguistic Representation • Cooperative Learning 7. Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback

48. 8. Generating and Testing Hypotheses • Generalizations from research • Hypothesis generation and testing can be approached in an inductive or deductive manner. • Deductive – Use a general rule to make a prediction about a future action or event • Inductive – Draw new conclusions based on information known or given • Teachers should ask students to clearly explain their hypotheses and their conclusions.

49. Classroom Practice in Generating and Testing Hypotheses • Systems analysis • Generate hypotheses to predict what might happen if some aspect of a system were changed. • Problem solving • Generate and test hypotheses related to overcoming barriers in obtaining a goal. • Historical investigation • Construct plausible scenarios for the past, about which there is no general agreement.

50. Classroom Practice in Generating and Testing Hypotheses (cont.) • Invention • Hypothesize what might work, develop idea, conduct tests to see if it solves the problem/meets goal. • Experimental inquiry • Generate and test hypotheses for explaining something you have observed. • Decision Making • Use a structured Decision Making framework for analysis of alternatives.