EFFECTIVE TEACHING IN EXTENDED CLASS PERIODS

1. EFFECTIVE TEACHING IN EXTENDED CLASS PERIODS Peter Gow for The Agnes Irwin School April 23, 2013

2. Activate IN PAIRS, PLEASE DISCUSS: What are your greatest anxieties PERSONALLY and greatest hopes PERSONALLY about teaching in extended periods? (We’ll do pop-ups to collect some responses) P. Gow for Agnes Irwin School

3. ANXIETIES • I’ll become boring; I might even bore myself • Too much time for one topic, not enough for two • Students with attention issues will drift or fidget out of range • I’ll actually lose coverage time by focusing too long on one thing or another • My tried-and-true material won’t fit any more P. Gow for Agnes Irwin School

4. HOPES • Sustained learning time builds stronger classroom culture • More time to incorporate online resources • Depth, depth, depth • Opportunities to incorporate project-based learning • More “interdisciplinary moments,” more time to make connections for relevancy P. Gow for Agnes Irwin School

5. PRINCIPLES OF EXTENDED-PERIOD TEACHING • Change it up: vary, clear and definite transitions, stretch breaks • Opening activity that activates attention and sets forth objectives • Everyone’s classroom culture is different; monitor and reflect what works for you and for your students (ask them, too) • Twice as long probably won’t actually mean twice as much; understand your own goals and priorities P. Gow for Agnes Irwin School

6. UNIVERSAL IDEAS—all disciplines • Open with “writing to think” exercises: reflection, pair-share, “I’m confused about,”“I want to know more about,” prompt from text or relevant source • Small group work is always a good idea: discuss text, preparing solutions or instant presentations, preparing debate, formulating questions for full-class discussion… • Set aside dedicated time for explicit test-prep (SAT, ACT, Subject Tests, AP) P. Gow for Agnes Irwin School

7. MORE UNIVERSAL IDEAS • Make real-world connections with material • Become a master of project-based learning using “design thinking”-type methodologies (and make your students master collaborators and creative thinkers) • Become a master of case-based problem-based learning (and make your students master analytical thinkers and researchers) • Let technology be your friend P. Gow for Agnes Irwin School

8. YET MORE UNIVERSAL IDEAS • Review some of old principles of pedagogy in light of challenges and opportunities you foresee: • Bloom’s Taxonomy (and tech-y newer versions) • Find multiple points of entry to a topic or problem • Demonstrate-rehearse-practice-troubleshoot-debrief • Introduce-discuss-review • Explicitly building prior learning into new learning; don’t forget ongoing review of prior learning • Backwards planning: What are your goals for class today? P. Gow for Agnes Irwin School

9. A PRETTY GOOD “TEMPLATE” • ENTICE: review, pose a challenging question or provocative statement • ENLIGHTEN: direct instruction, demonstration, tech-delivered information or instruction, active learning (Socratic seminar, jigsaw, fishbowl, pair discussion, learning stations) • ENGAGE: small group activities (debate, position paper, question a source, practice-and-present), rehearse, practice problems • APPLY AND EXTEND: quick writes, quick draws, student-created problems, projects, research real-world applications or parallels, homework for practice P. Gow for Agnes Irwin School

10. Points of Relevancy IN PAIRS, PLEASE DISCUSS: What is one concrete idea that you already have or are thinking of for use in the longer period? What do you hope to accomplish with this technique? (We’ll do pop-ups to collect some responses) P. Gow for Agnes Irwin School

11. SOME IDEAS BY DISCIPLINEwith thanks to actual teachers! (But you are encouraged to poach)

12. ENGLISH • “Typical” timing: in-class writing 15 minutes; discussion 30; pair or trio write and critique 15; report out and closure 10 • Sample activities: • Written response to interpretive questions on the text or a relevant personal experience • Full-class discussion • Problem-based learning analysis of text • Oral reading of text • Small group work around directed questions; prepare a dramatic interpretation, presentation • Short writer’s workshop activity • Sharing, refining essay introductions or thesis statements P. Gow for Agnes Irwin School

13. MATHEMATICS • “Typical” timing: review previous topic 15 minutes; teacher-led introduction of new topic 15; small-group practice 30; student presentation of small-group problems 10 • Sample activities: • Small group work • Introduce no more than 2 major concepts • Practice and review each new concept • Explore multiple entry points and ways of solving problems • Stagger new and old material to build in continuous review • Computer-based instruction (from Khan to Sketch-up or Sketchpad) • Balance homework to incorporate new and review materials P. Gow for Agnes Irwin School

14. HISTORY • “Typical” timing: reading and annotating short source on day’s concept 15 minutes; individual writing 15; small-group discussion 20; full-class discussion 20 • Sample activities: • In-class writing • Guided reading • Teacher or assigned student lecture • Guest speaker • Jigsaws, fishbowls, pairs • Small groups prepare in-class mini-debates • Group work on major projects P. Gow for Agnes Irwin School

15. SCIENCES • “Typical” timing: demo or video 5 minutes; review 10; teacher-led introduction of topic 15; individual work 15; small-group work 20; application or extension 5 • Sample activities: • intro with a demo of new concept, connection to previous topics • Use multiple approaches to a single topic • Computer-aided research, demos, simulations • Connect topics to current relevance in society or politics • Small group work • Use part of time to work on long-term projects, individual or group • (P.S. Make explicit STEM or STEAM connections) P. Gow for Agnes Irwin School

16. LANGUAGES • “Typical” timing: whole class warm-up 10 minutes; new reading or video 15; 1-on-1 oral work 20; writing or dictation 10; oral “cool down” 5 • Sample activities:  • Small group dialogues or conversations • Solving mysteries in target language • Making maps • Investigating history and culture • Grammar: introduce-practice-review in a single class • Access online resources, videos • Read and analyze texts in small groups P. Gow for Agnes Irwin School

17. ARTS (Are you kidding? You think we need ideas for teaching in longer periods) In fact, your arts teachers are a prime resource for ideas on things like project design and management, small group or ensemble work, and the creation (and assessment!) of effective presentations. Also: Think STEAM! P. Gow for Agnes Irwin School

18. A THOUGHT: STRATEGIC TIME? • Set aside time explicitly to explore connections between topics under study to institutional and student concerns and initiatives in the areas of • Diversity and social justice • Current events and/or social issues on local, regional, national, or global levels • Specific issues in the lives of girls and women • Entrepreneurship and innovation P. Gow for Agnes Irwin School

19. FINALLY: YOUR OPPORTUNITIES • Any change is an opportunity to serve your students better • The profession is being changed profoundly by technology and new ideas; embrace these and find the resources to master and incorporate them • As you explore new ways to do your work, discover one another—build your professional learning networks right here and on line (pick me!) P. Gow for Agnes Irwin School

20. Many Heads Are Better Than One IN PAIRS, PLEASE DISCUSS: By now perhaps a new and interesting idea is forming for something new you may try in class. What resources can you draw upon to turn this idea into a reality? (We’ll do pop-ups to collect some responses) P. Gow for Agnes Irwin School

21. Peter Gow @pgow pgow@independentcurriculum.org