Prepared Especially for the Language Arts and Science Professional Learning Communities of

1. THINKING GOES TO SCHOOL Prepared Especially for the Language Arts and Science Professional Learning Communities of DEER VALLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL by Dan Mulligan, Ed. D. December 2009

2. A s s e s s m e n t Instructional Capacity

3. “Seven Survival Skills for the New Economy”~Tony Wagner, The Global Achievement Gap • Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving • Collaboration across Networks and Leading by Influence • Agility and Adaptability • Initiative and Entrepreneurialism • Effective Oral and Written Communication • Accessing and Analyzing Information • Curiosity and Imagination “Rigor” is using academic knowledge to create new knowledge/content and to solve real problems. “Engagement” begins with the MIND, not with the HANDS (that is a very loose paraphrase) — activities & action do not equal “rigor”

4. Stacking Cups Supplies Please send a team member to obtain the supplies for your team.

5. Stacking Cups Supplies • Team Task: • Your team task is to create the pyramid of cups (illustrated above); • without touching the cups; • using each of the 6 pieces of string and the rubber band; • each team member must participate in the solution. • Team Procedure: • analyze and reach consensus on a method of solution; • value each person’s opinion and contribution; • After consensus, execute (modify as needed) your team’s plan.

6. Before……. Underline all the adjectives on page 10. Then use at least 8 of these adjectives in a paragraph of your own about a topic of your choice. After……. http://epals.com Sit in front of the school and write a paragraph that describes clearly how the school looks from your perspective. We will e-mail your description to a student in Alaska, who will draw a picture of the school as it is described by you. Be as specific as possible, so that the drawing will look just like your view of the school.

7. http://epals.com

8. http://visualblooms.wikispaces.com VISUAL 21st Century BLOOM’S Taxonomy

9. TOALLSTUDENTSTHINKING… Moving BEYOND“the correct answer” My only skill is taking tests.

10. Premise of the Workshop We need to stop asking “how?’ We now have all the knowledge, the skills, the methods, the tools, the capacity, and the freedom to do whatever is required to serve all students well. All that is needed is the will and the courage to choose and to move on. Peter Block, 1998

12. GiveOne…GetOne… • On the back of your handout, write one way being a teacher/administrator in Arizona is like an astronaut on a walk in space. Think and be creative. • When signaled, circulate the room to meet a colleague. Give him/her your answer and get their answer. • You need a total of 2 answers. You may not get more than one idea from an individual. When you have completed your task, return to your seat. • Enjoy!

14. Identifying Similarities and Differences

15. The process of identifying and articulating similarities and differences among items. Comparing The process of grouping things into definable categories on the basis of their attributes. Classifying The process of identifying and articulating the underlying theme or general pattern in information. Creating Metaphors The process of identifying relationships between pairs of concepts (e.g., relationships between relationships). Creating Analogies What processes can students engage in to identify similarities and differences?

16. Hey… This looks familiar… Which of the high yield instructional strategies do you see in this structure?

19. WHAT’S MY RULE?Theme: Sports Rule: Bowling Terms

20. WHAT’S MY RULE?Theme: History and Social Science Rule: Things you’d find on a globe

21. WHAT’S MY RULE?Theme: _______________ Rule: _________________________ STUDENT CENTERED APPROACH

22. FOUR-SECOND PARTNER Steps: Find a person currently not seated next to you. Make friends  2. This person is now your FOUR-SECOND PARTNER!

23. Personal Learning Goals • I will recognize strategies that have improved achievement for our students; • I will use data to focus additional improvement efforts to reach more students; • I will support my peers by offering constructive feedback to improve their efforts; and • I will enjoy working with my colleagues!

24. SAMPLE Pre-assessment that includes differentiation

25. When students know what they are learning, their performance, on average, has been shown to be 27 percentile points higher than students who do not know what they are learning.

29. Types of pictures: • Draw an example. Explorer

30. Research on Imagery as Elaboration Students who used imagery to learn vocabulary, on average, performed # of studies

31. http://visual.merriam-webster.com/

33. Organizing Theme: Things someone would say… SPECIAL ELECTION 2008 EDITION Trivia Triangle Barak Obama! 200 POINTS Sarah Palin John Kyle 100 POINTS 100 POINTS Cindy McCain Bill Clinton George Bush 50 POINTS 50 POINTS 50 POINTS

34. Organizing Theme: English Trivia Triangle parts of a story 200 POINTS transition words parts of a letter 100 POINTS 100 POINTS noun verb adjective 50 POINTS 50 POINTS 50 POINTS

35. Science Energy 200 POINTS Hypothesis Electron 100 POINTS 100 POINTS Atmosphere Experiment Dissolve 50 POINTS 50 POINTS 50 POINTS

36. US History CONSUMER RIGHTS 200 POINTS PRIVATE PROPERTY GLOBAL ECONOMY 100 POINTS 100 POINTS CIVIC DUTY LAWS PATRIOTISM 50 POINTS 50 POINTS 50 POINTS

37. YOUR TURN!!! 200 POINTS 100 POINTS 100 POINTS 50 POINTS 50 POINTS 50 POINTS

41. Page 19

43. Minority Student Achievement in Suburban Schools~Toward Excellence with Equity, Ronald Ferguson, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, 2007 • Survey of all students in 15 middle and upper income school districts in 10 states; • Examined family characteristics, opinions about quality of instruction, achievement motivation, course-taking, effort, comprehension, GPA and other factors; When I work hard, it is because my teacher tells me I can do well. (“Yes,” instead of “Maybe” or “No”) (Grades 1 – 6)

44. Self-Assessment Tool Setting objectives & Providing Feedback

45. Research-based Strategy:Cooperative learningPercentile Gain 27 The GARDEN Plot

46. Why Group Teams Heterogeneously? H HM LM L • One high, one high medium, one low medium, and one low achieving student • Produce the greatest opportunity for peer tutoring and active participation • Maximum cross-race, cross-sex, & cross-ability team contact • Make classroom management easier - assign roles • Balanced

48. Instructional Strategies that Facilitate Successful InclusionMust … • Supply students with STRUCTURE and ORGANIZATION • Encourage student COMMUNICATION and COLLABORATION • Provide students with VISUAL and HANDS-ON learning experiences

49. Summarizing and Note Taking • Generalizations form the research: • Verbatim note-taking is, perhaps, the least effective technique. • Notes should be considered a work in progress. • Notes should be used as a study guide for tests. • The more notes that are taken, the better.