SLO 3.2 - Analyze effective instruction for engagement

Danielson's framework is a common professional teaching framework for observing teacher's classroom practice.  It is well-known by educational professionals, educational researchers, classroom teachers, and school administrators in the State of Hawaiʻi.  In this class, we highlight components of this framework in accordance with values put forth by the Hawaii Department of Education (HIDOE).  The 5 components used in the DOE for your instructional observation and evaluations are: 

2b Developing Classroom Culture - Teachers should ensure that students value learning and are aware of the expectations, including learning targets, outcomes, and evaluative measures. Additionally, teachers should work to support students in developing into quality learners, including: effort, commitment, initiative, evaluation, accuracy, and, accountability. 

2d Behavior Management - Teachers are responsible for setting norms and behavioral expectations. Additionally, teachers prevent, monitor, and respond to student behaviors appropriately and effectively. 

3b Questioning and Discussion - Teachers should use a variety of questioning techniques to encourage critical and well-reasoned thinking. Rigorous and challenging questions deepen students' comprehension of a topic and support their achievement of learning goals. Quality questions are the foundation of meaningful student participation and dialogue. 

3c Student Engagement - Teachers are responsible for creating a learning environment where students are actively seeking knowledge, skills, and experiences.  This can be encouraged by designing effective and challenging instruction, managing scaffolding, chunking, and timing of instructional activities, providing meaningful and diverse instructional materials, and creating diverse opportunities for interpersonal and intrapersonal engagement. 

3d Assessing Student Learning - Teachers need to know whether or not students are learning in order to develop insight into whether or not instruction is effective or needs to be adjusted. Having clear learning targets, assessment criteria, and instruction designed to reach those targets is essential in this process. Additionally, teachers should monitor student progress in learning tasks and providing meaningful and timely feedback

We are going to examine classroom instruction from a couple of different perspectives: 

Discussions - Listening to a teacher talk about their classroom

• • • We want to listen to a teacher talk about their lesson in a Pre-Interview (1st Week)

    • We want to listen to a teacher talk about their curriculum or lesson materials (2nd Week)

    • We want to listen to a teacher talk about their reaction to their lesson in a post-interview (3rd Week)

Assignments - Observing and Analyzing a Teacher's instruction and instructional management 

• • • Observe and analyze teacher's practice with the lens of Marzano's Taxonomy and Gardener's Multiple Intelligences (1st Week)

    • Observe and analyze teacher's practice with the lens of Danielson's Questioning and Discussion (2nd Week)

    • Observe and analyze teacher's practice with the lens of Danielson's "Student Engagement (3rd Week)

One way to think about lesson planning and lesson observation is linked to Module 9. We want to decide what level of thinking and action you want your students to participate in during any given activity. Of course, lots of educators throw around the term "critical thinkers," but what does that actually look like? How can we create activities that lead to the level of critical thinking we know our students will need? What are the things students need TO DO in order to be at that level?

We can use our understanding of Marzano's taxonomy (*optional enrichment) and Gardener's Multiple Intelligences (*optional enrichment) to begin building activities that we know will best support our students. 

Remember, higher-level thinking and student engagement are built on a foundation of lower-level student actions and using diverse modes of learning. Yes, we eventually want our students to apply knowledge of routines, but we need them to be able to identify those routines first!

Learning targets are what students will be able to do, which is why many objectives start with "SWBAT," or "Students Will Be Able To...". The year plan or syllabus is an active document, it provides an overview of the course, it can be adjusted at any time during the year. It should include some standards or learning objectives. These objectives are usually in the form of Unit, Lesson, or Project objectives and often live in assessments that help us to measure whether students have learned. When students do things, we can see whether or not they have learned. Students' success and the effectiveness of a teacher are based on students' abilities to complete assessment tasks. 

An effective way to create learning targets is to use Marzano's Taxonomy of Thinking Skills & action verbs. The following are important concepts we want to consider when planning using a learning taxonomy:

Higher-Order Thinking and Planning

4 - Highest Level - Using Knowledge (APPLYING THE KNOWLEDGE & DEEPENING UNDERSTANDING)

• Decision Making

• Problem Solving

• Experimenting

• Evaluation

3 - Next Level - Analyzing Knowledge (APPLYING THE KNOWLEDGE & DEEPENING UNDERSTANDING)

• Comparing

• Classifying

• Analyzing Errors

• Inductive Reasoning

• Deductive Reasoning 

2 - Next Level - Comprehending Knowledge (BUILDING THE BACKGROUND)

• Symbolizing

• Integrating

• Synthesizing knowledge 

• Combining lists

• Developing Themes 

1 - Low Level - Retrieving Knowledge (BUILDING THE BACKGROUND)

• Recalling

• Recognizing

• Executing

• Generating lists

In this case, it's good to think about what actions your students will take that will help you measure how well they've internalized a lesson. What will that look like? What specific things will you see your students doing that show success?

What Do You Want Students to do? (SWBAT or Students Will Be Able To)... or (student-first language of "At the end of this lesson, I can...")

• • • (Lower Cognitive Challenge) arrange, check, cite, choose, define, describe, duplicate, find, group, hold, identify, label, list, locate, match, memorize, name, omit, order, pick, quote, read, recall, recite, recognize, relate, repeat, reproduce, reset, review, say, select, show, sort, spell, state, tell, touch, underline, write

You're expecting learners to - Remember an idea phenomenon or a fact in somewhat the same form in which they learned it.

• • • (Middle Cognitive Challenge) arrange, calculate, classify, comprehend, construct, convert, define, describe, discuss, estimate, explain, express, identify, illustrate, indicate, infer, interpret, locate, paraphrase, predict, recognize, report, restate,  summarize

You're expecting learners to - Communicate an idea or thing in a new or different form &/or see the relationship among things &/or qualify ideas in relation to one's own experiences and/or project the effects of things.

• • • (Middle Cognitive Challenge) analyze, appraise, arrange, calculate, categorize, compare, contrast, correlate, criticize, deduce, diagram, differentiate, discriminate, dissect, distinguish, examine, experiment, investigate, point out, prioritize, question, research, sequence, survey, test

You're expecting learners to - Break things down into their component parts & uncover the unique characteristics of a "thing."

• • • (Higher Cognitive Challenge) adapt, arrange, assemble, build, collaborate, collect, combine, compile, compose, construct, create, derive, design, develop, express, formulate, generalize, generate, hypothesize, incorporate, integrate, invent, make, manage, modify, organize, perform, plan, prepare, produce, program, propose, report, revise, set up, write 

You're expecting learners to - Think creatively (divergently) & take things and pattern them in a new way

• • • (Higher Cognitive Challenge) appraise, argue, assess, attach, award, choose, classify, compare, conclude, criticize, critique, decide, defend, determine, estimate, evaluate, infer, judge, justify, predict, prioritize, rank, rate, recommend, select, support, validate, value

You're expecting learners to - Make judgments about "things" based on either external or internal conditions or criteria & Make or create new or original "things."

Remember - Being lower on the taxonomy is not a bad thing. We all need to roll over, crawl, toddle, and walk before we can run! What's important is understanding how lower-level activities (e.g. arranging events in chronological order) can eventually help students reach higher-level cognitive activities (e.g. determine cause and effect). This will help you plan lessons that properly support student growth.

• Text: Marzano's Taxonomy for Processing Knowledge (*optional enrichment)

• More info about SWBAT (*optional enrichment)

Let's review the information we received from Module 9 about different learning modalities...

Visual-Spatial - think in terms of physical space, as do architects and sailors. Very aware of their environments. They like to draw, do jigsaw puzzles, read maps, daydream. They can be taught through drawings, verbal and physical imagery. Tools include models, graphics, charts, photographs, drawings, 3-D modeling, video, videoconferencing, television, multimedia, texts with pictures/charts/graphs. For example,  a high school English teacher uses film to teach Common Core skills!

Bodily-kinesthetic - use the body effectively, like a dancer or a surgeon. Keen sense of body awareness. They like movement, making things, touching. They communicate well through body language and be taught through physical activity, hands-on learning, acting out, role-playing. Tools include equipment and real objects.

Musical - show sensitivity to rhythm and sound. They love music, but they are also sensitive to sounds in their environments. They may study better with music in the background. They can be taught by turning lessons into lyrics, speaking rhythmically, tapping out time. Tools include musical instruments, music, radio, stereo, CD, multimedia.

Interpersonal - understanding, interacting with others. These students learn through interaction. They have many friends, empathy for others, street smarts. They can be taught through group activities, seminars, dialogues. Tools include the telephone, audio conferencing, time and attention from the instructor, video conferencing, writing, computer conferencing, E-mail.

Intrapersonal - understanding one's own interests, goals. These learners tend to shy away from others. They're in tune with their inner feelings; they have wisdom, intuition, and motivation, as well as a strong will, confidence and opinions. They can be taught through independent study and introspection. Tools include books, creative materials, diaries, privacy and time. They are the most independent of the learners.

Linguistic - using words effectively. These learners have highly developed auditory skills and often think in words. They like reading, playing word games, making up poetry or stories. They can be taught by encouraging them to say and see words, read books together. Tools include computers, games, multimedia, books, recorders, and lecture.

Logical-Mathematical - reasoning, calculating. Think conceptually, abstractly and are able to see and explore patterns and relationships. They like to experiment, solve puzzles, ask cosmic questions. They can be taught through logic games, investigations, mysteries. They need to learn and form concepts before they can deal with details.

Expert - Learning from someone who has many years of experience and knowledge about a topic.

Technology - Using technology to enhance learning opportunities.

Natural World - Learn from being outside or in the actual environment of the topic being studied.

They will need to recall the story, identify their favorite scene and characters, make decisions as a group what to include before planning and creating their comic. They'll be using visual-spatial, interpersonal, and linguistic-verbal reasoning as well. All these skills will build on each other to eventually lead to an engaging lesson that is not only enjoyable but gives students the chance to work at multiple levels of processing in a variety of ways.

Exemplary teachers know and are able to use discussion to drive instruction. These teachers understand the learning pyramid, with lecture-based instruction at the lowest comprehension level, while a student teaching others, developing and creating ideas, systems, and projects to be applied in the real world is at the highest comprehension level. Effective teachers build in time for students to discuss concepts with the teacher whole group, small group, and paired up in most of the lessons. This can take place as a whole lesson or can be interspersed throughout. These teachers use different levels of structures to get responses. 

You could use a simple "Think-Pair-Share"  (*optional enrichment) structure to a more complex Socratic Circle or Kagan Cooperative structure  (*optional enrichment).

There is a fine line between too much discussion and not enough content, as well as when discussion occurs within a lesson. 

How does a teacher know how much is too much and when to add in the discussion?

Most teachers follow a textbook or teacher's guide format, have lessons that they have created and done over the years, while others guess when the discussion would be appropriate. Exemplary teachers understand the content so well that they know ahead of time what questions they are going to ask, as well as being able to ratchet up or down the level on Marzano's taxonomy depending on what the students are giving them from the previous discussion.

The exemplary teacher understands the "give and take" between the teacher and students. The teacher uses formative assessment checks throughout the lesson that helps predict a positive learner outcome. We want to be careful not to ask too many questions and have the students do too many discussions. A teacher may find that they can't introduce enough content and always finds themself behind in the lesson planning and pacing. 

However, a great teacher often thinks…"the students are talking more than me, I am doing my job." The exemplary teacher understands there is a fine balance between too much discussion time and not enough….another example of the art and science of teaching.

Fine-tuning this balance of discussion, as well as being able to read the students in your class, make this difficult for new teachers to master. Years of experience definitely play a role in the development of discussion. Exemplary teachers can "read a class" that is overly chatty and make a decision to increase discussion as a powerful classroom management tool. The best classroom management tool is good instruction!

Quality questions for students - What questions will you ask students to challenge their thinking and to let you know that they are ready or have completed the learning of the objectives?  (Write down some questions that you will use to do temperature checks and formative assessment with questions)

Check out some simple questions here  (*optional enrichment)

High-quality questions cause students to think and reflect, deepen their understanding, and test their ideas against those of their classmates. When teachers ask questions of high quality, they ask only a few of them and provide students with sufficient time to think about their responses, to reflect on the comments of their classmates, and to deepen their understanding. Occasionally, for the purposes of review, teachers ask students a series of (usually low-level) questions in a type of verbal quiz. This technique may be helpful for the purpose of establishing the facts of a historical event, for example, but should not be confused with the use of questioning to deepen students’ understanding.

The teacher poses questions designed to promote student thinking and understanding. The teacher creates a genuine discussion among students, providing adequate time for students to respond and stepping aside when doing so is appropriate. The teacher challenges students to justify their thinking and successfully engages most students in the discussion, employing a range of strategies to ensure that most students are heard.

Indicators include:

• • • Questions of high cognitive challenge, formulated by both students and teacher

    • Questions with multiple correct answers or multiple approaches, even when there is a single correct response

    • Effective use of student responses and ideas

    • Discussion, with the teacher stepping out of the central, mediating role

    • Focus on the reasoning exhibited by students in discussion, both in a give-and-take with the teacher and with their classmates

    • High levels of student participation in discussion

Asking better questions affords students an opportunity for deeper thinking and provides teachers with significant insight into the degree and depth of student understanding. Questions of this nature engage students in classroom dialogue that expands student learning. Questions should go beyond the typical factual questions requiring the recall of facts or numbers. Paul Black, a noted authority on formative assessment, suggests that "more effort has to be spent in framing questions that are worth asking: that is, questions which explore issues that are critical to the development of students' understanding." (Black et al., 2003). 

The following are questions stems tied to Marzano's levels:

• KNOWLEDGE - These types of questions are focused on the retrieval of information

  • • What happened after...? 

    • When and where does the story take place? 

    • Who was in that...? 

    • Can you name the...? 

    • Describe what happened at...? 

    • Can you tell why...? 

    • How does the story end? 

    • What is the problem in the story? 

    • Which is true or false...? when...? 

    • How is ... similar to ...? 

    • What are some of the problems of...? 

    • Can you distinguish between...? 

    • What were some of the motives behind...? 

    • What was the turning point in the book? 

    • What was the problem with?

• COMPREHENSION - These types of questions are focused on student's deeper understanding of information. 

  • • Can you write in your own words...? 

    • Can you write a brief outline...? 

    • How did the main character feel at the beginning of the story? How at the end? 

    • What do you think could have happened next...? 

    • Who do you think...? 

    • What was the main idea...? 

    • Who was the key character...? 

    • Can you distinguish between...? 

    • What differences exist between...? 

    • Can you provide an example of what you mean...? 

    • How was the problem in the story solved? 

    • Explain why the story has the title it does.

• APPLICATION - These questions rely on imagination. 

  • • If you had to cook a meal for the main character, what would you cook? 

    • Do you know another instance where...? 

    • What would you do if you could go where the story takes place? 

    • Can you group by characteristics such as...? 

    • What factors would you change if...? 

    • What would your mother do if she was in the story? 

    • What questions would you ask of...? 

    • From the information given, can you develop a set of instructions about...?

• ANALYSIS - The questions require the learner to make connections across ideas and information. 

  • • Which events could have really happened...? 

    • What do you do that is just like the character in the story? 

    • How was this similar to...? 

    • What do you see as other possible outcomes? 

    • Why did changes occur? 

    • Compare your ... with that presented in...  

    • What part of the story was funniest? Saddest? Most exciting? 

    • How is ... similar to ...? 

    • Can you distinguish between...? 

    • What made the characters do what they did?

• SYNTHESIS - These questions ask students to build on the content. 

  • • How else could the story have ended? 

    • Retell the story from another character’s point of view. 

    • Can you see a possible solution to...? 

    • If you had access to all resources how would you deal with...? 

    • What is another way the character could have dealt with the problem? 

    • Think of 2-3 new titles that give a good idea of what the story was about. 

    • Can you create new and unusual uses for...? 

    • Can you write a new recipe for a tasty dish? 

    • Can you develop a proposal that would…

• EVALUATION - The questions ask students to think about their actions and learning (somewhat metacognitive)

  • • Compare two of the characters on their inner qualities or attributes. 

    • Is there a better solution to... 

    • Judge the value of... 

    • Can you defend your position about...? 

    • Do you think ... is a good or a bad thing? 

    • How would you have handled...? 

    • What changes to ... would you recommend? 

    • Do you believe the main character good or bad? Explain your answer. 

    • How would you feel if...? 

    • Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

5 Metacognitive Questions For Students Learning New Material  (*optional enrichment)

Confronting new material is an almost daily occurrence in classrooms, but figuring out how new learning connects to what we already know or what’s already been learned isn’t always clear to students. For many kids, when new lessons are taught in class, it can feel like just another abstract idea or concept to add to the whole mix of school, another thing to "think about" or memorize for a test, or explain in a writing assignment. 

Grasping the larger framework of how ideas and knowledge build upon each other, how they form an intentional continuum that stretches through units and grade levels and connects to existing background knowledge, is the key to building deeper, stronger, and more durable learning. It’s also a critical part of students taking ownership of their own learning and making the meaningful connections to the things that are unique, important, or contextually based in the life of the student. This is how we bring content to life in the student. 

1. What stands out to me? What makes me wonder?
When students encounter new information we ask them "What do you notice? What do you wonder?" Students can begin class by simply spending a few minutes looking over new material and noting what stands out to them. It helps them slow down and really focus on what’s in front of them. They can write about what they noticed and then turn and talk to a neighbor (pair share) to enhance and draw attention to things that they maybe have missed. 

By giving students time to think for themselves and ask questions about the new material, Young is intentionally empowering them to engage critically with it. She wraps up the exercise by asking students what they wonder, creating a window for Young to see where students might need further instruction and getting them to reflect on their own knowledge gaps. 

2. Which parts or terms are new to me, and which parts do I recognize?
What students think they know and what they actually know don’t always overlap; research shows they frequently overestimate how well they understand content and how prepared they are for tests or exams. But active reflection as they encounter new material can help—they should be looking for gaps in their knowledge, poking at their assumptions about a subject, and contemplating how their thinking syncs with new or old information. 

3. How does this connect with what I already know?
The beginning of a unit is an excellent opportunity for students to think more deeply about how what they're learning may be connected to previous knowledge, strengthening both the new knowledge and providing a review of older material. This is a meaning and sense-making process and students should regularly be pausing to contemplate and ask themselves questions about how what they’re learning fits into their existing knowledge framework. So, if you don't have a framework, this is an opportunity to build one with students.

4. What follow-up questions do I have?
Many students are hesitant to ask questions or don’t connect their feelings of confusion to a need for more information. We can get students to identify what they are confused about and then embrace, work on, and wrestle with that confusion as they participate in the learning activities. Have students work with "What was most confusing to me about the material being explored in class today?" 

5. Why is this idea important?

When teachers routinely encourage students to think about why a new concept or skill is important to learn, or how it links to the real world, it helps students find their own connections to the material and "add their own spin" in ways that clarify for them why they’re engaging with the work. Taking the time to look for and add intrinsic motivation ensures that student engagement is built into the learning process. Focusing on intrinsic motivators will give students desire, discipline, and dedication to learn. 

Arguably the most important aspect of teaching is keeping students engaged. This goes hand in hand with classroom management. If you have effective engagement strategies, you do not have classroom management or discipline problems. 

It is true, effective instruction can cure behavioral challenges. Through relationship building and a toolbox full of engagement strategies, a teacher can successfully manage a class, and learning will happen! 

The effective teacher chooses strong activities, tasks, and assignments that spark students' interests, and not necessarily straight from the textbook. They group their students for specific needs. They also change up what instruction looks like through different learning structures, as well as pacing.

The ability to challenge student's thinking, while creating an atmosphere of agency, as well as keeping students connected is an art form. 

You must ask yourself, "Who is working harder in the classroom, the teacher or the student?" Exemplary teachers build a toolbox that can be used in all instructional areas and they believe that engagement is found in the mind, voice, and body. Students in these classrooms are "working harder" than the teachers, in that they are engaging their minds in multiple ways through many different kinds of tasks. 

Every lesson should include components that can naturally engage students in the activity, task, or assignment. 

Exemplary teachers...

• know when to add in more conversation, hands on materials, visuals, technology, and more. 

• keep up on best practices, what students are interested in, and they are not afraid to take risks.

• read their students' body language. 

• change their lesson structure by adding in more learning structures to get them talking about the content. 

• use the student's energy and talkative nature can lead to deeper discussions and engagement that is more appropriate. 

• realize that when the students do not understand a concept, they may have to adjust the lesson. For example, for students that are not grasping the abstract idea of an algebra equation, they may have to pull out a visual or manipulative. The use of a scale to model the equation can make the concept more concrete for students. This is also true for extending a concept to a more complex level. When using an algebra equation to solve a volume problem, a teacher can use a real-world scenario involving a ratio of the correct amount of cocoa for the perfect cup of hot chocolate.

• introduce a concept at the concrete level, then advance to the pictorial or representational level, and lastly to the abstract level. 

When reviewing the most common lesson formats engagement should be noticeable all throughout a strong lesson. Students should be engaged with materials, each other, and the teacher. Many teachers use a plethora of manipulatives to make lessons "hands-on." There are lessons where a teacher may not have manipulatives, but as long as the materials and learning structures create a "minds-on" mentality, engagement is evident.

What has been called the "hook" or the "introduction," is the very first portion of a lesson that gets students interested in the learning that is forthcoming. Developing teachers start the lesson without thinking about the importance of the first couple of minutes. Proficient teachers start by stating the lesson objective and rationale; they answer the question of why the students are going to learn the concept. Exemplary teachers spend time finding an exciting hook that gets students interest peaked and can continue this engagement level throughout the lesson. 

Here is a shortlist of ways a teacher may start a lesson (many ideas can be used across the subject areas if done effectively):

• A real-life story or event

• Work hands-on with materials

• Joke

• Quick Write

• Video

• Quote

• Movie or book trailer

• Music

• Origin Story

• Picture Book

Teachers must think meta-cognitively about the level of complexity of the question or task, the strengths of the students, and the concrete-to-abstract nature of the concept. They can use best practice instructional strategies and materials to engage students. Here is a short-list of common teacher engagement ideas that have an infinite number of variations:

• Discussion

• Writing

• Movement

• Visuals

• Technology

• Magic

• Real-life stories or Events

• Quotes or testimonials

• Art

• Passion Projects

• Total Participation Techniques (see below)

In many traditional classrooms, a teacher would lecture for a while, and then ask a handful of questions to students. The students that raised their hands were predictable, and most likely, always had the correct answer. This made the teacher feel like they were really doing their job, as they knew at least a couple of students understood the lecture content and could answer the questions. How do we know that the other students were learning as well? That's where learning structures and active participation techniques play a key role in getting all students involved and engaged with the content. 

There are many common, quick, and easy engagement strategies that you can use in your classroom. For example, it's very easy to use a "think, pair, and share." A teacher will pose a question to the students. Students then think meta-cognitively on their own first. Then the teacher pairs them up and they take turns sharing their answers with each other. In this fashion, all students are engaged covertly with their minds, then they share out with a partner overtly. In addition to learning structures, a teacher can add active participation techniques, or Total Participation Techniques, into their engagement toolbox. These techniques are different from learning structures in a couple ways: First, these techniques are used to keep students engaged for a longer period during a lesson; second, they may or may not be a part of an overall learning structure and they may stand alone if used effectively. 

Here is by no means an exhaustive list, and remember, you just want to work a few into your teaching as you become more competent in engagement strategies.  The following are just  optional enrichment examples. 

• Timed Think Pair Share

• Socratic Circles

• Inside-Outside Circle

• Rally Robin

• Rally Coach

• Stand Up, Hand Up, Pair Up

• Four Corners

• Jig Saw

• Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down - agreement, disagreement, or for voting purposes

• White Boards - used to show written response

• Kahoot Quiz - used to quiz students or used as a poll for all to view classroom results; can be used in a game format

• Pinch Cards - used for students to hold up the given response according to what is on the pinch card (ie. A, B, C, D, 1, 2, 3, or True, False, etc…)

• Notetaking - students write down notes in some manner

• Ranking or Ordering - students putting items in a rank order or some other fashion

• Stand Up/Sit Down - getting students moving according to given questions

• Padlet - Using a web 2.0 tool for all students to respond

• Quick Draw - using a white board or paper, students draw the answer

• Likert Scale Scoring - students use a numbered system to score questions, tasks, opinions, etc…

• Actions and levels of Marzano’s Concepts and terms for student’s learning.

• Gardener’s multiple intelligences students are engaging in.

• Danielson’s 3B - Questioning and Discussion Techniques 

• Danielson’s 3C - Engaging Students in Learning

• Lower El. Classroom - Video 

• Upper El. Classroom - Video 

• Middle and High - Video 

Chapter 3.2c - Managing Instructional Planning (Link to Google Sites)