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Definition:
Definition:
Identifying similarities and differences Identifying similarities and differences is the process of comparing information, sorting concepts into categories, and making connections to one's existing knowledge. This strategy helps learners gain insight, draw inferences, make generalizations, and develop or refine schemas ) Holyoak, 2005).
Four strategies are contained within this category:
Comparing is the process of identifying similarities between and among things or ideas. The term contrasting refers to the process of identifying differences.
Classifying is the process of organizing things into groups and labeling them according to their similarities.
Creating metaphors is the process of identifying a general or basic pattern in a specific topic and then finding another topic that appears to be quite different but has the same general patterns.
Creating analogies is the process of identifying relationships between pairs of concepts and identifying relationships between relationships. Dean,Hubbell, Pitler and Stone (2012). Classroom Instruction That Works.
Types of Learning
Types of Learning
....."the strategies are differentially effective depending on whether the learning intention is surface learning (content), deep learning (relationships in and among contents) or the transfer of the skills to new situations or tasks." Hattie, J. & Donoghue, G. (2016). Learning strategies: A synthesis and conceptual model.
Transferring learning at the conceptual level by engaging in mental processes that involve identifying and organizing information that is alike and different (transforming knowledge), and when to use that knowledge.
Steps
Steps
Identify a place in upcoming lesson/unit where one type of task for this strategy might fit and be intentional in using it.
Teach students a variety of ways to identify similarities and differences
Guide students as they engage in the process of identifying similarities and differences.
Provide supporting cues to help students identify similarities and differences.
Steps for Creating Analogies
Steps for Creating Analogies
Identify how the two items in the first pair are related. (A:B)
State the relationship in a general way.
Identify another pair of items that share a similar relationship. (A:B::C:D)
Note: Analogies help students see similarities between things that seem dissimilar on the surface. It is important to take time to identify or create analogies as it is difficult.
Metaphors
Metaphors
Provide students with an anchor for new learning, especially when it is abstract or a difficult to understand idea. Example: "internet is an information superhighway."
This activity helps students extend knowledge.
Steps
Steps
Identify the most improtant elements of the information
Write that basic information as a more general pattern by (A) replacing words for specific things with words for more general things and (B) summarizing information whenever possible
Find new information or situations to which the general pattern applies.
Why it's Important?
Why it's Important?
Identifying similarities and differences helps us make sense of the world!
Helps students bridge low-road learning to high-road transfer by providing a way to make links across concepts.
Research shows high effects when teaching students how to identify similarities and differences. It increases the liklihood that when we encounter new information, we will be able to make sense of it.
Fluency with a skill requires students to be able to explain why a particular item belongs in a category and be able to reclassify items focusing on a different attribute.
DOK Level: 2-3 understanding or to deepen transfer learning
DOK Level: 2-3 understanding or to deepen transfer learning
When to Use?
When to Use?
When trying to move students from existing knowledge to new knowledge, concrete to abstract, and separate to connected ideas.
Promotes sophisticated thinking.
Classroom Practice Tips:
Classroom Practice Tips:
Use familiar content to teach steps for comparing when introducing
Give students a model for the process multiple times! Include feedback.
Ensure students understand the process of comparing before asking them to classify.
Use a graphic organizer that represents the process: comparing- use venn diagrams or comparison matrices; for classifying- use a circle diagram or a chart; for metaphors- use a metaphor pattern diagram; for analogies- use a pictorial form of the A:B::C:D format.
Support and guide students through the process as needed
A 2010 study showed that teachers that had more effective interventions provided additonal support to students by directing their attention to improtant features of the targeted knowledge. Examples: posters of important probelm features; prompts to help students reflect on their learning; labeled diagrams; pointing out patterns in information ( similar spelling pattrns among vocabulary words, steps in a process, parts of a system).
Ask students to explain their thinking as they compare, classify, create metaphors, and create analogies.
Comparing Example:
Comparing Example:
1. Select the items you want to compare.
2. Identify characteristics of the items on which to base your comparison.
3. Explain how the items are similar to and different from one another, with respect to the identified characteristics.
Classifying Example:
Classifying Example:
1. Identify the items you want to classify.
2. Select an item, describe its key attributes, and identify other items that have the same atrributes.
3. Create a category by specifying the attributes that items must have for membership in this category. (Classroom Instruction That Works, 2nd edition (2012).
Mathematics Notice and Wonder
Mathematics Notice and Wonder
This routine supports students in becoming successful, perseverant problem solvers by leveraging multiple mathematical competencies and drawing on multiple sources of knowledge. Asking students What do you notice? What do you wonder? allows students the opportunity to see problems in big-picture ways and discover multiple strategies for tackling a problem. This routine allows for all students to gain entry into the context and to pique their curiosity . Students are able to build self-confidence and reflective skills, their engagement soars, and students realize there are many different ways to approach problems. “When students are given opportunities to pose mathematics problems, to consider a situation and think of a mathematics question to ask of it – which is the essence of real mathematics – they become more deeply engaged and perform at higher levels” (Boaler, 2016, p. 27).
Resources
Resources
Dean, C., Hubbell, E.R., Pitler, H., Stone,BJ., "Classroom Instruction that Works Research-Based Strategies For Increasing Student Achievement, 2nd Edition" McREL 2012
Examining Similarities and Differences, Learning Sciences International (2015)
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