Cluster 4

Student Intellectual Engagement

To what extent are students engaged in a classroom of high intellectual energy? What is the nature of what students are doing? Are they being challenged to think and make connections through both the instructional activities and the questions explored? Do the teacher's explanations of content correctly model academic language and invite intellectual work by students? Are students asked to explain their thinking by constructing logical arguments and citing evidence, and are they encouraged to question the thinking of others? Are the instructional strategies and learning activities the teacher uses suitable to the discipline? To what extent do those strategies and activities promote student agency in their learning of challenging content?

Components of Focus: 1e, 2b, 3a, 3b, 3c