Cognitive Demand

Cognitive Demand

We ask a lot of our students every day, both socially and academically. We have high standards that we expect the students to reach every day. We ask challenging questions, but are the students answering the questions or are we? Learning happens when there is “productive struggle.” Students need to be able to problem solve and allowing them to struggle encourages them to do just that! We, as teachers, need to ensure we are giving them the opportunity to problem solve.

We need to teach our students that it is ok for concepts or tasks to be difficult; it is how we react to the challenge that can define who we are as a learner. We support our students and guide their thinking while they are grappling with problems, but how do we start the journey without giving away the answer?

There is an idea that you need to address preconceptions the students have about a concept. I was able to witness this in a classroom a few weeks ago.

 A teacher was working with students on the different types of taste. She asked her students what things could taste like. The students responded with things like sweet, salty, sour, and savory. One student just happen to say she loved salty treats. The teacher asked her what her favorite salty treat was, the student stated Lemonheads. The teacher stopped and discussed with the students what types of foods were sweet, salty, sour, and savory that they already knew about. There were several misconceptions that the students had about some of their favorite foods. The teacher took the time to correct these before moving on to the lesson.

I brought this concept up to a teacher last week, when we were discussing her lesson. The idea that students might be struggling because they had preconceptions about doubles. The teacher thought about it and stated, “That would make sense. He keeps adding 2 to everything. I bet he thinks that is how we double. Counting by 2.”

Knowledge does not transfer on its own. We have to help students make connections between the skills and other tasks in order for them to see how to use the skills. We cannot teach students how to problem solve in math and say they can now problem solve arguments with their friends. We have to help them see these connections. I have been asking students this year how they will be using the skill they are practicing right now in class later. The responses I am getting are varying:

-          “We are going to be able to use this in our writing.”

-          “She hasn’t told us yet.”

-          “This will help us do better on future tests.”

-          “I will be able to do math faster, when I have my facts.”

-          “I will be adding more detail to my writing.”

-          “If I can use a number line correctly, I can do my math problems faster.”

-          “When I am thinking about telling on someone, I think should I? Am I a Danger Ranger?”

-          “So I can help my kids with their homework one day.”

Students are not always sure as to the importance of what we are teaching them. Sometimes they even make connections that we do not see. Are we giving them the time to grapple with tough concepts in order to understand the importance and to find their own connections?

  As we go into the last leg of this semester, will you allow your students to struggle?

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment

“I know what my kids need,” is what educators say when asked why a strategy is being used, differentiating is being done a certain way, or a skill is being taught. How do you know? I believe teachers know their students, I truly do! When it comes to knowing the academic needs of students, I do wonder what information is being used to base decisions on? Formative assessments are the key to making the best decisions we can for our students. Intentionally asking the right question, checking for understanding at the precise moment or intercepting the misconception before it becomes a belief- this is where our skills as an educator shine. Educators have students complete tasks to show their knowledge to the teacher, but what about the learning that leads up to the task? How is the student showing their learning during the lesson?

Educators are great at giving grace to their students for making a mistake, misinterpreting data, or not focusing on the part of the text that houses the answer. Do we give ourselves the same grace? Educators need to take a look at the task students are doing to ensure they are getting the data they think they are getting. Use a protocol on any of your assessments to see it with a new lens. Do we plan to gather information at specific times during our lessons to ensure that our students are learning what we are teaching? People have different experiences, and we rely on these experiences to help us make meaning out of new information. If we are not gathering evidence that the students are learning until we have completed teaching, we are not able to adjust instruction and we will have to reteach any student that did not master the concept taught. If we gathered evidence along the way, we would save time in the long run.

The other piece we need to keep in mind is what we are going to do with the information once it is collected. Educators need to plan in advance what information is needed in order to make an informed decision. How do you know when it is appropriate to move on during a lesson? Asking a question just to ask a question is not going to make your instruction stronger or always give you the information needed. There must to be a purpose behind the question. Sometimes, we would have a deeper classroom discussion if we took a stance on a topic, made a statement, and then had the students discuss their thinking about the statement. Having students think about and explain why they agree or disagree is harder than just saying yes or no to a question.

 We often find ourselves so inundated with data we do not know how to use it; do not waste time on collecting it, if you are not going to use it. There are many ways to assess student learning, use PLC time to talk to your teams about the best way to know your students, to know what they have learned, to know when you need to adjust the lesson! There is not one magic formative assessment that can be a go to every time; use your colleagues to select the correct tool to use for the lesson. What are some formative assessment tools you find effective? Share in the comments.

"Soft" Skills

"Soft" Skills

“Soft” skills are the skills you need to be able to work effectively with others, not just in schools- but in life. I do not like the term “soft,” it implies that these skills are not as important as other skills. They should be considered Professional Skills.

 I was given the opportunity to be a part of NISD strategic summit in the Spring of 2018; there were representatives from the district faculty, our students, parents, the community, as well as from businesses in our area. One topic continued to come up from both students and employers- professional skills. Both groups felt that the students coming out of high school are not prepared in this area. If you google the following: “soft skills,” “professional skills,” “the 6 Cs” you will note that there aren’t just educational articles that populate- business articles are there as well. The workforce is lacking in these skills coming out of both high school and college.

There are six skills that the business world looks for when looking to hire employees.

               Critical Thinking – The ability to take information and analyze it, manipulate it and apply                    it to new situations.

              Communication- The way in which you share information.

              Collaboration- Being able to work with others towards a common goal.

              Creativity- The ability to think of new and innovative ways to complete a task or to present                    information.

             Core/Content Competency- Content knowledge.

             Character Development – The ethics and morals with which a person is instilled.

What teacher is not looking for the same skills in their students? These skills are not something we are born knowing; they are not innate- they must be taught. They are not TEKS; they are not in the Scope and Sequence. We need to look at this as not “another thing,” but as skills to keep in mind when we are developing our lessons. If our goal is for students to own their learning, be life-long learners, and to reach the high expectations we have for them; then developing the whole child needs to be a priority.

How to teach these skills will be a topic for our PLCs. There is not a magic strategy answer for this; however, an excellent place to start is to give our students the opportunities to work cooperatively. Genuinely working in cooperative learning groups give students chances to practice these skills under our watchful eye. When we design lessons for our students we need to keep these skills in mind, spotlight them. We should be modeling these skills daily with students. Just like we model our thinking, we need to model these strategies in everyday lessons. Point them out and talk to the students about what these are and why they are important. Looking at them one at a time does not mean they are not working on the others, but that they are getting feedback from us on one particular skill in order to strengthen the skill. These skills need to be worked on just like any other ritual or procedure: practice, practice, practice!

Let’s look at the second question, “Is it appropriate for our students to learn them?” Of Course, it is! If we look at tackling this challenge as something that is vital to our students becoming successful, we will see the importance. Hattie says, “…the foundation for successful cooperative learning in later years can be laid in elementary school.” (Hattie & Klaus Zierer, 2018) Is it easy? No, but what we do is never easy. By looking for ways to embed opportunities in our day to learn these skills, our students will be able to “engage in a culture of learning that prepares all students to navigate the future confidently.” (Northwest ISD, 2018)

If we want our students to own their learning, these skills are a great way to help them on the path of becoming Life-Long Learners.