Middle School Instructional Practices

April 4, 2012Joan GillisCAIU 15

PA’s RtII Components (Secondary)

2

1. Universal access to high-quality, standards-aligned core instruction

2. Relational support3. Research-based instruction/intervention,

instructional methodologies and strategies4. Multi-Tiered Support systems5. Data-based decision making6. Professional learning

What Are The Intrinsic Instructional Practices That Guide Middle Schools To Academic Achievement ?

Factors that Impact Student Achievement

Team Practices• Curriculum coordination &

integration• Coordination of

assignments, assessments, and feedback

• Parent involvement• Contact with other

building resource staff

Classroom Practices• Small group active

instruction• Integration and

interdisciplinary practices• Authentic Instruction

assessment• Critical thinking practices• Reading, writing ,math skill

practice

Effective Middle School Teams…

A. maintain high levels of academic rigor(What does it sound like ?)

B. have curriculum that is meaningful, relevant, and connects to subject matters

(How do you know?)C. provides opportunities for active learning that goes beyond the boundaries of team and classroom into the community

(What does it look like ?)D. Fosters a positive climate that stems from mutual Respect and beneficial interactions (Slang for formative assessment and feedback)

Tableman, 2004 6

Characteristics of Effective Teachers

• Awareness of purpose• Task orientation• High expectations for students (rigor)• Enthusiastic, clear, and direct• Lessons consistently well prepared• Students on task• Strong classroom management skills• Predictable routines• Systematic curriculum-based assessment to monitor student

progress

Most middle grade educators agree that for schools to improve student outcomes, teachers must provide instruction that is engaging and developmentally appropriate

National Forum to Accelerate Middle School Reform, 2002

Engagement must be planned with managementSkills taking center stage.

Capital Area Intermediate Unit

Active learning that involves providing opportunities for students to meaningfully talk and listen, write, read, and reflect on the content, ideas, issues and concerns of an academic subject.

Meyers & Jones, 1993

Active Engagement is defined as…

Capital Area Intermediate Unit

What is Active Participation?

Opportunities to Respond– Verbal Responses (partners or choral

response)

– Written Responses

– Action Responses

All students respond!

Capital Area Intermediate Unit

ENGAGEMENT AND MOTIVATION

High levels of active engagement during lessons are associated with higher levels of achievement

and student motivation. Ryan and Deci, 2000

Why Active Engagement ?

As Administrators you canAnd should observe your teachers with active engagement in mind…

Partner Choral Individual Written Action Response

Teacher: ___________________________ Grade: ________ Time: ________Subject: ___________________________

Providing them with feedback is key

Active Engagement

FeedbackFormative Assessment

CAN ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT SUCCEED WITHOUT FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT ?

CAN FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT FOSTER CHANGE AND GROWTH WITHOUT FEEDBACK ?

Harvard’s “most effective “courses

The big idea is the importance of quick and detailed feedback. Students overwhelmingly report that the single most important ingredient for making a course effective is getting rapid response on assignments and quizzes -Richard Light

Feedback is crucial

One of the chief benefits of active engagement is that it allows us to give corrective feedback. In general, this feedback is most effective when it is explicit and specific.

It is crucial that the teacher construct the feedback with certain basic understandings of what effective feedback looks like.

What is feedback ?

Think of the Best Feedback System you were ever in ?

Discuss and share

What is the common thread that you heard ?

Grant Wiggins, PDE Conference,2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phDqyJloZ4g

The best feedback…Most common answers:• Timely

• Ongoing

• User-friendly

• Trustworthy, credible

• Consistent

• Specific and helpful for improving

Consider this…

• It’s OK to praise…

• It’s OK to give advice…

• It’s OK to ask questions

• But praise doesn’t make you better

• But too much advice ,too quickly , doesn’t clarify the result

• But too many questions dodge the issue of helping the learner

Feedback defined …is useful information on one’s effect or results given a specific goal

Advice is defined…Useful information on what to do to improve performance, based on the feedback and the goal(s)

Wiggins,PDE,2012

KNOW THE DIFFERENCE

The Feedback Link• Correction can’t happen without

feedback

• Feedback can’t happen without monitoring (formative assessment)

• Monitoring can’t happen without student responses through active engagement

Grant Wiggins

What Are The Intrinsic Instructional Practices That Guide Middle Schools To Academic Achievement ?

ACTIVE ENGAGEMENTFORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

FEEDBACK

THANK YOU !!!

7 Point Scale for Teacher Practice Survey

• 1 = never• 2 = once a year• 3 = several times a year• 4 = quarterly• 5 = monthly• 6= weekly• 7 = daily

• Small group active instruction

• Integration and interdisciplinary practices

• Authentic Instruction and assessment

• Critical thinking practices• Reading, writing ,math

skill practice

Resources

BooksEducative Assessment, Grant WigginsAssessment for Learning, Paul BeckStudent-Involved Assessment for Learning, Rick Stiggins

Internet ResourcesBritish Website on Formative Assessment

Grantwiggins.wordpress.com

Three Elements Of Effective Pedagogy According To Marzano

• Instructional strategies

• Management techniques

• Curriculum design

Benefits for Students When Teaming and Common Planning Takes Place…

• Less depression ( student self survey result)

• Fewer behavior problems

• Higher self-esteem

• Improved student achievement scores (especially with high percentages of free and reduced lunch Students)

National Center for Education Statistics