The Grit of Higher Order Thinking

SkillsMargaret Searle

And Marilyn Swartz

Our PromiseMotivating and teaching students to engage in higher-order thinking is a goal for K–12 teachers nationwide.

This session will provide tools, demonstrations, and opportunities for participation as we learn to use these strategies

SCORE Things That Increase Learning &

MotivationSuccess – I am getting better

Curiosity – I wonder…

Originality – I can do it my way

Relationships – Connecting to other people

Engagement – Unique, fun, interestingJudy Willis

Success = I am getting better

When students track and use evidence of their own growth they are capable of making 3 years growth in one. Jon Hattie

Unless students are successful 70% - 80% of the time, motivation decreases. Judy Willis and Eric Jensen

An Effective Research-based Tool… Provides organization, rules and

procedures.Builds positive relationshipsGets all students actively engagedDevelops deep thinking skillsHelps students master contentIs rooted in sound learning theoryImproves teaching, learning and

achievement

Harvey Silver

Square

RectangleRhombus

Associative Triangle Tool1. Choose three words2. Write a sentence between words that describes connections or relationships3. Put a one sentence summary in the middle (Big Idea).

Tools by Harvey Silver

Let’s Try This Ourselves

Directions: After reading the selection select the 3 most

important words. Place each word in one of the boxes.

Write a sentence on the line between each of the words that explains the connection between them.

In the middle of the triangle write a one sentence summary that explains the “Big Idea” or most important conclusion you can draw from the text.

September 2014 | Volume 72 | Number 1 Motivation Matters Pages 12-17 Motivated to Learn: A Conversation with Daniel Pink

What 50 years of behavioral science tell us is that there are certain kinds of motivators, what I call "if-then" motivators, as in "If you do this, then you get that." Those motivators, science tells us, are pretty effective for simple, short-term, algorithmic tasks. But if-then rewards are far less effective for more complex, creative tasks.

The problem we have in schools and organizations is that we tend to use those if-then rewards for everything rather than for the areas in which they work. Trouble is, in both the workforce and education, people now rely less on these routine kinds of skills and more on work that requires greater judgment, creativity, and discernment. In many ways, how we motivate people hasn't caught up to the reality of our times.

Now, let's be clear. We all love rewards. If you dangle a prize in front of people, it gets their attention, but—and here's the important point—it gets their attention in a narrow way. That's OK for certain things—for example, if you're stuffing envelopes or turning the same screw the same way on an assembly line. Rewards for things like that can actually improve performance. But if people have a completely narrow view of a task that requires more creativity or judgment—designing a new piece of software, inventing a product the world doesn't know it's missing, and so on—then they're not going to do as well.

What's more, this carrot-and-stick approach confuses two types of goals. Research by Carol Dweck and others has shown that there's a difference between learning goals and performance goals. A learning goal is, "I want to master algebra." A performance goal is, "I want to get an A in algebra." The research shows that reaching performance goals doesn't necessarily mean that you have hit a learning goal. If people are single-mindedly focused on performance goals—and they achieve them—it doesn't mean they've learned anything, improved their capabilities, or mastered something complex. The kid is less likely to retain what she learned to get the A, less likely to persist when the going gets tough, and less likely to understand why algebra is important in the first place.

However, if a kid is single-mindedly focused on a learning goal—mastering algebra—chances are he's going to do pretty well. In the process, he'll probably attain that performance goal and get his A. So it's best to simply go for the learning goal and use the grades and scores as feedback as the student works toward mastery.

September 2014 | Volume 72 | Number 1 Motivation Matters Pages 12-17 Motivated to Learn: A Conversation with Daniel Pink

As for students, research has shown that people do better at a task—whether that task is spelling, hitting a curve ball, or playing the viola—if they know why they're doing it in the first place. School is often all about how—here's how you do a quadratic equation, here's how you write a five-paragraph essay, here's how you do a paper chromatography experiment in chemistry.

The fact is, we often give short shrift to why. Why are we doing this in the first place? Why does it matter that we solve quadratic equations? The simplest, most effective performance-enhancing tip for any organization is for the people in charge, whether they're teachers or principals or corporate managers, to have two fewer conversations in a given week about how to do something and two more conversations about why they're doing it. Of all the steps we've been discussing, this is one of the easiest things we can do.

Responding to the "why" question is especially important for kids. When kids ask, "Why are we doing this?" we often dismiss it as an annoying question when, in fact, it's a pretty darn good one. And we need to be able to answer it—not to placate the kids, but because there's a rich body of evidence showing that when people know why they're doing something, they do it better.

And I don't mean a weak why, like "because it's on the test." Teachers can most likely come up with a good reason why a student needs to learn something. And if they can't, then it really raises the question, should you be teaching it in the first place?

Let's say a kid is studying statistics and probability, and she asks, "But why do I need to know this?" You could say, "Maybe you'll grow up to be an investor—or at least, you may decide to invest your own money in things—and if that's the case, you'll need to know this." And maybe the kid will balk and say she's not interested in that. Come back with something else. You might say, "You know, in order to make sense of your own life as a citizen, you need to understand something about statistics and probability. For example, when politicians use statistics, you'll need to be able to assess whether they're trying to deceive you or enlighten you." No matter the profession, kids are going to need to be proficient at analyzing things. Teachers are a case in point—to make sense of test scores these days, you need some notion of statistics and probability.

When my older daughter first started doing homework, she would ask me why she had to do it. I remember saying, "Oh, just be quiet and do it." So what I'd like to see is something I haven't done enough of. I'd like for kids to hold adults' feet to the fire and insist they explain, "Why are we doing this stuff?"

Conclusion:

Making Connections Is A Critical Higher Order Thinking Skill In The New Standards

summary

CRITERIA

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Top Hat Organizer1. Teacher lists topics and the criteria.2. Students describe each item using the

criteria.3. Students discuss their findings and

write their conclusions in the “brim” of the hat. Sample questions…• Are these two items more alike or

different? Explain. (Evaluating)• What is the most important

difference? (Evaluating)• What causes some of these

differences? • What conclusions can you draw?

4. Students synthesis their learning by answering the concluding question.

Summary:

Harvey Silver

summary

Top Hat Organizer

What is the biggest difference between this strategy and the strategy you compared it to?

Association Triangle CRITERIA

Vocabulary development

Rigor of comprehension

Purpose for Reading

Affect on memory

Level of Engagement

Typical Assignments

Are Associative Triangle and Top Hat Effective Tools?

Provides organization, rules and procedures.Builds positive relationshipsGets all students actively engagedDevelops deep thinking skillsHelps students master contentIs rooted in sound learning theoryImproves teaching, learning and

achievement

Harvey Silver

After sharing and revising with a partner it is safe to call on you and not worry about the 70 -80% success rate even with a higher level of rigor.

Rubric for EngagementWhat you see and hear from learners

Category Poorly Engaged Minimally Engaged Actively Engaged Highly Engaged

Beginning of the class

• Does not pay attention

• Does nonrelated things

• Making eye contact

• Listens to teacher• Follows directions

• Excited participation• Very focused• Shows curiosity

• Asks good questions• Can’t wait to get

started with the work

• Enthusiastic

During instruction

• Daydreams• Messes around

• Listens and responds appropriately

• Answers recall questions

• Anxious to answer high level questions

• Discusses ideas with others frequently

• Takes good notes

• Intense focus• Asks good questions• Offers ideas that

extend the learning

During collaborative work

• Off task• Watches others do

the work• Is disruptive

• Follows directions• Stays on task• Participates in low

level discussions

• Anxious to participate and promotes equitable participation

• Meaningful discourse on high level work

• Challenges group with good questions

• Draws inferences and justifies thinking

• Gives helpful feedback to others

During independent work

• Rushes to get done• Doesn’t check work• Off task• Doesn’t complete

work

• Completes low level assignments

• Does mostly paper/pencil work

• Makes good choices of where to work and what activities to do

• Completes high level thinking work

• Self-monitors work• Looks for multiple

answers/perspectives

• Persists when challenged

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