Teaching and Learning

Presented bySusan S. SilverDirector of Curriculum and Instruction

Agenda

8:00-8:45AM – Meet & Greet and Class Introduction8:45-9:45AM – The Standards Movement9:45-10:00AM – Break10:00-11:30AM – Setting High Expectations for Learning11:30-12:30PM – Lunch 12:30-1:45PM – Critical Thinking1:45-2:00PM – Break2:00-2:45PM Critical Thinking2:45-3:00PM – Questions and Feedback

Meet & Greet

1. What is your name?2. What grade/subject do you teach?3. What is an educated person? If education is focused on helping a student become some kind of person, what kind of person do we want him/her to become?

Goals

1. Participants will be able to critically examine the historical events that have lead up to the formation of national standards.

2. Participants will analyze the correlation between the curriculum and the delivery of the curriculum.

3. Participants will be able to use two questioning strategies to promote high academic expectations for their students.

4. Participants will learn multiple strategies to promote critical thinking in their classroom.

The history of the “standard.”

Reading of Ravitch (2010) chapter:Hijacked! How the Standards

Movement Turned into the Testing Movement

Assignment

0Intro: pp. 15-17 – All0Clinton Admin. pp. 17-19 – Team Rudolph0Goals 2000 pp. 19-21 – Team Rudolph0Obama Admin. pp. 21-22 – Team G-Men0A Nation at Risk pp. 22-25 – Team G-Men0A Nation at Risk 2 pp. 25-28 – Team Frosty0ANAR/NCLB pp. 28-30 - Team Frosty

Key Points from Introduction*Tests should follow curriculum.

They should be based on the curriculum.

*The well educated person has a well-furnished mind, shaped by

reading and thinking about history, science, literature, the

arts, and politics.

Key Points*The well-educated person has

learned how to explain ideas and listen respectfully to others.

Teaching and Learning

Setting High Academic Expectations

Right is Right Technique

Set and defend standard of correctness in your classroom.

How do the Capulets and Montagues get along?

Partially Right

Student replies, “They don’t like each other.”

Teacher replies, “Right, they don’t like each other , and they have been feuding for generations.”

-The teacher is doing the cognitive work that the student could do themselves.

Questions You Might Ask

1. “So, is this a recent thing? A temporary thing? Who can build on Kiley’s answer?”

2. “Kiley, you said the Capulets and the Montegues didn’t get along. Does that really capture their relationship? Does it sound like what they’d say about each other?”

Four categoriesHold out for all the way.1. I like what you’ve

done. Can you get us the rest of the way?

2. We’re almost there. Can you find the last piece?

3. Can you develop that further?

4. Okay, but, there’s a bit more to it than that.

Answer the questionStudents who may not know the answer may answer a different question.Right Answer, right time

Use technical vocabulary

View a Clip

Right is Right

Stretch It Technique

The sequence of learning does not end with a right answer; reward right

answers with follow-up questions that extend knowledge and test for reliability. This technique is especially important for

differentiating instruction.

Ask how or why: Can they explain how they got their answer?

Ask for another way to answer: When a student solves it one way, it’s a great

opportunity to make sure they can use all available methods.

Ask for a better word: Offer opportunities to use more specific words, as well as new words with which they are

gaining familiarity.

Ask for evidence: Ask student to build and defend their conclusions and support

opinions from among multiple possible answers.

Ask students to integrate a related skill: Ask students to integrate the skill with others

recently mastered.Ask students to apply the same skill in a

new setting: Once students have mastered a skill, ask them to apply it in a new or more

challenging setting.

View a Clip

Right is Right and Stretch It

Establishing a Culture of Thinking

“Critical thinking must, therefore, command a place in any institution

committed to the pursuit of education because critical thinking is a necessary

condition of it.”-J.E. McPeck

Introduction

What is a classroom culture that nurtures thinking?

Strategies to Cultivate Thinking

Strategies I Use Strategies I Will Use

Discussion Questions

1. How do you currently support a thinking culture in your classroom?

2. What are some ways to enhance the thinking culture in your classroom?

3. What metaphor would characterize a thinking classroom?

Evaluate the level of thinking in your classroom by using Figure 7.2 “Elements of Classroom Culture that Nurtures Thinking.”

Importance of Critical Thinking

1. What do you think is the most compelling reason for students to be taught critical thinking?

2. What is the most important reason to include critical thinking skills in your curriculum?

3. What are the consequences of not teaching critical thinking?

4. Describe an example when a lack of critical thinking had a negative impact on your life.

Rate your own level of critical thinking and the average level of the students in your class using Figure 1.3 Characteristics of Strong Critical Thinkers.

What have your learned?

1. List three things you learned from today’s workshop.

2. List three things you want to learn more about in relation to today’s topics.

3. Today’s workshop was meaningful and informative. (Circle the one that applies)

Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree

Thank you and have a relaxing and safe

holiday break!