Bettered Learning Through Structured Teaching By Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey CHAPTER 1: LEARNING, NOT LEARNING, IN SCHOOL The article starts out by taking a look at some basic definitions of learning:
***Take a minute to think of something you do well. How did you develop this skill? How did you move forward from novice to expert?*** Fischer and Frey argue that what you thought of is probably something you weren't told to do be completed tasks. You more than likely models, feedback, peer support, and lots of practice. Therefore, why do we teach children in this manner and expect them to be experts by the end of the unit? Both Fischer and Frey support what they call the Framework of Gradual Release of Responsibility. It entails four basic divisions from teacher-centered to student-centered learning: 1.) Focus Lesson "I do it"— teacher-centered and models the correct type of thinking required to solve problems, understand directions, comprehend a text, or the like. a. Clearly establishing the purposes and goals: EX: Our content goal today is to multiply and estimate products of fractions and mixed numerals. Our language goal for today is to use mathematical terminology while discussing problems and answers with your peers. Our social goal today is to improve our turn-taking skills by making sure that each member of the group has a chance to participate in the discussion. b. Modeling academic skills: EX: After reading aloud a passage about spiders to 3rd graders, a teacher might say: Now I have even more questions. I wonder how spiders eat if they don't have mouth parts. I can't really visualize that, so I think I'll look for more information to answer my question. I do remember something very interesting. I didn't know that spiders are found all over the world. I think that the most interesting spider is the one that lives underwater in silken domes. Now that is something I need to know more about. 2.) Guided Instruction "We do it"— teacher-centered guidance with student activity, keying in on cues and prompts to model complex thinking. EX: After reading a passage the effects of Asteroids on Earth within a reading circle: Consider what you know about the Earth's surface. Talk about that—is it all flat? [Students all respond no.] What do you think are the things that made the surface of the Earth look like it does? The Earth has a history. 3.) Collaborative "You do it together"— student-oriented; group collaboration with individual products. EX: a 10th grade social studies teacher has selected a number of readings that will allow students to compare and contrast the Glorious Revolution of England, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution. Students are to summarize the reading individually: Jamal: I still don't get it. Those folks in Antone: I feel you. But that's just the name for getting rid of rules you don't want. LaSheika: That king, James number 2, used a power he had to suspend laws and other rules. Adding that to the things you said already made people very angry, and they started the revolution to get rid of him. It's just like the other revolutions we talked about. 4.) Independent "You do it alone"— individual application of material previously taught. EX: a kindergarten teacher might ask a student to read a familiar book to three adults, a 6th grade science teacher might ask a student to write a prediction of the outcome of a lab based on the previous three experiments, and a high school art teacher might ask a student to incorporate light and perspective into a new painting. Fisher and Frey argue that this structured model is intentional, purposeful, and explicit. It is not a script or a prescriptive way of teaching, but more a precise way to facilitate in-depth learning. The following are fragmented versions of the Framework of Gradual Release and Responsibility: 1.) The "Focus Lesson + Independent" framework or the "I do it, you do it alone" approach: a. EX: Math teacher does sample problems on the board and assigns odd problem questions in the back of the book so that students can check their work. OR English teacher reads a passage aloud and gives a comprehension worksheet for students to complete. b. What's wrong with this? Little interaction ensures that students are following a script in which they may immediately understand some independent problems, but many will grow frustrated and rely on a fragile understanding of the topic for help. 2.) The "Independent" framework or the "you do it alone" approach: a. EX: Science teacher prints off the chapter's worksheets for a packet students are to complete independently. Social Studies teacher assigns a reading section and associated questions. b. What's wrong with this? No guidance from the teacher means that students engage in absolutely no self-reflective thought process. Students look for the answers, but still don't get the bigger picture. 3.) The "Focus Lesson + Guided Instruction + Independent" framework or the "I think I understand how to implement Fisher and Frey's framework" approach: a. EX: Social Studies teacher gives clear objectives, models successful comprehension skills, and then breaks students into an independent task. b. What's wrong with this? The lack of collaboration leaves students with linear understandings that could be easily bolstered and finely-tuned by additional ideas from peers. CHAPTER 2: FOCUS LESSONS – ESTABLISHING PURPOSE AND MODELING Chapter 1 illustrates the framework as a whole and gives a brief understanding of what the teacher-centered focus lesson is about. Chapter 2 goes further into this division of the Framework of Gradual Release of Responsibility, including: the don'ts of this division, key features, instructional strategies, and formative assessments. 1.) Don'ts of Focus Lessons: · Focus lessons are not a time intended to ask students questions. · Do not fall within the mode of "Guess what's in the teacher's brain" questioning… Teacher: Why did Lewis and Clark want to explore the west? (Initiate) Student 1: To discover Teacher: Well, not really. (Evaluate) What do others think? (Initiate) Student 2: To get some gold? (Respond) Teacher: No, not yet. (Evaluate) Before the Gold Rush, why did Lewis and Clark want to explore? (Initiate) · Focus lessons are also not the time to simply tell students things; students need explaining and correct modeling, not an "information dump". · Focus lessons are not the time to have students read aloud to the rest of the class, it is a time where the teacher reads aloud. 2.) Instructional Strategies of Focus Lessons: modeling, metacognitive awareness, and think-alouds · Modeling: o Name the strategy, skill, or task. "Today I am going to show you how to combine sentences to make more interesting and complex statements." o State the purpose of the strategy, skill, or task. "It's important as a writer to be able to construct sentences that aren't repetitive or choppy. Sentence combining is one way to make sure your sentences read more smoothly." o Explain when the strategy or skill is used. "After I have written a passage, I reread it to see if I have choppy sentences or if I am repeating information unnecessarily. When I notice that's occurred, I look for ways to combine sentences." o Use analogies to link prior knowledge to new learning. "I like to think of this as making sure I make a straight path for my reader to follow. When I eliminate choppy or redundant sentences, it's like making a straight path of ideas for them to follow." o Demonstrate how the skill, strategy, or task is completed. "I'm going to show you three short, choppy sentences. Let's look first at information that we can cross out because it is repetitive. Then I'm going to combine those three sentences into one longer and more interesting sentence." o Alert learners about errors to avoid. "I have to be careful not to cut out too much information, so that I don't lose the meaning. I also need to watch out for sentences that become too long. A reader can lose the meaning of a sentence that's too long." o Access the use of the skill. "Now I'm going to reread my new sentence to see if it makes sense." · Metacognitive Awareness: o "What am I trying to accomplish?" This first question moves the learners from merely copying a task to analyzing the outcomes. We've long heard the reminder to "begin with the end in mind" (Covey, 2004, p. 65). Therefore, we pose this question and answer it for our students. "This math word problem is asking me to figure out how many people can be served with the number of apple pies at the picnic." o "What strategies am I using?" After identifying the problem and the goal, the next step is to figure out what strategies can be used to achieve a solution. "I really need to use two strategies to find the answer. First, I have to multiply the number of slices by the total number of pies. That will give me the total number of servings. But then I also have to divide those servings among the people at the picnic." o "How well am I using the strategies?" Once again, monitoring plays an important role in the acquisition of new learning. The answer to this question shows students that control of a skill or strategy comes from pausing from time to time during the process to see whether it's working. "Before I divide, I need to check to see if what I've multiplied makes sense. Could it be that 8 apple pies could be cut into a total of 64 slices? I also want to check my math. Does 8 times 8 equal 64?" o "What else could I do?" The goal of this question is to teach students to think flexibly, rather than allow themselves to be bogged down in the rigid thinking that often comes with a new skill. It is common at this stage of learning for students to temporarily forget that they have learned other skills or strategies previously. Remind them that those familiar strategies have a role. "I'm still not sure I am doing this correctly. One way I can be sure is if I draw a diagram of the pies and the people. We've done that before when we've had tough word problems. I'm going to try that now." · Think-Alouds: o Keep the focus of the think-aloud tight and brief. It is easy to get carried away with a think-aloud, allowing it to turn into a rambling monologue of every thought that wanders through your head. Choose a short piece of written text, a single math word problem, or one example of a process. It is better to deliver a short but effective think-aloud than one that serves only to confuse the learner with too many details. o Pay attention to your own thinking processes as you design your think-aloud. This is really very difficult when you are an expert at something. Nathan and Petrosino (2003) state that "well-developed subject matter knowledge can lead people to assume that learning should follow the structure of the subject-matter domain rather than the learning needs and developmental profiles of novices"—a phenomenon they call the "expert blind spot" (p. 906). In other words, when you've been very adept at something for a long time, it can be difficult to retrace your own learning footsteps to recall a time when this information was new to you. A successful think-aloud requires you to unpack your own thinking processes to understand how you arrive at understanding. o Find your authentic voice when you think aloud. This approach requires lots of "I" statements, which can feel contrived when you first begin. As teachers, it seems more comfortable to tell students, using lots of "you" statements. The problem with those statements is that our instruction reverts to direct explanation, rather than making the thinking of an expert transparent. It is useful to find an informal style and to resist adopting an overly academic voice. Your students will find it more helpful to hear you say, "Wow—when I first looked at this diagram of the solar system, I thought right away about what it didn't have in the illustration, like the asteroid belt and the dwarf planets," rather than, "I analyzed the diagram for the visual information it contained and immediately noted the small solar system bodies it did not contain." o Think like the expert you are. Keeping a think-aloud authentic doesn't mean you have to check your expertise at the door. As a content area expert, you have the ability to share unique insights with your students. Effective think-alouds give you the opportunity to think like a mathematician, a scientist, an artist, a historian, an athlete, or a literary critic in front of your students. o Name your cognitive and metacognitive processes. Labeling is critical if students are to build their own metacognitive awareness. Tell them when you are using the associative property of multiplication or making a text-to-text connection for reading comprehension—these are cognitive approaches you are teaching your students to use. In addition, signal your metacognition as you problem solve ("That didn't work, so I have to try a different formula"), acquire new knowledge ("That's something I didn't know until I read this article"), and regulate your learning ("I know that I usually understand an editorial better when I know who's written it, so I always look at the writer's affiliation first"). 3.) Formative Assessments in Focus Lessons – through oral and written summaries: · "turn to a partner" to summarize and restate what they have just learned; making notes on the overhead on overheard conversations: o "Anthony and Tre: Our classroom is a direct democracy because everyone has a vote, but our student council is a representative democracy because we elect leaders to vote for us" · "a ticket out the door" where students complete a summative task of the lesson. The teacher reads these to get an informal understanding of the need for re-teaching. ***Thought-provoking questions*** Q: I would venture to guess that all of us believe in transitioning activities from teacher-centered to student-centered in some way. Is there any framework you subscribe to, or is this process something you adjust to by your own expertise and discretion? How do you decide how to transition from teacher-centered to student-centered? Do you believe the Framework for Gradual Release of Responsibility, as describe in this blog, is applicable? Why or why not? |
Sunday, March 22, 2009
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The way in which I plan to conduct class will utilize minimal amounts of focus lessons in which I teach the class through lecture or other teacher-centered instruction methods. Instead, students will learn through some guided instruction but mostly through collaborative learning and independent learning. I feel that these are the best ways to learn how to be a journalist. Just as I do not feel journalism students can be assessed by traditional written tests, I do not feel that they can be taught journalism through traditional lecture-based instruction. Journalistic skills are learned by doing: interviewing, researching, writing, photographing and designing. I could stand in front of a class and talk about these subjects indefinitely. Students could memorize the information from the lectures in order to pass traditional written assessments, but they would not know how to complete the tasks or develop skills as journalists until they actively do them.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this approach is best in many courses, such as journalism, technology, and fine arts. Although I have not specifically considered the difference for a teacher in a core subject class, I am generally aware that more focused lessons would be necessary. I do, however, think that teachers in these subject areas need to find ways to transition from teacher-centered learning to student-centered learning as indicated in the Framework for Gradual Release of Responsibility in order to get through to our students. Students do not want teachers who stand in front of their classes day after day lecturing without actively engaging their students.
Even though I am interested in creating a more student-centered classroom, I definitely think the Framework for Gradual Release of Responsibility is applicable and desirable. Students often are unmotivated or don't know what they should be looking for when they work independently. The "I do it," "we do it," "you do it together," "you do it alone" approach provides stepping stones that students can follow. Everyone needs guidance and instruction when learning new concepts. Then when students have built enough confidence, they can transition to independent, student-centered practice.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Myra, for 7th grade I use a stepping stone method. I do it, we do it, you do it together, you do it alone. I also determine how student-centered the activity is depending on if the students have been exposed to the material before. For example, in sixth grade the students learn about the water cycle. In 7th grade the students learn about the rock cycle. The rock cycle is not difficult to learn. Many of the activities I plan for this unit are student-centered. However, students have not been exposed to chemistry so more of this unit is more teacher directed. Chemistry is also a trickier unit because it is less concrete.
ReplyDeleteI have to echo what Myra and agiordano said - stepping stones work best with my 8th graders. Also, as agiordano said it depends on the lesson. If it is completely new information teacher-centered is most appropriate, I think. Once the lesson gets going a more student-centered approach works.
ReplyDeleteIs there any framework you subscribe to, or is this process something you adjust to by your own expertise and discretion? I tend to vary my framework depending on the lesson that I am doing. If it is one where I want the students to show me what vocabulary words they know and are able to use, it is an independent lesson. However, if it is one where I am teaching the words, it is a focus lesson.
ReplyDeleteAgain, the transition from a teacher-centered to student-centered lesson all depends on the type of lesson that I am doing with the students.
I believe that the Framework for Gradual Release of Responsibility, as describe in this blog, is applicable, but the teacher has to maintain some control over the classroom. The teachers cannot relinquish total control to the students, or it will be chaos in the classroom.
I use the stepping stone process especially when teaching verb conjugations and applications. Every other week our staff is to turn in lesson plans and this is the layout of the lesson plan template that we have been asked to follow. I find it works well with verbs because it gives them a better foundation for learning before they are asked to complete tasks individually.
ReplyDeleteI think I am on the stepping stone bandwagon in my accounting class. In this type of course I do a little more hand-holding than I do in my computer classes or entrep. classes. Accounting is a different beast. After I build the foundation, I do end the course with a project the students complete on their own to display mastery of the subject...at least that is the plan.
ReplyDeleteI'm in agreeance with the stepping stone method. For my 7th grade writing class, I first begin with a simple writing assignment. I have the students write one page on the question: "What do you want me to know about you?" This begins an informal assessment of their writing as well as a get to know them assignment. From there we progress in small steps. I make sure they are writing all the time: from journals and daily oral language builders, to poetry and essays. Looking at the demonstrations and examples I give I allow the students time to understand a concept. I use varied methods to achieve one common goal. Sometimes I have to go back and reteach the students in all my classes because they haven't quite learned the skills yet for the test/quiz. Once they have demonstrated they have mastered a particular skill, then I retest. I don't allow anyone to fail because they haven't learned or tried to learn. I encourage students to do his/her best in order to understand the concepts.
ReplyDeleteTo make a long story short, i agree that small steps (or the stepping stone method) make a big difference in the class.
I, too, think it depends on the students' knowledge of the subject matter. In a recent unit on One Note, I used the stepping stone model. In the beginning, I had to provide a lot of teacher-centered instruction because students had very little prior knowledge (if any) of the subject matter. As we progresed in the unit I was able to let them work more independently on two separate projects with each one getting progressively more difficult. I provided less and less instruction as the unit neared completion.
ReplyDeleteJo
I really like the concept of me modeling, the students working with me, and then the students working together before working by themselves. I think I try to do this daily in my math classes. However, I think it usually turns into just me doing it because getting some of my 10th and 11th grade remedial students to do ANYTHING is like pulling teeth! With my advanced students this works VERY well, though.
ReplyDeleteIn my remedial classes, instead of me doing the problems for the whole class period, in the past two years, I have really tried to teach for the first 10-15 minutes of class and then turn them loose to "start their homework". I let them work together or by themselves, usually whichever they choose, as long as they're working. They are not aware that I am doing this on purpose, nor that they are learning more from this process and helping each other than they did from my direct instruction. This gives me the time to give students individual help and clarification, too. It works pretty well; everyone is happy -- they get to work on their homework and have less to do at home and I get to help them when they have questions (instead of having to wait until the next day) and observe their active learning.
In my Marketing class, for example, I tend to begin the day with a brief lesson, review, etc. and then lead into an activity that usually involves working with a partner or small group. With 70 minute class periods, I try on the days I assign homework to allow 10-15 minutes for the students to get started. This allows them to ask me questions and at least get a start. I want the concepts to be fresh in their minds!
ReplyDeleteSometimes the maturity of my students is what guides me to the decision of whether to give more student-centered learning opportunities. I have a few classes that do well with these types of atmospheres while others waste their time and disrupt others. So basically I adjust it when I see fit. I guess if I gave students a chance more often, they might thrive and surprise me, but lately they tend to make me regret allowing them to work in partners or groups on significant concepts.
ReplyDelete-Heather P.
I agree with Heather, maturity is a big factor. Some classes just need more rigid instruction, and some work very well if you work gradually toward student-centered instruction. It's kind of sad that a few bad apples can cause a teacher to structure their instruction one way or another - not necessarily the method that is best for student learning.
ReplyDeleteI like, and use, the stepping stone method, but sometimes, I reverse the order, and have the students work independently first - if it is something they can successfully do alone (such as vocabulary). Later, we discuss/review, and hopefully, some will have some prior knowledge of the words, because they have completed the vocabulary independently.
The Framework for Gradual Release of responsibility is very applicable to math classroom. It is what I do most. In fact IPS had adopted this and required it in all of the middle school math classes. Unfortunately, I don't believe there should be a one size fits all approach to education, which is what our school district gives the impression it desires.
ReplyDeleteI do find that there are times in which I don't use the collaboration portion, at least, not in a significant amount of time (maybe check and respond).
In response to the first question, things I am good at have usually come to due to practice, and the mere fact that I enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteIn the majority of my teaching, I use the "Focus Lesson + Guided Instruction + Independent". Especially in Marketing, I like to provide lecture time, then the students will do an activity in class, and the have an assignment over what they just learned. This allows me to check for understanding and what I may need to re-teach.