Teaching Deeper

As I continue to grow my ability to design high quality learning experiences that respond to my students, I am mindful of Hattie's research.  With the continuation of last week's challenging metric conversion activity coming up, I applied many of Hattie's attributes to the lesson. I will begin to use this chart and others to reflect more deeply on the learning experience. I'll do this to develop the language and actions I use to teach well, language and actions that can serve to boost students' confidence, ownership, and learning success.

I placed many of Hattie's criteria for successful teaching/learning into this chart. Then I thought about how I could bring that criteria about during the learning experience. I'll review the chart before teaching, and then have the chart on a clipboard and use it as a reference and to make notes as I coach teams. I know that if the learning experience is powerful, students' enthusiasm and energy will drive the lesson forward in positive ways.


Measurement Conversion Number Lines
Learning Experience Goal and Rationale: We want to learn more about metric measurement and decimal numbers. We also want to learn how to work well with a team. Learning this information will help us to become stronger mathematicians and scientists. This knowledge will also help us to understand text across many genre since we’ll be able to visualize and compare measurements.

Lesson Attribute	Action
Fair and Caring	“I know this lesson is challenging, but I know you can do it. I’m here to help. Completing this lesson will help you to understand and apply mathematical thinking with greater strength.”
We Learn Together	Metric conversions can be challenging. We are all learning together, and we’ll learn best if we help each other. We are a learning team. I want each child to do his/her best. This is not about everyone learning exactly the same, but about all of us getting stronger and better with our mathematical thinking,  understanding, and skills.
Students Know What the Teacher Values	“I value the way you work together, and the care you use when completing this task. I want you to learn to use metric measurements with greater ease and fluency.”
Less Teacher Talk, More Student Talk	“I will give a 5-10 minute introduction, then you’ll have the rest of the period to work with your team.”
Passion	“I’m really excited about this lesson because after you complete it you’ll be a better mathematician and a better collaborator.”
Trust	“I’m here to help you. I will come around the room and check in on your work. I’ll put some stars on correct calculations and help you with the problems you have.”
Listen	“Ask questions, don’t stay stuck.”
Make Progress	“Pay attention to this task and to each other, we want to make progress with our learning and that’s how to do it.”
Safety	“I’m assigning work spaces so that everyone has enough room to work carefully and safely.”
Mindful	“I will walk around the room to help. Let me know when you need help.”
Work in Groups	“It’s not always easy to collaborate, but collaboration is very important. We will continue to work on this skill throughout the year. Remember to stop now and then to evaluate your work and refine your work plan.”
Talk to Each Other (dialogic talk)	“You’ll learn the most if you start by reviewing what you did last time, making a work plan, talk to each other as you work, encourage each other with words, ask each other questions, help each other learn from mistakes, and build on each others’ ideas. I want you to share and build meaning with each other.
Relational Trust	“All of the your teachers want you to do well. Doing a good job on this task will help you to learn more and do better in all your classes, and that matters to all of us.”
Failure and Error are Stepping Stones to Success	“Don’t worry if you make a mistake, that’s how we learn.”
didactic: students learn concepts/curriculum coaching labs: students learn through practice and mastering skills. Socratic seminars: questioning leads students to question, listen, think critically and communicate their ideas effectively to group members and others.	Start with concept introduction, most time spent on coaching lab, and end with a socratic discussion.
Surface and Deep Learning	As I coach, I will notice the ratio of surface vs. deep learning, and I’ll build on that in future lessons.
Find better or different if the activity is not working.	If you’re not able to complete this work, I’ll help. We’ll find a better or different way to do it.

Note: I like this tweet challenge I received in response to this post: