Ch. 7: Making Math Meaningful

In this chapter, Schmoker discusses if there is really a need for higher math.  80% of the workforce will never use anything beyond addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division (p. 199).  Many students are lacking these skills.  They are so dependent on the calculator.  They need to be given multiple opportunities to practice and apply these skills.  Also, it is difficult many times to try and find a real life connection with what has to be taught.  

A phrase that kept coming up over and over in chapter was "interplay of numbers and words, especially on expressing quantitative relationships in meaningful sentences" (p. 202).  Students should be given about 15-20 opportunities each year to read current articles that could involve tables, demographic and quality-of-life statistics, and statistics.  Of course, students have to be shown multiple times how to read and interpret the information.  It must be read very carefully and repeatedly.  Think alouds are key to students understanding how we understand the text we read.  

I'm glad our data teams are going back to writing in the curriculum.  "When students are asked to explain or evaluate a solution or algorithm in writing, they come to a clearer, deeper understanding of a formula's meaning and application" (p. 211).   I like Doug Reeves's idea of giving a multiple choice test but have students explain why any one of the incorrect choices is wrong.  

One thing is for sure- we have to get writing back in the math classrooms!  

Chapter 6: Redefining Inquiry in Science

Chapter 6: Redefining Inquiry in science

Schmoker’s approach to science is similar to his approach to Social Studies.  Focus on the essentials, read and write often and allow students the time to discuss the topics with each other.  Here is the bulleted overview of the chapter:

·         Close reading of selected portions of the science textbook

·         Regular reading and discussion of current science articles

·         Interactive lecture

·         Writing every day

·         A reasonable number of carefully chosen labs that reinforce the content

 

He emphasizes the need for more reading of the science textbook with a focus on vocabulary and relating the graphics to the text and often times reading then re-reading the same passage to fully understand it. “Students who used textbooks and wrote purposefully about content learned more content” (pg 170).  I liked the testimonials from scientists stating how important reading is and that you don’t just “do” science, you have to be able to read about it and understand it.

One very interesting point Schmoker makes in the chapter is that in the US we simply try to teach too much science than we have time for. He states “In the highest achieving countries the number of core concepts and standards taught in science is less than half of the United States.” (pg 165)  In the next couple of years we will be adopting the Next Generation Science Standards that will only add more to the plate and leave less time to go in depth in each topic.

Schmoker stresses the fact that kids learn science better from reading, writing and discussing science than they do from working on labs.  I disagree when he states that most of the labs in schools don’t have anything to do with the standards being learned, in Davenport all of the labs are carefully chosen to correlate with the Iowa Core.  But I can say that this year I had to carefully decide what activities were worth keeping and what labs were important enough to keep.  I came to find out exactly what Schmoker states.  The students learned more information more quickly from direct instruction, reading text and articles and having discussions.  As much as I like labs and I hate to admit that we probably do too many, I think he’s right. Middle school kids especially have the tendency to stray off task, take all short cuts possible and delegate their way to learning as little as they can slide by with.

He finishes by highlighting how important it is for students to be given many opportunities to write about what they know, defend their thoughts, argue a point and otherwise write their thoughts down to make them more coherent, precise and organized.

FRUSTRATED!!

Okay, so I have posted a response to all chapters and NONE of them are showing up now!!! I deleted my Word doc since I saw my posts, but now they are gone! This is not good... Ideas? I know almost everyone now has had issues.

:( Bummed.

From Matt

Schmoker Chapter 5:  Social Studies with Reading and Writing at the Core.

Schmoker begins the chapter by telling us that social studies is the most important subject relating to literacy with the exception of language arts.  Schmoker also asserts social studies education is fundamental to the continuation of our society at the local, state, and national level.  After stating the role of literacy in social studies, Schmoker dismantles the recent practices of social studies education, specifically skits and posters, by stating that teachers are concentrating more on entertaining students than teach them.  Schmoker puts emphasis behind this message by stating, "we must break free from fads and embrace... courses that cultivate students' abilities to participate in the literacy that our society demands."  He offers the process for implementing his statement. 

- Essential topics and standards to be taught (we do that)
-Selected textbook pages NOT whole chapters (we need to do that if we don't, I know some of us do)
-35+ supplementary or primary source documents, magazines to be discussed 1 time per week (ouch, that copy limit burns up quickly, but ipads/chrome books should really help with this)
- Essential questions for each unit (we do that)
-End-of-unit paper or essay assignments (this is where our students literacy gap kills us)
-Routine use of all the above in a cycle of close reading, discussion of text, and writing about text

Schmoker spends the next several pages discussing how to implement the aforementioned cycle around the social studies standards and describe his ideal lesson activities for social studies.  These activities are all related to literacy and Schmoker refers to them as Task, Text, & Talk.  For the TASK students have an assignment related to the current unit of study, they then read primary sources (TEXT) to supplement their assignment, you may also use sources from current media that relate to your unit to increase student interest/understanding.  Finally, students TALK/discuss in small groups what they have learned.  After several lessons designed this way, students demonstrate their understanding of the unit by writing an end-of-unit paper.

Schmoker states that these types of lessons will increase student participation because the students become experts on the topics being discussed which allows them to participate in large class discussion or debates.

The final part of Chapter 5 is Schmoker taking us through the process of guided instruction and checks for understanding.  He follows the TTT format and his lessons are in gradual release format (pg. 150-151).  He also provides relevant questions for student reading (pg. 153). 

I think any core subject teacher could read chapter 5 and apply their content to Schmoker's lesson designs.  The key is to not give too much textbook to students and supplement with relevant outside sources that provoke student thinking and inquiry.

From Dave:

 

Ch 3

Schmoker highlights  the growing public knowledge that teachers are the number one thing driving student success.  He stresses the importance that we not over- complicate the elements of effective teaching.  1. Clear learning objectives .  I think we do a good job of posting these in our classrooms.  I wonder if we can reference it more and make sure our students are aware so it isn’t just something we do because we have to, but it becomes an important teaching tool .  2. Teacher modeling and demonstrating. This hits our  “I Do’s” in gradual release. On our Wednesday in-services this would be the part I would struggle with the most when I’d present using the gradual release, but with repeated practice it gets easier. I’d probably categorize it like our newer teachers would.    3. Guided Practice 4. Checks for understanding and formative assessment.  I think we have good buy in overall as it relates to the gradual release, but strengthening the components of the gradual release and monitoring where we are weak and strong in the process will be keys this coming year.  Schmoker stresses the importance of repeating the cycle of guided practice and formative assessment  multiple times throughout the lesson.  Our new hires probably need this stressed to them  more.  I think they see the gradual release as more of a check list, blinders on, marching straight through. On the other hand,  I recall a lesson late in the year I observed Stroupe teaching, where he was  deftly using  formative assessments to determine what the students had learned, and backing up in the gradual release to reteach.  It is what we want our new hires working towards.  Schmoker references Marzano, Burns,  and Fischer and Frey to hammer home the specific parts of effective lessons as listed above.   

 

The chapter also discusses the five minute limit when delivering lessons.  Schmoker reminds us that when we talk over 5 minutes without allowing for processing and interaction, we lose kids.  By allowing them to review notes, summarize learning, pairing up and contrasting notes or connections, we become more effective as teachers.  It’s a simple limit, but often we disregard it.  The rest of the chapter discusses multiple ways of formatively assessing, the importance of establishing a purpose for reading, and establishing connection to prior learning as we introduce new lessons.  Moving forward, I think the chapter is a reminder to me that we have many young teachers, and we can’t assume that because the leadership team has a strong understanding of lesson design, that others do as well.  The urgent need for working on other initiatives is and will be there, but focusing on our lesson design remains a top priority.   

From Casey:

Focus. Chapter 2

What we teach.... A guaranteed and viable curriculum for all students. Curriculum may be the single largest factor within a school that determines how many students learn within a school. The author emphasizes that it is our job to ensure that ALL students are equally ready to pursue a college degree if they so choose. We must provide all students with authentic literacy opportunities, ideally beginning in preschool. We must develop students content knowledge while providing them with multiple opportunities to develop critical thinking skills. In addition it is very important to foster verbal competence, which is often overlooked. We need to agree on basic standards given to all students and we need to deliver said standards with fidelity and purpose. Casey

Chapter 4: English Language Arts Made Simple

Ok - I know chapters 2 and 3 are not posted yet - but I wanted to get my chapter posted on time so we don't get too behind schedule.  This was a very big chapter with a lot of great thoughts  - but I'm going to really try and narrow it down. :)

Schmoker reminds us in this chapter that students need to "...spend hundreds of hours actually reading, writing and speaking for intellectual purposes" (pg 94). Students should be exposed to literature and nonfiction text.  I think incorporating nonfiction text is not only an important reminder for reading teachers - but for social studies, math and science as well.  I thought the section of the chapter that discusses bringing in a weekly article could easily fit in to any content area's curriculum while increasing student literacy. No matter what the subject area - students should be reading varied text, then discussing and writing about that text using textual evidence.  This should be happening often.

Schmoker also writes about his frustration seeing students working below their skill level in reading.  I think it's wonderful that all students at JB are challenged at their skill level.  The students who still need very basic phonics instruction get that - but all are working where they need to be working. I also like how he called classroom time "sacred".  That is very true - and a message I think some of our new staff may need to hear.  We simply don't have time for free time.

There is also an argument to simplify reading standards down to Schmoker's big 4: argument, drawing inferences and conclusions, resolving conflicting views and documents, and problem solving.  I don't think Schmoker is really advocating getting "rid" of any Common Core standards here.  I think if any student can do the big 4 with a piece of text - they are showing mastery of the Common Core standards already. 

Schmoker also advocates for a very rigorous writing curriculum.  Students should be writing at least one paper per month.  I think our overall data team focus in intermediate was getting there this year.  However, although the length may vary, Schmoker advocates that primary students should be writing formally just as often. 

Finally - Schmoker reminds us of his lesson plan design for reading: teach vocabulary, establish a purpose for reading, model, read, discuss the text, and write about the text.  It seems as though gradual release fits right in here!

Focus - Chapter 1 - The Importance of Simplicity, Clarity, and Priority

As Kristin mentioned, the intro does it's job! :) The rest of the book will be about keeping a focus on a common curriculum, sound lessons, and authentic literacy. Chapter 1 discusses the importance of keeping these things simple, clear, and a priority.

After having read this book once and seeing the implementation we have made, I think it truly comes down to motivation and the "'will and persistence' to implement what we already know...applied with fierce devotion..." (p. 9). We all must admit that there are times throughout the year where our focus gets blurred and priorities get muddled, but I think with the leadership team we have now we can forge through this even when things become tough. We have to hold each other accountable.

So, we need to start off with all teachers applying curriculum, lessons, and literacy consistently and reasonably well. Schmoker mentions that we may keep practicing this, but they should all three be monitored and assessed by our teams. They should be our most urgent need - "the ongoing focus of every team meeting, every PD session...every monitoring and reporting effort" (p. 11).

What we teach: The curriculum he refers to means about half of the standards - these should be "power" or the most essential of the standards. Our district has already defined these for us, so this is a good thing.

How we teach: This is our lesson design - already in place - CHECK! So, the hardest part for us here is HOW and WHEN we release to the next part of the lesson. ALL students have to be ready to move on, and if they are not, something else or a plan must be in place. I think this is where we need work. I think of how hard this is for science and social studies now that they have less time, but I also think we can be creative with how this is used in WIN.

Authentic Literacy: It's the "spine" that holds it all together! We have a nice start on this, but I think the new reading teachers need to really get a handle on how to use their materials to differentiate and the content areas will always need help making this work for them, not being more work for them. We can make it happen - we have the materials, it is just about how we use them and manage them best.

Another thought I have after reading this a second time is about how we can let everyone know "what is essential" but also clarify and reinforce our priorities in help the other newer teachers "ignore the rest" that they are being bombarded with. (This is in reference to mid-page 15.) There are still things and ways that teachers think they must do or teach, even if it isn't priority. We have to ensure them that it is okay not to.

For this team, I think it is important to look at page 18 where Schmoker talks about leaders. We must be on the same page, be clear and have the same focus. If we do not, we do not look like a cohesive team. We also must monitor what we want to be done - how and what we teach as well as literacy.

FOCUS by Mike Schmoker: Introduction

In the introduction, Schmoker tell us that there are three things that are essential in reforming education. What we teach, how we teach, and authentic literacy are the three componenets that with our complete "focus" will help propel our students. We need to keep our focus on the these three things and ignore all other initiatives and programs. Another great thing he notes is that each of these needs to be implemented, but not necessarily perfectly. He claims that either way we will see success.

I think we have done a great job over the last 3 years in keeping a focus and not letting other things get in our way. What is our next step with this? Do you guys think other things have gotten in the way? Do most teachers understand our focus? Getting back to writing in our content areas will help firm up our focus.

New?

I am testing this to see if it is really new or not.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success - How We Can Learn to Fulfill Our Potential By: Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.

A student in your class has a fixed mindset.

• How does that impact their motivation?
• Their effort?
• Their work completion?
• What other consequences could it have?

What are the consequences of a teacher having a fixed mindset about their students?

What are the consequences of a teacher having a fixed mindset about themselves?

If you could share one paragraph of this book with another person, which would you choose?

What was your favorite part of this book?

What was your least favorite part of this book?

Chapter 7 Getting Started : Questions and Answers

Sorry this is late, I left my book at school over the weekend. ooops!!

This chapter focused on 3 areas of concern: group formation, providing content, and introducing group work.

Group formation:

For the most part, he recommends not using ability grouping. Using ability grouping goes against the idea of the group working together to teach each other. Ideally, it should be 1 higher achieving student to 2 lower achieving student.
Putting students together by choice isn't always a bad idea, as long as they are choosing based on interest and not necessarily by who they want to go with. (It is mentioned that choosing friends would be ok if they were working together outside of school.) Randomly assigned students would be okay also. However, student choice and random assignment have a downside. If the groups do not end up with a variety of skills then the groups will not work out the right way.
P.99 has a method of ranking students based on ability level and social factors. I think this is a pretty good idea, but would need to try it to see how it really works out. They also mention the same use of partnering the kids together with a list split in two that Doug Fisher mentioned at the in-service.
Four students per group is ideal, but 3 or 5 would be okay too. The shorter the project, the fewer students you would want because that way all students will be able to share their ideas. It would be okay to have more students work together on a project that takes longer.
It is important that students are grouped using formative assessment, and it would be okay for groups to change if they are not working part way through.

Providing Content-
All students should be working on the same standard, but this can be done in a variety of ways. This section focused on differentiation, which I feel like we have talked about a lot. However, when we roll this part out to staff I am sure it would be beneficial to talk about some specifics. The book talks about varying the texts used for each group. It could be varied by type or level.

Introducing Group Work-
They recommend to start small. Starting with partner-driven conversations is a good place to start. Also, using sentence frames (such as the ones on p. 105) are helpful and of course a lot of MODELING (not sure if you guys knew this yet :) ) They show a 20 implementation guide that seems to be appropriate for centers, but it would be helpful to have some kind of lesson plan to follow for basic groups, such as model how to use sentence frames, work in partners with sentence frames, etc. etc. I'm not sure what it would look like, but I know I would appreciate some very structured way begin getting kids to work productively in groups.

I really like how this chapter answered several questions I was wondering about, but I would still like to SEE how teachers teach students how to use productive group work.

Ch. 6 Incorporating Group Processing

A key component of PGW is allowing time for students to reflect on their learning as a group (group processing). "Group work improves when students discuss and assess their interaction, the progress they make toward their goal, and what did and did not work, and then go on to talk about what they'll do differently in the future" (p. 84).

Group processing builds metacognition, the ability to reflect on one's learning. Part of metacognition is being able to to plan an approach and follow through with the plan. Executive function is when a student can take what they have learned and apply it in a new situation or when something unexpected happens. This makes me think of how our non-fiction writing and focus in data team works. "Without the of instructional routines that foster metacognition and executive function, students would have a very difficult time developing these capacities" (p. 86).

The authors discuss three routines to help support group processing.

1. Self-Monitoring Questionnaires: Examples would include smiling and frowning faces, Likert scale (1-5), and open-ended questions. See p. 87 for examples. Using the questionnaires establish a common basis for discussion during group processing.

2. Learning Logs: They are used to keep track of student learning. They can last for a few days or weeks, and, possibly longer. Students use the log to reflect what they understand, find confusing, or have questions about. I liked the quote on p. 88. "[My learning log is] a discussion with myself on paper." They caution that the logs are used just to keep track of their experience. They discusses have pre-planned questions. There is a great example on p. 89.

3. Roundtable activities: This allows all members to reflect on their work. A couple topics for discussion include: Name something that surprised or confused you and identify something you learned that you will use in another class.

This chapter had a lot of useful information. I thought back to Hattie's recommendation of using self-monitoring/self-reporting of grades. This is an area where we could get "the most bang for our buck."

There is something in this chapter that every teacher, no matter their content area, would be able to use. I think teachers try to incorporate group work in their classrooms, but seldom allow time for self-reflection. Again, this will have to be modeled.

Chapter 5 Building Interpersonal and Small Group Skills

Building Interpersonal and Small -Group Skills are a critical component to successful productive group work. Learning to work well with others requires modeling, lots of practice, reflection, and refinement of skills. Lessons need to be designed that include routines and group tasks that specifically focus on expanding students' interpersonal skills.

There is a brief description of theory of mind. This suggests that empathy and the ability to take on different perspectives can emerge from exposure to the feelings of others and from experiences that foster differing points of view. There is a good chart on page 70 which states important skills and an operational definition of each skill.

Teachers need to model and provide opportunity with routine. Students need to be taught the skills for thinking and communicating with clarity. A good tool for this is graphic organizers. A caution...graphic organizers should not be handed out like a worksheet to be completed by students. This chapter suggests teacher modeling of a variety of graphic organizers and then allowing student choice for organizing information for sharing. Five types of organizers commonly used are described on page 73. Active listening is another group work skill that students need to be taught. There is a good description on page 75, but a great example explaining how a teacher implemented active listening in his class using daily feedback from students on his own implementation ofactive listening. The checklist he uses with students is included on page 76. The list sets the expectations for listening and provides scaffolding for good listening behaviors during group work. A third skill that is discussed is responding to peers. Teaching students to give constructive feedback that is meaningful and not too polite or too blunt. Again there is a good chart on page 78 that explains several techniques. Finally, considering different perspectives and creating opportunities for students to disagree with one another on a topic of substance. Successful group work is designed to expose students to multiple viewpoints, and it canbuild students' capacity to understand the perspective of others and craft a position for themselves.

The chapter ends with three different scenarios implementing these skills. In the high school scenario a discussion web is mentioned. I have seen a web used by teachers, but never thought of sharing with students what the web looks like after a discussion...great idea! It would be interesting to do this in a data meeting, staff meeting, etc.

Chapter 4: Ensuring
Individual and Group Accountability
Chapter 4 takes us on a journey of what is required from
each member of the group when doing PGW.
The word accountability is equal with responsibility, and is important
that we create opportunities for all students to be responsible in PGW. There are two levels to PGW: individual accountability and group accountability. “Regardless of the rigor or duration of the
collaborative learning task, each student needs to clearly understand his or
her individual role as well as what the group is expected to produce or
accomplish” (52).
The authors provide 6 ways for building accountability into
each task:
1.
Tasks
should be designed to focus on larger learning goals.
2.
Students should have time to practice with small
tasks before expecting them to complete longer projects.
3.
Timelines should be created for individual work
and group work due dates.
4.
Conferences should be scheduled DURING the
projects to give feedback to individual and group progress.
5.
Students should evaluate themselves and the
efforts of their group work.
6.
When grading, make sure to factor in individual
work and the overall group project.
One way that teachers can ensure work distribution is to
create roles for students when working in productive groups. The most important thing to remember when
doing this though is that students should have practice with these roles before
being thrown into them. Table tents are
an easy way to keep students focused on the learning task, instead of worrying
about what they are supposed to contribute.
I know that during data teams, it is nice to have my responsibilities in
front of me so I can be reminded of what I need to complete. Expectations and setting up routines ahead of
time can help maximize the learning.
Checklists, timelines, and rubrics are good ideas for teachers to have
in place when planning PGW. They can
help guide students in participation, interaction, and providing specific
feedback to each other.
Two specific ways that teachers can give feedback to
students is through observations and conferencing. There are two forms on pages 56 and 57 that
could be useful for teachers but I personally do not think it needs to always
be that detailed. I like the quote on
page 55, “Recording kidwatching observations can be as simple as using a
clipboard with sticky notes in order to jot quick comments about a student’s
participation in group work” (55).
Conferencing can and should be done with individual students and also in
groups. The most important thing I took
from this is that it should be done during the projects, not afterwards.
To end the chapter, the authors give us four different
routines that can help ensure individual and group accountability:
1.
Numbered Heads:
This strategy is already on our blue cards, but are teachers using it?
2.
Collaboratively Constructed Products: Becky and I tried this last year, and I am
skeptical because students can technically do their own part with their marker,
but the conversation piece can be forgotten.
Ideas on how we can include the rich conversations?
3.
Progressive Writing: This is an interesting idea, and was
wondering if anyone has tried it in their classroom?
4.
Writing Frames:
The READ 180 curriculum uses writing frames (sentence starters). Do other subjects/teachers use writing frame
in their classes?

Chapter 3 Promoting Face-to-Face Interaction

This chapter discusses the importance of allowing students opportunities to have
face-to-face interactions. The chapter gives us a better understanding of how
to set up and implement these interactions, to ensure students deeper
understanding of curriculum.
The purpose to communication is to convey and obtain meaning. Pg. 37 Students’ face-to-face interactions give them the chance to support each other academically and personally. The interaction among groups of students can deepen those students’ understanding of themselves. Pg. 38 In a face-to-face conversation we construct
meaning not just from the content of words but also from the gestures,
movement, and expressions that our partners and group members use. Pg. 38 “If we are wired to learn by observing facial expressions and physical gestures, and them reflexively imitating those actions as a first step to language and appropriate social responses, then face-to-face interaction with students take on even greater importance.” Pg. 41
Teachers must show the students what they are expecting from the interaction and not just tell them. In order for the students to become proficient at interacting, they must be shown what those behaviors look like. An interesting point that is made
was that many teachers emphasize group norms instead of modeling how the interaction
should look like. This causes the students to not offer help to one another and the collaboration lacks fidelity. I really like the use of modeling types of
language that should be used in the face-to-face interaction. The poster shown on Pg. 43 could help teachers with questioning.
The last part of chapter 3 is three useful ways to use face-to-face interactions.
1. “Quickwrites,” which are the gateway to meaningful interaction. This
is a one to five minute to frame that allows the students to collect their
thoughts and ideas before engaging in discussion. When looking at the writing prompts, I personally use these for closure or exit slips checking for understanding, but after reading this, it makes sense to do before students discuss.
2. Partner discussions are used as the main face-to-face interaction in most classrooms. However, there is little follow-up to determine what was discussed in the conversation. While students are having discussions, this
is when teachers need to be in action to gain insight on what the students are
talking about.
3. Role playing which students simulate a process or idea and create interaction which builds conceptual and factual knowledge that would normally be difficult to understand if students were learning independently.
Three activities that could be added to the blue cards:
1. Whip-around
2. Face-to-Face interview
3. Head-to-Head Write Off (This would be perfect for what we are doing!)

Chapter 2: Using Positive Interdependence

This chapter discussed the importance of creating positive interdependence during PGW. “Positive interdependence is considered by many to be the defining quality and most important component of cooperative group work” (pg. 23). After reading this chapter I can see why interdependence is considered so important. If students feel like an important member of the group, they will be more willing to work in the group!

Each task must require students to contribute something unique to the group. Students ask themselves the following questions during PGW: Who am I? Who am I with you? Who are we together? What do we have to do? What do we need to do to accomplish our goals? If students are able to answer these questions, they will possess the self knowledge of how and when they are learning something new. The authors also remind us on pages 25 and 26 that positive interdependence can reduce threats and increase the sense of reward. We are also reminded that rewards can be intrinsic or extrinsic.

Finally this chapter gives three strategies to promote positive interdependence. The different experiences strategy requires putting students who have experienced different things into groups. They share that knowledge and learn from one another. The goal here is that students will build their knowledge through discussion with partners.

The jigsaw approach is also described. Students have two groups, an expert group and a home group. Students start in their home groups. They discuss what knowledge they will need to obtain in their expert groups. Students then go to their expert groups. In these groups, students work together to become experts on their specific topics. Finally, students go back to their home groups and share what they have learned.

Student-led reciprocal teaching consists of assigning students specific roles for PGW. The authors suggest using modeling and guided instruction about 20 times before letting students try the roles on their own. Students will then be well aware of what their specific role should look like.

My Reflection:
I think it is essential that students feel like a group would not be successful without them. If this is how students feel, they are much more likely to be actively engaged in PGW. I think the strategies described would be great to share with the staff. I know that we have done jigsaw before, but not really in this way. I like this way because there is also movement! I have not had a lot of success with assigning roles for PGW – but after reading – I see that is because I had not modeled them enough! I would really like to try student-led reciprocal teaching!

Chapter 1 - Defining Productive Group Work

"Educators since Socrates have know that knowledge is built and extended through the exchange of ideas and that students should be encouraged to question and push each other's understanding." (p. 13)

The idea of productive group work has been around for...ever. Socrates knew it was an essential tool in learning. Vygotsky determined its' importance in the development of a child's culture, saying that one must first learn from others in order to internalize ideas - what to think and how to think.

Many teachers, even those aware of principles that define PGW, struggle to support interaction in groups. I think we have witnessed this to be true - as observers and members of groups. The following are what define PGW. Important to remember is that ALL must be present!

Positive Interdependence:
Participation from every member and clear understanding of the group's interdependence is necessary for the task to be completed and accomplished. The group needs -

• Goals that require contribution from each member. (I am still not sure how this could not be done by another member without the teacher knowing.)
• Resources given to each member so that each member has something important and essential to share with the group.
• Rewards to motivate the group and each individual to participate. (We read on to find out this could be grades or points. I am still not sure how this will motivate those students who are not interested in them. Doesn't something more need to exist in the culture of the classroom?)
• Roles assigned so that each member has something to accomplish.

Ms. Czarnopys' example of a cumulative PGW assignment worked well as an example for the principles. The tie to positive interdependence came in when she asked the discussion questions of individual students after the group had a chance to review, discuss, and formulate ideas. As we learned from the Doug Fisher talk this fall, having students listen to others and have a means for recording it (Down and up, folded papers, etc.) does encourage participation from all members of the group.

Face-to-Face Interaction
It is SO true that in the past (and maybe even the present) we put students in groups, have them create a presentation "together" and then present. But when asked a question about another members "part", most students are clueless and cannot address anything except what they prepared.
In this model, group members must all interact and share, as well as ensure all others are prepared.

Individual and Group Accountability
Teacher observation has a lot to do with this aspect. However, the authors recommend assigning an individual assessment (which is a writing piece in the example) in addition to the group discussion and presentation of answers.
(I think it is essential to note here that our readings from FOCUS will be important to remember. We need to continue to narrow the focus of WHAT and HOW we teach before this idea of assessment will be beneficial or even reachable to our teachers.)

Interpersonal and Small-Group Skills
Once students gain experience working in PGs, they will need to become familiar and comfortable working together for the good of helping. All students need to realize that they will need help from others at some point, therefore they should give help when they can.

Group Processing
This principle is about self-assessment of the group. The authors believe this to be one of the most crucial steps, but one that is often overlooked or not planned for. In order for PGs to get better, they have to assess what went well and what could get better. It is not about pinpointing an individual but figuring out what should be continued or changed for next time.

Finally, it is important to remember that the teacher must provide students with tasks that challenge the group. It is okay for them to argue and question each other. With this, they are having to defend, support, infer and challenge - this all leads to better understanding and heightened awareness of opposing views.

Productive Group Work - Introduction

Contrary to what many believe, group work is not the same thing as productive group work. Furthermore, there is a stigma attached to group work and the fact that the teacher has to relinquish control in the classroom. This stigma is due to the fears associated with what could happen during group work. However, when teachers plan productive group work in their classrooms, the benefits are substantial and the possibility for the chaos associated with group work is reduced and/or eliminated. After reading the introduction to Productive Group Work, I found several key points that I think are the keys to transforming group work into productive group work.

*        Teachers must have a way to hold individual students accountable during PGW

*        Students must learn to communicate with one another over a meaningful task prior to engaging in PGW

*        Teachers must pre-establish the conditions for the collaborative learning of PGW

*        The teachers’ job is NOT to supervise by walking around the classroom

*        This is an opportunity for RTI while the majority of the class is engaged in PGW

*        Engage students in PGW that builds off what you did as a whole group, which was an extension of your modeling during an ‘I do’

*        Soon after PGW, students will be ready for independent work

*        Independent learning is the ultimate goal. PGW will help prepare students to achieve independent learning

Chapters 7 & 8

Chapter seven of the RTI2 book discusses three kinds of feedback, feed-up feed forward and feed forward.  Creating this system of feedback is essential to monitor progress each type of feedback is described below:

Feed-up is clarifying the goal.  The focus here is purpose.  Students are more likely to achieve, when they are aware of the lessons goal and when they believe that their chance for success is high.  The author goes on to establish a correlation to the persuasion, argumentation and facts that is an on-going theme throughout the book.

Feedback is responding to the work.  The best feedback provides the students with information about their progress and the best course of action to succeed.   The use of humor, questions and startling statistics will benefit the student to see their areas of strength and weaknesses.

Feeding forward is modifying instruction.  This involves greater flexibility in lesson planning and delivery.  We also need to include the use of data to drive instruction.  Without a feed forward system we risk the use of feedback creating the need for more interventions and confused expectations for students.

Checking for expectations daily is an imperative to this process.   The checks need to inform and measure.  Focusing on fostering oral language and use of questioning techniques are pivotal.  Compelling evidence exists that student talk is a great mechanism for learning. 

Common formative Assessments will allow teachers to effectively communicate and discuss student achievement.   These assessments are usually based on units of instruction and become a part of the dreaded pacing guide.  This data will spur conversations and focus the discussion.

Creating formative assessments will guide future lessons and provide data to drive any interventions that might be needed.  They will create a clear picture of the areas in which students are progressing.  The author includes a brief section on engaging in professional discussions.  In y opinion we have developed these conversations nicely in the data team process. 

State assessments are also discussed in chapter seven.  The authors argue that a consistent reliance on the feedback system will boost student performance on sate mandated tests. 

Chapter eight deals with the idea of hardwiring excellence into our expectations school wide.    Utilization of the RTI2 process n\must become accepted and institutionalized.  We need to focus on three things purpose, worthwhile work, and making a difference are all components of this pursuit of excellence. 

A common definition and understanding of quality work will assist both teacher and building leader improve conversations; either among peers or with students. 

Family involvement in RTI2 is essential.  They Are the keepers of the child’s history and can be used as experts to help school personnel to understand the learning styles and what has worked for the student in the past. 

Coaching is discussed in this chapter and many of the author’s assertions were demonstrated more than adequately last year at JB.  Unfortunately, this model is not as widespread as it was and we all look forward to the possibility of fully staffing this model. 

In short, the final chapter of this book deals with improving the professional dialogue in meetings forming a structure that is designed to pursue excellence and including all stakeholders in the RTI process. 

Joe Flaherty