1 Anb 274 Knowledge Base of Effective Teaching Cognitive Context 10 p. I-3

1

Anb 274Knowledge Base ofEffectiveTeaching

Cognitive Context

10 p. I-3

2copyright 2008 Ribas Associates

05 p. 28510 p. 352

By the end of today’s address we will

1. be able to explain how differentiating instruction by creating the cognitive context for learning results in higher levels student achievement

2. be able to describe the eight most commonly used cognitive context strategies

3. work with the teachers and administrators in your school/department to raise student achievement by implementing more cognitive context strategies into our teaching.

Agenda

1. Creating the cognitive context for this talk

2. The brain based reasons why creating the cognitive context raises the level of student learning

3. 8 key cognitive context strategies

4. Your questions about the cognitive context strategies

5. Overview of the afternoon work sessions

05 p. 286 10 p. 353

• The brain does not have a “learning” or “memory” region that stores what is learned.

• Learning new information or a skill is the process of the firing of neurons along a neural pathway.

• Remembering this new information or skill means that the neurons along that neuron pathway communicate so effectively with each other that the brain can easily recall the information or skill.

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copyright 2008 Ribas Associates

Introductory

Guided Practice

Immediate Mastery

Mastery

Immediate Application Mastery

Application Mastery

How Much Students Learn Is More Important Than How Much We Teach

05 p. 6 10 p. 3

05 p. 286 10 p. 353-4

The reason we become more skilled at a particular task the more we practice it is that the neurons involved in that particular task actually “get better at communicating with each other across their synapses.” This practice causes the neurons to develop additional branches that facilitate better communication between the neurons.”

Neurons (a.ka. Brain Cells) 05 p. 287 10 p. 354


Context for Learning 1. Agenda/Itinerary 05 p.35-38 10 p.40-41

2. Mastery Objectives 05 p.15 and 34-35

10 p.11-13 and 39-40

3. Activators 05 p. 39-45 10 p. 43-50

4. Summarizers 05 p. 45-49 10 p. 62-68

5. Connections to previous learning

05 p. 50-51 10 p. 55-56

6. Essential Questions 05 p.58-59 10 p. 52

7. Connections to real world/students’ own lives

05 p. 60-61 10 p. 56-58

8. Assigning homework at the start of the lesson

05 p. 38-39 10 p. 42-43


Creating a Context for the New Learning: Nolet & McLaughlin (2000)

05 p. 289 10 p. 356 As information is detected through one of the senses, it is held briefly in sensory memory…Sensory memory has an extremely limited capacity. Visual information begins to fade after only one-half of a second and auditory stimuli are held for only about three seconds. Information that has been perceived and recognized is passed on to the working memory…


Creating a Context for the New Learning:Nolet & McLaughlin (2000)

05 p. 289 10 p. 357

…Information is held in working memory temporarily while it is compared with information already stored in long-term memory. If the new information is related to some prior knowledge, it is moved out of working memory and stored along with that related information in long-term memory… If the new information cannot be connected to prior knowledge, it is less likely to be moved into long-term memory.

Information and Skills Taught in a Lesson

O O

O O O

O O O

O O

O O O

O O O

O O O O O

O OO O O

Without Cognitive Context

With Cognitive Context

Information and Skills Taught in a Lesson

O O

O O O

O O O

O O

O O O

O O O

O O O O O

O OO O O

Information and Skills Students Mastered

Without Cognitive Context

With Cognitive Context

More Gaps in Learning

Fewer Gaps in Learning

Differentiating Instruction for Whole to Part Learners

1. Cognitive context strategies raise the achievement of all students.

2. Whole to part learners are particularly impacted in a positive way by cognitive context strategies such as agendas, post and stating mastery objectives, and summarizers.


What do you know/ think you know about agendas? How do they raise student learning?

• Agendas/itineraries


Agendas (a.k.a. itineraries) 05 p. 35-36 10 p. 40-41

1. Creates a context that tells the students where each individual piece of learning fits in the big picture of the lesson

2. Keeps students focused on learning the concepts rather than wondering “what’s next?”

3. Tells student with specific learning styles when the part of the lesson most interesting to them will occur

4. Tells student arriving after the start of class what we are doing in the lesson

5. Keeps us (the teacher) on schedule


What do you know/ think you know about mastery objectives?How do they raise student learning?


• Mastery objectives


Mastery Objectives 05 p.15 and 34 10 p. 11 and 39

• Helps students understand the importance of each piece of learning in the context of the entire lesson thereby increasing the likelihood the learning will move into their long term memory

• Tells students who are curious, the information and skills they will learn today

• Keeps us (the teacher) focused on those activities that serve to increase student mastery on the information and skills identified as essential and most important


Objectives written in mastery form 05 p. 15 10 p. 11

• Uses language that is observable

• Uses language that enables effective assessment

• Are presented prior to the teaching

• Are presented to the students in language they can understand


What do you know/ think you know about activators?

How do they raise student learning?



• Activators


Activators 05 p. 39 10 p. 43

•Some create a common base of information on the topic which is shared by all the students

•Some connect previous learning to new learning

•Some inform the teacher about the students’ current knowledge of the topic

•Some inform the teacher of the students’ confusion and misconceptions about the topic

•Some inform the teacher about the parts of the topic that may be most interesting to the students


Activators (Erlauer, 2003, p91) A Brain Compatible Classroom

05 p. 297 10 p. 365

“ the first ten minutes of class represents the period during which students are most likely to focus, comprehend and commit to long-term memory the information they are taught”


What do you know/ think you know about summarizers?How do they raise student learning?



• Activators

• Summarizers


Activators (Erlauer, 2003, p91) A Brain Compatible Classroom

05 p. 297-298 10 p. 365

“A second prime period for learning is the final ten to fifteen minutes of a lesson or class. Summarizers that review content covered during the during a class period are invaluable for ensuring that the content will become part of the students’ long-term memory.”


Summarizer 05 p. 45-46 10 p. 62

• Puts the learning into a context by helping students to see the “big picture”

• Tells the teacher what the student has learned

• Tells the teacher what the student believes is important about what he/she has learned

• “Back end” loads the information into a time in the lesson when the brain is more likely to remember what was learned

Commonly Used Activators and Summarizers

1. KW, KWL, KWLU (both)

2. Give-one-get-one (both)

3. The three most important things you learned today and why you think they are important (summarizer)

4. Paired verbal fluency (both)

5. Group verbal fluency (both)

6. Three, Two, One (summarizer)

Commonly Used Activators and Summarizers

7. A Thought Going Round In My Head…(summarizer)

8. Quick writes (both)

9. Ticket to leave (summarizer)

10.Agree/disagree (both)

11.Create your own sentence (both)

12.Word splash (activator)

13.Bingo (summarizer)


What do you know/ think you know about connecting to previous learnign?How does it raise student learning?



• Activators

• Summarizers

• Connecting to previous learning

Connecting to Previous Learning

• Creates a cognitive context by establishing a foundation on which to connect previous learning

• Catches up students who missed previous learning

• Informs the teacher if there is a need for re-teaching

• Creates a common base of previous learning among a larger group of students

Essential Questions: Grant Wiggins 05 p. 58 10 p. 52

1. causes genuine and relevant inquiry into the big ideas and core content;

2. provokes deep thought, lively discussion, sustained inquiry, and new understanding as well as more questions;

3. requires students to consider alternatives, weigh evidence, support their ideas, and justify their answers;

4. stimulates vital, on-going rethinking of big ideas, assumptions, and prior lessons;

Essential Questions: Grant Wiggins

5. sparks meaningful connections with prior learning and personal experiences;

6. naturally recurs, creating opportunities for transfer to other situations and subjects.

Essential Question Examples

• Why did mammals thrive and develop while dinosaurs became extinct?

• How does what we measure influence how we measure? How does how we measure influence what we measure?

• Is there really a difference between a cultural generalization and a stereotype?


Connecting to Real World and/or Students’ Own Lives

• Pick a concept that is taught in the curriculum that you are responsible for.

• Give and example of how you do (or could) connect this concept to students’ own lives and/or the real world.

• Tell your example to someone sitting next to you.

Assigning Homework at the Start of Class 05 p. 38-39 10 p. 42-43

• Make clear that students won’t know how to do this until the end of class and that you will teach them how to do it before the end of class.

• It takes practice to get the students comfortable with the idea that you are assigning homework at the beginning

• Have a clear management plan for students who try to do the homework while they are supposed to be doing other tasks during the lesson.


Context for Learning 1. Agenda/Itinerary 05 p.35-38 10 p.40-41

2. Mastery Objectives 05 p.15 and 34-35

10 p.11-13 and 39-40

3. Activators 05 p. 39-45 10 p. 43-50

4. Summarizers 05 p. 45-49 10 p. 62-68

5. Connections to previous learning

05 p. 50-51 10 p. 55-56

6. Essential Questions 05 p.58-59 10 p. 52

7. Connections to real world/students’ own lives

05 p. 60-61 10 p. 56-58

8. Assigning homework at the start of the lesson

05 p. 38-39 10 p. 42-43

Planning Sessions:

The work sessions that follow are designed to give you time to plan to use some of these strategies with your students.

1. Set a manageable goal for yourself for what you can achieve in this session.

2. Set a manageable goal for yourself for using a new cognitive context strategy with your students.

By the end of today’s address we will

1. be able to explain how creating the cognitive context for learning results in higher levels student achievement

2. be able to describe the eight most commonly used cognitive context strategies

3. work with the administrators in your school/department to raise student achievement by implementing more cognitive context strategies into our teaching.

Questions?

• We will now do a question and answer time. You can raise your hand or pass your written questions up to me.

• If you don’t feel comfortable asking in the large group then you can ask your questions in the afternoon work sessions. You will have colleagues and an administrator who will be able to answer your questions.

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Anb 274Knowledge Base ofEffectiveTeaching

Cognitive Context

10 p. I-3

Documents

1 Anb 274 Knowledge Base of Effective Teaching Cognitive Context 10 p. I-3