Katherine GrassoInstructional Techniques File

Quick Write Students are given a short prompt or open-ended question to answer

individually. The purpose of a quick write is to give students space to reflect on their learning and may be used by the instructor to help guide further instruction. This technique typically takes only a few minutes and can be used before, during or after the lesson. After a Geogebra exploration on linear equations, students explain how they arrived at their final conclusion. They include a list of questions they still have about linear equations as well as any new questions they have as a result of their findings. (Universal Construct – Complex Communication).

Track your thinking A literary technique that promotes student engagement with an assigned

reading. Students are given a key (or create their own key) of symbols to mark specific items in a text. Such items can include passages students find interesting, important, confusing, or contradictory to their own beliefs. Students are asked to read a passage on America’s current ranking in mathematics and track their thinking by: 1) underlining important ideas, 2) putting an exclamation mark next to interesting passages, and 3) including question marks near items they found confusing. (Universal Construct – Critical Thinking)

Think, Pair, Share After completing an assigned reading, students are asked to individually

“think” about items they believed to be important or consider a specific question posed to the entire class. Students then “pair” up with a peer and discuss (~30 seconds) the items they chose or their responses to the question. Finally, students “share” out their discussion highlights with the entire class. This gives students a time to consider their initial responses and hear from their peers. After reading a lesson on continuous functions, a graph is displayed at the front of the room and students must decide whether or not a function is continuous at three different points. Students must be able to justify their answers. (Universal Construct – Productivity and Accountability)

Jigsaw Jigsaw is an instructional technique that encourages collaboration and

requires students to take responsibility for their own (and their peers’) learning. It is a technique that occurs during or after a reading. A piece of content is first divided into multiple sections. Small groups of students are each assigned to one content section. During this time, the groups discuss their content and pull out the important points. Next, students create a second set of groups, making sure there is at least one student from each content section in each of the new groups. Students share out the important

points from their content section. This ensures everyone gets all of the puzzle pieces. A function’s continuity status can be one of four options. Students are broken up into four initial groups, one for each continuity status. Using a graphic organizer, they include the definition, several examples, and one counterexample for their assigned continuity status. Later, students meet in diverse content groups and share what their initial group came up with. (Universal Construct – Collaboration)

Graffiti This instructional technique gives students a chance to practice pulling out

key points and descriptive words after completing a given reading. The instructor provides a medium for students to write down short phrases or words that they consider to be significant to the reading. Butcher paper or white board space could be used. Students are encouraged to use fun fonts and decorate their words/short phrases. This strategy provides instructors an opportunity to perform a quick formative assessment on what students understood from the article. In a math class, students are given an article on the development of the modern day number line. Students are asked to discuss the article in small groups and agree upon a key word or phrase to write on the board. A large group discussion will follow. (Universal Construct- Creativity)

5, 7, 9 This is a multi-phased, timed instructional strategy that incorporates writing

and discussion. This task is broken up into three parts. Five minutes of writing, seven minutes of discussion, and nine additional minutes of writing. Students are given a specific question and are required to answer it in complete sentences. It is most beneficial if the question is thought provoking and has multiple answers. After writing for five minutes, students have seven minutes to discuss with one another their responses. The final nine minutes of writing gives the class an opportunity to reflect on the discussion and write down any further thoughts or ideas they might have. After reading two opposing articles on the prevalence of the golden ratio in nature, students are asked whether or not they think it actually exists or if it is something we artificially created. (Universal Construct – Critical Thinking)

Write Around Write Around is an instructional technique that requires students to react

collaboratively to a text. After completing an assigned reading, students are asked to formally write for two minutes on their reactions. Individuals then pass their paper to a peer in their small group. They have four minutes to read what their peer wrote and write a response. They pass their paper one more time to read and respond but this time they have six minutes to allow time for the extra reading. Students will read the novella Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott. At different points in the text, students will participate in a Write

Around highlighting points they find interesting, confusing, and important. (Universal Construct – Productivity and Accountability)

Admit Slip This technique requires students to answer a few questions regarding either

previous material or upcoming material. Its purpose is to formatively check to see what students find confusing from a past lesson, find out what they already know, or uncover misconceptions students have about a new concept. In a geometry class, students are asked to describe the relationship between a set of polygons. (Universal Construct – Critical Thinking)

I Wonder… I Wonder… is an instructional strategy that provides support for students

who struggle to organize their thoughts or annotate their thinking. Students are given a handout containing several different types of stems such as “I wonder…”, “How do I…”, and “What do I know about…”. They then use these stems as a starting point for a group discussion or a writing assignment. After listening to a mini lecture on using elimination to solve systems of linear equations, students fill out an I Wonder… handout. This gives them an opportunity to formulate questions they have about the material and connect the procedure to alternative methods for solving systems. (Universal Construct – Productivity and Accountability)

Double Entry Journal A double entry journal requires students to actively take notes and write

down important passages or phrases while reading an assignment. Students then review their notes and write a journal entry reacting to the passage. This strategy helps students identify important ideas in the reading and make connections. After reading a chapter out of The Logic of Alice: Clear Thinking in Wonderland by Bernard M. Patten, students write a double entry journal. (Universal Construct – Creativity)