Deep Practice
What is it?Why do we need it?How do we create it?
Deep Practice Short intense practice on one to five
questions.
Questions are rigorous and make the learner stretch.
Always includes deconstruction; it is a minimal amount of time solving the problem with the REAL learning in deconstructing it.
Occurs on a daily basis and starts at the beginning of the school year.
Why do we need it?
Test scores show our students perform poorly on dual-coded
questions.
Dual coded questions are questions that require the student to engage in more than one cognitive process.
Let’s look at an example.
TEK 5.5A
• 83% Statewide• 83% District• NO PROCESS
STANDARD
A Dual Coded Question – Same TEK
52% Statewide 57% District
DUAL CODED WITH:5.2D Analyze and
interpret information to construct reasonable
explanations from direct and indirect
evidence.
1. Students score 20% to 45% lower on questions that require more than one cognitive process.
2. We need DEEP PRACTICE on dual coded questions to get good at them.
3. They make-up 40% to 90% of all test questions on an exam, depending on the test taken.
Conclusion:Until we have explicit practice on dual coded questions…
our students won’t do better on STAAR or EOCs.
The Paradox
Operating on the edge of your ability, where you make mistakes, makes you smarter.
Experiences where you’re forced to slow down, make errors, and correct them, make you strengthen your critical thinking skills.
PART II: HOW TO WRITE A DUAL CODED QUESTION
WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS?
A dual coded question has:1. A process skill from the
content area TEKS2. A readiness or supporting skill
from the content area TEKS
That sounds really hard!
Not really. Take this question…
Which of the following does not produce electricity?a. Fossil fuelsb. Solar energyc. Geothermal energyd. Carbon dioxide energy
What cognitive process do you have to apply?
ONLY ONE!RECALL OF INFORMATION
WHAT’S WRONG WITH THAT?
1. It’s not real life. Solving problems in the real world always requires several cognitive steps.
2. Recalling information does not prepare students for the real world, or even for assessments like STAAR , EOC, PSAT, SAT, LSAT, MCAT, etc., etc.
3. These assessments are also the gateway into almost all professions and trades.
HOW DO YOU CHANGE IT?
First, choose a process skill from your TEKS in science that you want to help students practice on.
5.2D Analyze and interpret information to construct reasonable explanations from direct and indirect evidence.
Now let’s look at that question again, and add something to analyze.
Here is a figure of a power plant, something that produces electricity.
Now let’s ask the students to analyze and interpret the diagram.
This power plant produces electricity most likely by using –
F. Fossil fuels
G. Biofuels
H. Solar energy
J. Geothermal energy
Here’s the difference-
Question 1:Recall information.
Question 2:Study the diagram.Analyze its components.Interpret what it means.Read the question and answers.Determine which answer is correct based on the information given.
This is a
dual coded
question. R
emember
it makes u
p 40% to
90% of tests
.
NOW YOU PRACTICE – First Step1.Choose one of your tests that you’ve
given in the past. 2.Read each question and code it to the
TEKS.3.Write a “1” beside it if it requires one
thinking step to solve.4.Write a “D” beside it if it requires more
than one cognitive process to solve.5.Reading the problem and answers does
not count as a cognitive process.
Second Step Get the process skill TEKS for your
grade level and content area out.
Highlight all of the cognitive verbs, such as, analyze, infer, interpret, categorize, etc.
Select a verb or two from the process skills that your students need work on.
Next… Choose one of the simple problems on your
test.
Add a diagram, picture, chart, or more information to the question to give more visual information to process.
Rewrite your question and/or answer choices to cause students to exercise the cognitive verb(s) you selected for them to practice.
The more you do this, the easier it gets!
PART IIIDEEP PRACTICE AND DECONSTRUCTION
WHAT??? THERE’S MORE???
DEEP PRACTICE IS SIMPLY:1. GIVING STUDENTS AT LEAST ONE
DUAL-CODED QUESTION EVERY DAY AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS.
2. IT SHOULD BE ON CURRENT OR SPIRALLING CONTENT.
3. IT SHOULD STRETCH THEIR THINKING – IT SHOULD NOT BE EASY.
ALWAYS DECONSTRUCT THE QUESTION AFTER IT
IS ANSWERED.
DECONSTRUCTION
Asking students to think through how they got an
answer and to discuss it out loud.
Rules are simple:Everyone participates.Everyone respects the speaker.It can be large group or small group, even in pairs.
Process1. Ask students to circle or underline the words,
numbers, or the objects, (if using a diagram), that helped them to get the correct answer.
2. Have them do a “turn and talk”, small group share, or shout out.
3. Ask students to put an X on the incorrect answer choices.
4. Have students describe what made each answer incorrect. Annotate these by underlining words, making symbols by clues, etc.
5. Ask student to describe what information made them select the answer they have.
6. Make sure students debate, explain, and engage!
Different variables will cause the process to vary.
age of the
classtype of problem
answer choices
difficulty
level
Deconstructing the question helps to:reinforce mental steps in solving difficult problems,model for students having difficulty,improves everyone’s ability to get dual-coded questions correct.
Let’s look at that question about electricity again.
Which of the following does not produce electricity?a. Fossil fuelsb. Solar energyc. Geothermal energyd. Carbon dioxide energy
You can’t help kids get
smarter by practicing on questions like
this.
How do students think smarter and achieve more?
By having target practice on dual-coded questions - not just any questions, but challenging dual-coded questions.
By practicing them everyday in short bursts.
By deconstructing them to learn how to think.
Practice doesn’t make perfect.
Practice makes permanent.
Solve and deconstruct dual-coded questions every day.