High-Yield Strategies
September 2009
What are High-Yield Strategies?
High-yield strategies are strategies that have been proven through a combination of research and “best practice” evidence to contribute to improved student learning.
(The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat Webcast Professional Learning Series, High-Yield Strategies to
Improve Student Learning, May 2008)
Teacher Moderation/Collaborative Marking
This is a highly effective assessment strategy that involves teachers coming together to look at student work based on pre-determined assessment criteria.
By working together, teachers’ assessment practices become more aligned, professional
dialogue occurs and teachers gain confidence in their own ability to assess student work
accurately and fairly to improve student work.
Building trust among teachers is essential!
Teacher Moderation/Collaborative Marking
Some examples of Teacher Moderation include:
o DRA and CASI assessments (P/J/I)o Running Records (P)
o TLCPs (P/J/I)
The LNS Capacity Building Series , TEACHER MODERATION: COLLABORATIVE ASSESSMENT
OF STUDENT WORK, September 2007www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/
Uninterrupted Blocks of Literacy & Numeracy
Literacy Blocks ~ 100-120 minutesNumeracy Blocks ~ 60-75 minutes
BENEFITS• Allows teachers to optimize instruction• Provides students with sufficient time to learn and to process
information• Allows teachers to differentiate instruction• Allows teachers to implement ongoing instruction, as well as
student-based, open-ended activities that encourage higher-order thinking
LNS What Works? Research into Practice Series, LEARNING BLOCKS FOR LITERACY AND NUMERACY, May 2007www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/whatWorks.html
Ongoing Assessment & Feedback
The purpose of ongoing feedback is to inform students about their progress and what they can do to move their learning along.
Feedback should be timely, explicit/specific and focused on curriculum expectations.
Ongoing assessment also helps the teacher inform his/her own teaching
practice.
Assessment FOR, OF & AS Learning
FOR
OF
AS
Assessment AS learning needs to be our biggest focus.
Dr. Earl’s diagram best illustrates the difference between the three.
Assessment FOR, OF & AS Learning
• Assessment OF LearningThis is summative assessment. This type of assessment is the decision-making piece. This includes the collecting the evidence needed to make judgments and to report to parents and to students.
• Assessment FOR LearningTeachers use formative assessment to see what students are thinking and then decides what needs to be done. This is gathering data with a purpose in mind.
• Assessment AS LearningStudents can self-assess and decides NEXT STEPS through this
process. As teachers, we are encouraging students to be self-reflective and self-monitoring thinkers. We want them
to monitor their own progress toward achieving their learning goals.
Another way of thinking about ASSESSMENT …
Diagnostic Assessment the try out or the audition
Formative Assessment the practice or the rehearsal
Summative Assessment the game or the final performance
Every time you carry out an assessment, it is not a decision point, it is a TEACHING POINT!
(Dr. Lorna Earl)
WEBCAST: Rethinking Classroom Assessment with Purpose in Mind, April 27, 2006, Dr. Lorna Earl, CSC
Points for Discussion
1. What do we, as teachers, need to do to ensure that students get the most out of feedback sessions?
2. What is the student’s role during feedback sessions?
3. What questions should we ask ourselves during the assessment process to
ensure that we are meeting the specific needs of
every student?
The Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
The teacher models the steps, provides support as the students
learn the steps. The teacher gradually shifts responsibility to the
students to apply the steps independently.
Differentiated Instruction
What is DI?Differentiated Instruction is based on the idea
that because students differ significantly in their interests, learning styles, and readiness, teaching strategies and
decisions involving issues of content, process, and product should vary
accordingly.(Tomlinson, Differentiated Instruction Model, 1999)
WEBCAST: Differentiated Instruction: Continuing the Conversation, March 29, 2006, CSC
Differentiated Instruction (cont’d)
Teachers must provide a variety of ways for ALL students to feel affirmed and challenged.
DI is student-centered.
Effective DI offers ALL students the opportunity to succeed from their individual points of entry.
Teachers must manipulate the program in order to maximize the potential
for ALL children to learn.
Differentiated Instruction
Instruction can be differentiated by…
CONTENT
PROCESS
PRODUCT
DI Instructional and Management Strategies
anchor activities (on-going) jigsawinterest centers, groups, and surveys small-group
instructionscaffolding literature circlesflexible groupings assessment (i.e. EXIT
CARDS)independent projects and study multiple intelligencestiered lessons, centers, and products adjusting questioning
strategies”May Dos” and “Must Dos” ”Points Quiz””Totally 10 Projects” ”Tic-Tac-Toe” or
MenusTechnology (i.e. WebQuests,
SMART Boards, computers)
GRAPHIC & VISUAL ORGANIZERS
o KWL Chartso Story Maps/Story Boards
o Venn Diagramo Fishbone/Cause and Effect
o Compare and Contrasto Problem-Solution Chart
o Timeline/Chain of Eventso Story Pyramid
o Brainstorming Webo Alphaboxeso Hamburger
o RAN Strategyo P-M-I
o Flowcharto Placemat
o Give ‘em a Hand
http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=2983http://www.teachervision.fen.com/graphic-organizers/printable/6293.html
Accountable Talk
Accountable Talk is talk by students and their teacher that responds to and further develops what others in the classroom have said. It is focused, meaningful, and mutually beneficial to speaker and listener.
Accountable talk stimulates higher order thinking by requiring students to clarify
their thinking, ask questions, test their hypotheses, learn to respect, listen actively
and build on the ideas of others, and articulate their views and
opinions constructively.
Collaborative Learning
Cooperative learning is the instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each other's learning.
A Few Collaborative Learning Techniques…Think-Pair-Share
JigsawFour Corners
GraffitiRound Table / Rally Table
The Doughnut / Inside Outside Circle
Collaborative Learning (cont’d)
Think-Pair-ShareThe teacher sets a problem or asks for a response to the reading.The students think alone for a specified time.The students form pairs to discuss the problem or give responses.Some responses may be shared with the class.
JigsawThis activity is characterized by participants within a
cooperative group each becoming an expert on different aspects of one topic of study.
* SEE HANDOUT
Collaborative Learning (cont’d)
Round Table/Rally Table• The teacher poses a question that has multiple answers.• The first student in each group writes one response on a paper and
passes the paper counterclockwise to the next student.• Teams with the greatest number of correct answers gain some type
of recognition.
The Doughnut / Inside Outside Circle• Students stand in 2 concentric circles facing each other.
• Facing each other they take turns sharing information and ideas or ask each other questions.
• At a given signal from the teacher, the outside circle moves a number of places clockwise.
• Students now give feedback on what was said between themselves and their previous partner.
* SEE HANDOUT
Critical Literacies
Critical literacy allows children to challenge text in the service of understanding, to become active participants, to ask the questions, to dig deeper for meaning, and to deconstruct texts.
Critical literacies give students the tools they need to think deeply about text and to take analytical
stances.
WEBCAST: Critical Literacy, November 29, 2007, CSC
Professional Learning Communities
WHAT IS A PLC?• a group of educators whose common goal is to improve
student achievement• a structured teacher collaboration• a group of educators who use data for reflection• Components of a PLC include: ensuring learning for
ALL students, focus on results, relationships, collaborative inquiry, leadership, alignment
The LNS Capacity Building Series, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES: A MODEL FOR ONTARIO
SCHOOLS, October 2007http://www.curriculum.org/secretariat/criticalpathways/files/TLCPProfessionalLearningCommunities.pdf
Informing Teaching with Data
Data should be used to: inform classroom instruction inform student placement decisions inform program and policy decisions meet accountability demands
Data should be reviewed and interpreted for the purpose of student achievement.
WHAT TYPES OF DATA DOES COLLECT? WHAT TYPES OF DATA
DO YOU COLLECT AT A SCHOOL LEVEL?
WHAT DATA DO YOU COLLECT IN YOUR OWN CLASSROOM?
Informing Teaching with Data (cont’d)
• LNS What Works? Research into Practice Series, USING DATA TO IMPROVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, August 2008
• http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/Using_Data.pdf
Teaching Non-Fiction Writing
According to Fountas and Pinnell, the purpose of NON-FICTION writing is to “inform or persuade”, while the purpose of FICTION is to “entertain and involve readers (or listeners) in stories of life”. (Guiding Readers and Writers, Grades 3-6, 2001, p.393)
NON-FICTION writing is also called “informational writing”.
NON-FICTION writing is the most widely read genre in the world.
Research has shown that exposure to NON-FICTION (textbooks, reports, biographies) has increased enthusiasm for
recreational reading and is also associated with higher test scores in Reading and
Mathematics. NON-FICTION writing helps students think systematically.
Non-Fiction Resources
• The LNS Capacity Building Series, Non-Fiction Writing for the Junior Student, March 2008
• http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/Non_Fiction_Writing.pdf
WEBCAST: Non-Fiction Writing, April 18, 2008, CSC
It is your responsibility
to reach EVERY
STUDENT!
Remember to keep your teaching student-centered.
Involve your students in the entire process:
the planning, the teaching and the assessment and
evaluation.
KEEPING THEM
ENGAGED IS KEY!