Follow John McCarthy, EdS on Twitter at @JMcCarthyEdS. Check the resources on this site and here as well for So All Can Learn.
Talk Moves: Students Learn to Own Learning Conversations
In a science classroom at Marysville Middle School, the students in Amy Busen’s class are participating in an active conversation where they respond to each other’s comments. The interaction is not a traditional approach, where the conversation moves between the teacher and a handful of students like a ping-pong match, while everyone else watches. The dialog moves among the students, with the teacher picking up the thread with an insight sparked from a student or a question to shift the conversation. The topics are Science-based. I’ve also seen this same tool used in a Texas school district.
The process remains a work in progress. The students have a collection of conversation prompts taped to their tables as reference. They are called, the Talk Moves. Here is an ELL version on this site.
The Science teachers at Marysville learned and developed their practice around the Talk Moves through support by St. Clair County Regional Educational Service Agency, one of the ISDs in Michigan, as part of work on the Next Generation Science Standards. The way that Science teachers in Marysville are using them are as prompts for the students to use. This is significant. Having researched the Talk Moves, the various resources and references appear to focus on prompts for the teacher to ask students. Whereas the questions above are being framed for use by students.
These conversation prompts could be used in any discipline for subject area conversations that are student led. Consider the possibilities for how these tools could support student-run protocols like Socratic Seminar, Harkness Discussion, Tuning Protocols, and others.
Teach students the purpose, intent, and how to use these prompts. As students practice them, coach on the quality and choice for when they are used. Have students reflect on their own usage so that they internalize the appropriateness and effectiveness of these conversation tools.
How might the conversations in your classroom or meetings evolve by using the Talk Moves?
Please explore the resources from my sessions for AdvancED at their international conferences. Please contact me if you have any questions or want to share ideas.
5 Powerful Ways to Differentiate Project Based Learning
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Planning and implementing innovative learning experiences at the unit design level can feel like a daunting task. If you’re reading this then I applaud your courage and growth mindset approach to “figure it out” so that learner interest stays at the center of all decisions. There are many innovative practices to implement such as Authentic Learning Experiences, Project Based Learning, Deeper Learning, and Design Thinking. Including each management component will support these innovative practices.
Yet a traditional unit design can be transformed, by parts, through using the management components listed below. Go slow to become smooth in these skills. Include some components, and then add to them unit by unit. The results will be students having opportunities to actively engage in the learning experiences, with greater access to curriculum complexity. Get comfortable with these management components so that students can experience engaging and substantive experiences.
Management Components
1. Driving Question A DQ or Challenge statement is at the heart of an effective unit. Introduce the question on day one of the unit. The question posed is open-ended, requires higher order thinking to answer, and is answered by the final product(s) of the unit. A driving question is an integral part of Project Based Learning and Authentic Learning Experiences units. Review these articles for effective crafting of your DQ.
2. Entry Event Units should be started with students becoming invested in the outcome and the experiences that lead up to the finale. A good entry event helps students see purpose and value in the academic unit, beyond that it’s required learning, or also known as “the Game called School.” Introduce the unit with a real-world connection and authentic audience. Connect the final unit product to the authentic purpose on day one.
Run students through a mini-scenario or case study that connects to the concepts. The Window Activity (Entry Event/Writing strategy) is one way to encourage connections.
Here is a different example: Making the Declaration of Independence Come Alive: Break up Letter (Video)
Strategy: Use Invisible Theater to get students to make important and/or startling connections.
Watch the 1st 3 minutes for this Entry Event:
3. Need to Know (N2K) activity & related formative check-ins
Launch the N2K at the start of the unit so that students can share what they already know, and what they are interested in learning from the unit. This initial feedback session is revisited throughout the unit, as posted questions (need to knows) are answered, and new (and deeper) questions are submitted. Read this article for an in-depth look into N2K.
4. Build Real World Connections
Authentic Learning Experiences (ALE) is important for students to see the value of the curriculum. Real world connections builds context for understanding and deeper learning. There are several layers to effective ALEs:
Authenticity = Lifelong Learners
Authentic Learning practices are a necessary part of of learning. Here is a framework to help teachers thinking as they plan learning experiences.
4 Paths to Engaging Students: Authentic Purpose = Audience Edutopia Article and OP Article Step Two is deciding on the Authentic Purpose for applying the learning outcomes. These two articles explain a powerful way to connect real world purpose to content.
3 Degrees of Connecting to a Real World Audience
A common request is how to find community members, organizations, experts, mentors, and clients. Here is a strategy used by a group, department, or whole staff to generate a list of networks. Also, keep in mind that another solution is to send out a short survey to parents. Find out their skills and experiences that they have to offer.
5. Learning Wall
Making learning transparent helps students know what is expected at the start. This is done with daily lessons when teachers post and read aloud the learning outcomes for that day’s lesson. A Learning Wall communicates about the entire unit. Refer to the appropriate components to students on a daily basis, whichever components is appropriate at the time. Making daily references makes the Learning Wall useful to connecting “that” day’s work to the unit big picture. Read this article for more about Learning Walls. Also check out this photo gallery of Learning Walls.
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Post the following components in the area where the teacher starts instruction.
Driving Question
Need to Knows
Calendar
Learning Standards, Rubrics and Major Assignments
Possible others: Norms, Mediation Process, and GSS Anchor Charts
6. Structures for coaching and supporting Teams Teamwork both as an entire class and in small groups is important to academic learning and development of important professional skills of Collaboration and Communication. The following resources addresses several tools that can support a classroom professional learning culture (Norms) and strategies to develop a personalized system for empowering students to advocate for themselves with their peers and with teachers.
Classroom or group Norms
Norms exist informally, and typically do not support how classroom learning should be. Facilitate student-developed norms that support the classroom. The result are guidelines that students and teachers can hold each other accountable, because the students created them.
Mediation Process & related supports Adopt or adapt this Mediation Process at the start of school or new marking period. Teach and coach students on how to follow the steps. After early direct coaching for the initial issues that occur, students should be able to follow through with team members without assistance. This strategy is a proven process used in schools across the United States.
Team formation support strategy
Use these strategies to gather student-reported information about themselves. The depth of knowledge can help influence creating a balanced group assignments.
Roles
Include descriptions for each role. Ensure that each role has an academic responsibility. Include a supervisory responsibility for each role so that a student in not solely responsible for a portion of the work. Maintain “shared responsibility.”
Contracts
These sample contracts offer a variety of methods for student groups to agree on common practices, and hold each other accountable.
Picture students making frequent connections to curriculum outcomes in deep and meaningful ways. Imagine them caring about the academic tasks as if someone important to them is counting on their success. Authentic Learning Experiences (ALE) transforms this picture into reality. ALE is a growing practice in 40 minute lessons to units that go one to five weeks, and much longer ones.
Explore different aspects of ALE from concept to practices to implementations with links at the bottom. Let’s start with exploring the why of Authentic Learning Experiences.
The concept of ALE is simple:
Immerse students into real world situations and/or challenges to make meaningful connections to curriculum.
Here are some examples:
interview a water quality employee to better understand the science and community impact
publish a position paper about a social or political issue
teach 2 and 3 digit multiplication and informational writing by having students create a budget for curriculum night event. Have a panel stakeholders decide which one to implement.
invite a business owner to share their marketing problem of promoting their business. Students are tasked with devising a persuasive multimedia marking campaign for review by the business owner.
devise an idea for more ADA compliant supports to be used to improve daily life, ie. store access, hotel room design, or use of gadgets like phones and other digital devices.
Why is ALE important for learners?
Authentic Learning Experiences help students connect curriculum with real world meaning. Academic subjects can feel abstract to some students, resulting in a belief that the “knowledge” is only relevant in the classroom as part of work to be done, and not remembered. This belief is far from the truth about how content builds to many applications and uses in the world beyond the school walls. When students grapple with the connections between concept and authentic applications, the skills gain value because job purpose is provided.
Additionally, authentic audience participation is valuable. Such a participant can support the lesson or unit by participating in a Q&A, mentoring, acting as a resource, or posing a genuine problem or question that they need an answer. From my experiences, and those of teachers and administrators I’ve helped, students were more likely to step up to the challenge. An genuine audience or client puts a “face” to the tasks. Confronted with that person or organization, students tend to raise their efforts for deeper quality of work, because someone is counting on them. An audience that is not the teacher seems to communicate that the work is not just an exercise. It’s impact is real. Students have a voice in the global community.
Navigating a Global Community
The world is smaller in the sense that technology such as social media has sped up the flow of information and communication access to anywhere. No longer can students work on academics for the sake of curriculum, with justifications that the work will prepare them for the “real world.” Such assertions are simply not true. Traditional instructional practices alone might develop students with a deep understanding of content, with little or no connection to the rich applications and implications in the world beyond school. Traditional instruction that are effective practices do have a place in today’s teaching and learning–if those practices are incorporated, and sometimes reinvented, into connections and applications in the global community.
Video conferencing, virtual worlds, digital collaborative spaces and tools, and apps provide a variety of ways to bring the world inside the classroom, and the students entrance into the world. Publication of ideas as comments to articles, to videos are literally at our fingertips. Access to experts, professionals, enthusiasts, and explorers has become so easy that a real challenge is how to communicate with them, and effectively sift through what is evidenced-based to agenda-driven. These are the experiences and 21st Century Learner skills that students need experience with as they learn curriculum.
Now What
Authentic Learning Experiences are not a new idea. It continues to evolve based on the world that we live in. In the late 1990s, cell phones were a tool that was not a common tool, nor as useful, as it has become today, with the merging of computer technology and the internet. As the global community shrinks and careers evolve, students need more experiences that applies curriculum in an authentic context beyond school.
Start simple with one lesson or a collection of 2-3 learning experiences. Build your comfort level, while giving students new interesting challenges. Expand to a unit focus, where students tackle a problem or puzzle. Their final product should demonstrate their understanding of content outcomes through their creative solutions. PBL is one such unit structure that supports this approach. Explore the possibilities through these resources below.
In the past, I’ve written several articles about the myths that prevents many teachers from using Differentiation as an integral part of how they meet learner needs.
They have resonated with educators who comment and share these articles with colleagues. I often hear how the articles empowered or gave teachers permission to do more. Best of all, most express finding affirmation for what they are already doing, which is one intention of these articles: Teachers do differentiate, whether unconsciously or with deliberation.
It’s time to change the focus from the myths to the truths. What are the realities for Differentiation?
There are many. Here is the first:
Differentiation starts with learners.
The standard language for Differentiation was introduced early on by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Susan Allan in books in 1999 and 2001. It’s a language that continues to work today, as I note in So All Can Learn: A Practical Guide to Differentiation.
Teachers often start with Content, Process, and Products as those are the vehicles for differentiating learning experiences.
It makes sense to begin with these three elements because they are most familiar to educators when it comes to planning instruction. Richard DuFour, among many respected education thinkers, described these steps as:
What do students need to know, understand, and do?
How will students demonstrate what they’ve learned and not learned?
What will we do for students who fail?
What will we do for students who’ve already learned the content and concepts?
Despite all this information, instruction begins with the learner through Readiness, Interests, and Learning Preferences.
The student is best equipped to make connections or determine if the lesson is best for them. They do this all the time through expressions of engagement to disengagement.
What motivates learners to participate? What engages students to dedicate time and energy into the lessons? The answers can only come from them. The solution for teachers is to make the conscious decision to communicate and collaborate with students, including them in the planning and decision-making of the learning experiences based on Readiness, Interests, and Learning Preferences. If this feels uncomfortable, or the voice in your head is giving excuses for why this cannot be done, then you understand what your struggling learners feel about your lessons.
Starting places:
Use a Learning Preference inventory to help craft 2-4 choices that students might opt to complete tasks. Bonus points if you then get their feedback about the choices, and make revisions based on their input.
Collect formative assessment data and use it to craft variations of the same task so that students can be assigned or choose the appropriate level. Make sure that each task includes critical thinking and is respectful to the learner. Every student can analyze, evaluate, and synthesize, even with very basic understanding. Over simplifying work that’s stuck at the comprehension and fact-base level for struggling learners insults their intelligence. Again, bonus points if you get their feedback about the choices, and make revisions based on their input.
Clearly explain and coach the learning outcomes so that students understand them and what is expected of them. Then support students as they construct products of their design that demonstrate the learning outcomes.
Guest Author: Tracy Williams – Follow her on Twitter: @trawill14
She’s an elementary teacher who has a passion for developing student writers, and empowering their voice through quality feedback. She has developed a related resource to help other teachers in their thinking to support their students: Feedback Screencast. Here is what she has to say, inspired by an important education thinker, Ron Berger:
Review of Beautiful Work
In the article Beautiful Work, author and educator Ron Berger paints the picture of his classroom where beautiful, quality work is expected. Berger gives readers many examples of how he encourages his students to create important, aesthetic work for real audiences. Regardless of subject area, his students learn they must strive for quality and beauty through class culture, crafting, and authentic critiquing. No matter how simple the assignment, the quest for valuable work is the goal.
Right away, Berger confronts the main perceived obstacle of teachers when they envision a classroom such as his. “The new national focus on ‘standards’ seems to be less about high standards than about covering required material, and there is little time left in most schools for the quest for real quality.” Today’s teachers face rigorous curriculums where they feel little time for elements such as aesthetics. They are foregoing quality for the sake of quantity. One consequence of this is students feel more and more like there isn’t time for mistakes or revisions, or editing. They are often in a rush to complete assignments and they aremissing the value of the work. And when one doesn’t understand the value of the work, maintaining true pride in successes and a growth mindset in failures are difficult to own.
In order to experience real growth, students must know what it feels like to recognize their own mistakes, and want to improve upon them. This implies that a growth mindset should be fostered within the classroom and through the work. One cannot achieve real beauty without struggle, or quality without mistakes. So students must be made to believe that these things are not only accepted, but valued. In the past, one of my struggles as a writing teacher was trying to get kids to revise and edit. They much prefer the idea of one and done. I can now see that my challenge – my job – is to help students see the value in the process, as well as the work itself. This means assigning less work, but more valuable pieces. It also means providing positive yet authentic goals and feedback, which allow student room improve and grow. In addition, creating a classroom culture is critical. Berger refers to working with professionals, daily discussions, multiple drafts, a classroom gallery, as well as formal and informal critique sessions. All of these ideas would be excellent implementations to help students understand and value high expectations.
Berger touched on another important piece in regards to creating valuable work. He presents his students with models of the type of work he wants them to create. “We use models of excellence to set the standards for our work – models from former students in our school or other schools, and models from the professional world. What in many schools might be called cheating is considered wise practice in our classroom: studying great work to learn what we can borrow and what strategies we can learn.” This really struck a chord with me. Several years ago, I started following Study Driven (2006) by Katie Wood Ray. In this writing program, one of the first steps of writing meaningful pieces involved immersing children with models of the kind of work we wanted them to emulate. Students were then able to analyze the elements of those pieces and then put them to practice. I saw growth in my student writers using this program, and I strongly believe in the value of modeling. This is a practice that I plan to continue. Presenting students with several high-quality models is key.
In conclusion, Beautiful Work is a reminder of the expectations we should hold students and ourselves accountable. It is a reminder to keep the work we assign meaningful, so that students can set meaningful goals. It is a reminder to strive for quality, instead of quantity. It is a reminder to create the classroom culture you envision. And finally, it is a reminder to both teachers and students to value the thinking and the process, as well as the work itself.
more than a passion or calling in working with students of all ages. For me, it’s simply a necessity, like breathing. If life-long learning is to be what everyone does with care and thoughtful reflection, then differentiation experiences should happen early and frequent throughout one’s education.
I wrote an article for Edutopia, “3 Ways to Plan for Diverse Learners: What Teachers Do”, with a desire to show teachers that they do “do” differentiation. Meeting learner needs happens. I presented a structure based on language introduced by Carol Tomlinson and Susan Allan (ASCD) around the turn of this century.
The language, as I call it–the 6 Elements of Differentiation, is important for having dialog on how best to plan instruction that meets students’ needs (Content, Process, & Products), and includes student voice in the process (Readiness, Interests, & Learning Preferences). The article is one of many that I wrote, which seem to inspire much dialog and sharing of ideas through social media. It’s great to engage in dialog about Differentiation as something we just do, need to do. Instruction in this form is no longer a dream, but reality.
As teachers and other educators deepen their understanding of Differentiation, there are levels of implementation that go beyond the basics of knowing the six elements. Like a gamer, a martial artists, or someone earning multiple university degrees, there is complexity with where we can aspire to differentiate for learners (Chapter 5 of So All Can Learn). The 1st three ways provide the foundation for stronger instructional practices and learning engagement.
There is a 4th Way…
Learner Agency, based on developing and encouraging student voice. In So All Can Learn: A Practical Guide to Differentiation, four chapters—almost half the book—are dedicated to understanding and coaching agency through student voice. Readiness, Interests, and Learning Preferences are how students determine if the instructional experience is inviting. Including students in learning construction based on these three elements sends a message that their thoughts and ideas matter.
It’s easy to get started in this process. Here are a few starting places:
Interest Surveys
Learning Profile Cards
Student interviews and focus groups
Journal entries like #IWishMyTeacherKnew on Twitter and Facebook
Based on the learning outcome that students must gain from the lesson, make instructional planning decisions using the information learned about students based on their Readiness, Interests, and Learning Preferences. The information should influence the Content delivered, Processing experiences (how students check for understanding and make sense of the content), and the product options that students choose or design themselves to demonstrate the learning outcomes.
Differentiation happens in the ways that teachers adjust based on how students “react” to the lesson that’s in progress—Intuitive Differentiation. More effective Differentiation happen when teachers anticipate student needs during the lesson planning prior to implementation—Intentional Differentiation. Higher levels of Differentiation occur when students become active co-planners with teachers during planning and implementation—Collaborative Differentiation.
Learn more from the chapters and reflection questions found in the book, So All Can Learn: A Practical Guide to Differentiation by John McCarthy, EdS.
Teaching to all learners feels like an enormous challenge. Add obstacles such as class size, time, and top down mandates, and it’s not surprising that teachers may succumb to the temptation to just survive.
The reality is that all of those obstacles are very real, and can get in the way of what is needed for students. But, what is also true is that those obstacles impede teaching and learning, not Differentiation itself. Without Differentiation, the problems remain for “teaching” and “learning”.
Differentiation is a lens and a toolkit of processes that help teachers meet the needs of all students, and overcome the obstacles that threaten learning.
Here are some of my articles that provide approaches to tackle these obstacles, while you await your preorder 😉 of So All Can Learn: A practical guide to Differentiation, which provides more in-depth answers and guidance for addressing how to effectively and efficiently teach So All Can Learn.
In an an article I wrote for Edutopia, “Gamifying Your Class to Meet the Needs of All Learners,” I talk about elements for gamification that can help differentiate for student learning. Here are resources as referenced from the article as well as other references.
Edutopia article references
Leveling Up Guide (pdf – doc)
This guide offers students a chart for experience points needed to move up in levels. Certain levels (5, 8, and 10) are Boss levels. Exams and performance tasks are the “Bosses” that students must overcome to earn the related level.
Gamification Player’s Sheet (pdf – excel – gDoc)
The spread sheet is used by students to calculate their experience points. Experience earned is based on what the teacher awards and the additional work and contributions they have done. Students keep track of their own player sheet so that the teacher saves time on the logistics of keeping score. Another option is that the teacher keeps track for everyone.
Gamification Wiki Badgeville Here is a wealth of information about different elements to choose from to gamify learning experiences.
Gamification Youtube Playlist
Here are videos on gamification in education and business. Provides a wide perspective on the elements and how they are used in practice.
Top 25 Best Examples of Gamification in Business
Here example of how businesses use gamification to draw and keep customers. How might these examples apply to drawing and keeping the attentions of learners?
“We want to do something that is cross-curricular that all the 5th grade teachers [on this campus] can participate in. We want to try something new where students truly have a voice in how they learn.”
Kathy Austrian, 5th grade teacher at Serene Hills Elementary in Lake Travis ISD, made this statement while I met with her and teammate Amanda Reedy. Both have been part of our NextGen program this year—a program that gives support to teachers willing to try new strategies in their classrooms. I am the instructional coach that worked with them. Neither had any idea what to do to bring this to fruition…nor did I.
An online article describing a teacher who had done an EdCamp in his classroom provided inspiration (Seliskar, 2014). Although we agreed that this idea could work, we also knew we needed more structure. The 5th grade class had almost 180 students and seven teachers. What would EdCamp look like when implemented on this scale?
Kathy and Amanda began to raise awareness with their team about the concept of EdCamp. All the teachers were receptive, but the vision of how to implement this on a daily basis over a two-week period was still unclear; successful execution rested on Kathy and Amanda bringing it into focus. They started with a definition of and reasons for providing an EdCamp experience for students; then, they developed a theme (“Share Your Passion”) and a driving question (“How will you inspire others?”). To provide consistency among the seven classrooms, they clearly outlined daily activities with period by period instructions, video links, questions, and major points. They acknowledged that, as the process evolved, changes would likely occur, and they remained open to suggestions from their teammates regarding design, potential problems, and possible solutions.
Setting the stage for the students was a priority. Day 1, students arrived to butcher-papered hallways proclaiming, “What do you want to learn? Bring your passion! Bring your voice!” Students brainstormed topics they would like to learn about, writing on sticky notes and posting on the butcher paper. The hallway on Day 2 boasted the caption, “What will you teach? How will you inspire? Share your passion!” Students learned about different personality types and identifying strengths. This again led to discussions about passions, why people have different ones, and how to pursue them.
The remaining days leading to EdCamp included a variety of learning experiences. Students wrote proposals that included learning outcomes, identified materials needed (technology, props, etc.), and outlined presentations with time limits for each section. They learned about asking questions that prompt higher-order thinking and about facilitating discussion. They also practiced some classroom management skills to regain the attention of their audience, if needed. In the two days prior to EdCamp, students had the opportunity to practice their presentations, receiving feedback from the teacher and students in their classroom.
Throughout this time, Kathy and Amanda continued to provide daily agendas. With help from their team, they organized the sessions, reserved classrooms, and prepared sign-up sheets. There would be eighty-five presentations—eighty-five shared passions—in ten classrooms. Sessions were color-coded according to category (technology, arts and crafts, etc.) and enrollment in each was limited to twenty students so that all would have attendees. Students eagerly awaited the day before EdCamp when they would be able to sign up for the nine 15-minute sessions they would attend.
The day of EdCamp arrived, and a banner proclaiming, “edcamp – Where Voice and Choice Matter” greeted the excited students. Young presenters shared passions such as Creating Harry Potter Potions, Mysteries of the Deep, Channeling Your Inner You Tube, Advanced Bicycles, Bonjour-Learn about France, Tricky to Please-Architecture and Design, Flippin’ Fun Gymnastics, Flowering Photography, Personal Finance and Business, Oncology, The Cupcake Fanatic, 3-D Printing, Acting with a Twist, and many other topics. Quiet students came alive when talking about their passions. Inclusion students shared their passions and received high praise from their peers. Students learned about themselves and others, about interests and strengths that were previously unrecognized. Teachers were simultaneously exhausted and exhilarated. Students were given voice and choice—and it was incredible.
EdCamp was a concept that started small…just a couple of teachers wanting to do something out of the ordinary. It spread to a team of teachers who were willing to trust each other and take a risk for their students. It further encompassed 180 normal students, transforming them into enthusiastic learners/presenters who flourished in the freedom to study and share their passions. For all involved, EdCamp provided an extraordinary learning experience.
Reference
Seliskar, Jason. (2014, January 9). An Elementary Edcamp-An Unconference for Students.
