The Highly Engaged ClassroomInduction Session

Joy MacKenzie Principal of Hershey Primary Renee Owens Middle School Teacher

Bell ringer:What is engagement? Please take a few minutes and write

down some descriptors of what it “looks like” and “sounds like” when students are engaged in your classroom.

We will compare this definition with one you will describe at the end of this session

Essential Questions: What can I do to get students’

attention? What can I do to keep students

engaged? What will work for me? What will I take

back to my classroom to implement?

Introductions Questions on the move

Activity Find out more about the group

Debrief How/Why is this engaging?

Materials for today’s class:https://will2will.wikispaces.com/Professional+Development

Working Definition of Engagement Attention:

How do I feel? (affective side of learning) Am I interested? (extent to which

classroom activities intrigue students)

Attention is a short-term phenomenon that ranges from a few seconds to a few minutes

Working Definition of Engagement Engagement:

Is this important? (extent to which students perceive classroom goals as related to their personal goals)

Can I do this? (extent to which students have or cultivate a sense of self-efficacy)

Engagement is a more long term phenomenon lasting beyond initial attention

A Bit of Research: Students will fill their “working memory”

with “permanent memory” if they are not engaged.

OutsideWorld Sensory Memory Working Memory Permanent Memory

Part One:How do I feel?

How do I Feel?Students will be more engaged in a lively, positive and accepting classroom

Effective Pacing

Transitions

Presentation of new content

Commitment and Community

Let’s look at the Teaching Rubric The classroom environment

Creating an environment of respect and rapport

Establish a culture for learning Managing classroom procedures Managing student behavior Communicating clearly and accurately Engaging students in learning

Effective Pacing Pacing too slow– energy drops; too fast

and students can become confused Need routines for

Handing in assignments Distributing materials Storing materials after activity Getting organized into groups

Whip around/pass around Choose one of the previous areas and

tell us what that routine looks like in your room

Other ideas?

Student Grouping Jigsaw “active participation strategies” Be ready to share with the group

Transitions Entering the classroom

Posting expectation Write to a prompt Check homework Think-pair-share to a question

Transitions What to do when I am through?

Helping other students Work on more advanced content Studying a topic of their own choice Homework Read

Transitions Exiting classroom

Ticket out the door Question for the next day Reflection/Summary

Lino.it Let’s try it

Presentation of New Content Chunk and Chew

3 minute pause Knew and new Ask a question (students of each other)

Incorporating Physical Movement Inside/outside circle Four Corners Vote with your feet Give one, Get one

Classroom Community Student inventories

3X5 cards Name

Three words to describe me Learning is fun when I like classes that Something that really challenges me is

Student/Teacher commitments

Reflection What were strategies you already knew?

What is something new that you can use?

Part 2Am I Interested?

Strategies to increase interest Games Interesting facts White boards Anticipation Guides Surveys Questioning to increase response rates

Let’s look at the teaching rubric Establishing a culture of learning Demonstrating knowledge of students Selecting Instructional goals Using questioning and discussion

techniques Engaging students in learning

Games Questions and answers connect

Each student has a card with one question to ask and one answer that belongs to someone else’s question

Which one doesn’t belong? 4 vocabulary or concepts/3 are related;

one is not

Friendly controversy

Interesting facts

Interesting Information

Unusual information The New York Times (www.nytimes.com) science, social studies and language arts Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (http://free.ed.gov) science, social

studies, language arts, math The History Channel (www.history.com) “This day in history” Trivia Library(ww.trivia-library.com) all content areas Book: Napoleon’s Buttons: 17 molecules that changed history

Students can find unusual information/put on wiki site etc.

Personal stories to illustrate a point or concept

Don’t do trivia to do trivia– link to content

QR scavenger hunt

Movie clips, music etc.

Questioning to increase response rates Answering a question occupies a

student’s working memory Call on students randomly Paired responses Wait time (varies) Error correction Simultaneous responses

All write, choral responses, signals, response cards, act-i-votes

Reflection on part two How can these strategies increase

student attention?

Which would be most useful at this time in your classroom?

Part 3Is this important?

Is This Important? Relating objective or essential question

to real life or larger context (rationale) Allow choice

Choice of task Create a poster illustrating the main themes

in “To Kill a Mockingbird” Investigate the time period in which “to Kill

a Mockingbird” takes place. Compare and Contrast that time period with current time.

Strive for higher level (HEAT FRAMEWORK) Analyze Argue Against Compare/contrast Criticize Defend Evaluate Interview Recommend

Is This Important? Choice of reporting format

Written Oral Debate Demonstration Visual representation Drama, Song, Rap

Reflection on Part 3 How can you take one of your

assignments and provide student choice?

Be ready to share with the group

Part 4Can I do this?

Self-efficacy Most important factor Tracking progress Effective Verbal Feedback Look for opportunities to assess self-

efficacy, and integrate the concept into your classroom

Respond to these 3 questions Strongly Agree(1-2-3-4-5)Strongly

Disagree You have a certain amount of

intelligence and there isn’t much you can do about it

Your intelligence is something about you that you can’t change very much

You can learn new things, but you can’t really can’t change your basic intelligence

Two Theories Entity theory (fixed intelligence)

Incremental theory (growth in intelligence)

How can we make a shift?

Jigsaw article by Carol Dweck Break into groups Read a portion of the article Write main points on a poster paper Share

Choice of output (example: voice thread or google docs)

Self-theory survey Designed by Carol Dweck (2000) Ask three questions using a 5 point

Leiter scale Keep the conversation alive

How does your self theory affect you in school?

What are you doing to enhance your belief in the growth theory

Track Progress Visual representation of progress

Graphs Rubrics Checklist Goal setting Specific written feedback

Providing feedback Avoid fixed characteristics – “see how

smart you are” (either you have it or you don’t)

Praise effort and quality of work– link two together

Specific feedback

ExamplesSuccessful student performance

Point out aspects of the task that were done well

Comment on obvious effort and preparation

Unsuccessful student performance

Point out aspects done well and done less well

Asks about effort and preparation

Learned helpless concept

Integrating Self-efficacy Stories about the power of efficacy

Dare to Dream! 25 Extraordinary Lives (Humphrey, 2005)

Movie Clips: The Pursuit of Happyness; Babe

Quotes/discussion of quotes about efficacy The man on top of the mountain did not fall

there– Anonymous Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration

—Thomas A. Edison

Reflection Think of a time when you contributed to

a student’s self-efficacy or when you as a student had a teacher who did the same

Share this example with a partner

And in conclusionGrowth theory working memory

Questioning Movement

Pacing Routines

3 minute Pause choice

ENGAEMENT!!!!

What is your “take-away?” 3 things to consider

2 “must do’s”

1 major “ah-ha”

Resources for presentation

The Highly Engaged Classroom. 2011. Marzano. Solution Tree Publishers

How to Teach so Students Remember. 2005. Sprenger. ASCD Publishers

Summarization in Any Subject. 2005. Wormeli. ASCD Publishers

Thanks for Coming