The Teenage Brain Is Wired to Learn—So Make Sure Your Students Know It Adolescence is an exciting time as teenagers become increasingly independent, begin to look forward to their lives beyond high school, and undergo many physical, emotional, and cognitive changes. In that last category, teenagers can learn to take charge of their developing brains and steer their thinking in positive and productive directions toward future college and career success. The brain’s prefrontal cortex, which functions as the control center for executive functions such as planning, goal setting, decision making, and problem solving, undergoes significant changes during the teenage years. In an NPR interview, Laurence Steinberg, author of Age of Opportunity: Lessons From the New Science of Adolescence, notes that ages 12 to 25 are a period of extraordinary neuroplasticity. They have the capacity to become functionally smarter. Tools for Self-Directed Learning Don’t just read—learn. Consider the source. Create, then edit. Make a schedule—and stick to it.
Mrs. Landolt's Web Page - Standards-Referenced Grading Standards-Referenced Grading Frequently Asked Questions What is standards-referenced grading? Why standards-referenced grading? How does standards-referenced grading work? What are formative and summative assessments? Why aren’t formative assessments calculated in the final grade? What is a common assessment? What are the roles of the teacher, student, and parent in standards-referenced grading? What is standards-referenced grading? Standards-referenced grading is a way to more accurately reflect what students know and are able to do. Why standards-referenced grading? In June of 2010, approved a new mission, vision and learning principles to guide student achievement. How does standards-referenced grading work? The state of has grade level expectations (GLEs) in each content area. A 4 level scale is used to measure student work. Every standard has a rubric that demonstrates the benchmark for proficiency. Adapted from: Marzano, R.J. (2010). What are formative and summative assessments?
Teachers Going Gradeless – Arthur Chiaravalli – Medium After years of teaching using the principles of standards-based learning and grading, I encountered two findings that radically changed my perspective on assessment, grading, and reporting. The first finding comes from Ruth Butler (1988, as cited in Wiliam 2011) regarding feedback. Butler examined 3 types of feedback: scores alone, comments alone, and scores with comments. Her study showed that scores alone made students either complacent or unmotivated depending on how well they did. Scores with comments were just as ineffective in that students focused entirely on the score and ignored the comments. Surprisingly, it was the students who received comments alone that demonstrated the most improvement. The second finding comes from John Hattie (2012) whose synthesis of 800 meta-studies showed that student self-assessment/self-grading topped the list of educational interventions with the highest effect size. It’s been quite a journey.
4 Ways to Reduce Classroom Risk and Reach the Whole Child Intention is everything, especially when educating and nurturing children. Words matter, and specificity with vocabulary determines whether or not adult interactions with kids have the desired impact. One misguided message many teachers instill in their students is that risk-taking is good. On the surface, this may seem like a worthwhile component of social-emotional learning. Yet I reiterate to my students that generally and within reason what one thinks of as risk is not truly risky at all. Especially where school is concerned, the vast majority of “risks” that tend to paralyze children and prevent them from making any academic attempt whatsoever contain no actual danger, undue burden, or extraordinary sacrifice. Granted, even in the best of situations a student’s active participation and investment in school sometimes contain a dash of discomfort, an element of uncertainty, and an enormous amount of effort and attention. Therefore, teachers should not completely dismiss risk.
Effective Grading Practices Conference Countdown Dallas, Tex. June 27-29, 2014 weeks days hours minutes seconds go Share Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Google+ 2014 ASCD Conference on Teaching Excellence June 27–29, 2014 Dallas, Tex. Explore ways to make excellent teaching the reality in every classroom. More Tweets about "@ASCD" Permissions ASCD respects intellectual property rights and adheres to the laws governing them. Policies and Requests Translations Rights Books in Translation Buy this issue Log in to read all articles.NONMEMBERSSelect an unlocked article to read a sample.To view the entire issue, Digital EL November 2011Effective Grading Practices November 2011 | Volume 69 | Number 3 Effective Grading Practices Feature Articles Perspectives / What We Learn from Grades Marge Scherer Starting the Conversation About Grading Susan M. Five Obstacles to Grading Reform Thomas R. Redos and Retakes Done Right Rick Wormeli The Case Against Grades Alfie Kohn Grades That Show What Students Know Robert J. Spencer J. Tags:
Author Interview: 'The Essentials for Standards-Driven Classrooms' Two co-authors of the new book, The Essentials For Standards-Driven Classrooms: A Practical Instructional Model For Every Student To Achieve Rigor, agreed to answer a few questions. Michael D. Toth is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Learning Sciences International (LSI), author of Who Moved My Standards? Joyful Teaching in an Age of Change: A SOAR-ing Tale, and co-author, with Robert J. Marzano, of Teacher Evaluation That Makes a Difference: A New Model for Teacher Growth and Student Achievement. Carla Moore, MSEd, is Director of Professional Development Services and Product Development at LSI, specializing in teacher and leader effectiveness, and author of The Essentials for Standards Driven Classrooms, and Creating and Using Learning Targets and Performance Scales. Assuming the research is accurate, what do you think the reasons are behind this classroom reality? Michael D. These thirteen essential instructional strategies are a teacher's basic "toolbox." Data are everywhere! Save
Schools Often Fail to Educate, Support English-Language Learners - Learning the Language Schools across the United States often provide substandard instruction and social-emotional support to the nation's English-language learners—and fail to properly train the educators who teach them, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine finds. Noting that limited English proficiency remains a substantial barrier to academic success for millions of children in K-12 schools, the study explores how under-resourced schools and under-prepared educators can hinder efforts to help those students learn and master English. The committee behind the report—consisting of a who's who of experts on language acquisition and educators—also explored the struggles of specific populations of English-learners such as those with disabilities, who are less likely than their native English-speaking peers to be referred to early intervention and special education programs. Here's a link to the full report. For Further Reading on This Topic:
Q&A: Standards-based grading expert Robert Marzano talks about Bangor Township Schools new grading system DENVER, Colo. — Bangor Township Schools recent switch to a standards-based grading system has parents questioning the validity of their student’s grades. School officials defend the new grading system, which aims to grade students on their ability to apply what they learn to real-world examples, and plan to continue it as a pilot program through the rest of the year. In parent meetings last month, Superintendent Shawn Bishop said the school district is using research from Robert J. Marzano, who runs education research laboratories in Indiana and Colorado. Marzano’s book, “Transforming Classroom Grading,” is the roadmap teachers and administrators are using to implement the new program. Read what's been going on in the Bangor Township Schools district with the new grading system, here. The Times caught up with Marzano on Monday to talk about his research on standards-based grading. Robert J. Andrew Dodson: What is your answer when people ask you what is standards-based grading?
Let The River Run: Float On Down Stream A classroom is ever changing like a river, displaying the progress, continuity and outpouring of knowledge. Rapids, falls, meandering, channels, banks, and eventually estuaries and deltas where they expand and release their flow into the sea of learning. Each bend of the lesson causing a course change, each student adding a plethora of personalities and mobility of mind. The flow of a classroom is roaring when these personalities merge from individual tributaries into a channel ever changing the landscape. Every teachers goal is to have the engagement level of their classroom high. Where the ebb and drift of the activity is guiding students to a place of self-awareness and motivation. An oxbow lake is a pool of stagnate water which forms beside a winding river due to erosion and deposition. If you have ever been boating, you know there are clear safety precautions in place to keep you safe on the water. Being in the water lends itself to fun, hands-on activities.
Minds and Matter: 21st century needs: A case for standards-based grading - West Branch Times - West Branch, Iowa - westbranchtimes.com Enhancing the learning of our students is job one for the West Branch Community Schools. Our administrative team, the Board of Education and our great staff have been focusing on this mission! The West Branch Community School District continues to utilize student-centered approaches that are designed to 1) enhance academic rigor, 2) personalize student learning experiences and 3) focus on assessment for understanding that improves teacher practices. The district’s long-term strategic goals are designed to transform teaching and learning processes from the scaffolding of best practices and programming for 21st Century learners and teachers. The district has implemented a three-pronged professional development approach: • 21st Century Teaching and Learning — 1:1 computing in grades five-12, tablet technology PK-2 and the distribution of additional middle and high school computers from labs and wireless carts to Hoover Elementary to support of our third- and fourth-grade students.
Growth Mindset: Clearing up Some Common Confusions | MindShift | KQED News By Eduardo Briceño A growth mindset is the understanding that personal qualities and abilities can change. It leads people to take on challenges, persevere in the face of setbacks, and become more effective learners. As more and more people learn about the growth mindset, which was first discovered by Stanford Professor Carol Dweck, we sometimes observe some confusions about it. Recently some critiques have emerged. Of course we invite critical analysis and feedback, as it helps all of us learn and improve, but some of the recent commentary seems to point to misunderstandings of growth mindset research and practice. Confusion #1: What a growth mindset is When we ask people to tell us what the growth mindset is, we often get lots of different answers, such as working hard, having high expectations, being resilient, or more general ideas like being open or flexible. Confusion #2: To foster a growth mindset, simply praise children for working hard Deepening our understanding over time