Top Ten / #5

John Hattie’s Top Ten Visible Learning Takeaways –

Number Five: Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is one of the cornerstones of Hattie’s visible learning premise. The power of immediate feedback to impact student achievement has few equals in regards to effect size. He asserts that it is important for teachers “to pay attention to the formative effects of their teaching, as it is these attributes of seeking formative evaluation of the effects (intended and unintended) of their programs that makes for excellence in teaching” (2009, p. 181).

Hattie found that when teachers use data and evidence-based models the effect size was higher than when teacher judgment was used. Furthermore, when the formative data was graphed the effect size was higher than when it was only recorded.

Application to the Classroom

If you are an educator that is fortunate enough to have a 1:1 instructional environment, or at least easy access to classroom technology, there are a multitude of online formative assessment tools that can redefine your formative evaluation methods and feedback effectiveness.  

Hubpages.com lists some of the top tools out there (Socrative, Formative, Kahoot!, Google Forms, and Quizzizz) which provide the opportunity for efficient and focused feedback to inform both the teacher and the student how they are progressing.  Most of these tools and many others provide easy to use graphs, charts, and spreadsheets to capture the feedback in the most user-friendly ways.

Hattie, J., Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement (2009)

Hattie, J. Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning (2012)

Shute, V.J., Focus on Formative Feedback (2008)

Effect size image retrieved from: http://www.learningandteaching.info/teaching/what_works.htm

Science & Change

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”—Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin was the innovator of his time in the field of biology. Today, modern biology would cease to exist without the Theory of Natural Selection and Evolution. However, when Darwin created this Theory, he was ridiculed and rejected by his community and fellow colleagues. I begin with this because the processes of evolution can also be used to explain the transmission of ideas, also known as the meme. Furthermore, we cannot resist “change” because it may be difficult or uncomfortable.

A meme can be treated like an organism in gene pool (population). That organism must survive by adapting to its surrounding environment and passing along its genetic information to each successive generation. In order to survive, a variety of variables (changes) in the environment may occur and those organisms who have the “tools” to adapt to these changes will flourish and pass these “tools” on to their offspring. In order for a meme to survive in the meme pool (eg: culture), the idea must be able to be transmitted understandably to other individuals and survive the process of “imitation”. In order for the meme to flourish, it must thrive and be accepted in the meme pool or risk being lost forever. (1)

The culture surrounding education is changing whether we accept that or not. That change may be technology, social media or knowledge acquisition. Regardless of what change we see, or which one effects us the most profoundly, it is our duty to teach our students how to foster these changes. We need to provide our students with the appropriate “tools” that they require to succeed in their next challenges. Let us start first with a meme, educational innovation. With the support of colleagues, we can successfully propagate this meme (however it may look to us individually) and prevent it from dwindling away because of the fear of change. Let us end the culture of complacency and begin the culture of innovation. We owe that to our students.

Kristin Melnyk

Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute - 

A Winnipeg School Division Project

School Board Meeting 4/11/16 Snapshot

• Calendar Adjustment: the last student contact day has been moved to May 25th due to the snow make-up day.

• Technology Update:  "District Instructional Technology Coach" position was  approved and will be posted!

• Band Trip / Uniforms: Mr. Selander and a student representative gave everyone an opportunity to see their new Marching Band Uniforms and also to say thanks to everyone for supporting the Florida trip.

• Approvals: MSEA Contract - Thanks everyone; John Barlund as Junior High Baseball Coach - Thanks John; Matt Simley as Assistant Baseball Coach - Thanks Matt; and Dawn Jarres as LTS First Grade - Thanks and Welcome Dawn.

• Resignation: Jane Anderson's resignation was accepted - Thanks Jane for all you have done and we wish you the best!

For a full report and minutes please go to the school web page www.frazee.k12.mn.us > District > Boardbook.

Also please follow us on Facebook and Twitter @FVhornets

Next School Board Meeting is scheduled for: 5/9/16

Fundamental Purpose: High levels of learning for ALL!

Top Ten / #7

John Hattie’s Top Ten Visible Learning Takeaways –

Number Seven: Classroom Discussion

This is the third of a ten part series that serves to highlight the most significant findings and their applications to our classrooms from Hattie’s 2012 work, Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning.

Number 7 – Classroom Discussion

Classroom discussion is another critical area of Hattie’s study with a huge effect size. Classroom discussions provide the opportunity for students to communicate with one another for a variety of functions including to activate prior knowledge, to explore new topics, to learn from others, and to demonstrate their learning.  This is an engagement strategy which provides all students the chance to participate, especially when structured in a way that extends beyond a teacher-student question and answer sequence.

 

Application to the Classroom

Consider what Hattie’s website, visiblelearning.org, asserts regarding what your most effective classroom discussions should include:

• creating a series of questions for the students to think about
• allocating enough time in the lesson for an elaborate discussion
• making sure that students can freely express their opinion without being laughed at or ridiculed

You can click here for a concise, yet detailed, paper by William E. Cashin on how to effectively plan, moderate, and reflect on classroom discussions. His advice includes the following recommendations for fostering participation (which he expands upon in the writing):

• Ask general (divergent) questions.
• Avoid looking only at the student talking.
• Control excessive talkers.
• Ask for examples and illustrations.
• Be sensitive to feelings and emotional reactions.
• Encourage and recognize students’ contributions.

Hattie, J., Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement (2009)

Hattie, J. Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning (2012)

Shute, V.J., Focus on Formative Feedback (2008)

Effect size image retrieved from: http://www.learningandteaching.info/teaching/what_works.htm

Maxwell image retrieved from http://quotesgram.com/care-john-c-maxwell-quotes/#9PWYZjgpMN

Top Ten / #6

John Hattie’s Top Ten Visible Learning Takeaways –

Number Six: Microteaching / Peer Observations

This is the fourth of a ten part series that serves to highlight the most significant findings and their applications to our classrooms from Hattie’s 2012 work, Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning.

Number 6 – Microteaching

This concept primarily applies to teacher preparation programs.  Hattie says microteaching “typically involves student-teachers conducting (mini-) lessons to a small group of students (often in a laboratory setting) and then engaging in post-discussions about the lessons.  They are usually videotaped for this later analysis, and allow an often intense under-the-microscope view of their teaching” (2009, p. 112).  

Application to the Classroom

The microteaching concept may not have a direct application to many of you as currently practicing K-12 educators, but perhaps this experience may be transferable through teachers practicing specific instructional methods and using microteaching strategies to get peer feedback.  This is a practice more commonly observed in the National Board Certification process for practicing educators.

In our building this year we have loosely applied this microteaching strategy through a process of “teachers observing teachers.”  Each semester teachers are encouraged to observe another teacher and then follow-up with a reflective conversation.  The focus of the observation is at the discretion of the teachers and the goals include the opportunity to learn from one another and receive feedback on effective instructional strategies in addition to connecting, collaborating, building community, building culture, nurturing relationships, and growing professionally.

The expectations are designed to maximize impact while minimizing the time needed to complete the task.

• Pick a theme (some suggestions are offered based upon current initiatives)
• Set-up an observation of the partner teacher at a PLC Team meeting
• Observe the partner (the recommendation is to stay from 20 minutes up to the entire period)
• Have an informal follow-up conversation with your partner teacher
• Share out your learnings with your team at a team meeting (focus on the positives!)
• Switch roles with your partner and repeat

Hattie, J., Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement (2009)

Hattie, J. Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning (2012)

Shute, V.J., Focus on Formative Feedback (2008)

Effect size image retrieved from: http://www.learningandteaching.info/teaching/what_works.htm

Maxwell image retrieved from http://quotesgram.com/care-john-c-maxwell-quotes/#9PWYZjgpMN