By focusing tightly on instructional strategies and PD, educators at Cochrane Collegiate Academy saved their school from closure. In just three years, they have doubled student performance, and they continue to reach higher.
The educators have developed an instructional model called Interactive Learning (IL). It is a collection of their ten best practices, which they call their non-negotiables, and teachers must implement them in every lesson, every day.
Shana Oliver, the school's academic facilitator, runs the training sessions for these best practices, and she helps the teachers see and experience how they can incorporate all ten into one lesson.
What is the intended goal of the lesson? Remember, there is one essential question per lesson, and students must be able to answer this question by the end of the lesson.
With essential questions, teachers really have to be intentional about what they want the students to be able to do, and it has to be at the highest-level of learning. The students have to be able to analyze and apply; they cannot just answer the question with a yes or no. It has to be an extended response. An essential question must be "multi-skill" in order for it to be a good one.
Activating Strategy
An activating strategy is something that gets students actively thinking or making a connection with the material being presented that day. Make a connection to the content or to the outside world to see how much the students already know or remember.
One of the main things used at Cochrane is to show video clips. Students love it when they see their favorite show or cartoon. Initially, they don't know what they're about to learn so they focus on that video clip. Then the teacher uses that engagement to link to the lesson, and the students realize that their likes or interests can channel a learning experience.
Relevant Vocabulary
Relevant vocabulary must be present in your lesson. Keep your vocabulary limited to what your students are able to handle and make sure that it is actively used in context throughout the lesson. Also have your students interactively use the words during the lesson.
Use vocabulary that's relevant. Teachers must pick and choose what is going to be most important and most effective. They must teach vocabulary through a graphic organizer, through an experience, or whatever they need to help the students get it.
Limited Lecture
There should be limited lecture time. After 12-15 minutes of lecturing, you should engage your students in some type of activity, even if it's for only a few minutes. The teacher can then go back to lecturing for another chunk of time.
Examples: Have students talk to their neighbor, draw a picture, write a few sentences that summarize or describe the lecture, finish an example problem, or get in a discussion with their group.
Graphic Organizer
Use of a graphic organizer allows students to visually categorize new information or review old information.
Students need to be able to conceptualize whatever information we're giving them. The graphic organizer is student friendly. When they look at information that's organized, it's easier for them to retain and remember that information. And when they go home, it is less intimidating to look at that information as opposed to pulling out a notebook that has pages and pages of notes.
Examples: Have students record information in colorful charts in their notebooks, use computers to create graphic organizers, or create a "foldable."
Student Movement
Student movement is a must. Students need to be mobile at some point during instruction to ensure they're actively engaged.
This one is probably the most challenging for Cochrane teachers because it can be intimidating to have students moving. But student movement can look a number of different ways, and it doesn't always mean students have to get up. They just must be physically engaged in whatever the teacher is doing. It's important because students don't like to sit still, especially male students. They ahve found that when the male students are up and moving around the room, they are totally engaged in what the teacher is doing.
Examples: Students do a gallery walk in which they move in groups from corner to corner, answering questions or analyzing things posted on the walls; they work in teams or at rotation stations; they raise their hands or give the thumbs-up or thumbs-down; they answer questions with their body, putting their left foot out if they think the answer is A and their right foot out if they think it's B.
Higher Order Thinking Questions
Present your students with at least three higher-order-thinking (“HOT”) questions during the lesson. This is proof that you are presenting all your students with challenging work.
The HOT questions are Cochrane's signature element. The rationale behind them is we want to give the kids an opportunity to be challenged in the classroom. The way the teacher presents these questions varies, and students' responses can be indicative of their learning pace. The same question should be used for all students, but advanced learners may be required to respond in a different way. Students can respond on paper, as part of a classroom discussion, in paired discussion, or through homework.
Summarize
Summarize to bring the lesson to a close. This is when you can assess your students' abilities to effectively answer the essential question, and you can find out whether you need to extend or refine the skill.
Teachers must find creative ways to have the students answer the essential question at the end of the lesson. A student's ability to answer the essential question at this point is a way for the teacher to assess the student's learning. In most instances, this is the point when a teacher can determine whether she needs to go back and reteach or needs to accelerate student learning.
Examples: Have students use a writing prompt, short activity, discussion, or illustration to summarize, or have them summarize on an exit ticket.
Rigorous
Lessons must be rigorous. The activities should be challenging and move at a brisk pace. There should not be opportunities for students to get bored or periods when they have nothing to do. The entire lesson should be an active lesson.
Teachers should strive to take students to the highest level of knowledge. There are only 180 days in the school year, and a lot of the students do not come in at grade level, so we've got to move them with the 90 minutes that we have each day in the classroom.
Student Centered
Your entire lesson should be student centered. The ways that we instruct our students must demonstrate that they are our focus and that what we do is centered on their success. The use of technology as a tool is a critical component of this. It provides students with 21st-century skills that are both engaging and relevant to real-world applications. It is a partnership: If you effectively and successfully plan, your students will effectively and successfully work and learn.
Take a step away from the learning process to become facilitators rather than "givers of all knowledge" in the classroom.
Many teachers fail to let students know exactly what they expect of them. One key to getting students to succeed is being completely transparent with them about your expectations. However, it is not enough to simply state your expectations at the beginning of the school year. Following are 10 ways that you can communicate and reinforce your expectations to students every day.
From the first day of class, the expectations for academic and social success should be publicly visible. While many teachers post their class rules for all to see, it is also a great idea to post your expectations. You can do this through a poster that you create similar to the one you might use for class rules, or you can select posters with inspirational quotes—sayings that reinforce your expectations such as:
"High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation."
An achievement contract is an agreement between the teacher and student. The contract outlines specific expectations for students but also includes what students can expect from you as the year progresses.
Taking the time to read through the contract with students can set a productive tone. Students should sign the contract, and you should very publicly sign the contract as well. If you wish, you could also send the contract home for a parent signature as well to ensure that parents are informed.
A positive teacher-student relationship can inspire students to learn and achieve. At the beginning of the school year:
- Learn students’ names by the end of the first week.
- Connect with families.
- Share academic and social goals for the year.
If you allow students to see you as a real person and you connect with them and their needs, you will find that many will achieve simply to please you.
Very little can happen if you have poor classroom management. Teachers who allow students to disrupt class will usually see their classroom situation quickly deteriorate. From the outset, be clear that you are the leader of the class.
Another trap for many teachers is trying to be friends with their students. While it is great to be friendly with your students, being a friend can lead to problems with discipline and ethics. To have students meet your expectations, they need to know that you are the authority in the class.
Students need opportunities to show what they already know and can do. Before conducting a lesson, check for prior knowledge. Even when students experience the discomfort of not knowing, they are learning how to work through a problem. This is important because students need to become better at problem-solving so that they will have the chance to experience the personal satisfaction of coming up with a solution.
Don't jump right in and help struggling students by simply providing them the answers to their questions; instead, guide them to find the answers for themselves.
It is very hard, if not impossible, for students to know your expectations on behaviors, assignments, and tests if you do not clearly express them from the beginning. Keep directions short and simple. Do not fall in the habit of repeating instructions; once should be enough. Students can understand what they need to learn and do to be successful if you explain briefly, and to the point, what you expect for each assignment.
A great tool to ensure that students feel connected and empowered is to create a written dialogue tool. You can either have a periodic assignment for students to complete or an ongoing back-and-forth journal.
The purpose of this kind of communication is to have students write about how they feel they are doing in your class. You can use their comments—and your own—to guide them while reinforcing your expectations.
Ensure that you do not harbor any specific biases towards student learning. Develop a growth mindset by helping your students believe that they can develop, and even improve, their most basic abilities. Give positive feedback by using phrases including:
- "Show me more."
- "How did you do that?"
- "How did you figure that out?"
- "That looks like it took a lot of effort."
- "How many ways did you try it before it turned out the way you wanted it?"
- "What do you plan to do next?"
Developing a growth mindset with students creates a love of learning and resilience. Your language must support students and help them believe that they can and will learn.
Be a cheerleader for your students, letting them know as often as possible that you know they can succeed. Use positive reinforcement whenever you can by appealing to their interests. Learn what they like to do outside of school and give them a chance to share these interests. Let them know that you believe in them and their abilities.
When students do a poor job on an assignment, give them a second chance. Allow them to revise their work to earn additional credit. A second chance allows students to demonstrate how their skills have increased.
Revision promotes mastery learning. In revising their work, students may feel as though they have more control. You can provide them with additional assistance—reminding students of your expectations for an assignment or project—on the way to their achieving the objectives you have set for them.