Increasing Rigor and
Depth of Knowledge
for Students
Secondary Level
Autumn Steinke
Program Specialist UPDN
Why are you here?
• Things I like at
conferences:
– Things that are free
– Things that I can
use immediately
– Things that are
research-based
– Things that are
already aligned
with the UCS
Rigor is a buzzword
• At the heart of College and Career Readiness is the need to increase
the level of rigor in our classrooms for all students.
What does this mean?
• UCS are a start, but not sufficient. We need to structure student
learning so that students understand and interact with the content at
the deepest level possible.
• http://www.uen.org/oer/
• www.youcubed.org
• www.achievethecore.org
Objective
You will: Identify 3-5 supports and/or lesson
materials (from UEN.org) that can be used to
promote rigor at Depth of Knowledge (DOK)
Levels 3 and 4 in your classroom.
How you will do this: During presentation, email
[email protected] or write on exit ticket
We will know you have learned this: when you
complete the email or exit ticket by end of
presentation.
“Cognitive rigor encompasses
the complexity of content, and
the depth and scope of the
planned learning activities”
Hess (2009, updated 2013). Hess Cognitive Rigor Matrix (CRM) in Local Assessment Toolkit.
Complexity
Difficulty
• How much cognitive demand a task or a
question requires?
• How much effort is needed to answer a
question, address a problem or
accomplish a task?
• What kind of thinking, action or
knowledge must be demonstrated and
communicated to answer a question,
address a problem, or accomplish a task?
• How many different ways can a question
be answered, a problem be addressed,
or a task be accomplished?
• Not necessarily based on development
• Simple or Complex
• How many people can answer a
question, address a problem, or
accomplish a task correctly or
successfully?
• Can be developmental
• Easy or Hard
H.O.T./D.O.K. blog Difficulty vs. Complexity: What's the Difference? Post 3/1/2014
Complexity vs. Difficulty
How Deep is Your Instruction?
• How do we create rich
environments where all
students learn at a high
level?
• Norman Webb’s Depth
of Knowledge Levels
categorizes tasks and
questions according to
the complexity of
thinking required to
successfully complete
them.
Webb’s Depth-of-Knowledge
Webb (1997) developed a process and criteria for
systematically analyzing the alignment between
standards and test items in standardized
assessments.
Since then the process and criteria have
demonstrated application to reviewing curricular
alignment as well.
Depth of Knowledge Levels
Things to consider…
• How often should I be doing a task
or question for each level? What is
the right sequence?
• Are DOK levels are sequential? Do
students need to fully master level
1 to reach a level 2, 3, or 4
question?
• Are DOK levels are
developmental? Are All students
pre-k to grade 12 are capable of
strategic and extended thinking
(levels 3 and 4).
DOK Level 1: Recall
• Tasks at this level require recall of facts
or rote application of simple
procedures.
• The task does not require any cognitive
effort beyond remembering the right
response or formula.
• Copying, computing, defining, and
recognizing are level 1 tasks.
What examples can you
think of? Tasks or questions?
DOK Level 2: Skill/Concept
• At this level, a student must make
some decisions about his or her
approach to the question or task.
• Questions and tasks with more than
one mental step such as:
• Comparing, organizing, summarizing,
and predicting.
What examples can you think
of? Tasks or questions?
DOK Level 3: Strategic Thinking
• At this level of complexity, students must
use planning and evidence.
• Explain their thinking.
• Students must think more abstract, and
thus take more time working with these
questions.
• A question or task with multiple valid
responses where students must justify their
choices would be level 3.
What examples can you
• Examples include solving non-routine
think of? Tasks or
problems, or analyzing characteristics of a
questions?
genre.
DOK Level 4: Extended Thinking
• These questions and tasks require more
complex cognitive effort.
• Students synthesize information from
multiple sources, often over an extended
period of time.
• Students transfer knowledge from one
domain to solve problems in another.
• Students must make several connections.
• Designing a survey and interpreting the
results, or writing an original myth in an
ancient style would be examples of level
4.
What examples can
you think of? Tasks
or questions?
DOK Flow Chart
How can you
determine if your
questions or activities
are achieving the
targeted depth?
Let’s Practice!
1. Write a caption for a
picture from the
Great Depression
2. Write and perform a
modern version of
Cinderella
3. Determine the
average of a given
set of data.
Task Design
If there is a question
ƒ
regarding which of two
levels a standard
addresses, it is appropriate
to assign the highest level
as the “DOK ceiling” for the
task, but also provide
opportunities at the lower
DOK levels as an
instructional progression
(Hess, 2004-2006).
The DOK level should be
assigned based upon the
cognitive demand (mental
processing) described in
the objective or task.
ƒ
Verb(s) alone is/are not
sufficient to assign a DOK
level. Developers must
consider “what comes after
verb” - the complexity of
the task and
content/concepts -- in
addition to the mental
processing required by the
requirements set forth in the
objective (Webb’s Depth of
KnowledgeGuide).
What Comes After the Verb
• Describe the physical features of a plan
• Describe how the 2 political parties are
alike and different
• Describe the most significant effect of
WWII on the nations of Europe
Depth of Knowledge Matrix
Would you agree?
• Levels 3 and 4 are the most difficult to plan and support as a
teacher.
Neuroscience
How does true
learning happen?
• Memory is a
strength for
some, but not
sufficient for
learning and
understanding
Brain-based Learning
Searching for meaning is innate
Search for
Meaning
• Is innate
• Is through
patterning
• Emotions are
critical to
patterning
Interconnections
The brain is like a
city. If we teach
with the “big
ideas” in mind and
show our students
how everything
relates to another
thing we are
helping the brain
“do its job.”
Compression
Concepts can be compressed,
but facts can’t
Jo Boaler, Mathematical Mindsets
Problem solving application skills
“Mathematics is amazingly compressible:
you may struggle a long time, step by step,
to work through the same process or idea
from several approaches. But once you
really understand it and have the mental
perspective to see it as a whole, there is
often a tremendous mental compression.
You can file it away, recall it quickly and
completely when you need it, and use it as
just one step in some other mental process.
The insight that goes with this compression
is one of the real joys of mathematics” –
W.T. Thurston
https://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?v=ZMmaiaZZeW0
Unit Example
TED Talks
TED Talks in the Classroom
Students are introduced to narrative, expository, argumentative text types
throughout school year.
Students choose text type and topic.
Students draft a presentation on google slides to meet rubric requirements,
then conference with teacher, paraprofessional and peers.
Students practice and memorize presentation, then conference with teacher,
paraprofessional and peers using presentation rubric.
Students present and are evaluated by teacher, paraprofessional and peers
using rubrics.
What supports were integrated to help
achieve rigor?
• Technology
• Peer and Teacher Conferencing
• Rubrics
• Practice, Rounds with Feedback
• Visuals –product and performance
Peer Supports
Class-wide Peer Tutoring
Peer Grouping
Peer Conferencing
Self and Peer Assessment
http://www.specialconnections.ku.edu/~kucrl/cgi-bin/drupal/?q=instruction/classwide_peer_tutoring
clicking on “Teacher Tools” and “Implementing the Class-Wide Peer Tutoring Reading Program” will give you some implementation steps
Grading
• What happens when we assign a grade?
• Do students know what the letter or number
equates to?
• Do the ones that struggle understand how to
improve?
• Do students value the mistakes and growth they
are making?
• Do the ones who are bored understand how to
learn more?
Self and Peer Assessment
Formative assessment is key.
Students learn more when they can take
ownership.
Students have power to assess and determine
how and what they are learning.
Examples – see UEN site
Self-Assessment
checklist
Explicitly Taught
Peer Feedback
Rating Scales
Student made
rubrics
Displaying artifacts
of work, with
comments
Students PeerTutoring (objective),
determine how well
they know based
on their teaching
What other
supports are
helpful in
promoting rigor
in your
classroom?
Rigor at Levels 3 and 4
Focus: What
UCS is
essential to
your grade
level?
Devote time
to going
deeper with
this or these
standard(s)
“Low Floor,
High Ceiling”
Tasks/Projects
Make it
visual,
concrete
Major Clusters in Math.
Chose the topic or unit
that is the largest for
your grade level or
subject.
In the vertical alignment
documents, pick the
highlighted descriptors that
are unique to your grade.
Think SAGE.
Backward Chain
Going backwards,
what do my students need to know or be able to do
before the level 3,4 task
Backward Chaining Resources
Coherence Map
http://achievethecore.org/coh
erence-map/
Vertical Alignment Documents
http://www.schools.utah.gov/C
URR/langartsec/Core.aspx
Time
• One of the requirements of Level 4 is “over
an extended period of time.”
• Faster isn’t Smarter by Cathy Seeley.
• How do you ensure students understand
the value of mastering concepts vs.
getting the work done quickly?
“Low Floor High Ceiling”
• Space within the task to learn.
• Numerous ways to complete the
task.
• Everyone can do the task- seriously.
• Task can be extended to higher and
higher levels.
• Tasks can be used at multiple grade
levels.
www.YouCubed.org /Jo Boaler
“Low Floor High Ceiling” Example
Number Talks-Level 3
• What do you know about number talks?
• How many of you learned or taught mental math?
• What is the purpose of number talks?
• https://www.middleweb.com/23254/use-numbertalks-to-boost-math-reasoning/
• https://www.youcubed.org/from-stanford-onlineshow-to-learn-math-for-teachers-and-parentsnumber-talks/
Let’s do one!
1. Look at this array
of stars.
2. Think of a way
your brain added
the numbers, i.e.
came up with a
total.
3. Show me a
private thumbs up
when you are
ready with a
strategy
How does your brain add up the
stars?
Implementation Tips
• Teach Number Talk routines.
• Use the strategy 1-2 times a week for 5-10 minutes.
• Start where your students are at with number sense.
• Use a progression:
– dots
– addition
– subtraction
– multiplication
– division
– fractions
Visual and Concrete
Representation is critical.
By creating a product, writing or drawing their representation
and/or modeling their thinking, students are demonstrating a
higher level of cognitive processes.
Joonkoo Park & Elizabeth Brannon (2013), found that the most
powerful learning occurs when we use different areas of the brain.
When students work with symbols they are using a different area of
the brain than when they work with visual and spatial information.
Researchers found that mathematics learning and performance was
optimized when the two areas of the brain were communicating
(Park & Brannon, 2013).
https://www.youcubed.org/think-it-up/visual-math-improves-math-performance/
Visuals for 18 X 5
Utah’s Open Textbook Projects
http://www.uen.org/oer/
1. Science
– Science Activities Webpage
2. Secondary English Language Arts
– Digital Books: DOK lessons, alignments and tasks
– Rubrics and Performance Assessments
3. Secondary Mathematics
– Workbooks include self assessments
Open Educational Resources Gems
Exit Ticket
Email or write down
3-5 supports and/or lesson
materials you could use in your
classroom
[email protected]
Thank you
[email protected]