The Thoughtful Classroom Science Styles and Strategies for
Differentiating Instruction and
Increasing Student Engagement
Silver Strong & Associates | 227 First Street | HoHoKus, NJ 07423 | www.ThoughtfulClassroom.com Table of Contents Workshop Overview: Science Styles and Strategies .................................................................... 3 What’s In a Name? ....................................................................................................................... 6 What Makes for a Good Scientist? ............................................................................................... 8 Mastery Review: What is Teaching? ........................................................................................... 13 Inductive Learning: Group and Label .......................................................................................... 14 Where Do You Stand? ................................................................................................................ 16 What Is Scientific Literacy? –or- The Four “I”s ............................................................................ 23 Introduction to Style .................................................................................................................... 30 Where Does Our Learning Style Model Come From? ................................................................ 33 These Are a Few of My Favorite Tools ....................................................................................... 41 ThoughtWork—Learning Style Inventory For Adults ................................................................... 51 Reflecting on Your Results from the Learning Style Inventory for Adults ................................... 53 Science Scuffle ........................................................................................................................... 54 ASSESS and Test Feedback ...................................................................................................... 55 Each Learning Style Has a Unique TEMPO ............................................................................... 57 What Can Task Rotation Do for You and Your Students? .......................................................... 72 Looking at Task Rotations .......................................................................................................... 74 A Potpourri of Task Rotations ..................................................................................................... 77 How Does a Task Get Its Style? ................................................................................................. 79 Graduated Difficulty .................................................................................................................... 80 Reflection on Graduated Difficulty for Fractions ......................................................................... 82 Assessment Menus ..................................................................................................................... 83 Planning a Task Rotation: Assessing in DEPTH ........................................................................ 92 Task Rotation Planning Forms .................................................................................................... 94 More or Less: Six Criteria for Assessing Your Task Rotations ................................................... 97 Culminating Assessment ............................................................................................................ 99 How Did We Do? Assessing Our Learning Goals .................................................................... 103 Silver Strong & Associates | 227 First Street | HoHoKus, NJ 07423 | www.ThoughtfulClassroom.com Day One
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 1 Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 2 Workshop Overview: Science Styles and Strategies
Learning Goal: Participants will be able to summarize the basic foundations of the Science
Styles and Strategies workshop: thoughtful questions, assumptions, and learning goals.
Our thoughtful questions:
• Why do some students succeed in science while others do not? Is it a matter of skill or
will?
• How can we use research-based teaching tools and strategies to address the styles of
all learners so they succeed in science?
Our workshop is based on the following assumptions:
• What teachers do and the instructional decisions they make have a significant impact on
what students learn and how they learn to think.
• Different students approach science using different learning styles and need different
things to achieve in science.
• Style-based science instruction is more than a way to invite a greater number of
students into the teaching and learning process; it is, plain and simple, good science—
balanced, rigorous, and diverse.
Our workshop learning goals—In this workshop we will learn:
• The characteristics of the four basic scientific learning styles (Mastery, Understanding,
Self-Expressive, and Interpersonal) and how to assess our own scientific teaching styles
and students’ scientific learning styles.
• How to use a variety of scientific teaching tools to differentiate instruction and increase
student engagement.
• How to use questions and tasks to develop Task Rotations to address different learning
styles.
Culminating Assessment
Select one of the following tasks.
Task A: Select four tools or strategies, one in each style, and design a lesson using all four
tools to address a particular concept and/or skill.
Task B: Design a Task Rotation with questions and activities that address the four learning
styles to teach a specific concept.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 3 Learning with the End in Mind
What is it?
A tool used to help students analyze what they need to know and be able to do to meet a
specific learning goal.
What are the basic steps?
1. Communicate your learning goals to your students and identify how they will be
assessed at the end of the unit.
2. Discuss with your students the value of beginning a unit with the “end in mind.” Also,
explain to students what they will be expected to produce to demonstrate their learning.
3. Distribute the Learning with the End in Mind organizer to your students.
4. Have students review the organizer and complete the first part, restating the culminating
task in their own words.
5. Ask students to identify what they think they will be required to know and be able to do to
complete the task.
6. Discuss the students’ analysis and the activities you and they will be using to help them
develop their knowledge and skills.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 4 At the end of this lesson or unit, I
will be asked to…
Final Goal
Here’s what I need to be able to do to achieve the goal:
Here’s what I need to know and understand to achieve the
goal:
Learning with the End in Mind Organizer
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 5 What’s In a Name?
What is one of the first words that everyone learns but is different for everyone?
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 6 Fist List
Generate five ways that you can use spiders in your classroom.
Steps:
1. Identify a concept or term for students to consider.
2. Put the concept or term in center of fist.
3. Allow time for students to think about the topic and generate five ideas, one in each digit
of their fist list.
4. Have students share with the class or partner.
How I can use spiders in my classroom? Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 7 What Makes for a Good Scientist?
Learning Goal: Participants will be able to generate an explanation of the characteristics of a
scientist, including what they do and how they think.
1. Associations/Yes, but Why?
What comes to mind when you think of the word “scientist?” Generate two examples and
explain your reason for those two examples.
Scientist Associations Why? 1. 2. 2. Give One, Get One:
Here are the basic steps of “Give One, Get One”:
1. Generate two ideas. (You’ve already done this part!)
2. Stand up and find a partner. GIVE ONE of your ideas to your partner. GET ONE of your
partner’s ideas and add it to your list. If you and your partner have the same ideas, work
together to generate a new idea and add it to add to your lists.
3. Find a new partner. Give one, get one.
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 until you have a total of six ideas.
5. Use the organizer on the next page to record your ideas.
Here are two “no-nos” for “Give One, Get One”:
* Do NOT huddle in groups –work with one partner at a time!
* Do NOT copy your partner’s entire list. Give one idea to your partner & get one in return.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 8 Write your TWO ideas in the space below and then stop writing.
1.
2.
Use the “Give One, Get One” teaching tool described above to generate four more ideas.
3.
4.
5.
6.
3. Return to your table. Write each of your associations on a Post ItTM. Examine your Post ItTM
and find ways to group your ideas. You can put an idea in more than one group. Use a
different color Post ItTM to give each group a label.
4. Use your labels to generate some hypothesis statements you believe are true about how
scientists think and work. Generate at least three good ideas.
1.
2.
3.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 9 5. Imagine you’re drafting a short article for a children’s science magazine about what makes
for a good scientist. Use Free-Write to generate your initial ideas. Write on every other line.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 10 6. Read to yourself what you wrote out loud softly. Use the space between the lines to make
any corrections, changes, or additions.
7. Have a “Knee-to-Knee” conference with another member of another team. Have your
partner read your article to you. Read your partner’s article to him or her.
8. Based on what you heard, what changes would you make to your first draft? (New ideas
you would include, sentences you need to polish, or words you want to add or delete.)
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 11 Surveying Our Tools
In this lesson we used a number of teaching tools and strategies to achieve our learning goal.
The tools and strategies are listed below.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Associations/Yes, but Why
Give One, Get One
Inductive Learning (Group and Label)
Free-Write
Knee to Knee Conferencing
Write to Learn
Discuss what you have learned about each technique, the purpose for using the technique in
our lesson, and ideas about how you would use the technique in your own teachings.
Technique
How to Use It
Purpose
How It Might Use It
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 12 Mastery Review: What is Teaching?
Before moving on, let’s use the tool known as Mastery Review to orient ourselves to new learning. Word bank: progress learning goal reflection knowledge construction learn‐to‐learn skills tool level of achievement students’ presentation practicing and processing declarative target episodes application strategy habits of mind procedural teacher’s learning introduction decision making Teaching is (1)______________________. Teaching takes place during a series of (2) ______________________, over time. Each episode has a (3) ______________________, that focuses on a particular (4) ______________________. (5) ______________________ targets define information students need to know, while (6) ______________________ targets identify skills you want students to acquire. Learning targets can also focus on (7) ______________________, like notemaking and inference as well as (8) ______________________, intelligent behaviors that enhance student thinking, such as listening with understanding, empathy, and thinking fluently and flexibly to mention a few. In each episode the teacher (and sometimes the student) must select the appropriate (9) ______________________ or (10) ______________________ he or she will use to achieve key purposes. The selection of the appropriate tool or strategy is dependent upon the (11) ______________________ repertoire of tools and strategies, the (12) ______________________ styles, interests, needs, and intelligences the (13) ______________________ goals, and where the lesson fits into the (14) ______________________ construction process. The knowledge construction process has five phases: The (15) ______________________, the (16) ______________________ of new knowledge, (17) _____________________________, the (18) ______________________ of the new knowledge and the (19) ______________________. Throughout the process the teacher and learner are constantly involved in assessing their (20) ______________________, (formative assessment and their (21) ______________________ (culminating assessment). Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 13 Inductive Learning
A strategy used to formulate concepts and generate hypotheses.
Generate data
Review data
Organize data into groups
Use a label to describe groups
Prepare hypotheses
Support/Refute/Synthesize
Sample Lesson: Cellular Structure and Function A teacher used Inductive Learning to review cellular structure and function with his students. He began the lesson by saying:
The following terms all have something to do with cells or cell parts. Read through all the terms carefully. Then, place the terms into groups based on your knowledge of cell structure and cell function. Structure and Function of Cells mitochondria protection cell wall bonds between the phosphates chlorophyll nutrition protein semi permeable cell membrane
energy water excretion
cytoplasm
nuclear membrane
growth and repair
storage proteins
transport photosynthesis
vacuoles
replication
cellulose
ribosome
“brains”
osmosis
DNA
reproduction green
synthesis
nucleus jello chloroplast
mitosis genetics regulation
ATP Inductive Learning: Group and Label green chlorophyll cell membrane photosynthesis cell wall cellulose Plant cells ATP
storage bonds between the phosphates mitochondria ribosome
nutrition growth and repair Energy
Protein synthesis
semi permeable
cell membrane cell wall semi permeable
cell membrane water vacuoles
regulation transport Protection
Osmosis
Excretion
mitochondria nuclear membrane ribosome nucleus cell wall cytoplasm jello vacuoles Organelles nucleus
mitosis reproduction replication DNA “brains” Genetics
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 14 From there, students used their groups to form new groups which were not covered by this list of words. Then the teacher gave his students three essay topics from which they chose to answer two. The questions are listed below. 1. Explain the process of DNA replication and mitosis. 2. How do we acquire proteins for our body? 3. How do we get energy for our body? Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 15 Where Do You Stand?
Learning Goal: Participants will be able to reflect on assumptions about teaching and learning
science and the need to address the diversity of students’ learning style.
Directions: Put an “A” or a “D” for agree/disagree to the left of each statement below, in the
Before Workshop column. Share your thoughts with your group and give one or two reasons to
support your position. At the end of the workshop, you will revisit these statements and decide
if you agree/disagree with each statement based on your new learning.
Before
Workshop
After
Workshop
1. Most science teachers use a variety of teaching tools and
strategies to teach science.
2. Differences in scientific teaching styles account for 65% of
the reason that students are not successful in science.
3. Scientific achievement has little to do with current events,
voting, making business decisions, etc.
4. There is an inverse correlation between writing in science
and science achievement.
5. Success in science has more to do with feeling than with
thinking.
6. Cooperative learning is highly effective strategy for learning
science.
7. Proficiency in scientific facts and vocabulary is more
important than understanding scientific concepts.
8. In the United States, science teachers cover more content
in a year than their counterparts in other countries whose
students score higher on international tests of science
achievement.
9. Access to high-level scientific concepts is an important
equity issue.
10. Divergent thinking and creativity are more important in the
humanities than in science.
Now, let’s look at some examples of Where Do You Stand? from science and math classrooms.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 16 Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 17 Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 18 Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 19 Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 20 Directions: Respond to these questions after reading about gravity. 1. Gravity is the one force that is with us every minute. … I believe it. … I doubt it. 2. Any two objects will attract each other. … I believe it. … I doubt it. 3. There is no attraction between yourself and your pencil. … I believe it. … I doubt it. 4. The mass of objects has nothing to do with their gravitational force. … I believe it. … I doubt it. 5. Gravitational force gets stronger as you get closer to an object. … I believe it. … I doubt it. 6. As the numerator of a fraction is increased, the value of the fraction decreases. … I believe it. … I doubt it. 7. As the denominator of a fraction is increased, the value of the fraction decreases. … I believe it. … I doubt it. 8. If the mass of one of two attracting masses is tripled, the gravitational force is tripled. … I believe it. … I doubt it. 9. If the distance between two attracting masses is doubled, the gravitational is quadrupled. … I believe it. … I doubt it. Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 21 ALWAYS-SOMETIMES-NEVER (ASN)
Always-Sometimes-Never (ASN) is a reasoning tool that focuses students’ thinking around the
important, and often subtle, facts and details associated with mathematical concepts. Students
are asked to consider statements containing mathematical information and determine if what is
stated is always, sometimes, or never true.
Arithmetic: Addition and Subtraction 1. The sum of two 3‐digit numbers is a 3‐digit number. 2. The sum of two even numbers is an odd number. 3. The difference of two odd numbers is an even number. 4. The sum of additive inverses is zero. 5. The difference of three odd numbers is an odd number. 6. The sum of three even numbers is zero. 7. The sum of three odd numbers is zero. 8. The sum of two counting numbers is greater than the difference of the same numbers. Statistics: Mean, Median, Mode 1. A list of numbers has a mean. 2. A list of numbers has a median. 3. A list of numbers has a mode. 4. The mean of a set of numbers is one of the numbers of that sets. 5. The median of ten consecutive integers is one of those integers. 6. If the mode of a set of numbers is 14, then 14 is one of the numbers of that set. 7. The mean of a set of numbers is greater than the median of that set of numbers. 8. The mode of a set of numbers, without repeated values, can be found by arranging the numbers in increasing order and then calculating the mean of the middle two numbers. Trigonometry: Graph Analysis 1. The graph of a trigonometric function is periodic. 2. Doubling the amplitude of a trigonometric function doubles the period of the function. Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 22 What Is Scientific Literacy? –or- The Four “I”s
Learning Goal: Participants will understand the four goals of scientific literacy and reflect on
how to address the four goals in their own practice.
We begin this section with the definition of scientific literacy found in the National Science
Education Standards.
Scientific Literacy Scientific literacy is the knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and processes required for personal decision making, participation in civic and cultural affairs, and economic productivity. It also includes specific types of abilities. In the National Science Education Standards, the content standards define scientific literacy. Scientific literacy means that a person can ask, find, or determine answers to questions derived from curiosity about everyday experiences. It means that a person has the ability to describe, explain, and predict natural phenomena. Scientific literacy entails being able to read with understanding articles about science in the popular press and to engage in social conversation about the validity of the conclusions. Scientific literacy implies that a person can identify scientific issues underlying national and local decisions and express positions that are scientifically and technologically informed. A literate citizen should be able to evaluate the quality of scientific information on the basis of its source and the methods used to generate it. Scientific literacy also implies the capacity to pose and evaluate arguments based on evidence and to apply conclusions from such arguments appropriately. (National Science Education Standards, page 22)
3-2-1
Generate three facts about scientific literacy
1.
2.
3
What are two things you’d like to know more about scientific literacy?
1.
2.
Summarize what you’ve learned about scientific literacy in one short statement (big idea).
1.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 23 Compare and Contrast Next, review the Hidden Skills of Academic Literacy listed below. What similarities between the
Hidden Skills and the skills of scientific literacy do you see? What differences stand out? Use
the Top Hat Organizer to collect at least three significant difference and similarities.
Reading and Study Skills
• Collect and organize ideas through note making
• Make sense of abstract academic vocabulary
• Read and interpret visual displays of information
Thinking Skills
• Make and test inferences/hypotheses/conjectures and draw conclusions
• Conduct comparisons using specific criteria
• Analyze the demands of a variety of higher-order thinking questions
Communication Skills
• Write clear, well-formed, coherent explanations in all content areas
• Write comfortably in the following nonfiction formats: problem/solution, decision-making,
argument, comparative
• Read and write about one or more documents
Reflective Skills
• Construct plans to address questions and tasks
• Use criteria and guidelines to evaluate work in progress
• Control or alter mood and impulsivity
Hidden Skills of Academic Literacy
Skills of Scientific Literacy
Similarities
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 24 Think of a Time
Think of a time in your life when your scientific literacy helped you meet a challenge, solve a
problem, or achieve a goal. Use the space below to tell how you used your scientific literacy to
help you in life.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 25 Creative Problem Solving
Imagine this scenario:
Unfortunately, budget cuts have diminished your science department’s classroom resources.
Gone are the textbooks, manipulative, computers, and just about everything else. All you can
find is a box containing these three items:
•
•
•
a container of blueberry yogurt
a small bag of different sized rubber bands
a one-liter bottle of seltzer
Pick an item you will use to build a science lesson around.
What are all the ways you can connect your item to important scientific concepts?
What are the ways you can build scientific literacy skills into your imaginary lesson?
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 26 Task Rotation
Take a look at the work you just completed. This work is summarized in the Task Rotation
below. The kinds of thinking required by each task can help us develop a powerful and
engaging model of scientific literacy. We call this model the “four Is” of scientific literacy.
Interpersonal
Mastery
Task One: 3-2-1
Task Three: Think of a Time
Scientific literacy is…
Scientific literacy is…
Information
Integral to our lives
Understanding
Self-Expressive
Task Two: Compare and Contrast
Task Four: Creative Problem Solving
Scientific literacy is…
Scientific literacy is…
Inquiry
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Invention
Page 27 Styles of Scientific Literacy
Identify the four styles below as Mastery, Understanding, Interpersonal, or Self-Expressive
Style Type
Percentage of Use
Application of scientific concepts, laws, and
principles to make predictions.
Proficiency with facts, vocabulary, and
conceptual knowledge.
Understanding of logical reasoning and use of
evidence to explain phenomena.
A language to communicate ideas, explain
phenomena, and solve real-world problems.
What percentage of your classroom practice in science would you estimate you spend in each
of these areas? (place your percentage in the correct column)
What implications does this have on the scientific literacy of your students?
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 28 So, how does the teaching of scientific literacy develop skills students need beyond the science
classroom? How will teaching these skills help students in other content areas, in life, and in
the 21st century workplace?
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 29 Introduction to Style
Learning goal: Participants will learn basic characteristics (TEMPO) of the four Thoughtful
Classroom learning styles and how each style addresses a component of scientific literacy.
Let’s begin our exploration of learning styles with an experiment in the power of metaphorical
thinking that comes in the form of a simile. First, think about yourself as a learner. What
characteristics define your approach to learning? Now, for the simile: As a learner, which of the
following objects are you most like? Which are you least like?
A paperclip?
A teddy bear?
A magnifying glass?
A SlinkyTM?
Use the space below to develop your similes. Then, compare and discuss your responses with
a partner.
Thinking in Similes
As a learner, I am most like a ____________________________ because…
As a learner, I am least like a_____________________________ because…
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 30 So what did you learn about yourself? What did you learn about your colleagues? Here’s what
we’ve learned as a result of using this activity in hundreds of workshops with thousands of
educators over the years:
Learners who choose the paperclip tend to think of themselves as organized and
efficient learners. These learners love to build their own competence and take a
practical approach to learning. Does this sound like you? ___ yes ___no
Learners who describe themselves as magnifying glasses tend to emphasize the
logical, knowledge-seeking, and problem-solving aspects of learning. These
learners love to ask questions and often take an intellectual or analytical approach
to learning. Does this sound like you? ___ yes ___no
Learners who select the SlinkyTM tend to focus on the playful and imaginative sides
to learning. These learners love to explore ideas, ask “What if?”, and take a
creative approach to learning. Does this sound like you? ___ yes ___ no
Learners who see themselves as teddy bears tend to view learning as a warm and
nurturing process. These learners emphasize the human story, the personal and
conversational elements of learning, and they look for ways to connect their
learning to their experiences and values. Does this sound like you? ___yes ___ no
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 31 The activities you’ve just completed are a way to begin thinking about the concept known as
learning styles. Learning styles come from the work of famed psychologist Carl Jung (1923).
A core theme in Jung’s work is that much apparently random variety in human behavior is due
to the preferences individuals develop for certain styles of thinking and learning. Years later,
Isabel Myers and Kathleen Briggs (1962/1998) expanded on Jung’s work to create a
comprehensive model of human differences, culminating in the well-known Myers-Briggs Type
Indicator. Since then, new generations of educational researchers—including Bernice McCarthy
(1982), Kathleen Butler (1984), Carolyn Mamchur (1996), Harvey Silver and Richard Strong
(2004), Edward Pajack (2003), and Gayle Gregory (2005)—have explored the implications of
these ideas and applied them specifically to education.
Our own model of learning styles synthesizes this research in light of our 30 years of helping
schools engage, motivate, and raise the achievement of all learners, and it identifies four main
learning styles, outlined in the figure below. Which object from our opening simile (teddy bear,
SlinkyTM, paper clip, magnifying glass) do you think best represents each style? Why?
The Four Learning Styles
Mastery Learners
Interpersonal Learners
Want to learn practical information and
procedures.
Want to learn about things that affect people’s
lives.
Like drills, lectures, demonstrations, and practice.
Like group experiences, discussions, cooperative
learning activities, role playing, and personal
attention.
May experience difficulty when learning
becomes too abstract or when faced with openended questions.
Learn best when instruction is focused on
modeling new skills, practicing, and feedback
sessions.
May experience difficulty when instruction
focuses on independent seatwork or when learning
lacks real-world application.
Learn best when their teacher pays attention to
their successes and struggles.
Understanding Learners
Self-Expressive Learners
Want to use logic, debate, and inquiry to
investigate ideas.
Want to use their imaginations to explore their
ideas.
Like reading, debates, research projects,
independent study, making cases or arguments,
and asking “Why?”
Like creative and artistic activities, open-ended and
nonroutine problems, generating possibilities and
alternatives, and asking “What if?”
May experience difficulty when there is a focus
on the social environment of the classroom (e.g.,
cooperative learning).
May experience difficulty when instruction
focuses on drill and practice and rote problem
solving.
Learn best when they are challenged to think and
explain their ideas.
Learn best when they are invited to express
themselves in unique and original ways.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 32 Where Does Our Learning Style Model Come From?
Our learning style model is based on the work of the Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung, who
discovered that the way we process and evaluate information corresponds to specific personality
types.
Jung investigated the ways in which people’s minds were similar and different and
noticed the following: While everyone perceives the world and makes judgments about it, people
perceive and judge in different ways. Jung described two unique ways of perceiving (“Sensing”
and “Intuition”) and two unique ways of judging (“Thinking” and “Feeling”).
In the lesson that follows, you will use a powerful instructional strategy—Peer Reading (a
variation of Reciprocal Learning*)—to help you gain a better sense of what Jung meant by the
terms Sensing, Intuition, Thinking, and Feeling. Extensive research carried out by Palinscsar and
Brown (1984) indicates that the use of Reciprocal Learning in reading enhances comprehension
significantly.
The best part about using a collaborative strategy like Peer Reading for this activity is that you
won’t have to try to make sense of Jung’s terms on your own — you will have a partner (or
“comprehension coach”) to help you!
Peer Reading: Sensing vs. Intuition
Directions: Find someone to “partner up” with and determine which one of you got out
of bed earlier this morning. The early bird in the group will start out as a “re-teller”
(more about what that means on the next page) and the sleepyhead
will start out as the “comprehension coach” (more about that role
coming up). Turn the page and read through the steps involved in a
Peer Reading lesson with your partner to get a sense of how this
strategy works. Before you begin the actual Peer Reading lesson, read
and review the Peer Reading steps.
*An interesting side-note: Reciprocal Learning is a strategy that’s used extensively by NASA to
train astronauts. The rationale is that no astronaut should ever train alone;—astronauts should
always have partners to coach them and give them feedback.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 33 Peer Reading Steps
1. Both the re-teller and the comprehension coach should read “Reading A”, which
provides information about the Sensing function.
2. The re-teller should then summarize the reading without peeking at the text. The
comprehension coach (who is allowed to look at the text) should listen carefully as the
re-teller summarizes the reading and think about the quality of the re-teller’s summary.
3. If the re-teller seems to be having trouble (e.g., missing key information, not explaining
ideas in enough depth, or mixing up the facts), the coach should offer hints and/or ask
probing questions.
The job of the coach is to prompt the re-teller to make
improvements and/to develop a more thorough and in-depth summary.
The coach
should also offer praise and encouragement when appropriate.
4. When the coach is satisfied with the re-teller’s summary, the coach and re-teller should
switch roles and repeat the steps for “Reading B”, which provides information about the
Intuitive function.
Reading A: The Sensing and Intuitive Profile
We all know we see the world differently, but just how differently do we see the same world?
Here are two characters who illustrate our differences in perception.
“It would be wrong to say that I
don’t trust my senses. It’s more
like I don’t pay much attention to
them. I live in a world of ideas.
I need to have hunches, make
connections, and create insights
in order to feel alive and
productive.” “I am mainly interested in a
world I can see, smell, touch,
taste, and hear. It is through
my senses that I learn about
the world, and I distrust
abstractions. I want
something that I can do and
action that I can take to feel
alive and productive.” Darcy
Edgar
(Sensing)
(iNtuition)
Every mind needs to perceive the world in which it lives. In order to achieve this, every mind
comes equipped with two perceptual functions: Sensing and iNtuition. The Sensing and
iNtuition preferences have to do with what people pay attention to or what kind of information
they gather and how they gather it.
Darcy is more Sensing-oriented while Edgar perceives through iNtuition.
(continued…)
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 34 READING A: The Sensing and Intuitive Profile (cont’d)
Sensing helps the mind to know what IS.
Sensing is a concrete function that employs visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile senses to
provide us with facts, details, and direct experiences with reality. Sensing tells us the
characteristics of a person, a place, or a thing—characteristics such as fast, long, red, and loud.
In Sensing, what we see, hear, smell, taste, or touch is what we perceive.
The Sensor Profile: People who base their perceptions mainly on what they sense can be
described as concrete individuals. They prefer a reality of fixed and concrete details. They
focus on actual experiences, discounting information that comes from the imagination.
Sensors are realistic. They are interested in facts and like to learn things that can be put to
practical use. They feel comfortable with the standard way of doing things and become
impatient when details become complicated. They trust hard work and tangible results and
never mix business with pleasure. They get annoyed when things are left too much to chance,
preferring precise and exact information.
They become creative through effort and
perspiration.
⇒ The letter “S” is the commonly accepted abbreviation for the Sensing function.
iNtuition helps the mind to know what MIGHT BE.
iNtuition is a more abstract function that uses hunches, guessing, insight, and inspiration to
group often hastily perceived facts and details into patterns, possibilities, and sources of
meaning. iNtuition is a kind of instant science, a lightning-fast hypothesizer that lets us see a
quickly moving long red vehicle with a blaring horn and treat it as a fire truck. With iNtuition,
what we suppose, surmise, dream, or generalize is what we perceive.
The Intuitive Profile: Intuitives are more abstract. They rely primarily on hunch and
insight, as well as surmise and inspiration to construct their perceptions. They prefer a more
flexible reality where perceptions are quickly sketched lines on a blueprint of possibilities.
They are interested in ideas and concepts. iNtuitives are future oriented, and they focus on
making changes.
Intuitives like to operate in an environment that generates visions and alternatives and they
often feel uncomfortable with standard operating procedures. They trust insight, inspiration,
and enthusiasm—and they constantly mix business with pleasure.
It’s not an either/or thing…
All of us possess and need both Sensing and Intuition. When we rely too heavily on one
function, it can cause problems. For example, strong Sensors tend to concentrate too much on
the details; they are often “unable to see the forest for the trees.” In contrast tend to focus so
much on the big picture that they ignore the details entirely; they “can’t see the trees for the
forest.” Sensing grounds us in reality, while Intuition offers us concepts that we can use to
explain our reality (or predict changes within it.)
⇒ The letter “N” is the commonly accepted abbreviation for the iNtuition function.
Note: The reason that we use “N” rather than “I” for iNtuition is because the letter I is used to represent another
of Jung’s concepts: Introversion.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 35 While all of us have both functions, we differ in the degree to which we use each function. Like
Darcy and Edgar, we tend to develop a preference for one way of perceiving more than the
other.
Which is your stronger preference: Sensing or Intuition?
Place an “X” on the line below (somewhere between Sensing and Intuition) to indicate the
strength of your preference.
Sensing
iNtuition
Use your perceptive powers to develop some insights about Sensing and iNuition. Answer the
questions below. Then discuss your responses with your Learning Club.
What are the key advantages of Sensing?
What are the key advantages of Intuition?
Why is it important to use both when perceiving?
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 36 Reading B: Judging the World Through Thinking and Feeling Every moment of every day, we not only perceive our world –we also make judgments about
what we perceive. In other words, we evaluate, interpret, and comprehend what we perceive
using our two judgment functions: Thinking (“T”) and Feeling (“F”).
Thinking and Feeling
preferences influence how people make decisions and reach conclusions. While Thinkers and
Feelers use different approaches to make decisions, it is important to point out that Jung
recognized both approaches as rational ones.
The two characters below, Elsie and David, represent the different judgment functions
“I make my decisions through
conversation and imagination.
My feelings make me want to
stay in touch with other people
and bounce my ideas off of
them. But my feelings also
provoke me to try to imagine
what will happen next—to try
to see what my life will be like
after I have made up my mind
and how it will affect other
people.”
“You could say that I approach all
of the decisions in my life like a
lawyer. For every pro, I look for a
con—and for every con, I search
out a pro. I try to keep my
distance, weigh the evidence, use
procedures to keep the reasons
for my decisions clear and wellbalanced, and not be overly
influenced by other people’s
views or input.”
Elsie
David
(Thinking)
(Feeling)
Elsie is more Thinking oriented, while David makes judgments based largely on Feeling.
(continued…)
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 37 Reading B: Judging the World Through Thinking and Feeling (cont’d) Thinking helps the mind establish an objective position.
Thinking is an abstract function that employs verifiable facts, logical operations, and clear,
consistent procedures in order to make decisions reasonable. Thinking tells us how to connect
truth and consequences, ideas and evidence, actions and outcomes. It is through thinking that
we determine what is true and what is false. Thinking leads us to make decisions in an objective
way (by evaluating facts, examining pros and cons, and analyzing available information).
The Thinker Profile. Thinkers make decisions logically. They are objective, orderly, and well
organized. They rely on well-thought-out procedures and logical principles. When it comes to
making decisions, Thinkers consider values and emotions, but logic is the driving force.
Thinkers prefer a world as sharp as a lawyer's argument and as balanced as an equation. They
are uncomfortable with feelings, do not need social approval, and like to look carefully before
they leap. They prefer to question others’ findings, believing that their findings may be
inaccurate. They notice ineffective reasoning and choose truthfulness over tactfulness.
Feeling helps the mind establish a personal viewpoint.
Feeling is a concrete function that uses human values, personal preferences, and emotional
relationships in order to make decisions meaningful. Feelings tell us how to connect what we
want to what we have, where we live to where we are going, who we are to those with whom we
work. Feeling leads us to make decisions in a more subjective way, by focusing our attention on
likes and dislikes.
Thinking keeps our decisions correct, while Feeling makes our purposes clear. As with Sensing and
Intuition, we all think and feel – we just prefer one function to the other.
The Feeler Profile. Feelers make decisions from the heart. They are subjective, more
spontaneous, and free-flowing. They rely on their own likes and dislikes and their sense of right
and wrong—and they seek and enjoy the approval of others. When it comes to making
decisions, Feelers consider logic and reason, but their values and emotions are the driving force.
Feelers prefer to live in a friendly, harmonious world. They are uncomfortable with cold hard
facts and may act before they have thought things through. They believe that other people are
worth listening to, and seek agreement whenever possible. They notice when people need
support and choose tactfulness over truthfulness.
While everybody thinks and feels, people tend to develop a preference for one way of judging
over the other (as Elsie and David did). Note that neither way of judging is better than the
other; both approaches have benefits and both approaches have “flaws.” For example, “strong
Thinkers” may be too distant and removed from important decisions while “strong Feelers” may
be too close emotionally to distance themselves from an important decision.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 38 Which is your stronger preference: Thinking or Feeling?
Place an “X” on the line below (somewhere between Thinking and Feeling) to indicate the
strength of your preference.
Thinking
Feeling
Use your analytical powers to draw some conclusions about Thinking and Feeling. Answer the
questions below and then discuss your responses with your Learning Club.
What are the key advantages of Thinking?
What are the key advantages of Feeling?
Why is it important to make judgments using both Thinking and Feeling?
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 39 What did you learn? Use the visual organizer below to review and summarize what you
learned about each of the four functions.
THINKING
SENSING
S
T
F
N
FEELING
INTUITION
Remember that everyone perceives the world using both sensing and intuition—it is the degree
to which people rely on sensing vs. intuition that makes one person different from another. And
the same goes for thinking and feeling. Everyone reacts to their perceptions by thinking and
feeling—some people just tend to do one more than the other. Note that there aren’t good ways
or bad ways of perceiving and judging—just different ways. And it is these differences that give
us our own unique styles!
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 40 Sensing (s) Thinking (T) Mastery style: Information sensing + thinking “Step‐by‐Step” Interpersonal style: Integral to life sensing + feeling “Friend‐by‐Friend” Feeling (F) Understanding style: Inquiry intuition + thinking “Doubt‐by‐Doubt” Self‐Expressive style: Invention intuition + feeling “Dream‐by‐Dream” Intuition (N)
These Are a Few of My Favorite Tools
Now you’ll have an opportunity to listen to some teachers share their experiences about their
favorite tools. You’ll be using a variation on the Window Notes tool to help you collect
information about each tool and reflect on how you might use it in your classroom.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 41 Window Notes Reflection Form
Tool_______________________________________________________
What are the steps in using the tool?
What are your feelings about using the tool in
your classroom?
How is the tool similar to what you already do?
How does it differ? What might be some of
the values of the difference?
What impact do you think the use of the tool
will have on student learning?
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 42 Window Notes Reflection Form
Tool_______________________________________________________
What are the steps in using the tool?
What are your feelings about using the tool in
your classroom?
How is the tool similar to what you already do?
How does it differ? What might be some of
the values of the difference?
What impact do you think the use of the tool
will have on student learning?
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 43 Window Notes Reflection Form
Tool_______________________________________________________
What are the steps in using the tool?
What are your feelings about using the tool in
your classroom?
How is the tool similar to what you already do?
How does it differ? What might be some of
the values of the difference?
What impact do you think the use of the tool
will have on student learning?
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 44 Window Notes Reflection Form
Tool_______________________________________________________
What are the steps in using the tool?
What are your feelings about using the tool in
your classroom?
How is the tool similar to what you already do?
How does it differ? What might be some of
the values of the difference?
What impact do you think the use of the tool
will have on student learning?
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 45 Planning Task A
Task A: Select four tools or strategies, one in each style, and design a lesson using all four
tools to address a particular concept and/or skill.
Determine standards and clarify purpose
Statement of Purpose
Students will
Know
Develop Habits of Mind
Understand
Be Able To (Skills)
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 46 Identify the tools you will use and design an activity for each tool to address your learning goals.
Tool:_______________________________
Tool:__________________________________
Lesson:
Lesson: Tool:_______________________________
Tool:________________________________
Lesson:
Lesson: Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 47 Weather Unit Culminating Activity Name: ________________ The Weather Channel has decided to sponsor a forecasting contest for middle school students. They want students who are able to look at several pieces of atmospheric data and determine the areas in the United States that are most at risk on a particular day for severe weather. Students will need to successfully look at temperature maps, water vapor maps, and front and pressure maps, and synthesize the information into a weather alert. The weather alert will need identify the area under threat of severe weather. It will need to detail the type of weather that can be expected in the identified area and explain the cause for the alert. It must also explain how the weather conditions may affect peoples’ daily plans. Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 48 What is my task? What do I need to know? What do I need to be able to do? Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 49 Reflecting in Style
Identify the three most important tools or
ideas you learned from today’s workshop.
What would you tell a friend about today’s
workshop (one sentence)?
1.
2.
3.
Before today I thought:
Today’s workshop was more like riding a
bicycle, a sunrise or sunset, climbing a
mountain, or a walk in a park. Pick one
and explain.
Now I think:
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 50 ThoughtWork—Learning Style Inventory For Adults
We’d like you to take The Learning Style Inventory for Adults.
The Learning Style Inventory for Adults is NOT a test! It is an instrument designed to measure
your preferences and interests when it comes to learning and to help you understand the styles
that you most prefer to use when learning something new.
Directions: The Learning Style Inventory for Adults contains 25 items. Each item contains four
words or phrases. To complete an item, simply rank the words or phrases in order of how well
they describe you as a learner. Give the word or phrase that describes you the best a score of
5, next best a 3, next best a 1, and least a 0. Work quickly; trust your instincts and don’t overanalyze the choices. When you finish, work with a partner to complete the “Reflecting on Your
Results” chart.
Remember that this is not a test. There are no right or wrong answers—and no good or bad
styles!
Please take the Learning Style Inventory for Adults now.
Review the directions included in the inventory before starting.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 51 Day Two
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 52 Reflecting on Your Results from the Learning Style Inventory for Adults
Chart Your Group’s Style Data
S
Interpersonal
Mastery Style
Style
#______________
#______________
high_____________
high______________
T low _____________
low _____________
F
Self-Expressive
Style
Understanding
Style
#______________
high______________
low _____________
#______________
high_____________
low _____________
N
Plot Your Group’s Learning Profile
What can you conclude about your Learning
Club’s strengths and challenges? Use a different
color for plotting the scores of each member of
your Learning Club.
125
125
100
100
75
75
50
75
100
Create a Business Card for Your Style
Your card must include:
• Your name
• 3 words from your dominant style
• A slogan for your dominant style
• A symbol for your dominant style
Sample:
50
25
25
50
How Does Your Style Work In Your
Classroom?
How do you exhibit your dominant learning
style in your classroom? How is your style
an asset to you? How might it be a liability?
What could you do to make better use of
your least used style? How could this
enhance your teaching and your
effectiveness as a teacher?
25
25
Mike Galick
50
75
100
125
125
Strengths
Challenges
Organized Realistic Precise Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 53 Science Scuffle
Science Scuffle is our take on the classic TV game show Family Feud. Here’s how it works:
First, look back at the Mastery reflection activity you completed on page 50. In that activity, you
identified the three most important tools or ideas from Day One. What do you believe were the
five most popular responses from the entire group? Meet with your team. Together write what
you believe will be the “top five” responses below.
#1__________________________________________________________
#2__________________________________________________________
#3__________________________________________________________
#4__________________________________________________________
#5__________________________________________________________
For each correct answer, you’ll receive 1 point. If you have an answer in the correct place in
terms of its popularity, you’ll receive 5 points. If you get the top answer correct, you’ll receive 10
points. Are you ready? Good, because here are the top five answers from you and your
colleagues.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 54 ASSESS and Test Feedback
We may remember to ask students for their feedback on what they’re learning, but too often,
that feedback is isolated from the learning process. Students often lack opportunities to express
their reactions to the activities they were engaged in, discuss how they can use what they’ve
learned, and reflect on what they need to do to improve as thinkers and learners. ASSESS and
Test Feedback are two tools to improve the quality and benefits of feedback in the classroom.
A
S
S
E
S
S
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 55 Test Feedback-Cells
Circle the face that best describes how you feel about your performance on this test:
Do you think your performance on this test is a good indicator of what you know about the
structure of a cell, its parts, and their functions? Why or why not?
Was this test more like a nucleus, cell membrane, cytoplasm, or mitochondria? Explain.
How much time did you spend studying for this test?
How well did the classroom activities prepare you for the test?
What else would you like to add to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of this
concept?
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 56 Each Learning Style Has a Unique TEMPO
In this session, you will learn how to incorporate style into your teaching—and how to use style
as a means of engaging, motivating, and enhancing the learning experience of all four styles of
learners.
By now, you’ve probably realized that Mastery learners, Understanding learners, SelfExpressive learners, and Interpersonal learners all march to the beat of a different drummer.
The good news is that your ability to reach all four styles of learners will increase dramatically
once you understand the TEMPO of the music each is marching to. What does this mean? It
means that you need to be aware of:
•
The types of Thinking that excite each style of learner.
•
The kind of Environment that enables each style of student to succeed.
•
The driving force that Motivates each style of learner to learn.
•
The way that each style of learner views the Process of learning .
•
The Outcomes that each style of learner hopes for (i.e., what product would they like
to produce or what goal do they hope to achieve?).
The activity below is designed to help you figure out the “TEMPO” of all four styles of learners.
What’s the TEMPO?
Directions: Each of the bulleted items on the TEMPO Characteristics chart on the next page is a
clue that can help you uncover the TEMPO of the music for each style of learner. Begin by
reading the four clues that appear in the first row of the chart (the “T” row). Determine which
style of learner is being described in each clue and make a note of it (i.e., if a clue is describing
a Mastery learner, jot down the word “Mastery” next to the clue). Next, copy the italicized
word(s) from each clue into the correct style box of the Each Learning Style Has A Unique
TEMPO Organizer.
For example: Since the first clue in the “T” row of the TEMPO
Characteristics chart describes a Self-Expressive learner, you would write the italicized words
from that clue (“reorganize ideas and think creatively”) next to the letter “T” in the SelfExpressive box of the Each Learning Style Has a Unique TEMPO Organizer. Note that we’ve
actually filled this clue in for you already!
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 57 TEMPO Characteristics
T
•
•
•
•
•
They are most comfortable when asked to reorganize ideas and think creatively. They are most comfortable when asked to reason and think critically. They are most comfortable when asked to relate personally to the content and share feelings. They are most comfortable when asked to remember factual details and recall specific information. •
They prefer an environment rich in stimulation and surprise—one that is colorful, creative, and has choice. Their preferred environment is businesslike and has clear expectations. They judge the classroom environment in terms of its friendliness and real‐world connections. They seek an environment rich in big ideas, questions, and critical thinking. M
•
•
•
•
They are motivated by cooperation and work hardest as members of a team. They are motivated primarily by curiosity; they revel in deep, ongoing questions. Their motivation lies in success; they seek proficient performance. They are motivated by originality; they create work that is new and different. P
•
•
•
•
They prefer a learning process that proceeds more question‐by‐question. They like a learning process characterized by a step‐by‐step approach. Emotions and teamwork guide them; they tend to learn feeling‐by‐feeling. They learn by using their imaginations or dream‐by‐dream. •
They like assessments that ask for explanations and proof and appreciate opportunities to analyze and critique ideas. They like projects and assessments that invite them to explore possibilities and generate creative work. They like assessments that ask them to consider their personal experience, beliefs, and values. The like assessments that ask them to answer objective questions that have correct, veritable answers E
O
•
•
•
•
•
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 58 Each Learning Style has a Unique TEMPO Organizer
MASTERY (Sensing Thinking) INTERPERSONAL (Sensing Feeling) T E M P O UNDERSTANDING (INtuitive Thinking) T E M P O T E M P O SELF‐EXPRESSIVE (INtuitive Feeling) T reorganize ideas & think creatively
E M P O Once you have analyzed all of the clues and copied the italicized words into the organizer
above, turn the page and complete the Task Rotation. The questions on the Task Rotation were
designed to help you gain a deeper understanding of what it means to teach with style in mind.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 59 Directions: Complete the Task Rotation below. Be prepared to share and discuss your
responses.
Task Rotation: TEMPO
Mastery (ST) Are you ready for a little friendly competition? In the space below, jot down five characteristics (the TEMPO) of a Mastery learner. Do this from memory—do NOT peek at your notes! When you finish writing, compare your list with that of your neighbor. Work together to check your work, and give yourselves one point for every correct answer. See who has the most points. Interpersonal (SF) Imagine that a new student will be joining your class next week. What style of learner would you prefer this student to be? ___________ Explain why you feel this way. T E M P O Self‐Expressive (NF) Understanding (NT) How is a Self‐Expressive learner like a When it comes to reaching Understanding learners, teachers should avoid confusion and butterfly? aim for clarity. Agree or disagree? _________ Explain your response. If Self‐Expressive learners are like butterflies, what approaches might you use to support, engage, and motivate these learners in the classroom? Be creative and generate as many possibilities as you can. Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 60 Teachers have styles, too! Think about how you teach. How would you characterize your teaching style? Create an amoeba that describes your Example teaching style profile on the chart to the right. Put a star in the style box where your nucleus is located. Mastery Understanding Interpersonal Self‐Expressive Is there a link between style and success in school? Which style of learner do you think is most successful in school? And why? Which style of learner would face the largest challenge(s)? And why? Turn to the next page to see if you guessed correctly.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 61 How well did you do? MASTERY LEARNERS INTERPERSONAL LEARNERS General Population 35% Students at risk: 12% General Population: 35% Students at risk: 63% UNDERSTANDING LEARNERS SELF‐EXPRESSIVE LEARNERS General Population 15% Students at risk: 1% General Population: 15% Students at risk: 24% Why do you think that there are so many more Interpersonal learners in the at‐risk population than in the general population? How might you explain the fact that only 1% of at‐risk students are Understanding learners? Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 62 Questioning Styles and Strategies
Learning Goal: Participants will learn how to identify and select questions in the four learning
styles.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 63 CMK124-Questioning WB R10 22.crw4:SSA_TR Workbook 16p 06.qxd
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Part 1: Introducing Questioning Styles and Strategies
Questions in Style
Let’s Get Started
Questions are the stock and trade of all teachers. In fact, many teachers spend as much as 60% of their
day asking questions, listening to answers, and providing feedback. Studies over the past two decades
(Wilen & Clegg, 1986; Brualdi, 1998; Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001; Cotton, 2001; Marzano, 2007)
have shown that effective questioning is positively correlated with higher achievement among students.
As important as questioning is to all teachers, so is addressing student diversity. There is a wide body of
research highlighting the failures of “one-size-fits-all” approaches to teaching and pointing to the need
for greater differentiation in the classroom.
Using a variety of questions to engage different styles of thought is one of the easiest and best ways
for teachers to differentiate instruction, enhance student thinking, and promote deep learning. In
this portfolio, we bring together these two important teaching practices — effective questioning and
differentiation — and show how they can be combined to change classroom culture and design
more thoughtful lessons.
Let’s begin our journey through questioning and style with a peculiar question for you to think about:
What kind of question are you? If you were a question, would you be more of a “What” question, a
“Why” question, a “What if” question, or a “So what” question? Take a moment to answer the question
in Figure 1.1 and discuss your responses with your Learning Club.
Figure 1.1: Activity – The Question is You!
What kind of question am I?
Now, think of a unit you teach. What are some of the questions you might ask in this unit? Use Figure
1.2 to record some of your questions.
Figure 1.2: Activity – Questions from My Unit
4
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Part 1: Introducing Questioning Styles and Strategies
Putting it All Together
Since every answer must be discovered (by collecting data) and constructed (by arranging data), every
answer is the combination of one of the collecting functions (sensing or intuiting) and one of the
arranging functions (thinking or feeling). This combination of functions produces four different styles
of thinking, with each style being naturally drawn to specific mental operations. These operations give
a question its style, as shown in Figure 1.6 below.
Figure 1.6: How Questions Get Their Styles
SENSING
Mastery
Sensing + Thinking
Interpersonal
Sensing + Feeling
The Mastery style combines sensing’s focus on details
with thinking’s objectivity. Preferred mental operations
include remembering, sequencing, and practicing.
The Interpersonal style combines the detail-orientation
of sensing with the subjectivity of feelings. Preferred
mental operations include empathizing, relating
personally, and exploring feelings and values.
Mastery questions ask students to:
• Recall
• Describe
• Sequence
• Provide examples
• Summarize
Sample Questions:
– Which character in The Pinballs do you like best?
Why?
– Which part of our unit on factoring polynomials
was most difficult for you? What advice would
you give yourself on how to overcome this
difficulty?
Understanding
Intuition + Thinking
Self-Expressive
Intuition + Feeling
The Understanding style combines the big-picture
focus of intuition with the objectivity of thinking.
Preferred mental operations include reasoning,
interpreting, and proving.
The Self-Expressive style combines intuition’s focus on
pattern-finding with feeling’s subjectivity. Preferred
mental operations include creating, imagining, and
synthesizing.
Understanding questions ask students to:
• Compare and contrast
• Prove or disprove
• Explain how or why
• Classify
• Infer or interpret
Self-Expressive questions ask students to:
• Associate
• Think divergently
• Develop similes/metaphors
• Imagine
• Create or synthesize
Sample Questions:
– Are spiders more helpful or harmful? Provide
evidence for your position.
– Compare and contrast the way Biff and Happy
treat Willy in Act One of Death of a Salesman.
What do their interactions reveal about their
characters?
Sample Questions:
– How is Columbus like an astronaut?
– Imagine Arabic numerals had never been
invented. How might our lives be different if we
used the Roman numeral system?
FEELING
THINKING
Sample Questions:
– What are the responsibilities of the Legislative
Branch?
– Here is a diagram of a flowering plant. Can you
label the parts and describe the function of each?
Interpersonal questions ask students to:
• Describe feelings and reactions
• Empathize
• Prioritize according to personal values
• Reflect
• Make decisions
INTUITION
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Part 1: Introducing Questioning Styles and Strategies
What are the Advantages of Posing Questions in All Four Styles?
So, now that you have learned about the four styles of questions and the kind of thinking that each
evokes, think about this: Why pose questions in style? In other words, what are the advantages or
benefits of using all four styles of questions in the classroom?
Meet with a partner and discuss your ideas before recording them in Figure 1.7.
Figure 1.7: Activity – The Advantages of Questioning in Style
Here are some responses from teachers to the same question you just answered above. How do their
responses compare with yours?
Figure 1.8: Teacher Responses
When I ask questions
in all four styles, students’
interest and attention
almost always increase.
Terri L., Fourth-grade teacher
Students’
thinking expands.
Jay D., Fifth-grade teacher
When you know how to recognize
a question’s style, you are better
able to select questions that fit
precisely with your lesson
objectives and outcomes.
Ty Q., First-grade teacher
Students learn
how to think in
different ways.
They have to
remember,
reason, create,
and empathize.
Kaz N., High-school
English teacher
Students become
more engaged, more
willing and more
eager to participate.
Chaundra B., Middle-school
science teacher
Students’
comprehension
becomes deeper.
Alexis M., Middle-school
mathematics teacher
You can really build students’ memories. Questions
give you the chance to repeat key content, help you
vary it by using different styles and activities, and
force students to “go deep.” When you do this,
students can remember almost anything.
Esther R., High-school history teacher
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66
11
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Part 1: Introducing Questioning Styles and Strategies
We’re going to use a questioning tool called a Comprehension Menu to help us process our own
responses (along with these other teachers’ responses) to the question, What are the advantages of
posing questions in all four styles? But we’re going to use the tool a little differently than usual. Rather
than identifying the style of each question and placing each question in a style quadrant, we’re going
to present the questions as a “rainbow.” Record your answers to each question in the open space of
the rainbow (Figure 1.9 below).
Figure 1.9: Activity – A Rainbow of Questions
Identify the reasons the
teachers gave for asking
questions in all four styles.
Which of these reasons is
most compelling to you?
Explain.
Why don’t more people ask
questions in style?
Which of the four styles
of questions is most like
a spatula? Which is most
like an egg?
Which question in this activity
is a Mastery question? Which
is an Understanding question?
How about the Self-Expressive
and Interpersonal questions—
which ones are they?
12
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67
Questioning Museum
#1 What are the three #2 If you could be any main states of matter state of matter, which commonly found on would you be and why? Earth? #3 Create a way to #4 What is the purpose show how heat can affect states of matter. of models of atoms? #5 If you were a drop #6 Select an element #7 Describe three #8 What comes to of water, how would you feel as you change states? to be the state element of Kentucky. Create an icon for the element. characteristics of an atom. mind when you think of density? List the first five words, pictures or feelings that you think of. #9 Rank the models of #10 Choose the #11 Most of the mass #12 What is the atoms in order of which element that is most best represents the like you and explain structure of an atom: why it is like you. Bohr, Lewis Dot, Quantum, Plum Pudding. of a tree comes from difference between the air. Do you agree or volume and mass? disagree with this statement? Explain why. #13 What would happen if atoms of different elements could not bond? Use pictures, words, or other ways to express your ideas. #14 List the parts of an #15 How are atoms of atom. different elements the same? How are they different? #17 An atom is most #18 Classify the like which of the following: the solar system, a chocolate chip cookie, a paddle ball, an interstate highway system? following substances to measure volume. and explain your groups: chocolate milk, salt, mud, air, gold, water, oxygen, helium, krypton, carbon dioxide, sugar, methane. #16 What are some questions you have about matter? #19 Describe two ways #20 How would you Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. model an atom? Page 69 Self-Expressive
Understanding
Mastery
#1
#_________
#_________
#_________
#_________
Key words
Key words
Key words
Key words
#15
#_________
#_________
#_________
#_________
Key words
Similar/different
Key words
Key words
Key words
Key words
#8
#_________
#_________
#_________
#_________
Key words
Key words
Key words
Key words
Key words
#_________
#_________
#_________
#_________
Key words
Key words
Key words
Key words
Key words
What are the
three
What comes to mind
Interpersonal
#2
Key words
If you could be
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 70 CMK124-Questioning WB R10 22.crw4:SSA_TR Workbook 16p 06.qxd
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Part 1: Introducing Questioning Styles and Strategies
Summarizing Our Learning
Let’s take a few minutes to summarize what we’ve learned about questions and their styles. Figure 1.13
below lays out the four styles of questions, identifies five ways to ask questions in each style, and
provides question starters that illustrate what the different kinds of questions sound like in the
classroom. When you feel comfortable with the information on this chart, proceed to the ThoughtWork
activity that ends Part One of this guide.
Figure 1.13: Summarizing the Four Styles of Questions
Mastery questions focus on remembering
Interpersonal questions help students
key content and skills. They ask students to:
make personal connections to the content. They
ask students to:
Recall
– Who? What? When? Where?
Describe:
– How?
– Observe and describe ____________________________ .
Sequence
– Put the following _________________________ in order.
Provide Examples
– Can you generate any examples that fit our criteria?
Summarize
– Restate or retell what you’ve learned in your
own words.
Describe feelings and reactions
– How do you feel about ___________________________?
– What’s your reaction to ___________________________?
Empathize
– If you were __________________ , what would you do?
– How would you feel if ____________________________?
– What advice would you give _______________________?
Value or prioritize
– Which is most important to you?
– Where do you stand on ___________________________?
Reflect
– What went well?
– What was difficult for you?
– How can you improve next time?
Make or evaluate decisions
– Which would you choose?
– What do you think about ________________’s decision?
Understanding questions get students
to think about concepts, big ideas, and
generalizations. They ask students to:
Compare and contrast
– What are the key similarities and differences?
Prove or disprove
– Support or refute using evidence.
Explain
– What are the causes and/or effects?
– Why?
– Can you develop an explanation for _______________?
Classify
– Group and label the following items…
– How are _________________________________ related?
Infer or interpret
– How do you interpret ____________________________?
– What conclusions can you draw?
Self-Expressive questions stimulate
students’ imaginations. They ask students to:
Associate
– What comes to mind?
Think divergently
– How many possible ways can you think of to ______?
Develop similes and metaphors
– How is __________________ like ___________________?
Imagine or hypothesize
– What if?
– What do you think will happen next?
– Can you develop a hypothesis?
Create or synthesize
– Can you develop a visual icon for _________________?
– Can you put _____________ together in a unique way?
16
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71
What Can Task Rotation Do for You and Your Students?
Learning Goal: Participants will be able to design a TR lesson to address a specific content
standard they are teaching.
By designing and assigning tasks that represent the four learning styles, teachers can use Task
Rotations to meet at least six critical instructional goals.
Goal #1: Differentiating Teaching and Learning
If differentiation is to work, if it is to meet its goal of increasing each and every learner’s
opportunity to find relevance and achieve success in school, then it must be manageable for
teachers. Task Rotation, based on a classroom-friendly model of four dominant learning styles,
allows teachers to address the full diversity of students without becoming overwhelmed.
Goal #2: Deepening Memory and Comprehension
Task Rotation increases students’ retention of, and command over new content because it
naturally promotes repetition (multiple exposures), variation (trying different activities and taking
new angles), and depth of thinking (elaborating and adding layers of understanding with each
new activity). These three factors—repetition, variation, and depth of thinking—give strength
and durability to students’ memories and help students derive more meaning from what they
learn.
Goal #3: Increasing Student Engagement
Classroom engagement has been defined as students’ level of commitment to learning what
you teach (Silver & Perini, 2010), and research shows that when students make this
commitment, achievement levels rise markedly (Marzano, 2007). With Task Rotation, students
become more engaged in the learning process because Task Rotations balance work in their
preferred styles with explorations of new and different approaches to learning.
Goal #4: Gathering Meaningful Assessment Data
What kinds of tasks are particular students drawn to? Which tend to give them trouble? What
styles of thinking need attention? Regular use of Task Rotation serves as a powerful
assessment system allowing you to design more engaging tasks, gather formative data about
how well students are learning, and develop new insights into how their minds work.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 72 Goal #5: Improving the Quality of Student Thinking
The mind is like a muscle: if you don’t exercise the different parts regularly, then some of those
parts will go flabby. Task Rotation serves as an aerobics session for the mind, encouraging
students to practice and develop four distinct styles of thinking: remembering, reasoning,
creating, and relating.
Goal #6: Developing Students’ Habits of Mind
In their years of research into the defining characteristics of intelligent behavior and thought, Art
Costa and Bena Kallick (2008, 2009) have identified sixteen “habits of mind.” By nourishing
these habits in our students, we increase their chance for future success by giving them the
tools they need to use their minds well. Using Task Rotation in the classroom will help students
develop these habits of mind:
•
Thinking flexibly
•
Thinking about thinking (metacognition)
•
Striving for accuracy
•
Applying past knowledge to new situations
•
Questioning and posing problems
•
Creating, imagining, innovating
•
Remaining open to continuous learning
Which of the six goals of Task Rotation is most important to you and why?
Discuss your response with a partner. Are there any goals that seem to be especially important
to both of you?
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 73 Looking at Task Rotations
Task Rotation is a versatile strategy that enables teachers to accomplish a variety of classroom
goals. But at its heart, it is a strategy—a framework—for differentiating assessment tasks and
learning activities so that all students have the opportunity to work in their preferred styles and
develop weaker ones. We can think of Task Rotation as a way to bring balance to our
assessment systems since it ensures the work you assign and the activities you design promote
multiple forms of thinking, and not just one or two.
Here we’ll be looking at a potpourri of tasks and Task Rotations to see how different teachers at
different grade levels and in a wide variety of content areas use the strategy to create this
balance.
To help guide you through this tour of teachers’ tasks and Task Rotations you’ll be using a
special note-making strategy known as Window Notes (Silver, Strong, & Perini, 2007). Window
Notes is derived from Task Rotation in that it applies to the power and benefits of thinking in all
four styles to the note-making process. That’s why we call Window Notes a “note-making”
rather than a “note-taking” strategy. Note-taking implies something passive, something akin to
copying. Note-making on the other hand, signifies a creative act, an engagement of the mind as
it…
Captures facts and details
Reacts and explores feelings
Asks questions and discovers big ideas
Makes connections
On the next page are two sets of notes created by a student who was asked to make notes
about the character Holden Caulfield while reading the first chapter of The Catcher in the Rye.
Which student’s notes show deeper comprehension and insight into Holden’s character? Why
do you think so?
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 74 Two sets of notes on Holden Caulfield
Student 1: Traditional Notes
Holden Caulfield
•
Brother is a writer.
•
He manages the fencing team.
•
He’s getting kicked out of school—Pency Prep.
•
Visits his teacher, Mr. Spencer.
•
You can tell he’s pretty smart.
Student 2: Window Notes
Feelings
Facts
•
Holden was kicked out of Pency Prep
School.
•
Holden visits a teacher of his, Mr.
Spencer.
•
•
I’m very confused about Holden. Just
when I think I like him he says
something that makes me mad.
•
To me, Holden seems a little too smart
for his age.
Holden is very intelligent.
Questions
•
What happened in Holden’s family life
that his parents would have “two
hemorrhages” if he told anyone?
•
Why does Holden have such a
connection with Mr. Spencer?
•
Why does Holden seem to hold a
grudge against everyone?
Ideas
Holden reminds me of my Uncle Phil. Uncle
Phil sits around at holiday dinners and makes
comments. Sometimes his comments are
clever, but sometimes they hurt people, too.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 75 Now you try it. As you examine the Task Rotations on the next few pages, record facts and
details, questions and big ideas, connections, and reactions/feelings in the appropriate box.
Activity: Window Notes
Facts and Details
Reactions/Feelings
Questions and Big Ideas
Connections
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 76 A Potpourri of Task Rotations
Plants
Have you ever stopped to think about trees, flowers, vines, or bushes? Why are all these
plants her? What do they do for people, for animals, and for the earth? Would we be
able to survive if there were no plants?
Mastery (ST)
Interpersonal (SF)
Draw a flowering plant and label its parts.
How would you feel on a sunny (or rainy) day
if you were a plant?
Understanding (NT)
Self-Expression (NF)
Why are plants important to our world?
What would our world look like if there
Think of two reason.
were no plants?
Weather
Have students look out the window or take a short walk outside. Then, ask the students to
describe the weather. Continue the discussion by asking students, “How else can the
weather be?” Encourage students to use as many descriptive words as possible.
Tracking the Weather
Record the weather for one week. Each
day, fill in the temperature (hot, warm, cool,
or cold), then draw a picture to tell what
the sky looks like and if it is a windy or a
calm day.
Who Cares About the Weather?
Look at the list below of some of the people
who care about the weather. Explain why
they might care about what kind of weather
we have:
Who cares:
Farmers
Athletes
You and I
Airplane Pilots
Sailors
Travelers
Repair Crews
My Favorite Weather
What’s your favorite weather? Draw a picture
of something you like to do in that weather.
Write a caption for your picture.
“It’s like a Sauna Outside.”
We often use similes to describe the weather.
Create a simile for each of the weather terms
and show it in a picture.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The snow is as white as…
The clouds are as soft as…
The sky is as dark as…
The wind is blowing like…
The wind is as calm as…
It is as hot as…
It is a cold as…
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 77 Reptiles
Answer these four questions:
1. What are five important reptile
inventions?
2. List three ways in which reptiles and
dinosaurs are alike and three ways in
which they are different.
3. Why is the reptile’s egg so important?
4. What happened to the dinosaurs?
Some people think that dinosaurs are simply
an interesting deviation from the main line
of evolution. Do you agree or disagree?
Why?
Write an essay sharing your position.
Do you prefer mammals or reptiles? Why?
and
Draw poster. Design an ad to convince
people that your choice is O.K.
Using any medium (painting, drawing,
sculpture, etc.), design a reptile that could
live and thrive in the Arctic.
or
Design an animal that is the “missing link”
between birds and reptiles.
Simple Machines
Mastery
Interpersonal
1. List the 6 simple machines about which
we learned.
2. Make an inventory of your house and
find examples of each type. Describe
the example you found and what simple
machine is a part of it.
3. Draw and label a diagram of each of the
six simple machines we have studied.
4. List and describe the three resistive
forces.
Understanding
Write a letter to a friend that describes a
real or imaginary trip to an amusement park.
The letter must include a description of how
four different simple machines are used to
make several of the rides work. (One simple
machine per ride.)
The conditions on the moon are quite
different than the earth. Research the
conditions on the moon’s surface and write
an essay that describes how the resistive
forces are different on the moon, the
effect this could have on machines brought
to the moon by astronauts, and what could
be some ways to lessen the problems that
you have identified.
Rube Goldberg was a famous cartoonist
known for drawing a wild and funny devices.
His devices worked like a chain reaction.
For example the alarm clock would startle a
cat, which knocked down a vase, which
pushed a lever, which tripped a pail of water
on the sleeping man’s head. Your task is to
design such a device on paper that uses all
six of the simple machines about which we
have studied.
Self-Expressive
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 78 How Does a Task Get Its Style?
We’ve already begun to explore and answer this question, but now it’s your turn to use real
classroom tasks to develop a better answer. So take a close look at the different styles of tasks
in the potpourri. Identify some key “thinking verbs” or other phrases that help you identify the
style of the task. Working with a partner, use the organizer below to collect your ideas.
Key Words and Phrases in
Key Words and Phrases in
Mastery Tasks
Interpersonal Tasks
Key Words and Phrases in
Key Words and Phrases in
Understanding Tasks
Self-Expressive Tasks
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 79 Graduated Difficulty
One of the most important goals of the movement for differentiated learning is the development
of self-directed learning among a wide array of students. Any student who is able to analyze the
demands of assigned tasks, make good decisions about how to complete that work, assess
personal progress, and determine what steps are necessary to reach higher goals has obviously
earned the label “self-directed learner.” However, do we have the teaching strategies necessary
to develop self-directed students? Graduated Difficulty involves students directly in the
differentiation process as they analyze a variety of tasks at different levels of difficulty, select the
task that is most appropriate for them, complete and evaluate their chosen task, and chart goals
for improvement and achievement at higher levels of difficulty.
How to Use the Strategy
1. Determine the skill to be practiced or the content to be reviewed.
2. Develop a set of tasks around the selected content or skill at three (or more) levels of
difficulty.
3. Make sure that your students understand the role they are expected to play in the
Graduated Difficulty strategy. Then, distribute the set of tasks.
4. Encourage students to analyze all of the tasks on the list; students should determine
what skills and knowledge are necessary to succeed at each level of difficulty before
deciding which task they wish to complete.
5. Remind students that they are free to work at whatever level feels right and may switch
levels at any time. It is important for students to recognize that you trust them to make
decisions for themselves.
6. Allow students to check their work at any time. Facilitate the self-assessment process by
ensuring that students have easy access to an answer key (for tasks with right or wrong
answers) or an assessment rubric (for more open-ended tasks).
7. Give students time to reflect on what they learned and accomplished. Encourage them
to share their thoughts and feelings with the class.
8. Work with students to help them establish personal learning goals and targets.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 80 Graduated Difficulty: Fractions Phase I: Selecting the Difficulty Level Directions: Look over the exercises below. Select the level that is best for you. Then simplify the fractions and check your answers with the answer sheet. Level 1 2.
3.
4.
6.
7.
8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
3.
4.
8.
1.
5.
Level 2 Level 3 1.
5.
2.
6.
7.
.
Level 4 1.
2.
/
3.
4.
See page 105 for answers
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 81 Reflection on Graduated Difficulty for Fractions
What level did you choose? Why did you choose it?
What makes level two more challenging than level 1? What makes levels 3 more challenging
than 2? What makes level 4 more challenging than 3?
What do you need to work on to move to the next level?
Write a learning goal that expresses what you need to know and be able to do to move to the
next level.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 82 Assessment Menus
Providing an equal opportunity for all styles of learners to achieve is a difficult task when not
everyone is able to perform at the same level nor is interested or motivated by the same
activities. The Menu strategy is a sub strategy of Task Rotation designed to address this difficult
problem by providing different levels and choices of activities in all four styles for students to
select from. In the Menu strategy, students get to develop their own portfolio of activities and
performances—one from each of the three levels of difficulty, and one from each style.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 83 Assessment Menu-Ecology
Style
ST
NT
NF
SF
Level 1
Summarize
Read two articles
on ecology.
Summarize them
and bring them to
school to add to
our class library.
Extinction
Gather data on an
extinct or nearly
extinct animal. Use
a chart or graph to
explain your data.
Devise a solution
for saving the
animal, and
prepare a
presentation on
your findings.
Scrapbook
Create a
scrapbook
of photographs
depicting pollution
problems in nature.
Poster
Select an ecology
issue. Make a
poster or a
diagram that
teaches
people about the
problem.
Level 2
Pollution Problems
Make a visual organizer
listing three ecological
problems, and include the
following information:
What is the problem?
What is the cause of the
problem? What can be done
to alleviate the problem?
Technology Trap
“Ever since man began to
modify life by using
technology, he has found
himself caught in a series of
technological traps, such as
air pollution.” What does the
author mean by technological
trap? What are some
examples? What are the
causes of these
traps? What are the effects
of these traps on society
today.
Free Lunch
A famous ecologist once
said “When it comes to the
environment, there are no
free lunches.” What did she
mean by this metaphor?
Create your own metaphor
that describes your attitude
about the environment. Use
your metaphor to deliver a
persuasive speech to your
classmates.
Editorial
Select a pollution problem
you feel strongly about and
write an editorial expressing
your feelings. Submit it to
your local newspaper.
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Level 3
Do Something About It!
Set up a recycling project
for a month. Collect aluminum,
glass, and paper. Keep a
record of the quantity and
weight of what you have
collected. Convert your data
into a chart showing your
progress during the month.
Environmental Activist
Identify a local pollution
problem. Analyze its causes
and effects. Develop a
campaign to make people
aware of the problem. Keep a
log of your strategies and your
actions. Identify which
strategies were most effective.
Be A Teacher
Plan a unit to teach a
second grade class about
pollution, and what kids can do
to help reduce pollution. Teach
your unit and assess what your
students have learned as well
as your own effectiveness as a
planner and a teacher.
Community Service
Form a team of people
to clean up the school
grounds, a vacant lot or
roadside. Take a picture
of the area before and
after your work, or better yet,
make a video tape of the
project that would influence
other students to do community
projects like yours.
Page 84 Assessment Menu-Elementary Across Curriculum
Science
Social Studies
Math
Level 1
Language
Arts
Level 2
Level 3
Compare the relationship of perimeter to area in five rectangles of different sizes. Develop a way to predict one measurement from the other and verify it on five new rectangles. Given five different brands of paper towels, develop a system to compare them for different purchasing priorities (durability, softness, price). Compare your system to the information offered by the grocery store, consumer reports, and the buyer in your household. Compare and contrast the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Based on your comparison, explain why the Articles failed and the Constitution has endured. What part of another state is most like your area? Compare how the two regions developed over time. Arrange your data about the two regions to demonstrate how regions develop in a number of ways. Create a way to examine a region’s development and apply it to another region in a different state. Set up an obstacle course for kindergartners in your school. Time the performance of a few students on the course to decide what might be the slowest and fastest finishing times. Use this data to create categories for the children to compare their performances. Track their performances over several weeks for two classes to verify the categories and establish average finishing times for each one. You will play four roles in this activity; you will write (writer); give another writer feedback (critic); conduct research on a topic (researcher); and react to someone’s writing with questions (reader). Your topic is a comparison of your life and your parent’s life during the same time or at the same age. As a result of your work, you will create a literary journal with the best works from the class. Create a theme for the next issue of your journal and design an invitation for students to submit articles.
Erosion is damaging part of the ball field. Study this site, track the process, and identify what is happening. In your group, study two other sites where erosion has been controlled. Compare these sites with the ball field and suggest a plan for curbing the erosion. Have you ever hurt your knee? How about your elbow? Even though they are both joints, they are different. Study your textbook and your own body to determine how they are alike and how they are different. Use what you find out to write an article for your classmates on how to protect themselves against injuries to their elbows and knees. We have been reading Frog and Toad. Use a visual organizer to compare these two animals. Decide which one you would rather have as a friend. Explain your decision. We are getting a computer upgrade next year. Study at least three different models of computers. Compare and contrast them to make a recommendation to the board. Be sure to consider speed, uses, reliability, cost, and any other functions you think are important. Think over the books we have been reading lately. Choose a character who is like you and one who is not. Develop criteria to compare them. Use your criteria to talk about how to be a friend to different people. Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Choose two television characters who are friends. Compare their relationship with a friendship you have. Discuss your ideas about friendship with some of your classmates. Use what you have learned to write about what makes friendships work. Page 85 Mastery Tasks
Demonstration: Students are able to perform a skill or procedure at a high level of proficiency. Formative • Here are three different books. Use your ruler to accurately measure length, width, and height of each to the nearest millimeter. • Keeping what we’ve learned about proper form in mind, shoot five free throws while your group observes. Your group will rate your form using our free throw checklist. Summative: Pick one of the scenarios below (going on a vacation, a day at school, etc.) In Spanish write a paragraph of at least five sentences in which you describe what you did in the scenario. You must use and correctly conjugate at least five different action verbs in your scenario. Definition: Students define important terms and concepts by identifying critical attributes, the broader categories into which the term fits, and examples/nonexamples. Formative: Here are two partially complete Concept Definition Maps that help us understand the characteristics of fables and folk tales. Fill in the missing information and then tell which map defines folk tales and which defines fables. Summative: People often confuse bacteria and viruses. Define each term by: 1) identifying the larger category each belongs to; 2) listing the critical attributes of each; 3) providing three examples of each; 4) identifying two nonexamples that share some of the attributes of the term, but not all. Summarizing and Reporting: Students communicate complex ideas, information, or data using existing formats that highlight critical concepts and important details. Formative: Review your notes from yesterday’s lecture on Cubism. What is the MVP (Most Valuable Point) of Cubism? Identify your Most Valuable Point and summarize it in one paragraph. Summative: Think like a sports reporter! Now that we’ve read “Casey at the Bat,” your job is to capture the action of the bottom of the ninth inning by answering the five questions of good reporting: Who? What? Where? When? And How? Diagramming and Labeling: Students accurately draw/and or label the parts of a particular object or system, and describe the function of the various parts. Formative: Look at this picture of a flowering plant. Can you label the roots, leaves, stem, and flower? Can you tell how each part helps the plant? Summative: Create a simple freehand sketch of the two types of electrical circuits found in automotive wiring: series circuits and parallel circuits. Be sure to include and label the battery, fuse, close switch, and load in each, along with the path of the current. Visual Organizers: Students use visual formats to organize and condense information into meaningful, interrelated “chunks.” Formative: Complete this cycle organizer showing the phases of the water cycle. Summative: Many students struggle to “see” the structure of the U.S. Constitution. Create a visual organizer that shows the three main parts of the Constitution and includes a brief description of what’s in each part. Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 86 Understanding Comparison: Students compare and contrast two concepts or procedures using specific criteria. Formative: How is the traditional Japanese dinner from a typical dinner in your home? How are both dinners similar? Use the Top Hat organizer to identify two similarities and two differences. Summative: Compare and contrast word processing with desktop publishing. How are they similar? How are they different? Pick three specific limitations of word processing software and explain how desktop publishing helps users overcome these limitations. Classification: Students examine a pool of data and develop a classification system that highlights important patterns and relationships. Formative: Below is a collection of geometric figures we’ve been studying. Divide these figures up into no fewer than four groups. For each group, create a label that clearly identifies what the shapes in each group have in common. Summative: Examine this list of workplace competencies. Group the competencies into at least four different groups and give each group a descriptive label. Use your groups to create a want‐ad for a 21st century worker. Debugging/Problem Solving: Students study a problem situation and determine what they need to do solve or correct it. Formative: A driver enters your garage and complains that he’s having difficulty starting his car in the morning. What questions would you ask the driver to help pinpoint the problem? What tests would you run to determine the cause of the problem? Summative: Here are eight percentage problems and their solutions. Six answers are wrong, and all the work is shown. Your job is to a) find and correct the errors; b) identify the mistakes in thinking that led to the errors; and c) develop a set of guidelines or a mnemonic device that would help the student root out errors on his or her own. Analysis/Explanation: Students study an object, event, text, or system and identify its parts, their purposes, and/or its overall strengths and weaknesses. Formative: Examine this picture of a polar bear. Identify three physical features that help the polar bear survive in the tundra. Then, tell how each part plays a role in the polar bear’s survival. Summative: Pick your favorite story from our unit and subject it Poe’s theory of the well made story. How well does the story create a “unique or single effect” that Poe advocates? Use evidence from the text to support your analysis. Argument: Students explore a controversial issue, establish a position, and develop an argument using evidence. Formative: If you were in the position of Tim from My Brother Sam is Dead, whose side would you take in the argument between Sam and Father? Why? Summative: Should genetic research be driven by ethics, economics, or sheer possibility? Pick the factor that you believe should play the greatest role and write an editorial arguing for your position. Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 87 Self‐Expressive Speculation: Students investigate an existing state of affairs and speculate how this state of affairs would be different if key factors were changed. Formative: Imagine Thomas Edison had never lived. How might your life be different? Generate at least three ideas. Summative: Imagine that the rivers of the U.S. flowed east to west. Write an alternative history of the Period of Exploration (1500‐1700). Include a map to show how this change might affect our common history. Metaphor/Simile/Analogy: Students make creative, insightful comparison. Three types of metaphorical comparison can be used: similes (comparing two dissimilar objects/ideas using “like”), compressed conflicts (using two words that fight each other), or personal analogies (asking students to be the content). Formative: • How is a computer firewall like a security guard? (simile) • How is the constitution both rigid and flexible? (compressed conflict) • If you were a red blood cell, what would a day in your life be like? (personal analogy) Summative: How is solving problems in algebra like human digestion? Review the steps in solving equations with one variable and use the provided resources to help you deepen your understanding of the phases of digestion. Then, create an extended simile in which you compare each step in the problem‐solving process to an element or phase in the digestive process. Design: Students explore a topic or problem and design a product or plan that addresses the problem/challenge. Formative: Imagine you are a reptile that has adapted to live in a cold climate. What are some adaptations you have developed to help you survive? Summative: We have spent the last few days studying the behavioral and intellectual development of toddlers. You and your team have been selected to design a safe educational toy that will appeal to toddlers. Your toy must help toddlers grow in at least one key element of intellectual development (attention, memory, reasoning, imagination, curiosity) and take advantage of one of the four methods of learning associated with toddlers. Submit a detailed sketch of your toy and an explanation of how it achieves its purpose. Divergent Thinking: Students think flexibly about a topic or problem and generate many ideas or solutions. Formative: Below is a 10x10 grid. How many different ways can you color in exactly half of the grid? Summative: Using our reading and discussion of Wallace Stevens “Thirteen Ways of Looking at A Blackbird,” as a model, write a poem in which you look at something in thirteen different ways. You may choose an object, a person, an animal—even an idea. Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 88 Self‐Expressive Artistic Expression: Students use an artistic format (written, visual, musical, etc.) to express an idea, summarize learning, or explore connection to their own lives. Formative: • What do you think is the most important term in our unit? Write a cinquain or haiku that captures the essence of the term you select. • Design a simple 3 or 4 panel comic strip that would help families prepare for a hurricane. • If you were making a movie about the female pharaoh, Hatshepsut, what three episodes or accomplishments from her life would you choose to include? Can you think of a song you might include in your movie that could be Hatshepsut’s “theme song”? Summative: For our final task in this unit, you will be asked to create an album that would help today’s students understand that tumultuous atmosphere of the 1960’s. For your task you must select at least five songs that represent the mood and/or events of the decade. Include your song selection on the back of your album cover, along with a brief explanation of why you choose your songs. Then, create a front cover that captures your take on a key theme or themes of the 60s. Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 89 Interpersonal Decision Making: Students investigate an issue, explore alternative ways of addressing the issue and use both personal priorities and criteria to make or evaluate a decision. Formative: • Look at the pictures of the five meals below. Decide which meal is most nutritious. Then decide which meal you would most like to eat. What are some ways you can help yourself remember how to make healthy eating choices? • Aside from the First Amendment, which amendment in the Bill of Rights do you believe is the most important? Why? Summative: At the end of Of Mice and Men, George makes a very difficult choice. In an essay, explain why George made this choice. Then, tell what choice you would make if you were in George’s position. Explain the reason behind your choice. Empathizing: Students explore the human and emotional dimensions of the content. Formative: We have met the three central characters in The Pinballs. Which character do you think is in the most difficult situation? Which character do you most identify with? Why? Summative: Pick your favorite Impressionist painter. Imagine you are that painter and your recent exhibit has been panned by critics. Write an open letter to the art community that tells people what they are missing in your work. Self‐Analysis and Goal‐Setting: Students reflect on their learning or performance and set goals for future learning. Formative: Throughout this unit, you will be reflecting on your growth as a learner by answering these questions in your learning log: ⎯ What is giving you the most trouble? ⎯ What makes it difficult? ⎯ What questions do you have about it? ⎯ What advice would you give yourself to overcome this difficulty? Summative: Review the personal fitness goals you set for yourself at the beginning of our unit on weight training. Identify the goals you’ve met and the goals you are still working to achieve. Then, develop a manageable weight training regimen that you can use to help you meet current goals and achieve new ones in the future. Conflict/Resolution: Students develop ways to address and resolve difficult or emotionally charged situations. Formative: • Have you ever used fractions to settle a dispute? Tell about a situation in which fractions could help resolve a disagreement fairly. • A customer asks you to “rush through” her hair dyeing procedure because she’s in a hurry. What would you say to her to help her understand it’s in her best interest for you to do a careful and thorough analysis of her hair before dyeing begins? Summative: How did Brother Bear address the bullying problem in The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Teasing? What can we learn about bullying and how to address it from the book? Working in small groups, you will use what you learned from the book to create a set of classroom rules that will help the students in our classroom know what to do when they witness bullying. Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 90 Interpersonal Exploring Feelings and Personal Reactions: Students develop a personal take on what they’re learning by drawing on their values, insights, and emotions. Formative: Which of the following faces best describes your feelings about out work in solving percentage problems? Why? Summative: What is your personal reaction to The Giver? Write a friendly letter to a student who will be reading The Giver next year. In your letter, tell the student what you liked best about the novel, what gave you the most difficulty, and why you believe it’s an important book for students your age to read. Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 91 Planning a Task Rotation: Assessing in DEPTH
Determine the standards you want to focus on and use them to clarify your purpose.
Begin by reviewing your standards. What content and skill standards do you want students to
meet? Convert your standards into a clear purpose by answering:
•
What key information, facts, and terms do students need to know?
•
What big ideas, generalizations, or principles do students need to understand?
•
What skills do students need to develop?
•
What habits of mind do you want to foster?
Establish a work plan.
Are you developing formative or summative tasks? If formative,
develop key benchmarks or learning targets within the lesson or unit that you will be using the
tasks in your Task Rotation to assess. If summative, decide if students will be:
•
completing all four tasks in a prescribed sequence.
•
completing all four tasks in any sequence they choose.
•
completing one or two assigned tasks and choosing another.
•
completing only the task(s) they wish to complete.
Provide tasks in all four styles.
Interpersonal Tasks
Mastery Tasks
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Recall
Define
Summarize
Report
Demonstrate
Diagram/Label
Organize
Understanding Tasks
•
•
•
•
•
Compare
Analyze
Prove
Explain
Clarify
Debug
Argue
•
•
•
•
•
Decide
Empathize
Self-Analysis/Goal Setting
Conflict/Resolution
Explore Feelings and Reactions
Self-Expressive Tasks
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. What If?
Metaphors/Similes/Analogies
Design
Think Divergently
Artistic Expression
Page 92 Think through the criteria for assessment.
You can develop criteria for each task or look for
a set of criteria that unite all four tasks. Before introducing the tasks, share the criteria with
students so they know what to strive for when completing their tasks.
Help students reflect on their learning.
Task Rotations provide you and students with
valuable information about how each student learns. Observation of student work and
discussion will give you a wealth of information about students’ preferences as learners—a kind
of window into each student’s mind. Enhance the power of this process using reflection
questions like:
•
What kind of thinking did each task require?
•
What task was your favorite? Which was your least favorite? Why?
•
What did you learn about yourself?
•
What advice would you give yourself next time we use Task Rotation?
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 93 Task Rotation Planning Forms
Determine standards and clarify purpose.
Standards to Address
Statement of Purpose
Students will…
Know:
Develop the habits of:
Understand:
Be able to (Skills):
Establish a work plan.
Am I using my Task Rotation for formative or summative assessment? (Circle one) How will
students work through the tasks?
How will I introduce the tasks?
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 94 Provide tasks in all four styles.
Mastery
Interpersonal
Understanding
Self-Expressive
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 95 Think through assessment criteria.
How will I assess students’ performance?
Help students reflect on their learning.
What questions and/or activities will you use to help students look back on their learning and
examine their learning style preferences?
Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 96 More or Less: Six Criteria for Assessing Your Task Rotations
If a Task Rotation is to achieve its purpose it must be designed well. In examining hundreds of
Task Rotations, we have identified six common problems that a Task Rotation may suffer from.
They are part of what we call the “Less” family. The more we address these critters, the more
likely your Task Rotation will achieve the success you desire.
Purposeless - Sometimes a Task Rotation suffers from not having a clear purpose. Students
are not clear about the purpose of a particular activity or the Task Rotation as a whole. The
clearer we are about why we are using the Task Rotation and what we are trying to accomplish,
the more successful it will be.
How clear is the purpose for your Task Rotation and the purpose of each activity?
1 Mostly unclear 2 3 4 Perfectly clear Style-less – Sometimes a Task Rotation lacks style. It has four activities but they are not stylebased, or there is not a diversity of styles represented, or the styles are confused. The more we
understand the thinking process associated with each of the styles, the more effective we will be
in designing and selecting style-based tasks.
How well do the tasks represent the four styles of thought?
1 Not Very Well 2 3 4 Completely Interest-less – Sometimes the tasks in a Task Rotation are not engaging and do not capture
the interest of the students they are intended for. The more we take student interest into
account the more effective our Task Rotation will be.
How interesting are the four tasks?
1 Pretty Dull 2 3 4 Very Interesting Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 97 Clueless – Sometimes the Task Rotation is plagued by vagueness because the students do not
have a clue about what it is they are supposed to do. The clearer we are about the specific
products the student needs to produce and how it will be judged, the more effective the Task
Rotation will be.
How well-defined are the products and the criteria for assessment?
1 Vaguely Defined 2 3 4 Clearly Defined Balance-less – Sometimes a Task Rotation can be out of balance. This means that the
complexity and time it takes to do one task or the simplicity of a task is not in line with the other
tasks. The more the Task Rotation activities are balanced according to complexity and the time
it takes to complete each task, the more successful it will be.
How balanced are your tasks?
1 Little Balance among tasks 2 3 4 Strong Balance among Tasks Thoughtless - Of all the members of the “Less” family, this one is the most serious. Sometimes
a Task Rotation meets all the effective criteria but has four tasks that really do not require
thought or a level of thinking worthy of classroom time. The more the Task Rotation engages
students in meaningful thought, the more effective it will be.
How well does your Task Rotation engage student thinking?
1 Very Little 2 3 4 A Great Deal Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 98 Culminating Assessment
The Toy Box‐2nd Grade There are objects in your box that can move. Try different ways to make each object move without breaking them or putting anyone in danger. a. Identify each object and describe its motion b. Classify the forces used to make each object move as a push or a pull or both. c. Classify the objects in another way and show and label the new groups. d. Make one of your objects move. Show three ways you can change the object’s motion and tell how the motion changed. Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 99 The Toy Box‐2nd Grade Force and Motion Pre Assessment 1. Pick an object that is in motion and describe its motion. 2. Draw a picture to show each of these kinds of motion: Moving Not moving
Zig‐zag
Straight line
3. What is motion? Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 100 ACME Movers‐4th Grade ACME Moving Company has hired you to investigate how they can best move packages down a ramp. You will be using scale models to do your investigations. There are two packages, one that weighs 1000 grams and one that weighs 500 grams. 1. Make a ramp that your packages will move down. 2. Draw a motion diagram that shows the motion of each package. 3. Design a way to make each package move faster down the ramp. Calculate the speed of each package. 4. Design a way to make each package move more slowly down the ramp. Calculate the speed of each package. 5. The company would like to move the packages as quickly as possible without breaking them. Determine your best design for doing this. Use numbers, graphs, diagrams, charts, etc to present your design to the company. Be sure to describe how force, friction, and mass were used in your design. Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 101 ACME Movers‐4th Grade Force and Motion Pre Assessment 1. Explain three ways to change the motion of an object. 2. Draw a picture and write a description of each word below: Uniform Motion Fast Motion
Slow Motion 3. What is friction? 4. How is friction used in your life? 5. This graph shows the motion of an object. Describe the object’s motion. d t 6. How is speed calculated? Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 102 How Did We Do? Assessing Our Learning Goals Use the scale below to rate the extent that each of the learning goals were addressed in our workshop. Learning Goal: Participants will be able to summarize the basic foundations of the Science
Styles and Strategies workshop: thoughtful questions, assumptions, and learning goals.
0 1 Not at all 2 Very little 3 Somewhat 4 Adequately To a great extent Learning Goal: Participants will be able to generate an explanation of the characteristics of a
scientist, including what they do and how they think.
0 1 Not at all 2 Very little 3 Somewhat 4 Adequately To a great extent Learning Goal: Participants will be able to reflect on assumptions about teaching and learning
science and the need to address the diversity of students’ learning styles.
0 1 Not at all Very little 2 3 Somewhat 4 Adequately To a great extent Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 103 Learning Goal: Participants will understand the four goals of scientific literacy and reflect on
how to address the four goals in their own practice.
0 1 Not at all 2 Very little 3 Somewhat 4 Adequately To a great extent Learning goal: Participants will learn basic characteristics (TEMPO) of the four Thoughtful
Classroom learning styles and how each style addresses a component of scientific literacy.
0 1 2 3 4 Not at all Very little Somewhat Adequately To a great extent Learning Goal: Participants will learn how to identify and select questions in the four learning
styles.
0 1 2 3 4 Not at all Very little Somewhat Adequately To a great extent Learning Goal: Participants will be able to design a TR lesson to address a specific content
standard they are teaching.
0 1 Not at all Very little 2 3 Somewhat 4 Adequately To a great extent Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 104 Answers to Graduated Difficulty Fraction Lesson Level 1 4.
2
8.
4.
5
1.
2.
3.
5.
6.
7.
1
1.
2.
3.
3
5.
12
6.
5
7.
10. 11.
14. 3 15. 185 16.
7.
8.
Level 2 8.
Level 3 9.
15
13. 12. Level 4 5.
6.
369 Copyright ©2010 Thoughtful Education Press. All Rights Reserved. This document cannot be reproduced without written permission. Page 105