Special thanks to Harry K. Wong Publications for contributing this valuable strategy, excerpted from
The First Days of School
by Harry K. & Rosemary T. Wong.
Part Three: Learning Basics
Schools exist and teachers are hired for one reason only: to help students learn and achieve.
Teachers are charged with getting the students to comprehend and achieve. There is no one right way to do this. Just
like classroom management, there is no one right procedure for getting the students to do what you want them to do. There
are many options, but they are based on core information.
The effective teacher knows how to
- Teach for student learning
- Test for student learning
- Assess for student learning
- Enhance student learning
Good instruction is 15 to 20 times more powerful than family background and income, race, gender, and other
explanatory variables.
The research is very specific about student learning.
- Mike Schmoker says, "Lay out a sound set of standards and then
actually teach these standards and there will be an immense increase in
levels of achievement almost immediately."
- Robert Marzano reported on a study of what affects student
achievement and says, "It is what gets taught!"
- Andrew Porter of the University of Pennsylvania says, "What gets taught
is the strongest possible predictor of gains in achievement."
What Is an Ineffective Assignment?
It is commonplace for teachers to give assignments and expect students to complete the assignments. However, not all
students complete their assignments, often because they either cannot understand the assignment or they fail to see the
reason for doing it. In both cases, the assignment may be poorly designed.
For instance, the teacher says:
"The assignment is Chapter 7, and there will be a test on
Friday covering everything in Chapter 7,"
An ineffective assignment results when the teacher tells the class what will be covered. Not only is
"Chapter 7" an ineffective assignment, it is not an assignment at all. It is simply an announcement of a chapter number.
It is difficult if not impossible for a student to get the work done when the assignment does not spell out what the
student is to learn. There are no standards, no objectives, and no activities done for a specified reason. It's like
shooting arrows blindfolded hoping that one will hit a non-existing target.
When the students have no idea what is to be learned, and the teacher has no idea what is to be taught, no student
learning can take place.
The only one doing any work in these questions is the teacher. And when the test scores come back disappointing, as
they surely will be, this teacher will become angry and blame the students: "Well, I covered the material. If they don’t
want to learn it, it's not my fault."
Ask yourself:
- What do I want the students to learn?
- What do I want the students to accomplish?
Convey to the students what you want them to learn or accomplish so that they can take control of their own learning.
When the students know what they are to learn, it becomes "mastery learning," rather than "mystery learning."
Learning has nothing to do with what the TEACHER COVERS.
Learning has to do with what the STUDENT ACCOMPLISHES. |
The role of a teacher is not to COVER. The role of a teacher is to UNCOVER. The effective teacher uncovers the
lesson by telling the students, up front, what the students will accomplish.
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Keep an eye out for the next newsletter on:
Conscious Classroom Management by Rick Smith
COMING SOON! |
The First Days of School
by Harry K. & Rosemary T. Wong © 2009 by Harry K. Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission.
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The First Days of School
Product ID:9780976423317
Price:$32.95
|
The best-selling book ever on classroom management and teaching for student achievement with over 3.5 million copies
sold. The book walks a teacher, either novice or veteran, through structuring and organizing a classroom for success that
can be applied at any time of the year at any grade level, pre-K through college. The book is used in thousands of school
districts, in over 100 countries, and in over 2,000 college classrooms. It's practical, yet inspiring. But most
important, it works! The new 4th edition includes updated research, photos, and more examples of "how-to" along with an
implementation DVD, "Using THE FIRST DAYS OF SCHOOL" featuring Chelonnda Seroyer. This is the most requested book for what
works in the classroom for teacher and student success.
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