Polly Patrick, Chapter Two
& Chris Weber, Chapter Six NAVIGATING ACHIEVEMENT FOR STRUGGING STUDENTS WITH
THE COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS—Getting Ready for the Common Core
This book is one in a series with multiple
authors. I was asked to read it, but with the recommendation to focus on
chapters two and six. In chapter two Polly Patrick revisits the importance of
HOW we give feedback to our students. She refers to it in the title of her
chapter as “Feedback: Fuel for Learning.”
In order for our students to learn and grow, so
they can become and be, they have to keep going and not give up. Patrick quotes
Douglas Reeves (2011) who said it well. “If we expect students to improve, then
they must take risk, make mistakes, and receive formative feedback than lead to
improved performance….If we expect teachers and leaders to improve then we must
provide monitoring and feedback that meet the same criteria” (pg. 12).
So when students get stuck, and they will, we just
need to reaffirm they just haven’t learned it “yet.” We are helping students move away from the
fixed mindset “I can’t do it” to a growth mindset of “I can’t do it, yet!”
In chapter six, Chris Weber reviews the research
of the key elements of effective research based instruction to support all of
our learners. What is refreshing and encouraging is all of the researchers
agree on this one (Hattie, Fisher and Frey Hunter, Marzano, Joyce, Weil, and
Calhoun, Hollingsworth and Ybarra). Weber summarizes their findings and
describes “seven common-sense elements of effective instruction”.
- What are we learning? (Learning Targets)
- Why are we learning it? (Rationale)
- I do it. (Teacher Modeling)
- We do it together. (Guided Instruction)
- You do it together. (Cooperative Learning)
- You do it alone. (Independent Practice)
- How do we do? (Assessment)
This gradual release of responsibility model is classic, and
when I see it in action its pure pleasure. The teachers are in their element,
the students are thriving and it’s better than magic. It’s teaching and
learning at its finest.
