Reflection on Teacher Leadership Standard 10: Instructional Practices

Looking back at my writing for EDU 6526 Survey of Instructional Strategies, I see a variety of key learning points. I wrote about effectively using student-led objectives and providing feedback. I realized I do not use summarizing as much as I should. I learned that I need to do more to reinforce effort and provide recognition. And I shared a mixed belief in the value (or lack thereof) of homework. All of these in-class reflections come back to haunt me in a way as I review my actual practices over the course of the past school year. I realize that my teaching practices have not changed much; I still practice the old style of teaching and I have largely forgotten what I learned last summer.

I had set myself a goal of having students set their own learning objectives as a means to increase their motivation and to give them a greater sense of control over what they learn (Dean, Hubbell, Pitler, and Stone, 2012). Marzano (2007) also identifies setting goals and objectives as having a large effect size. My proposal was to have students create a K-W-L chart at the beginning of each unit to address that unit’s essential questions. I have not done this, but with one unit remaining for the school year, I do have time to put this into practice. My goal is to have students set their own objectives through the W (what they want to know) section of the chart. As they complete that section throughout the unit, they would have a record of all they have learned, a gratifying reward for their hard work.

When I think about summarizing, I realize that my students do more of that than I originally thought. Dean et al. (2012) define summarizing as "the process of distilling information down to its most salient points" (p. 78). For my particular class, which teaches rhetorical skills, I have students create a rhetorical triangle for each non-fiction text they read - and they read a lot. The triangle must include information about the speaker, the audience, and the subject, as well as the various appeals to logic, emotion, and credibility; the author’s purpose, main idea, or theme; the tone; the mode of the essay; and the various rhetorical devices used. These are the "salient points" of rhetorical analysis, which occupies every objective when we read non-fiction. The triangle and its components serve as a form of summary frames for the students, allowing them to understand the material better (Dean et al., 2012). I also have students share their findings and observations with each other, providing a form of reciprocal teaching. Marzano, Gaddy, and Dean (2000) write that "the more we use both systems of representation, the better we are able to think about and recall our knowledge" (p. 86).

My reflection on providing effective praise and recognition highlighted the “good job” comments I shared on papers, but as I think about my grading and feedback processes this year, I realize that my comments have been much more focused on the skills the students are or should be demonstrating. Instead of writing “good job,” I identify the specific skill I believe they have done well on, such as writing a clear and strong thesis that has all the necessary components. Perhaps I also need to move away from adding a score on most writing, which would align with a study cited by Wiliam (2011). That study found that if teachers provide diagnostic comments and then put a score on an assignment the effect is the same as just putting a score. Where I also need to improve my skill is in providing praise regarding my students’ effort, praise that ties directly to their accomplishments.

Homework continues to be a mixed bag in my classroom. I do not give a lot of homework in assignment forms. Students do a lot of reading and their assignments are often in the form of reading a text, completing the aforementioned rhetorical triangle, and coming to class being prepared to discuss the text. In a way, this form of a flipped classroom leaves class time for those discussions and direct instruction. My few homework assignments were not high on the rubrics established by Pitler and Stone (2012), but I believe I have had even less homework this year that is not in the form of working on or researching a formal essay.

Maybe my practices this year are not so haunting. I know I have much room for improvement in my instructional strategies, and this reflection has given me an opportunity to revisit some strategies that can still have a strong impact on the remainder of the school year - and beyond.

References

Dean, C. B., Hubbell, E. R., Pitler, H., and Stone, B. (2012). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Marzano, R. J. (2007). The art and science of teaching: A comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Marzano, R. J., Gaddy, B. B., and Dean, C. (2000). What works in classroom instruction. Aurora, CO: McREL. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED468434.pdf

Pitler, H., and Stone, B. (2012). A handbook for classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Wiliam, D. (2011). Embedded formative assessment. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.