1. Teacher Clarity
When
a teacher begins a new unit of study or project with students, she clarifies
the purpose and learning goals, and provides explicit criteria on how students
can be successful. It's ideal to also present models or examples to students so
they can see what the end product looks like.
2. Classroom Discussion
Teachers
need to frequently step offstage and facilitate entire class discussion. This
allows students to learn from each other. It's also a great opportunity for
teachers to formatively assess (through observation) how well students are
grasping new content and concepts.
3. Feedback
How
do learners know they are moving forward without steady, consistent feedback?
They often won't. Along with individual feedback (written or verbal), teachers
need to provide whole-group feedback on patterns they see in the collective
class' growth and areas of need. Students also need to be given opportunities
to provide feedback to the teacher so that she can adjust the learning process,
materials, and instruction accordingly.
4. Formative Assessments
In
order to provide students with effective and accurate feedback, teachers need
to assess frequently and routinely where students are in relation to the unit
of study's learning goals or end product (summative assessment). Rahul
Chaudhary recommends that teachers spend the same amount of time on formative
evaluation as they do on summative assessment.
5. Metacognitive Strategies
Students
are given opportunities to plan and organize, monitor their own work, direct
their own learning, and to self-reflect along the way. When we provide students
with time and space to be aware of their own knowledge and their own thinking,
student ownership increases. And research shows that metacognition can be
taught.
COLLABORATING WITH COLLEAGUES
Great
teachers are earnest learners. Spend some time with a colleague, or two or
three, and talk about what each of these research-based, best class room practices looks like in the classroom. Discuss each one in the context of your
unique learning environment: who your students are, what they need, what they
already know, etc.
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