Lesson Closure--an Exemplar

Lesson closures are an instructional emphasis this year, with the expectation that they be a daily practice--including work days, test days, review days, and  new learning days. A successful lesson closure requires that both teacher (through formative assessment) and student (through self-evaluation) know how the student is progressing toward meeting the learning target and fulfilling the success criteria. But, sometimes it’s hard to come up with new ideas/strategies so that closures don’t become just a rote routine.

Last week  I had the pleasure  of observing Alyssa Hurt’s Strength and Conditioning class, and was blown away by her high-quality closure, the seriousness  with which her students participated, and the seven (!!)  TPEP criteria she incorporated into 5-minute closure. Below is Alyssa's closure, with new questions you can ask and strategies you can use.

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Prep time for teacher: None, assuming that teacher had questions in mind. 5-10 minutes if teacher needed to develop questions

Class time for lesson closure: 5-7 minutes

Outcome:  Students had received feedback from teacher and peers, had reflected on their performance, had evaluated using a rubric, and had set goals for next lesson.  Students are much more likely to remember and apply their learning next class than they would be without a closure; thus, Alyssa can spend less time to bring students back to the goals and learning of the previous class.

Lesson  Closure Procedure (instructional practice or TPEP Criteria identified in red):

Alyssa’s learning targets were:

• ·         I can identify the different levels on the five-point rubric (see rubric at bottom of page).
• ·         I can evaluate my performance  based on the  five-point rubric (see rubric at bottom of page).

(Note:  Success criteria, (in the form of a rubric) are listed at the bottom of the page).

After students had finished their lifting and clean-up, she gathered them together in front of the posted learning targets.  Alyssa pointed to the goals for the day, and asked, “What happened to your performance as we progressed to this point?” Students said that they got tired and started “cheating.” Alyssa said that she had noticed this as she walked around checking student performance (teacher feedback/formative assessment).

Discussion Questions/Directives to Students:

·         How did you challenge yourselves today? (asking for self-reflection, criteria 6.1)

·         What is the biggest error that most of us make when we lift? (asking for self-reflection, criteria 6.1)

·         Turn to a shoulder buddy, and identify the characteristics you used. Rate yourself on a 0-5 scale using the rubric. (self-evaluation aligned with learning target and success criteria, criteria 6.1)

·         Hold up fingers with your self-score, stand up, and find a partner holding up the same number of fingers. (student talk as they share self-evaluation, criteria 2.3)

·         What was the specific characteristic for your level? (using the rubric and criteria for self-evaluation criteria 6.1)

·         What can you improve on or do differently to improve next time? (student use of assessment data, criteria 6.5, and ownership of learning, criteria 3.2)

·         Did anyone score a 0? 1? 2? 3?  Okay, so most of you were 3s, 4s, or 5s. What is one characteristic that you would like to do differently next time? Why did you give yourself a 3 instead of a 4? (formative assessment aligned with learning target/success criteria, criteria 6.3; ownership of learning, criteria 3.2)

·         What is the difference between a 3 and a 4? (revisiting success criteria for greater student understanding, criteria 1.3)

·         What about a 5? What could you do differently to reach or maintain a 5? (ownership of learning, criteria 3.2, and connection to future lessons, criteria 4.1)

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Tahoma Health and Fitness: Five Point Grading System

Level 5:  Students operating at a level 5 will consistently demonstrate good decision making skills.  They show outstanding effort regardless of their ability, and will seek extra help from the teacher when needed.  These students will be mentally and physically prepared for the days activities by cooperating, giving support, being good listeners, and showing concern for others.

Level 4:  Students demonstrate consistent participation throughout the curricular day.  They are self-directed, make good decisions and take responsibility for their choices and actions.  These students are able to work without direct supervision.

Level 3:  Students decide to participate in the activity, but not to the fullest extent of their ability.  They are involved with the activity but not for the purpose of self improvement or improvement of the team.

Level 2:  Students do not fully participate in the days activities.  They do not show much effort to master the skill or show improvement.  They are able to control their behavior so that they do not interfere with another student’s right to learn or the teacher’s right to teach.

Level 1:  Students decide not to participate consistently throughout the day.  Students are unable to control their behavior and interfere with another student’s right to learn or the teachers’ right to teach.  Student’s behavior creates an unsafe environment for themselves or others.

Level 0:  Students decide to be unmotivated, unprepared, or undisciplined.  Their behavior includes discrediting or making fun of other students or teachers.  The student makes a conscious decision to interrupt the learning process, intentionally misuses equipment, or behaves in an unsafe manner and annoys Mrs. Hurt.

Five More Strategies from "17 Ways to Combat Learned Helplessness in the Classroom" By Sarah Tantillo
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Tantillo says:

13. Assigned reading should always have a purpose
IF: You assign reading with students without establishing a purpose for reading…

THEN: Students don’t know what they are supposed to look for or pay attention to. The default is NOTHING. So you can’t blame them if they stare out the window and think about lunch.

SO DO THIS INSTEAD: Clarify why you are reading this particular bit of text and what they are supposed to do while reading. Either provide a question or ask them to generate their own questions about the text.

Bridget and Brooke say:

• Having one or a series of "focus questions" for kids to read for can benefit their understanding of the text and can provoke great discussion--especially if  the reading offers different perspectives. 
• Providing a note-taking template or organizer can also help kids focus on what you intend them to read and comprehend. 
• TPEP Criteria Connection:  4.3: Discipline-specific conceptual understanding

Tantillo says:

14. Define the reading partnership

IF: You tell students to “read and work with a partner”…

THEN: You will see a lot of chatting and no reading. This is because students are unclear about their roles, so they wait for each other to take the lead, with the result that neither does. It’s easier to chat.

SO DO THIS INSTEAD: Clarify the role that each partner will play in the work: e.g., “Partner A will read aloud while Partner B will raise and record questions about this page. On the next page, you will switch roles. Partner B will read, and Partner A will surface the questions and write them down.” Choose the partners ahead of time so that you are purposeful in the groups with respect to ability/personality, etc.

Bridget and Brooke say:

• The A/B partner is a GREAT idea for any subject area. 
• This also helps students who are English language learners, who are still navigating the language, work with  a partner to hear the words and help them with their comprehension.
• TPEP Criteria Connection: 4.2: Alignment of instructional materials and tasks.

Tantillo says:

15. Don’t overdo the partnership work strategy
IF: You do ALL the work as a group or in partners…

THEN: Students learn they don’t need to do the hard work since it’s always done together and for them by others if they choose not to.

SO DO THIS INSTEAD: Plan and keep independent work time sacred in class with aggressive monitoring and personal feedback.

Bridget and Brooke say:

• This reminds us of the idea of gradual release. Starting with partners is a great idea, especially in the beginning phases of new learning. However, as kids start to get the hang of things then that would be a great time to allow them to work independently.
• TPEP Criteria Connection:  2.4: Scaffolds the task; 2.5: Gradual release of responsibility; 4.2: Alignment of instructional materials and tasks

Tantillo says:

16. Stop sweeping in to save the day
IF: You answer student questions immediately during independent work time…

THEN: Students learn not to try or struggle on their own. They’ll always wait for you to swoop in!

SO DO THIS INSTEAD: Set a timer as soon as 100% of students are actually working and you have announced that you will address questions after 5 minutes of sustained work time. When the timer goes off, you can say, “Raise your hand if you need my attention,” and write student names on the board. Students then return to work and you address questions in the order of the names on the board so students aren’t sitting there waiting with their hands up.

Bridget and Brooke say: 

• It's so easy to fall into the habit of answering kids' questions right as they raise their hand. We find that allowing some kids to conduct in some struggle can be a good thing! This allows kids to try and fail in a safe environment where they know they can eventually get some help from their teacher. 
• The strategy "3 Before Me" can also apply in this situation. Students must ask three peers for support before they can ask the teacher for help. Students can make great resources for each other. 
• TPEP Criteria Connection: 2.5: Gradual release of responsibility; 3.3: Strategies that capitalize on learning needs of students

Tantillo says:

17. Always encourage wonder
IF: You ask all the questions…

THEN: Students never learn to ask their own or invest themselves enough to wonder.

SO DO THIS INSTEAD: Create time for asking and answering questions about the text, problem, or content at hand. Invest students in seeking their own answers. Keep the wonder alive!

Bridget and Brooke say:

• One strategy we've seen put in place is a class "Parking Lot." Kids put their questions about the day's lesson on a sticky note and place it on a big chart paper where the teacher can read it during class or after to be answered the next day. 
• No chart paper? We've used our windows to post questions from students, too! White board markers work well on windows. 
• A fun strategy called "Snowball" is another way for kids to ask questions. Kids write a question on a piece of paper, ball it up like a snowball and throw it into the middle of the room. Kids then pick up a paper and take turns reading the questions aloud for either other students to answer or for the teacher to answer. This also keeps things anonymous so kids might be afraid to ask in front of the class has the opportunity to do so.  
• TPEP Criteria Connection:  2.1: Quality of questioning; 3.3: Strategies that capitalize on the learning needs of the students. 

Four More Strategies from "17 Ways to Combat Learned Helplessness in the Classroom" By Sarah Tantillo
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Tantillo says :

9. You should teach hand-raising. Really.

IF: You ask questions during class discussions without modeling hand-raising…

THEN: Students are likely to call out. While this might not seem like a management or assessment problem, it can become an ENGAGEMENT problem because some students – especially quieter ones – feel intimidated by those who tend to call out, so they share their ideas less often if calling out is the norm.

SO DO THIS INSTEAD: Model hand-raising to ensure that students raise their hands to answer. Ensure you call on multiple students – or better yet, let students know the expectation is to call on another student when they are done to continue the discussion without you driving it!

Bridget and Brooke say:

• While we totally agree that letting students shout out responses can cause a lack of student engagement or inequity, we also think that you can solve this through no-opt out strategies, such as giving students a couple  of minutes to write their thoughts and share with a partner, and then cold-calling on them. Then EVERYONE gets an equal chance to speak.
• Giving all an equal chance to speak would address 2.3, Substance of student talk, and 2.2. Expectation, support, and opportunity for participation and meaning making (Exemplary = All students have the opportunity to engage in equal talk).

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10. Encourage students to try out their best answers

IF: You ask open-ended questions without adding, “There is more than one right answer”…

THEN: Students might believe there is ONE right answer, and they don’t know it for sure, so they will not take the risk of trying out a possible answer.

SO DO THIS INSTEAD: Say, “There is not one right answer” more often to invite students to take more risks and participate without fear of being wrong. [See note above about having students build on one another’s answers.]

Bridget and Brooke say:

• We love this idea, which ties both with the substance of student talk (2.3) and the quality of questioning (2.3). We also love the idea of eliminating the question, "Do you have any questions?" and replacing it with "What questions do you have?" Giving students a couple minutes to share questions will then allow easy answers to be answered  by a peer or can help shy students gain the confidence to share their questions.
• Another idea, one we learned from Kathy Whylie, is to respond to students who say, "I don't know" with, "Well, what would you say if you DID know?"  Amazingly enough, many students will respond to that question, as opposed to the original.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

11. Use your questioning to promote inference and explanation.

IF: You ask students to guess what word you’re thinking of (which you think they should know)…

THEN: Students will call out random guesses until you give them enough hints to say the right word. Or they will say nothing because they don’t know what you’re talking about.

SO DO THIS INSTEAD: Stay away from guessing games like, “What word am I thinking of?” Tell them the word, tell them that you think it’s important, and ask them why you think that. Focus less on recall questions and more on using information/clues to infer and explain.

Bridget and Brooke say:

• Too often as teachers, we try to direct students to one answer. When they start to guess, we say things like, "Well, that's not what I was thinking" or "I guess that could also work," and, without meaning to, we imply that the student's answer is less worthy than the hidden one in our brain.  Instead, as Tantillo says, avoid the guessing game altogether, AND try not to have one answer in your mind. Praise students who come up withh out-of-the-box and credible responses.
• This hint aligns with 2.1, Quality of Questioning.

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12. Make sure they wrestle with new learning

IF: You introduce new concepts or definitions by requiring students to copy down notes…

THEN: Students will not necessarily grasp or retain this information because they have not had to wrestle with it. Copying down definitions does not teach students how the concept works or how to use it. Telling is not teaching.

SO DO THIS INSTEAD: When introducing NEW content, give clear examples of the phenomenon (e.g., two bold-faced examples of “metaphor,” explained), then ask students to INFER from those examples what the phenomenon appears to be and how it seems to work. There is not one right answer.

Bridget and Brooke say:

• This is our favorite one of all, especially the "telling is not teaching."  New learning that requires us to ponder, puzzle, and struggle is new learning that we recall later. Asking students to make a prediction, take a pretest, do a KWL chart (What do I know? What do I want to learn? What did I learn?), solve a problem independently without guidance--all of these help students care about and remember the learning to come, as they now care more deeply about what they will learn..
• TPEP Criteria 2.2, "Expectation, support, and opportunity for participation and meaning making" asks that teachers "provide support for a variety of engagement strategies and structures that facilitate participation and meaning making by students."  Following Tantillo's hints above will help you to nail the criteria!

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Helping Students to Overcome Learned Helplessness Part II

17 Ways to Combat Learned Helplessness in the Classroom By Sarah Tantillo
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Tantillo says:

5. Prep students to apply generalized strategies

IF: You focus on the specific task/text/problem at hand without inviting students to apply a generalized skill/strategy...

THEN: They will miss the opportunity to access the tools in their toolbox. They might even forget that they possess relevant skills/strategies.

SO DO THIS INSTEAD: Teach and name STRATEGIES, then remind students to use them when faced with challenges. Not “What should we do here?” but “What strategy should we use in a situation like this?” Provide clear steps for strategies. Prepare students to the point where, if you call out the name of a strategy, they immediately go into action.

Bridget & Brooke say:

• We really liked the idea of naming the strategy. This helps cement the strategy you are teaching in your student's minds. Being as specific as possible is also helpful.
• Asking students to name a strategy when they are challenged by something also give them the permission to use trial and error. 
• TPEP Criteria Connection: 2.4- "Teacher provides scaffolds and structures that are clearly related to and support the development of the targeted concept and/or skills. (Students use scaffolds across tasks with similar demand)."

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Tantillo says:

6. Give them the skill set and time to revise
IF: You provide written feedback to students with many details about grammar, diction, organization, etc., in isolation...

THEN: Students learn to depend on others to revise their work and can’t recognize their own mistakes.

SO DO THIS INSTEAD: Teach revision strategies (i.e., outlining their own essays to ensure coherence, classifying fragments and complete sentences, fixing run-on sentences, checking for consistent verb tense, etc.) and build in time for students to revise work –with your feedback on revisions.

Bridget & Brooke say:

• Teachers often give kids rubrics to use to use as success criteria, but then write all over their work showing them the mistakes-- it's hard not to sometimes. Just using the rubric as their feedback will help them see where they need to make revisions. It's also a lot less work for teachers!
• Time for revision or to review any misunderstandings is just as important as kids learning the skills for the first time. Making time is key, even if it feels like you have none. 
• TPEP Criteria Connection: 2.5- Teacher frequently (...consistently...) uses strategies for the purpose of gradually releasing responsibility to students to promote learning and independence."

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Tantillo says:

7. Keep them on their learning toes
IF: You rarely use turn-and-talk and cold-calling...

THEN: Students recognize that only peers who raise their hands will get called on, so they can sit back and wait for others to do the work. Also, students who want to speak can become intimidated by those who tend to dominate the conversation.

SO DO THIS INSTEAD: Use purposeful turn-and-talk (and have students take notes sometimes) with cold-calling to increase engagement and accountability for performance. Find a way to randomize cold-calling (i.e., use note cards with student names that you shuffle through). Other times, plan your cold-call (choose a few who are typically middle-of-the-road in understanding, one high, and one struggling student).

Bridget & Brooke say:

• Popsicle sticks can be your best friend when it comes to cold- calling, too. Making class cans to keep your popsicle sticks in can be time consuming at the front end (especially if you teach semester classes), but totally worth it in the end. 
• Fairness in the classroom is always in the forefront of teacher's minds-- this strategy helps ensure you are giving everyone a fair shot at answering your question/prompt.
• Want to join in on the fun? Put YOUR name on a stick and put it in the can. Kids get a kick out of the teacher getting cold-called. :)
• TPEP Criteria Connection: 5.6- Classrooms norms are evident and encourage risk-taking, collaboration, respect for divergent thinking and students' culture. Teacher and student interactions frequently align with the norms. 

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Tantillo says:

8. Set the stage for cold-calling
IF: You cold-call without using stop-and-jot or turn-and-talk first...

THEN: Students feel put on the spot, are not held accountable and they are more inclined to opt out.

SO DO THIS INSTEAD: Give students a chance to think by writing something down and/or sharing with a partner before you cold-call.

Bridget & Brooke say:

• Being called on when you don't know the answer or don't have enough time to think can feel scary and embarrassing. Always provide time for kids to think through what you have just asked. 
• Talking  and/or writing through their ideas will also help kids manage their anxiety about "maybe" getting called on. 
• Setting the stage for cold-calling also helps kids learn from one another. Remind kids, if they aren't using their own idea and they are called on, give the person who had the idea credit for their answer. Example,  "I wasn't sure what the answer was until I talked to Tate and he said..."
• This time also gives kids who are knowledgeable but are slower processors time to think and respond.
• TPEP Criteria Connection: 5.5- Teacher and students demonstrate appropriate teacher-student and student-student relationships that foster students' well-being and adapt to meet individual circumstances. Patterns of interaction between teacher and students and among students indicate that all are valued for their contributions. 

Bridget & Brooke

Four Strategies from "17 Ways to Combat Learned Helplessness in the Classroom"

From Sarah Tantillo’s article, “17 Ways to Combat Learned Helpless in the Classroom”

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Tantillo says:

1. Don't offer a "get out of work free" option

IF: You assign classwork and then go over it before holding students accountable for having completed it...

THEN: Students realize they can wait till the timer rings, then copy the answers as you go over them. So they don’t even try to do the work. They will sit quietly or chat with a neighbor, which is more fun.

SO DO THIS INSTEAD: Either circulate and assign credit (with a stamp or initial) as students work, collect it before reviewing, or provide and give credit for ‘notes from discussion’ that students must complete in addition.”

Bridget and Brooke say:

• Even better, help kids learn that copying down answers or recording information without thought doesn’t lead to learning.  This will help them to achieve Criteria 3.2, Ownership of learning.
• Give a low weight to homework or classwork where kids aren’t working independently. Base most of a student’s grade on formative or summative assessments.

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Tantillo says:

2. Make sure they're invested

IF: You fail to make a pitch for the lesson’s objective...

THEN: Students will wonder, Why are we doing this? Being told WHAT they are doing (i.e., the agenda) is not enough. Without knowing the purpose for the lesson, students feel like hostages, and while they might comply with your demands, they are less likely to feel motivated or personally invested in the work.

SO DO THIS INSTEAD: Share the objective (which is ideally “RPM”—rigorous, purposeful, and measurable) and make a pitch that explains what’s in it for them. And remind them of that purpose throughout the lesson (“Let’s not forget WHY we’re looking for the most relevant evidence: so we can wow readers and convince them of our argument”).”

Bridget and Brooke say:

• Criteria 1.1 is “Connection to standards, broader purpose and transferable skill.”  Make sure your students know why this lesson matters if you want them to give their best.

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Tantillo says:

3. Don't skip modeling and guided practice

IF: You fail to model the work (esp. without interruption) and/or you skip guided practice...

THEN: Students will not work well independently. When students are unclear about what they are supposed to do, they do nothing. Or chat. Or do something else to get into trouble. Misbehavior is often the result of students feeling incompetent and acting out to distract from the fact that they don’t know how to be successful at what you are asking them to do.

SO DO THIS INSTEAD: Provide a clear, instructive model of whatever skills or strategies you want students to use. And remember, “I Do” doesn’t mean “I do everything while you sit silently and do nothing.” You need to engage students and check for understanding during the modeling phase so that you can assess if students need more modeling, paired work, or independent work.”

4. Make sure they know what good looks like

IF: You don’t provide students with model essays, sentences, or examples, BEFORE they need to complete a task...

THEN: They don’t know what “good” looks like and will be uncertain about what to do.

SO DO THIS INSTEAD: Analyze an exemplar before you set students to work. Assess it together on a rubric or compare “good” and “great” so students can aim for “great” from the start.

Bridget and Brooke say:

• We really like the highlighted parts above.
• Tantillo is addressing  Criteria 1.3, Success criteria and performance tasks AND Criteria 3.5, Teacher use of formative assessment data AND   Criteria 3.4, Differentiated instruction.
• Ensure that your students ALWAYS know what it looks like to do the assignment well, then monitor their efforts, and adjust based on their performance. Sounds so easy, doesn’t it? While it certainly isn't easy, student learning flourishes with success criteria, formative assessment, and adjustment of instruction.

Recharging your Batteries over Break

YOU GUYS! We did it! We made it to Winter Break without completely losing our sanity—well, most of us that is.

As you begin to prepare for the holidays and the happy chaos, that comes with that, be sure to take some time for yourself.

This entertaining article provides 12 ways to recharge your teacher batteries over the holidays.

Here it is at a glance:
- Reflect on the positives of last term
- Don’t go to work!
- Turn off your email
- Set specific time aside for work if you need to
- Get enough sleep
- Eat well
- Plan something to look forward to
- Get creative
- Get some fresh air
- Create a relaxing environment
- Indulge yourself
- Play!

Have a restful break. You deserve it!

Waiting Strategies to Meet Student Needs

For many, the holiday season is packed so full of things that we have to do and things that we want to do that the stress can be overwhelming. Throw in lessons to plan, papers to grade, restless students (all the way through December 22--eek!), staff parties and holidayevents, and, suddenly, we wonder if we can even survive.  Perhaps what we need most is to settle back, take a deep breath, and practice waiting.

In “Waiting is the Hardest (and Best) Part,” Neil Finney reminds us that our students often   learn even more when we wait, rather than act immediately. Read his full blog here 

(https://www.edutopia.org/blog/waiting-hardest-and-best-part-neil-finney).