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The Learning-Focused Connections Newsletter is a weekly link to exemplary practice and ideas that will help you as an educator to increase achievement in your classroom and school. Some weeks there will be a mix of articles in the mailer; other weeks we will follow a theme. We are all working with the same goal in mind, continuous improvement in student achievement.
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National LEARNING-FOCUSED Conference
February 2-6, 2009
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Atlanta, GA
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Registrations after November 1, 2008: $150.00 per person/day
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Using Draw, Shade, Link and Paste to Scaffold Graphic Organizers
by Carolyn Boyles
Four functions found in most word processing programs can be used to scaffold graphic organizers and make them more accessible to students of varying readiness and experience. The illustrations in this article all use these functions from Microsoft Word (MS Word) and are available on any computer with this software.
Graphic organizers are powerful tools for helping students organize information. Students make and remember relationships between the sets of information and, importantly, see the information the way that is most connected to the area of study. With this power, graphic organizers need to be accessible to all students - even those who may not be able to read the background information from the same source as the rest of the class.
For a simple KWL constructed by the teacher with the Draw tool in MS Word, additions can be made to assist students. The pictures are clues to: 1) what I already know - what is in my head, 2) what I have questions about, and 3) what I learned. They can be proportionately smaller with a full sized organizer. Picture clues can be added to any organizer that is either created in or scanned into MS Word. In this example, the pictures were copied and pasted directly into the organizer to give the students a reminder of what was being requested.
Another function in MS Word is the ability to shade sections of a form or table which would serve to reduce the number of entries or places where a student would respond.
In the organizer below,in which students complete entries related to the life cycle, the teacher could give some students the one with shaded areas to reduce the number of responses needed to complete the organizer.
The next organizer illustrates several scaffolding strategies combined to give access to students who may have varying levels of readiness. The goal should always be to provide only the scaffolding necessary for each student to give them an alternate way to interact with grade level content or alternate ways to show what they know.
In MS Word, links can be created to alternate sources for the
information required in the organizer. The requirement would be that the organizer be available electronically with a computer that has been linked to the selected sources (the internet or a document that has been saved onto the computer into an accessible file). In the pull down menu under Insert is a command for Hyperlinks. The link has been made to a version of the content that can be reviewed so that the student can complete the organizer. It may be the same information that has been presented in class or a version that is at a lower reading level.
Another scaffold in the organizer shown below is a word bank to assist students who may have difficulty retrieving the words needed to complete the task. They can use the word bank to choose their words and then write them into the correct space. They can also cut them out and paste them into the space if given a paper copy of the organizer.
This article is not about how to use graphic organizers or whether to use them. It is about how to scaffold them for a variety of learner needs. Graphic organizers help students organize information and make sense of it. They give students a picture of the information, which aids in memory. Because of their value, it becomes even more important to make sure that all students have access to this learning experience.
For more ideas check out the Learning-Focused publication Scaffolding with Technology.
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Reinforcing Effort
by Denise Burson
Research makes clear the connection between effort and achievement-believing you can often makes it so. Since students may not be aware of the importance of believing in effort, teachers should explicitly teach and exemplify the connection between effort and achievement.
Students who make this connection recognize that effort is something they can control. When students attribute success to ability, luck or task difficulty, they are less likely to exert effort and take ownership over their learning. However, when students attribute their success to effort, this can translate into the willingness to engage in and complete a task. Students' beliefs and attitudes have a significant effect on their success or failure in school.
Remember from the Learning-Focused Strategies Workshop, students need multiple opportunities to succeed. Success leads to efficacy and efficacy to esteem. As the work of David Perkins (1995) and Lauren Resnick (2001) shows; strategies, ability, confidence and acceleration help produce effective effort which leads to achievement.
Below are some articles that shed more light on this subject.
· Not all students know the connection between effort and achievement (Seligman, 1990, 1994; Urdan, Migley, & Anderman, 1998).
· Student achievement can increase when teachers show the relationship between an increase in effort and an increase in success (Craske, 1985; Van Overwalle & De Metsenaere, 1990).
· Rewards for accomplishment can improve achievement when the rewards are directly linked to successful attainment of an understood performance standard (Cameron & Pierce, 1994; Wiersma, 1992). |
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Facilitating the Change Process
by Debra Cargill
Change is inevitable. People and organizations vary both in their capacity for change and their comfort level with change. Any new implementation which requires significant change can create a sense of uncertainty and unease for those involved. Effective leaders recognize that movement from the status quo to a new way of doing is a process, and the process must be supported.
In The Balanced Leadership Framework: Connecting Vision With Action, Waters and Cameron identified 21 leadership responsibilities. Two of those responsibilities are directly related to the leader's role in the change process. The role of change agent is the extent to which the principal willingly and actively challenges the status quo. In this role, the principal "consciously challenges the status quo; is comfortable with leading change initiatives with uncertain outcomes; and systematically considers new and better ways of doing things." The role of optimizer is the extent to which the principal inspires and leads new and challenging innovations. In this role, the principal "inspires teachers to accomplish things that might seem beyond their grasp; portrays a positive attitude about the ability of the staff to accomplish substantial things; and is a driving force behind major initiatives."
Change can be stressful, chaotic, confusing, and overwhelming;. but change can also be challenging, exciting, invigorating, and successful. How does an effective leader guide change while providing an appropriate amount of pressure and expectation as well as the support necessary for success?
In any new implementation, expectations must be clearly communicated and monitored. What is expected? How often? When? In addition, support must be provided in the form of training, collaborative planning, conferencing, and resources, etc.
While the school leader is responsible for directing and sustaining change efforts within the school, school-based coaches can be a tremendous part of the support needed for successful implementation of any new initiative. The coach's role is to support the teacher to meet the expectations set forth. That support can take many forms - providing models (sample lessons and units, templates), demonstration lessons, modeling think alouds and scaffolding, and providing resources. Working together, the school leader and School-Based Learning-Focused Coach can move teachers to the next level of successful implementation.
Learning-Focused provides detailed implementation guides and tips. Check out these resources on our website.
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Past Connections Articles
Past Connections articles are available through the archive tool of this newsletter. Please click here to view the resources.
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