SED: 513 Marzano chpts 8,9, & 10

CHAPTER 8:

What?- RUBRICS! Rubrics are so important to the learning process. Our goal in education is for students to be successful. Its important for them to know what the expectations of success are. Its important for us to tell them ahead of time what is expected.
So what?- I usually give my students a rubric as to how they will be graded. On a project given to my on-level US History students, I did not provide an adequate rubric. I had kids wanting to know why they received the grade that they did. All I could tell them was that I did not see the expectations met. They replied with, "what are the expectations?"
Now what?-Usually I find the rubrics on the floor at the end of the day, so I just thought that they didn't care. But on the contrary, they did care and all knew how to receive an A. When I do hand out rubrics (which is with every project now)those who did not receive an A, know why and I no longer have arguments. They can see that the expectations were not met.


CHAPTER 9:

What?- Using hypotheses in our curriculum is very important to the learning process. In fact, out of all of the teaching strategies, I find this one to be the best. It does not only apply to science, it applies to History, English, and Math as was demonstrated by the presentations.
So what?- I used the JFK Hypotheses project in my APUSH class. My students LOVED it! It was their 5th 6 weeks test grade. In class we reviewed what the Warren Commission had agreed upon. They the students were to investigate anything that did not sit well with them. For an example, Jacob found it interesting that the men on the Warren Commission who investigated the assassination were X-CIA agents fired by JFK! Sounds pretty fishy to me :) From this investigation, Jacob and the others, hypothesised what actually happened. Jacob presented his case to the class who the CIA was involved in the assassination. It was wonderful! I have it if you would like to see it.
Now what?- I LOVE this strategy! I honestly do. It is so cool to see the students connect the past to the present. They were able to take "fact," make inferences and come to a conclusion about their research. I know they will remember what they studied and their ideas as to who assassinated JFK. One of the best projects I have done all year!

CHAPTER 10:

What?- Cues and questions are ways that I help my students use what they already know about the topic we are studying. There are 4 generalizations that should be considered when prompting students' knowledge. Those 4 are

1. Cues and questions should focus on what is important as opposed to what is unusual.
2. "higher level" questions produce deeper learning.
3. Wait time
4. Questions are effective learning tools when they are asked BEFORE a learning experience.

So what?- I stuck to these 4 generalizations when I prepared my students for TAKS. With TAKS, it is important to focus on fact, not fluff. When I introduced the topic of WWII, I played a game called "LINKS." On the board I wrote, WWII, and from that the students had to list all the things they knew about WWII. "Adolf Hitler, Pearl Harbor, A-bomb, FDR, Truman, rationing, Treaty of Versailles, etc. From each of these items, I asked "higher level" questions. Such as, "how did the Treaty of Versailles lead to the rise of Hitler? Not only did the students need to know what the treaty was, but why it was significant. A lot of teachers are afraid of "awkward silence." Its important to wait a few minutes after you ask a question to allow students to think and process the information. Likewise, its important for students to raise their hand and not blurt out the answer so others can think. Finally, asking questions before a learning experience is helpful. Because they have begun the process of thinking. They are able to make predictions as to what the correct answer is. And as we saw from chapter 9, forming hypotheses is a great teaching strategy.
Now what?- I need to remember to use "LINK" more often and present questions before we learn about a subject. I am currently going through my PowerPoints and adding a slide at the beginning of each with questions to be answered. I think it will help a lot. The students were amazed at how much they actually knew about a topic and helped reduce the tediousness of TAKS.