The Master Teacher Blog

The world for which we are preparing today’s students will be filled with problems that are complex, not well-defined, and unlikely to lend themselves to a single, simple solution. They will require creative and novel approaches. In fact, the success of our students will likely depend more on their ability to engage with problems of this nature than their ability to recount facts, follow directions, or apply established processes and procedures.

Unfortunately, problem-solving skills do not often develop naturally, especially when challenges cannot be solved by traditional, single-path, multi-step strategies. We need to be intentional and strategic in our efforts to introduce, nurture, and hone problem-solving skills and strategies with our students. Here are six strategies we can employ to help our students develop the attitudes, skills, and flexibility necessary to be effectives independent problem solvers.

We can start by presenting problems worth solving. For some students, the presence of a problem alone is enough incentive to search for a solution. However, for most students to fully invest their time and mental energy requires a problem that is relevant to them, interesting enough to pursue, and challenging enough to be worthwhile. Just because a skill or concept is in the formal curriculum does not make it compelling to learners. We may need to find another entry point, a positioning strategy, or presentation frame that meets one or more of these criteria. Creating a scenario, sharing an experience, devising a dilemma, or contextualizing the problem in their life experiences are good places to start.

We do well to prioritize understanding over finding the “correct” answer. Correct answers are only as good as the understanding that supports them. Understanding and insight make solving the next and other future problems less scary and more likely to lead to success. We can support students to reflect on the path they took, recount and name the strategies they tried, describe what worked, and detail what they learned from the process.

We need to give students space to struggle. Of course, we need to limit the amount of time and struggle according to the maturity, commitment, and skill level of our students. We also need to provide appropriate scaffolding for students who may need additional support. Meanwhile, our feedback and coaching are better focused on effort, strategy, and use of resources than on a student’s perceived or innate ability.

We can teach students to “grapple” with problems. Grappling implies trying different approaches, looking for leverage, and finding promising next steps over simply persisting and repeatedly trying the same approach. We can encourage students to look for patterns and hints that suggest something new they can try, and we can teach them to not fear struggle by demystifying challenges and even failure. Additionally, we can—and should—coach them to see problems as opportunities to learn and grow. Our goal is for students to see solving problems as a sign that they are building valuable tools and strategies, which in turn would help grow their confidence.

We need to lead with questions rather than just provide answers. We might ask questions such as “What have you tried?”, “What have you noticed that might be familiar?”, “What might be the significance of…?”, or “How else might you look at/approach the problem?” Providing answers, especially early in the problem-solving process, can remove the challenge and deprive students of their ownership of the solution.

Finally, we need to honor and value the role of mistakes and missteps. When efforts fall short, we can ask questions like “What did you observe that might be useful?”, “Is there a partial answer in what you tried on which you can build?”, or “What still seems to be missing?” Mistakes and missteps are crucial elements in discovery and solution-building. We need to be careful to avoid undermining this element through the feedback we offer and the grades we assign.

The challenge of solving problems without direct adult guidance and direction can be a new and unsettling experience for many students. Our patience, wisdom, and encouragement may be the support they need to trust themselves enough to persist and prevail.

We know that giving students even a few seconds of “think time” after asking a question can make a big difference in the quantity and quality of the responses we receive. Using “wait time” (waiting at least three to five seconds) gives students time to recall, connect, and analyze information that can lead to better responses. However, like with most instructional strategies, there is more we need to consider if we hope to maximize the impact and increase the learning that results from wait time.  

Of course, there are times when wait time is less crucial to achieving our purpose—for example, when we are working with students to increase automaticity with core facts and processes. Similarly, students typically require less time to formulate yes-or-no or true-or-false responses.  

When we want students to consider, reflect, and genuinely think, wait time can be a powerful tool. It can help us to level the playing field for students who may understand key content but need more time to process information and formulate a response. Even students who typically volunteer an answer can benefit from a few seconds of additional thinking time to fully consider what has been asked. Here are seven tips for making the most of the additional thinking time. 

Ask questions that are worthy of thought. The best questions for wait time are complex, thought-provoking, and personally relevant to students. They are questions that invite students’ thinking, reflecting, and responding. 

Be comfortable with silence. Time to process information and formulate responses can feel uncomfortable at first. Resist the temptation to rephrase, paraphrase, or restate the question too quickly. Allow at least three to five seconds of silence before interrupting it or calling on a student for a response. Consider counting the seconds to yourself until you become comfortable with the time lapse and can sense when five seconds have passed. 

Signal students that you will be “cold calling” rather than selecting a volunteered response. Here, wait time is positioned so that everyone has an opportunity and reason to consider the question and formulate a response. Consider avoiding eye contact with students during wait time to avoid students concluding that you have decided on whom you intend to call. Additionally, consider spending a few seconds jotting a note or reading a few words to signal that you have yet to decide on whom to call. We can assume that some students will initially try to read our behavior to determine whether they will be called upon or whether they can stop thinking and relax. Some students and circumstances might even warrant you providing a heads-up the day before; consider pulling certain students aside and telling them the question you will be asking so that they know you intend to call on them the next day. Not only will this allow the students time to think of how they will respond, but committing to this will result in more students’ voices being heard.  

Resist collecting a single response and moving on after giving students time to think. Rather, collect multiple responses before providing your own comments, reinforcement, or follow-up question(s). This approach signals to students that just because someone has answered, that does not mean that the discussion will move forward. Everyone needs to remain engaged and ready for additional responses.  

Be patient and persistent. Students are likely to come with limited experience with wait time. They may be accustomed to routines where the students who raise their hands are promptly called on and correct answers are signals that the discussion will move forward. Some students may assume that by not raising their hands, they will not be called upon. You may need to extend your patience and resist giving in and moving on when too few volunteer responses. Inform students that you are comfortable with silence and are willing to wait. However, be careful not to get into a power struggle. Usually, a little nudging is enough to communicate that you are serious in your expectations. 

After students have a few seconds to contemplate a response, ask students to turn to a partner to discuss their thinking; you may have heard of this being called “think-pair-share.” You might even pose questions with more than one obviously correct answer to add energy and variety and intensify the discussion. Challenge students to develop a response with which they both can agree. Once students have decided on their response, you might collect several responses before adding your perspective. You might also note consistencies among responses. You may even inquire whether any of the pairs were unable to agree on a response and collect both perspectives before commenting. The discussion might conclude by inviting students to comment on what they have heard and where they note common themes.  

Create time for everyone to think about what has been said once responses have been offered. This step is often called “Wait Time 2.” Rather than immediately providing reinforcement, commentary, or interpretation, wait a few seconds to allow students to think. Again, eye contact and other nonverbal behaviors matter. Just staring at the student who responded or immediately moving on to look at another student can be uncomfortable and be read as indicative that the answer was not satisfactory. However, nodding slowly and allowing your eyes to drift or focus elsewhere as though you are thinking, too, can signal to students that the question and response are still active. After a few seconds, and before you weigh in, you might even turn to another learner and ask their thoughts on the question, what they might add, or to comment on the response. Here, too, wait time can encourage additional thought and more extensive analysis. 

Wait time is a powerful tool to support reflection, discussion, and deeper learning. However, it requires intentional discipline, patience, and strategic thinking in order to be effective. Still, the benefits of wait time, once it becomes routine and well thought out, can empower all learners and build better thinkers.  

Seeing students become ensnared by misconceptions and slowed by learning barriers can be among the most disappointing and disheartening experiences we confront in our role as educators. Our disappointment is only further compounded when our students are otherwise interested, engaged, and committed to their learning.  

Fortunately, there are several steps we can take to help students avoid predictable misconceptions and sidestep common learning barriers. However, we need to anticipate potential problem areas and learning traps, and then we need to develop plans to help our students avoid them before they are encountered in order for our efforts to be effective.  

A good place to start is sorting through our experiences with student struggles in the past and refreshing our knowledge of how our students learn. We might think about what has worked and where students have been challenged with past learning, especially with the learning that parallels what they are about to learn.  

We can pre-assess our students to measure their current understanding and recall of the key content and skills necessary to be successful with the planned new learning. However, we must remove any hint or intention of consequences for their not knowing or recalling. In short, we need an accurate assessment of what students know—and what they are ready to learn.  

Using the information from our prior knowledge and pre-assessment activities, our next step is to coach and support students to activate their prior knowledge. We might use practice problems, reteaching, or simply a discussion with students to bring what they have learned into an active state that can be employed to support new learning.  

Next, we can design scaffolding to support students to find success as they approach the next learning challenge. The scaffolding design might include key vocabulary words students will need to know, important concepts and skills to employ, strategies to consider, and background information that might be helpful. 

Depending on the nature, scope, and challenge of the new learning, we might develop a more comprehensive preview guide to create interest, stimulate curiosity, and build confidence in our students. The guide might include questions that students will find compelling, provocative statements to consider, and hints regarding the value and purpose of what students will be learning. Any scaffolding and supports we have designed can be included in the guide, as well as reminders of the prior learning and skills that students already possess, that will be useful to their new learning.  

Of course, we want our preparation to help students avoid needless and distracting barriers and missteps as they learn, but our purpose is not to remove all the challenges and struggles students may encounter. Learning that comes through effort, and even mistakes, is also important to our students’ development, competence, and confidence to take on future learning challenges. The bottom line is this: Our goal is not to prevent all mistakes and setbacks that will occur as students learn. We want students to experience enough success to create learning momentum, but we also want to build learning resilience and flexibility that will serve them long after they leave our classroom. 

When it comes to learning about us, students learn as much from what they see as what we say. They learn innumerable lessons about us—and how adults and professionals behave—through our actions, interactions, and reactions.  

We can try to counsel, coach, and convince students to adopt important values and engage in positive social behaviors, but as attentively as students may appear to listen, what they see in our attitudes and interactions typically carries far more influence on what they will believe and, by extension, adopt. Unless we demonstrate the values and practice the behaviors that we want our students to demonstrate, we are likely to be disappointed.  

Every day, we give our students opportunities to observe and learn from what they see and experience in our presence. Let’s examine five common circumstances in which our attitudes and behaviors are scrutinized and which can present our students with lessons about learning, relationships, and life.  

How we handle interruptions, regardless of the source, sends a message about our temperament, flexibility, and readiness to understand the needs and issues of others. Interruptions to our instruction and class routines are inevitable. Some interruptions are predictable, such as daily announcements. Some come without warning, such as summoning a student to the office or reminding everyone of a change in schedule. Other interruptions can result from unexpected events within the classroom or a knock on the classroom door. In our responses, are we focused on our own needs and priorities, or are we quick to respond accordingly and provide support? Do we readily shift our attention, or are we more likely to roll our eyes, or otherwise express frustration, while we wait to return to our own agenda?  

How we treat colleagues shows students our generosity and collaborative spirit, in addition to our respect and valuing of others. We may not think that students pay attention to our interactions with other members of the staff. However, they are constantly watching and learning. When we are quick to help, pass along important information, or share materials and equipment, students see our willingness to give and to collaborate. Additionally, but no less importantly, how we treat non-licensed staff members, such as custodians, paraeducators, secretaries, and volunteers, also sends a message to our students about our character.   

How we treat other students communicates the depth of our commitment to provide equitable and even-handed support, encouragement, and acceptance. Not surprisingly, students also closely watch how we relate to other students. They notice how we treat students who experience learning challenges, may need to navigate language barriers, or come from difficult economic circumstances or from a different culture or race. Do we consistently and equitably provide the support they need to build their skills and experience success? Additionally, students notice whether we place our relationship on the line with students who engage in challenging behavior, or if we separate the behavior of which we do not approve from our opinion and treatment of the student. Of course, they also are watching to see if some students regularly receive preferential treatment without an apparent reason. How we treat some students in our classes often serves as a measuring stick for other students to judge our fairness and imagine the implications for them should they find themselves in similar circumstances.  

How we respond to questions tells students about our ability and choice to be patient, emotionally mature, tactful, and professional. Questions can play a variety of roles in our experiences with students, but they matter regardless of the age and maturity of our students. Our youngest students may have endless questions, and they can try our patience. Older students may ask fewer questions, but the questions they do ask can be difficult and uncomfortable to answer; they may test our tact and sensitivity. Some questions can even be calculated to intentionally “press our buttons.” Yet, those, too, allow us to demonstrate our emotional stability and our professionalism. 

How curious we are can show our students our willingness to analyze, investigate, and pursue the connections, possibilities, and significance of what is presented to us. Our days are filled with stimuli that can stir our curiosity. Students say and do surprising things. Serendipitous events can stir our emotions or leave us smiling or rapt with wonder. We may be engaged in a planned lesson or structured discussion when a spontaneous observation or connection surfaces that begs to be explored. What happens next is of the utmost importance. We can choose to ignore what happens “off script,” or we can choose to pause and explore those sources of curiosity. The nature, strength, and richness of our curiosity can make a lasting impression on our students; these can be the “teachable moments” our students will treasure. They can stimulate an interest that grows into a student’s passion. Of course, our excitement in not only showing our own curiosity, but also sharing it, can give students permission to imagine, explore, and appreciate the unusual, unexpected, and unexplained.  

The most powerful lessons our students are likely to learn are the ones we teach without a lesson plan or clear intention. Our choice to be a model for students to emulate will provide rich lessons for them to learn. Of equal importance, doing so allows us to create a more successful and satisfying environment within which to practice our profession. 

Multiple research studies have found that student achievement is closely associated with teacher assumptions and expectations. Even though we may not intend for this to happen, we can still fall into the trap of having our perceptions of students’ abilities and potential drive our practices in ways that ultimately undermine their success.  

Research studies spanning the past two decades have shown that the students perceived to have high learning potential are often given more interesting and challenging opportunities in which to engage and may even receive more reinforcement to succeed. Students assumed to be lower-potential learners can find themselves presented with less challenging, less interesting, and less learning-supportive work. Thus, existing achievement gaps between the groups fail to close and may even become wider, despite students attending the same classes. 

How do our expectations play out in practice? Here are five common areas wherein we can find ourselves giving some students more opportunities to engage, more time to reflect and contribute, and more encouragement and support for learning than others.  

How much time do we give students to respond? High-achieving students are often quick thinkers and confident question-answerers. For this reason, they are generally given more time to respond than others, as they are assumed to have responses ready to offer. Yet, if given more time, more students are capable of successfully answering and participating meaningfully in discussions. Research consistently shows that teachers typically do not give most students adequate time to think and formulate a considered response. In fact, the typical time teachers wait for a response is between one and two seconds. Amazingly, extending the time students are given by as little as three to five seconds can significantly increase the frequency of correct responses and deepen the insight and completeness of responses. We may need to provide additional support by previewing or rephrasing the questions we will ask or offering hints or clues—but, ultimately, providing additional time makes a key, foundational difference. When we do, fewer students will respond with “I don’t know.” Meanwhile, more students will volunteer with appropriate answers, including students who otherwise are likely to remain silent.  

Who is given the most frequent opportunities to respond to questions and contribute to discussions? It can be easy to fall into a pattern of calling on students whom we anticipate will be able to answer our questions or contribute meaningfully to a class discussion. We can feel pressure to maintain a fast pace and look for quick answers. We may even become frustrated when we must wait for a student to think. Or we may anticipate that certain students will be unable to respond or contribute on a given topic or concept. Yet, these are opportunities to learn, and we must provide those opportunities to all of our students.  

Are the levels of complexity and challenge in our questions well distributed? Class discussions can fall into a pattern of asking perceived high-potential students questions that require reflection, analysis, and complex thought, while students assumed to be low-potential are presented with questions that rely on recall and fact-based information and which present limited analytical challenge. We may think that we are protecting low-performing students from embarrassment, but we risk not challenging them, not giving them opportunities to engage with challenging content, and lowering their perception of what they can do. Disparities in opportunities to interact, share ideas and perceptions, and engage in debate can perpetuate and exacerbate inequities and expand gaps between high- and low-achieving students. 

What do we do when student responses are weak or incorrect? Students may respond to our questions with varying levels of clarity and correctness. Some students will answer with exactly what we are seeking. Other students may misunderstand or misinterpret what we are asking. Some students may present a partial answer but offer less than we are looking for. What we do in response to this variation can reveal differences in our perceptions of students’ learning potential and lead to variances in learning outcomes. Our willingness to probe beyond initial answers, provide prompts when necessary, or offer clues can make a significant difference in the learning revealed and gained through these interactions. On the other hand, quickly moving on to another student to answer the same question, or present a new question, risks squandering what could be a productive learning experience for the student who is responding and for others in the class who are listening and observing. 

To whom do we give the most nonverbal support? Students watch us closely and are quick to interpret and assign meaning to our behaviors. Again, multiple research studies have pointed to the significance of nonverbal behaviors as reflections of our perceptions of others. Students perceived as high-potential, willing learners are likely to be the objects of more direct eye contact, more positive body language, and more supportive facial expressions. When speaking with them, we can be more likely to show an open, inviting posture, supported by encouraging smiles, winks, and nods. Eye contact while listening is a sign of attention and respect. Leaning forward and an open body stance are powerful tools for conveying interest and connection. Students who experience these behaviors less frequently are likely to interpret their experiences as indicative that they are not as capable or that they do not have the same level of potential as the students for whom these experiences are more commonplace. As a result, they can be less likely to take learning risks, persist when they struggle, and bounce back when they experience learning setbacks. 

The truth is that we can easily fall into habits and practices that reveal high expectations for some students and not for others. Being conscious of this possibility can be a good start. However, we may need to be more intentional. We might keep logs of questions we ask, and to whom we ask them, for later analysis. We might capture our teaching on video for later review and reflection. Or we may have a colleague observe our teaching and provide feedback. Regardless, the achievement of many of our students depends on our getting this part of our practice right. It is well worth the effort.  

Even though students come to us having learned constantly since birth, they often hold significant misconceptions about formal learning. These misconceptions can be the result of myths shared with them by family and fed by advice from friends. Some are myths that result from misreading advice or from confusion stemming from feedback they have received. In some cases, the misconceptions are even embedded in school experiences and subtle messaging from adults.

Regardless of the source, misconceptions about how learning happens can create learning barriers. They can lead students to embrace thinking patterns and strategies that hinder their learning while avoiding experiences and circumstances that could lead to their success.

Our challenge is to uncover and help students to dispel assumptions and perceptions that can get in the way of and undermine learning. Here are seven of the most common misconceptions students have about learning—and why they need to be corrected.

Misconception #1: Struggle is a sign of inability.

This misconception does a serious disservice to learners and learning. Too often, learners who take more time to learn are labeled as “slow” and are assumed not to be skilled learners. In fact, however, taking more time to “wrestle” with a concept or skill can result in deeper understanding and longer retention of what is learned. Slowing down can be an advantage when learning really counts. Consider the quote from Albert Einstein: “It’s not that I am so smart, I just stay with problems longer.”

Misconception #2: Confusion is bad.

Students often panic when they find new content to be confusing. They worry that they are not capable of learning what they confront. They even may blame the teacher. Yet, if students never become confused, either they already knew what they were expected to learn, or what they were given was not very challenging. Confusion is one of the starting places for significant, challenging learning. Confusion should not be avoided. Rather, it should be embraced as an indication that an opportunity to learn lies ahead.

Misconception #3: Fast learning is good learning.

Many educators and parents inadvertently reinforce this misconception by labeling seemingly fast learners as being smart and skilled. Yet, fast learning often is surface learning. It may be that good short-term memory is on display, only to be followed by near-term forgetting. Also, what appears to be fast learning is often simply a review of what is already known or what is closely related to existing background knowledge and past learning. In fact, when it comes to new, challenging learning, students often overestimate the speed with which they learn. Many students have discovered too late that waiting until just before an exam to learn the content on which they will be tested takes longer than they estimated.

Misconception #4: Each student has one learning mode that works best for them.

This misconception assumes that each individual student has a singular, specific learning style that, if utilized, improves their learning. Yet, multiple studies have debunked this misconception. In fact, students are more likely to learn and retain content that is accessed through multiple, varied modes. The more ways in which students are able engage with new information or practice a new skill, the more likely they are to understand and be able to apply what they have learned.

Misconception #5: Listening to a lecture is more effective than active learning.

Students often think that when they are told something in an organized manner and in a formal setting, they learn more than when they openly discuss, reflect upon, and organize new content. Interestingly, a new study from Harvard University found that, despite student perceptions, the opposite is true; students who were actively involved in the learning process scored better on follow-up exams than their more passive learning counterparts. Active learning asks more from students, but they also learn more as a result.

Misconception #6: Knowledge is the accumulation of an array of isolated facts.

Students often confuse memorization of definitions, terms, and other bits of information with understanding. To be sure, the ability to recall and recite information can set the stage for developing knowledge and gaining insight, but true knowledge requires going beyond superficial information to connected understanding, application of concepts, and informed reasoning. When students communicate using correct terminology to describe something of significance and apply definitions as they construct arguments, they are demonstrating knowledge.

Misconception #7: Learning is doing only what the teacher says, only in the way the teacher directs.

This misconception assumes that learning is understanding the personality, preferences, and perspectives of the teacher and then giving them what they want. With this mentality, learning is simply “playing the game.” Unfortunately, this misconception risks missing the purpose of what is learned, remaining overly dependent on the direction of others, and failing to build self-management and self-direction skills. While educator instruction, guidance, and coaching are important, so is discovery, discerning, and deciding activities that are not adult driven. Note that this is not intended to conflict with the expectation that students demonstrate respect toward their teacher; instead, this point addresses the tendency for some students to produce work exclusively to “please” their teacher rather than take ownership of their own learning growth.

Few of these misconceptions may be surprising. In fact, many of us may have harbored some of these assumptions and interpretations when we were students. Yet, helping students to dispel their misconceptions can open the door for them to let go of what may be holding them back, and it may very well lead to success that extends far beyond their time with us.

Source:

Reuell, P. (2019, September 4). Study shows students in “active learning” classrooms learn more than they think. The Harvard Gazette.

How we think about the work we do matters. Our beliefs, attitudes, and thinking frames have an impact on the goals we set, the instructional approaches we choose, and the learning our students experience. We can plan based on what we want and intend to do, or we can begin with where our students are and what they need. We can demand compliance or invite commitment. We can manage behavior or nurture responsibility.

This is a good time to reflect on how we engage our students, what outcomes our approaches are most likely to generate, and how we might adjust our strategies and techniques to stimulate imaginations, stir passion, and maximize learning. Here are five questions we can use to guide our reflection and determine if and where we need to adjust.

First, do I seek to delight or inspire? At first, these two goals may seem to be one and the same. However, on closer examination, we see that when we seek to delight students, while they may have a positive experience, little emotion remains beyond the moment. When we seek to inspire, on the other hand, students are more likely to experience a connection with the content, concept, or opportunity to which we introduce them. We open the door for students to own the experience and choose to learn more, experience passion, and act. When we seek to delight, the experience is contained in the moment. When we seek to inspire, we invite connection, reflection, and commitment that may last a week—or a lifetime.

Second, do my expectations irritate or agitate? Again, we may initially see these two terms as very similar. However, irritation typically results from pressing our interests and commitment upon students and their actions. People naturally resist when they feel pressure from someone else about something that holds little interest to them. Agitation, on the other hand, is nudging others to engage and act on something that is of interest to them or in their best interest. When we agitate—the definition in this context meaning to stir and cause to move—we nudge students to be all that they can be. We ask them to be true to themselves. Whereas irritation is a reaction to our agenda, agitation comes from our challenging students to be, do, and accomplish what is of interest and importance to them. 

Third, do I give advice or offer feedback? When we offer feedback, we provide clear, timely, actionable, non-judgmental, specific information to students relative to a learning attempt, creative effort, or work product. Our goal is to help students grasp how their actions relate to goals or outcomes and support them to see the next step to move their learning forward. When we give advice, we are more likely to speak within our frame of reference and draw on our experiences. While what we have to offer may have significant merit, students are more likely to resist and ignore our words, believing that what worked for us may not be as useful to them. Typically, sharing advice rather than offering feedback is only effective for the most highly confident, competent, and committed learners.

Fourth, do I seek compliance or commitment? Most of us experienced school as a highly structured, compliance-based institution. Most important decisions were made by adults and shared with students as expectations for their behavior. Most sanctions and rewards were based on whether students complied with adult rules, expectations, and structures. However, we know that the most powerful learning is driven by commitment and purpose. Learning driven by compliance is typically only as deep as required and retained only until it is assessed. Tapping purpose, nurturing commitment, and supporting students in order to extend their learning beyond the required curriculum can be an experience that is as transformative as it is rewarding.

Fifth, do I rely on punishment or discipline? Again, we may confuse these two concepts in pursuit of acceptable behavior. Punishment is assigning consequences intended to be unpleasant enough that students will not repeat the unacceptable behavior. The hope is that students will be reluctant to engage in future behaviors that will lead to the pain, embarrassment, or shame designed by punishment. While this approach works best with students who already want to please adults and typically do not engage in unacceptable behavior, it is largely ineffective with students who do not have strong relationships, who may seek attention, or who otherwise are not afraid of consequences. Conversely, discipline focuses on helping students to see how and why their behavior is unacceptable, develop strategies and options to achieve what they seek through acceptable means, and build self-regulating skills to manage their behavior. Punishment is about consequences while discipline is about learning.  

Convincing students to commit to their learning, become the best they can be, and take responsibility for their behavior is not an easy challenge. Students come to us with a variety of experiences in life and learning. Some students respond enthusiastically to opportunities to co-lead their learning, while others require time and patience. Regardless, when we give students the gifts of owning their learning, committing to their success, and developing their full capacity to engage the world, we give them gifts for life.

Teachers have been urged for years to make student data the focus of most professional learning communities, team activities, and similar efforts. After all, experts have routinely advised that the only way to have an impact on student learning outcomes is to understand current performance. However, researchers now have added an important component to this advice. After conducting and reviewing a variety of studies over several years, they found that the focus on analyzing student data has generally not led to improvements in learning outcomes.   

Knowing where students struggle, need to improve, and are doing well is important, but that is only the first step. Too often, collecting and analyzing student data has been the sole focus; however, unless the information gained leads to insightful, impactful changes in learning support and engagement, changes in learning outcomes rarely happen.  

The researchers noted that educators are investing significant time and effort into data analysis, but the process falters when it comes to whether and how the data is used. The reasons for the lack of effective follow-through appear to be varied.  

According to the researchers, responses to the discovery that a student is struggling have disproportionately focused on non-instruction-related reasons as being the problem, such as struggles at home, failure to study, or poor test-taking skills. As a result, no specific instructional or learning experience changes are suggested or implemented. In short, the problem is defined, but the cause is seen as largely beyond the reach of the teacher, so changes are not made. 

Another frequent response is to place students on “watch lists” or give them similar designations, but no specific actions are taken to change current performance or address existing learning barriers. Of course, merely watching a student offers little promise for change in performance. Meanwhile, time is lost, presentation of the curriculum continues, and interventions often come too late to change learning outcomes. 

Knowing that a student is not performing as expected offers little benefit unless the causes for under-performance are also understood. For example, reteaching a concept or skill without changing our approach offers limited benefits to learners who were unable to learn what was taught the first time. In fact, if the initial introduction resulted in confusion or misconceptions, repeating the process, even at a slower pace, risks reinforcing confusion and confounding misconceptions. The bottom line is that unless our analysis of student data results in thoughtful, informed changes in instructional practice and adjustments in the learning experience of students, we will not see improvements in learning outcomes.  

Further, we need to understand the “real story” behind the data. Often, the only way to discover the cause of student struggles is to include students in the process. We can speculate about the causes behind the struggle, but students can give us firsthand insights and context, if we invite and support them to participate. Of course, some students may be too discouraged to invest at first and may need coaching. Other students may be reluctant to admit and discuss areas in which they struggle, and we may need to lower their perceived risks. Still, others may have the skills and possess a level of insight that enables them to reflect on their learning experiences, and they can become partners in constructing a path to improvement. 

The benefits of including students in the process of analyzing data, understanding root causes of struggles, and designing learning paths often extend beyond just understanding that there is a problem. When students become partners in their learning, they are more likely to commit to that learning and persist when they struggle. Furthermore, they become better prepared to deal with future learning challenges when we are not present to guide and support their efforts.    

Reference: 

Hill, H. C. (February 7, 2020). Does studying student data really raise test scores? Education Week. 

Goals can be powerful tools to help us achieve success. They assist us to focus on what is important. Goals inform the actions we take to move us forward, and they also guide us as we monitor and measure our progress.  

Goals also play key roles in the classrooms that reach the highest levels of learning. A major international study lists instructional goals as one of ten defining actions of effective teachers. John Hattie’s meta-analysis of what works in learning ranks student goal setting as a potent strategy that learners can employ to boost their learning. Meanwhile, shared classroom goals can create a common focus and sense of purpose for students.

Each of these three types of goals add value to our efforts to have our students succeed. However, when the three types of goals are present and supporting each other, their impact can be ever greater. Let’s examine the synergy we can generate when our instructional goals, student learning goals, and shared class goals are aligned and working together to support student success.  

First, instructional goals help us focus and plan our instruction to move student learning forward in alignment with the intended curriculum. They help us to organize the content and skills we want students to learn, and they assist us in choosing resources and selecting strategies that will best serve our students. Instructional goals can be as narrow as a focus on a single unit or lesson and what we want students to experience and learn, or they can be as broad as a semester-long effort to build academic skills and learning persistence. However, instructional goals are most powerful when they are reflective of what students are ready to learn and when they are calibrated to move students forward based on where their learning is, not where we would like them to be—or where the curriculum imagines them to be. Instructional goals articulate what we want our students to learn and be able to do. They can support actions and strategies that are tailored to our students in ways that make their success most likely. Meanwhile, we can use instructional goals to monitor and adjust our actions to ensure students constantly move ever closer to the learning outcomes we seek for them. 

Second, the goals students set help them to see purpose in their learning. They can help students develop confidence that their efforts are leading to learning progress. Typically, students are more open to feedback regarding their efforts and progress when feedback is aligned with the goals to which they are committed. Goals can help students gain confidence regarding their capacity to learn and succeed. When students participate in creating action plans in support of their goals and then work through those plans, they gain important experience regarding what makes a difference in their learning, and they also have opportunities to practice progress monitoring and to make adjustments that move them toward achievement of their goals. Of course, when we develop instructional goals and action plans that are aligned with and leverage student learning goals, progress accelerates and success comes even sooner.  

Third, when we engage students in making decisions and setting goals regarding the learning environment, we are building a sense of community. Well-chosen class goals can build team spirit, mutual support, and confidence among classmates. Shared class goals can also make classroom management easier. However, these goals must involve actions, activities, and outcomes in which every student can participate and find success. Shared class goals also need to be within the control of the students. For example, attendance may not be best for younger children but could be workable for older students. Class goals might connect to schoolwide themes or improvement goals. Creating and maintaining an environment of caring and respect, being resilient and bouncing back from setbacks, and striving for excellence in learning and behavior are examples of class goals in which all students can support and share. Academic progress goals are not always the best choice because students learn at different rates and in different ways. Students also don’t all start at the same place; consequently, without care and thoughtfulness behind them, shared academic goals can lead to tension and conflict. Regardless, class goals need to be important and worthwhile from the perspective of students in order to make a difference. 

The synergy generated by aligned instructional goals and student learning goals grows when those goals exist within a classroom environment of shared norms and purpose. Instructional goals have a greater impact, student learning goals experience greater leverage, and students experience greater support and sense of belonging. The combination can create an unstoppable force for learning.