Engaged Learners:
Current Research and Implications for
Effective Instruction
Based on the research from Marzano Research
The Art and Science of Teaching, Robert J. Marzano, ASCD, 2007
exists to strengthen Christian Schools and equip Christian Educators worldwide as they prepare
students academically and inspire students to become devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
A Comprehensive Framework for Effective
Instruction: Ten Questions
What will I do to establish and communicate
learning goals, track student progress, and celebrate
success?
2. What will I do to help students effectively interact
with new knowledge?
3. What will I do to help students practice and deepen
their understanding of new knowledge?
4. What will I do to help students generate and test
hypotheses about new knowledge?
1.
Framework 10 Questions, con’t.
5. What will I do to engage students?
6. What will I do to establish or maintain classroom
rules and procedures?
7. What will I do to recognize and acknowledge
adherence and lack of adherence to classroom rules and
procedures?
8. What will I do to establish and maintain effective
relationships with students?
9. What will I do to communicate high expectations for
all students?
10. What will I do to develop effective lessons organized
into a cohesive unit?
Research Results for Goal Setting
Synthesis
Study
Focus
Number of
Effect Sizes
Average
Percentile
Effect Size Gain
Wise & Okey,
1983
General effects of
setting goals
25
0.48
18
Lipsey &
Wilson, 1993
General effects of
setting goals
204
0.55
21
21
o.40
16
Walberg, 1999 General effects of
setting goals
1. What will I do to establish and communicate
learning goals, track student progress, and
celebrate success?
 Make a distinction between learning goals and learning
activities or assignments.
 Students will successfully complete the exercises in the back
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of Chapter 3.
Students will create a metaphor representing the food
pyramid.
Students will be able to determine subject/verb agreement in
a variety of simple, compound, and complete sentences.
Students will understand the defining characteristics of
fables, fairy tales, and tall tales.
Students will investigate the relationship between speed of air
flow and lift provided by an airplane wing.
1. What will I do to establish and communicate learning goals, track
student progress, and celebrate success?
 Write a rubric or scale for each learning goal.
Simplified Scale or Rubric
4.0 In addition to score 3.0, in-depth inferences and
applications that go beyond what was taught.
3.0 No major errors or omissions regarding any of the
information and/or processes (simple or complex) that were
explicitly taught.
2.0 No major errors or omissions regarding the simpler
details and processes but errors or omissions regarding the
more complex ideas and processes.
1.0 With help, a partial understanding of some of the
simpler details and processes.
0.0 Even with help, no understanding or skill demonstrated.
1. What will I do to establish and communicate learning
goals …..con’t.
 Have students identify their own learning goals.
 Assess students using a formative approach.
 Formative assessments are used while students are
learning new content - provides measurement, can be
an instructional tool, students can observe their own
progress.
 Have students chart their own progress on each
learning goal.
 Recognize and celebrate growth.
2. What will I do to help students effectively interact with new
knowledge?
Critical-input experiences, previewing, “small chunks”, summarizing and
note taking, graphic organizers, mnemonic strategies, questioning,
reflecting, cooperative learning ……
1.
Identify critical-input experiences. (Single out a few well-structured
input experiences to achieve that goal.)
2. Preview the content prior to a critical-input experience. (What do
you think you know about ..)
3. Organize students into groups to enhance the processing of
information. (with clear operating rules)
4. Present new information in small chunks and ask for descriptions,
discussion, and predictions. (Identify strategic stopping points and
use ABC group summary)
5. Ask questions that require students to elaborate on information.
6. Have students write out their conclusions or represent their learning
non-linguistically. (notes, graphic organizers, etc.)
7. Have students reflect on their learning.
3. What will I do to help students practice and deepen their
understanding of new knowledge?
Difference between procedural knowledge (skills, strategies, or processes)
and declarative knowledge (information). Procedural takes practice …
 Provide students with tasks that require them to examine similarities
and differences.
 Help students identify errors in thinking.
 Provide opportunities for students to practice skills, strategies, and
processes.
 Determine the extent to which cooperative groups will be used.
 Assign purposeful homework that involves appropriate participation
from home.
 Homework that helps students deepen their knowledge
 Homework that enhances students fluency with procedural
knowledge
 Homework that introduces new content
 Have students systematically revise and make corrections in their
academic notebooks.
4. What will I do to help students generate and test hypotheses
about new knowledge?
Problem based learning; generating and testing of
hypotheses ….
 Teach students about effective support
 Engage students in experimental inquiry tasks that require
them to generate and test hypotheses
 Engage students in problem-solving tasks that require
them to generate and test hypotheses.
 Engage students in decision-making tasks that require
them to generate and test hypotheses.
 Have students design their own tasks
 Consider the extent to which cooperative learning
structures will be used
5. What will I do to engage students?
Engagement means student attending to the instructional
activities in class (questions, missing information, mild
pressure, mild controversy and competition)
 Use games that focus on academic content
 Use inconsequential competition (fun)
 Manage questions and response rates (pause is good)
 Use appropriate pacing
 Demonstrate intensity and enthusiasm for content
 Engage students in friendly controversy
 Provide opportunities for students to talk about themselves
 Provide unusual information
6. What will I do to establish or maintain classroom rules and
procedures?
 Organize the classroom for effective teaching and
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learning
Establish a small set of rules and procedures
Interact with students about classroom rules and
procedures
Periodically review rules and procedures, making
changes as necessary
Use classroom meetings
7. What will I do to recognize and acknowledge adherence and
lack of adherence to classroom rules and procedures?
 Use simple verbal and nonverbal acknowledgement
 Use tangible recognition when appropriate
 Involve the home in recognition of positive behavior
Strategies to use with “lack of adherence”
 Be with it – awareness and quick attention, move
around the room, confronting when needed, etc.
 Use direct cost consequences (explicit and concrete)
 Use group contingency (you are in this together)
 Use home contingency (we are in this together)
 Have a strategy for high intensity situations
 Design an overall plan for discipline
8. What will I do to establish and maintain effective
relationships with students?
Both concern and cooperation; guidance and control
 Know something about each student
 Engage in behaviors that indicate affection for each student
 Bring student interests into the content and personalize
learning activities
 Engage in physical behaviors that communicate interest in
students (smile, look in the eyes)
 Use humor when appropriate
 Consistently enforce positive and negative consequences
 Project a sense of emotional objectivity
 Maintain a cool exterior
9. What will I do to communicate high expectations for all
students?
 Identify you expectation levels for students
 Identify differential treatment of low expectancy
students
 Make sure low expectancy students receive verbal and
nonverbal indications that they are valued and
respected.
 Ask questions of low expectancy students; stay with
them
10. What will I do to develop effective lessons organized into a
cohesive unit?
 Identify the focus of a unit of instruction
 Plan for lesson segments that will be routine
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components of every lesson (Hunter’s lesson design)
Plan for content specific lesson segments
Plan for actions that must be taken on the spot.
Develop a flexible draft of daily activities for a unit
Review the critical aspects of effective teaching daily