Robert J. Marzano
Debra J. Pickering
Jane E. Pollock
Presentation By: Renee Johnson, Teresa Castellaw, Dana Ledford
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Holds bachelor’s degree from Iona College in
New York, master’s degree from Seattle
University, doctorate from the University of
Washington.
Cofounder and CEO of Marzano Research
Laboratory in Englewood, Colorado.
Leading researcher in education, speaker,
trainer, author of more than 30 books and 150
articles on topics such as instruction,
assessment, writing, and implementing
standards, cognition, effective leadership, and
school intervention.
His research and theory into classroom
strategies is internationally known and widely
practiced by both teachers and administrators.
 Authored more than 26 books and 150 articles.
 Books include: Designing & Teaching Learning
Goals & Objectives, District Leadership That
Works, Designing & Assessing Educational
Objectives, Making Standards Useful in the
Classroom, Classroom Instruction That Works, and
The Art and Science of Teaching.
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In 1966, the "Coleman Report" identified that
only 10% of student achievement could be
changed due to the quality of schooling. The
research concluded that 90% was due to the
of student's ability, socioeconomic status,
and home environment. Schools had no
control over these factors.
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Later research showed a percentile gain of 23
points, proving schools do make a difference
in student achievement.
Research also has proven individual teachers
can have a major effect on student
achievement.
In the 1990's, research showed teachers have
the most profound effect of school choice,
ability, status or home environment.
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Meta analysis was used, combining a number
of studies and listing the average effect of
each technique.
The effect size gave the increase or decrease
in achievement.
Primary goal was to show instructional
strategies having the most effect on student
achievement for all students regardless of
grade or age.
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Consists of nine categories : identifying
similarities and differences, summarizing and
note taking, reinforcing effort and providing
recognition, homework and practice,
nonlinguistic representations, cooperative
learning, setting objectives and providing
feedback, generating and testing
hypotheses, and questions, cues, and
advance organizers.
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Effective pedagogy has three main areas instructional strategies, management
techniques, and curriculum design.
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Teacher-directed guidance enhances
students understanding of and ability to use
knowledge.
Asking students to independently identify
simil/diff enhances their understanding of
and ability to use knowledge.
Representing simil/diff in graphic or symbolic
form (ex. Thinking Maps) enhances students
understanding of and ability to use
knowledge.
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Is a highly robust activity involving the process
of comparing, creating metaphors, and
analogies.
Teachers must explicitly teach students the
steps of various processes (comparing,
classifying, creating metaphors, creating
analogies).
Teachers should provide less structure and
guidance as students become more comfortable
using the processes.
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Summarizing: (1) To effectively summarize,
students must delete some information,
substitute some information, and keep some
information (2) To effectively delete,
substitute, and keep information, students
must analyze the information at a fairly deep
level (3) Being aware of the explicit structure
of information is an aid to summarizing
information.
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Rule Based Strategy for summarizing: Delete
trivial and redundant material, substitute
superordinate terms for lists, and select a
topic sentence or invent one if it is missing.
A summary frame is a series of questions that
the teacher provides to students, including 6
types: Narrative, Topic Restriction
Illustration, Definition, Argumentation,
Problem/Solution, and Conversation.
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Note Taking: (1) Verbatim note taking is least
effective way (2) Notes should be considered
a work in progress (3) Notes should be used
as study guides for tests (4) The more notes
taken, the better
Formats: informal outline, webbing,
combination of both
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Referred to sometimes as “study skills,” they
are two of the most powerful skills students
can cultivate.
Provides students with tools for identifying
and understanding the most important
aspects of what they are learning.
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Four key causes of success are: ability, effort,
other people and luck. Three of these deal with
achievement. Effort is the most help.
Two generalizations : Not all students believe in
effort and " students can change their beliefs to
emphasis effort."
Two recommendations for reinforcing effort are:
Teach about the importance of effort and track
effort through rubrics, talking about it, writing
about it, and self assessing.
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Amount of hw assigned to students should be
different from elementary to high school.
Parental involvement should be kept to a
minimum.
Purpose of hw should be identified and
articulated.
If hw is assigned, it should be commented on.
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Establish and communicate a hw policy
Design hw assignments that clearly articulate
the purpose and outcome.
Vary the approaches to providing feedback.
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Is important bc it provides students with an
opportunity to deepen their understanding of
what they learned in class.
Teachers should return hw in a timely fashion.
Students should know why the assignment is
important.
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Mastering a skill requires focused practice.
Students should adapt and shape what they
have learned.
Ask students to chart their speed and
accuracy.
Design practice that focuses on specific
elements of a complex skill or process.
Plan time for students to increase their
conceptual understanding of skills or
processes.
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Includes a variety of activities such as:
creating graphic, physical, mental
models/organizers and other kinesthetic
activities.
Should elaborate on knowledge, these have a
strong positive effect on student
achievement.
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Use a variety of criteria to group students,
not simply ability level.
Should be small in size
Use informal (pair-share), formal groups
(lasting over a period of time), base groups
(semester-long groups).
Combine with other classroom structures.
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Flexible
Should be used consistently and
systematically, but not overused.
Addresses five components: positive
interdependence, face 2 face interaction,
indiv/group accountability, small group skills,
and group processing.
Teachers should provide structured tasks,
monitor and provide feedback.
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Narrows what students focus on, specific but
flexible.
Teachers should encourage students to
personalize the learning goals the teacher has
identified for them.
Contract with students to obtain specific
learning goals.
Establishes direction and purpose.
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Feedback should be corrective in nature,
timely, and specific.
Students can effectively provide some of
their own feedback.
The best feedback involves an explanation of
what is correct and incorrect about the
response.
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Techniques can be inductive or deductive.
More deductive seems to have a greater
effect on achievement than inductive.
A variety of structured tasks include: decision
making, problem solving, invention,
experimental inquiry, historical investigation,
and systems analysis.
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Cues help students retrieve what they already
know about a topic.
involve hints, questions elicits students
knowledge.
Higher level questions aid students in
drawing inferences and analyzing.
Graphic organizers emphasize teacher’s
essential ideas
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Advance organizers take a variety of forms:
expository, narrative, skimming, graphic.
Organizers are useful when content to be
presented is not well organized.
5 areas of organizing knowledge:
 Vocabulary terms and phrases
 Details
 Organizing ideas
 Skills and tactics
 Processes: “declarative knowledge” and
“procedural knowledge”.
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Teachers should clarify the learning obj’s for
the unit and allow students to identify their
own learning obj’s.
Use specific strategies for introducing new
knowledge, practicing, reviewing, and
applying new knowledge.
Use specific strategies to facilitate and
monitor students learning.