An Overview and Application of
Classroom Instruction That
Works
Marzano’s Research-based High
Yield Strategies
Relating research to practice
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“High yield” strategies are familiar
strategies
Research shows nine clusters of
strategies that make a real difference
Not a silver bullet, still relies on the art
of teaching
Elements of effective
pedagogy
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Carefully selected instructional
strategies
Management techniques
Curriculum design
Objective:
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Teachers will review the nine high yield
strategies identified in Marzano’s
research by
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Completing a note-collection organizer in
order to
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Incorporate the strategies to improve the
effectiveness of a lesson or unit
A quick review of the Big 9
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Cautions:
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May use one or more in combination
Some more appropriately used before,
during, or after a unit of instruction
Some are more appropriate depending on
the learning style of the students
Some are more suited to specific types of
knowledge
1. Identifying Similarities
and Differences
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Comparing
Classifying
Metaphors
Analogies
Can be:
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Teacher directed
Student directed
Graphic organizers
Try one:
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Instructional strategies are to teachers
as _______________ are to
___________________________
2. Summarizing and Notetaking
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Summarizing: Make determinations about what is
important: translate, synthesize, delete, substitute,
keep
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Rule-based strategy
Summary frames
Reciprocal teaching
Note-taking: avoid verbatim, consider them a work
in progress, take lots of notes and use them as a
study guide
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Teacher prepared notes
Formats for notes
Reflection:
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How did you learn to summarize and
take notes?
Who is responsible for teaching
students the skills involved in
summarizing and note-taking?
What are your expectations for your
students?
3. Reinforcing Effort and
Providing Recognition
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Reinforcing effort: Creating positive
attitudes, beliefs, and pride
Providing recognition: abstract,
symbolic recognition is more effective
than tangible rewards especially if
contingent on achieving a challenging
standard
Discussion:
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How does this strategy relate to the
school mission of personalization and
climate?
Is this a classroom level issue or a
school issue?
Do you agree that students value nontangible rewards?
4. Homework and Practice
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Homework: Minimal parent
involvement, purpose identified and
articulated, always commented on
Practice: mastering a new skill take
focused practice and encoding by
students
Activity:
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Draft an rough outline of a letter to
students and parents about your
homework policy that includes
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Amount of homework expected
Purposes of homework
Consider a student taking 6-7 courses with
similar expectations on them as yours
5. Nonlinguistic
Representations
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Graphic representations
Making physical models
Generating mental pictures
Drawing pictures and pictographs
Engaging in kinesthetic activity
Discussion:
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How has textbook design evolved in the
last ten years to address the
importance of nonlinguistic
representations?
Do we explicitly teach our students
effective strategies to access these
features?
6. Cooperative Learning
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Positive interdependence
Face-to-face interaction
Individual and group accountability
Interpersonal and small group skills
Group processing
Discussion:
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What is “messy” about cooperative
learning?
What management hints would you
have for a colleague to make
cooperative activities effective?
7. Setting Objectives and
Providing Feedback
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Setting objectives: goals should
provide a focus and filter and be
personalized by student
Feedback: corrective in nature, timely,
specific to a criterion, self-reflective
Discussion
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How is this type of objective worse than
no objective at all:
“Today students will review and
practice for a test by reading.”
Write an lesson objective that provides
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Clarity
Specificity
Flexibility
8. Generating and Testing
Hypotheses
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Largely deductive
Students should be able to explain the
thought process in hypothesis and
conclusions
Content check:
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What is a topic in your curriculum that
would be appropriate for generating a
hypothesis?
Why is it important for students to
explain their hypothesis?
9. Cues, Questions, and
Advance Organizers
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Cues and Questions:
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Activating prior knowledge
Draw on schema
Visualization
Distinguish between what is important and
what is unusual
Wait time
Mental set/pre-questioning
Break!!!
Strategies menu activity
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Review the list of instructional strategies
Think about your teaching style and dominant
preferences
Select five strategies that represent your
teaching style
Create a pie chart that estimates the amount
of time that you utilize each strategy
you may have one “slice” for “other”
Processing
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Given compelling research that some
strategies are more effective than
others:
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How would you like to change your chart?
Which strategies have the most promise
for you personally given
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Your content
Your teaching style/preferences
Your students’ style/preference
Reviewing the Research
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What does the research say?
What is compelling? Convincing?
What resonates?
Did anything change your perspective?
Read the research & theory
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Similarities and differences p.14
Summarizing p.30, note-taking p.43
Reinforcing effort p.50, recognition p.53
Homework p.61, practice p.66
Nonlinguistic representations p.73
Cooperative learning p.85
Objectives p.93, feedback p.96
Generating hypotheses p.104
Cues & questions p.112, organizers p.117
Protocol for reading
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Groups of 3-4
Each member individually skims section assigned
(attention to bold print, numbered items, graphs, charts)
Each member individually selects one compelling
sentence or phrase that, for them, captures the spirit
or theme of the section.
Each member gets one minute or less to share the
phrase selected. Comment or elaboration by
presenter optional. Other group members remain
silent: no comment, agreement, or disagreement.
Using the strategies in
planning
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For use at beginning:
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Setting objectives
Generating hypotheses
Questions, cues, advance organizers
Using the strategies in
planning
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For use during:
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Similarities and differences
Note-taking and summarizing
Practice
Reinforcing effort
Nonlinguistic representations
Testing hypotheses
Questions, cues, organizers
Cooperative learning
Providing feedback
Using the strategies in
planning
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For use at the end:
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Summarizing
Similarities and differences
Reinforcing effort and providing recognition
Providing feedback
Homework
Application
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Review one of your own lessons or
units.
To what extent do you plan for and use
the high yield strategies discussed?
What changes would you make?
What would you add to the plan?
NORMAL, NATURAL, APPROPRIATE
Wrap up
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How has your knowledge changed as a
result of the information shared and
processed today?
How will your practice change as a
result of new information or a new way
of thinking about familiar strategies?