Task Analysis
Connecting Math and Science through class
discussions
Types of Science Tasks
Investigations: Experimental & Observational
Data representation, analysis and
interpretation
Modeling
Explanation
Experimentation
Students are designing, critiquing, and/or
carrying out an experimental protocol or
research design.
Can be either experiment or observation
What Level?
What Level?
Experimentation
Low level- students following a prescribed procedure
and data collection method.
High level- students are given a purpose or problem to
solve, but are tasked with using their background
knowledge to design a procedure and data collection
method.
Data Representation, Analysis and
Interpretation
Students are representing, analyzing, and/or
interpreting data
What Level?
What Level?
Modeling
Students are constructing or using models to
explain a phenomenon.
What level?
Over the next 30 days, take or draw a picture of
the moon from the same point at home. At the
end of the 30 days, use the pictures to create a
model of the phases of the moon.
What level?
Students use hydrogeology models to
determine how much water runs off various
surfaces when 1000 mL of water is poured over
the model.
Explanation
Students are providing explanations for
patterns or phenomena.
Cognitive Demand
…students who performed best on a project assessment designed to measure
thinking and reasoning processes were more often in classrooms in which tasks were
enacted at high levels of cognitive demand (Stein and Lane 1996), that is, classrooms
characterized by sustained engagement of students in active inquiry and sense
making (Stein, Grover, and Henningsen 1996). For students in these classrooms,
having the opportunity to work on challenging mathematical tasks in a supportive
classroom environment translated into substantial learning gains.
---Stein & Smith, 2010
What types of thinking must children be able
to do to be proficient on the new standards?
VDOE Examples
Old
New
Old
New
New
New
New
New
Cognitive Demand
Why do we focus on the cognitive demand of
the task?
Tools:
Task Analysis Guide (TAG)
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Webb’s Depth of Knowledge
Recall
Strategic
Thinking
Concepts
& Skills
Extended
Thinking
Same Verb, Different DOK
DOK 1- Describe three characteristics of metamorphic rocks. (Requires
simple recall)
DOK 2- Describe the difference between metamorphic and igneous
rocks. (Requires cognitive processing to determine the differences in
the two rock types)
DOK 3- Describe a model that you might use to represent the
relationships that exist within the rock cycle. (Requires deep
understanding of rock cycle and a determination of how best to
represent it)
Depth of Knowledge
Level 1- Identify the utensils
Level 2- Explain the functions of the fork
Level 3- Identify two examples of when a
fork would not be the best utensil for a
type of food and why
Level 4- Design an investigation to
determine the optimal number and length
of tines for a salad fork.
Determining cognitive level
Curriculum Framework!
Planning Task Analysis
1. Do the task
2. Predict solution methods
3. Predict misconceptions/interventions
4. Plan essential questions
6.17
Curriculum Framework
Recall
Concepts
& Skills
Strategic
Thinking
Extended
Thinking
Cognitive Demand
Task Implementation
Focus: Student Reasoning through
Classroom Discourse
Formative Feedback
Which questions to ask?
How to keep the
cognitive demand up?
How can we leverage technology as a
How are you
formative
assessment
preparing them
tool for
to open
the new
challenges ourand
discussions
global
learn
economy
from everyone’s
creates?
point of view?
How can we make student voices audible
and student thinking visible?
Feedback: Use Evidence of Student Thinking
Set Purpose
Give feedback on student work
(self, peer and teacher)
Use holistic and task specific rubrics
What does the student understand?
Misconceptions?
What is the next step for that student?
What is the next question?
SELF ASSESS
Things to remember...
To effectively use discourse to deepen student
learning:
The task must be of high cognitive demand
Students must have multiple ways to engage
and complete the task
Students must produce artifacts the make
their learning visible
(written texts, drawings, data representations, etc)