| Students Can Learn...But They Need to be Taught |
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By Silvia Ybarra Ed.D. and John Hollingsworth
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| Researchers, DataWORKS Educational Research |
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"We would teach the content standards, but students can’t do it."
This is the instructional mantra that DataWorks Educational Research hears from
teachers over and over. After observing more than 10,000 classrooms across the
United States, we know that in many instances students are not being taught how to do it.
During classroom observations we often see teachers:
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Reading the worksheet directions to the students and expecting the students to understand the content.
(Ok, your job today is to match a fraction in column A to the equivalent decimal in column B).
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Interrogating students to teach new content. (Today, we are going to study photosynthesis.
What does photosynthesis mean? Does anyone know? Come on, put on your thinking caps.
What is photosynthesis?)
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Placing the students in groups that misinform each other because the participants
don’t have enough background knowledge to teach each other.
(After you finish writing your paper, have your partner read it to
you and tell you how to improve it.)
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Asking the students to do independent practice after the teacher does only one problem
for them on the board. (I’ll work the first problem on the worksheet, and then you complete
the rest on your own.)
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Lecturing the students on one subject and asking them to do independent practice that is not
related to what was taught. (We’ve completed our brainstorming on the persuasive essay.
I want you to write your essay tonight for homework. Be persuasive. Remember to have your
parents review it for errors. Have it ready for class tomorrow!)
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DataWORKS Educational Research in collaboration with Charles Vidal, Director of the Regional
System of District and School Support in San Joaquin County, set out to train teachers to develop
well-crafted lessons in which the students would be explicitly taught how to do standards-based,
grade-level work. They wanted to prove that students can do it--if they are first taught how.
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Teachers were initially given a two-day training on Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI).
Then they were asked to write standards-based lessons following the EDI format.
The lessons were sent to DataWorks for review and feedback. Teachers were then videotaped presenting
the lessons. Following the lessons, teachers collected and analyzed the students’
success rates on the independent practice. Finally, teachers met for reflections to
discuss their experiences.
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TEACHER #1
Mary Ippolito, 3rd grade Westwood Elementary School
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CA Content Standard: Number Sense 2.3. Use the inverse relationship of
multiplication and division to compute and check results.
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Lesson Objective:
Given two factors, the students will write the multiplication and related division facts.
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Mary started the lesson by reviewing that addition and subtraction facts were the inverse
of each other. She worked an example on the overhead and then students worked a problem on
their white boards and held up the results. Looking around the room, Mary could see that the
students knew how to do this.
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She proceeded to tell the class the lesson objective, that multiplication and division
work in fact families. She explained that because students already know multiplication facts,
learning division would be easy.
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She explained to the students the multiplication and division inverse relationship
and worked an example. She modeled another example. Then she guided the students through
several more examples. During closure she had the students do two additional problems on their
white boards. She checked for correct answers and knew the students could do it and were ready for
independent practice. Finally, she asked students what they had learned today. The students said that
multiplication and division were inverse of each other and that you could check your answers this way.
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All throughout the lesson, Mary checked for understanding. Students held up completed problems
on their white boards, and Mary rapidly checked that all students were following along with the
lesson. In addition, she also pulled popsicle sticks with student names on them out of a jar to
randomly select students for oral questions.
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After the lesson Mary stated, "As I looked at the white boards,
I knew the students could do it."
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EDI Lesson results:
Analysis of the lesson’s independent practice showed that all students learned the new concept.
In fact, 85% of students scored 100%. Three students got a wrong answer on one problem due to an
incorrect multiplication fact.
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TEACHER #2
Laura Rodriguez, 4th grade Westwood Elementary School
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CA Content Standard: Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability 1.2.
Identify the mode(s) for set of categorical data and the mode(s), median and any apparent outliers for
numerical data sets.
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Lesson Objective:
Given sets of numerical data, students will determine the median of each set.
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Laura started the class by reviewing with the students what they have been
studying for the last two days: data analysis including mode and outlier.
She asked questions to activate prior statistical knowledge.
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Laura started the new content by explaining that the median is the number in the
middle of the distribution. She defined distribution as a set of numbers placed in
order from least to greatest. She defined median and gave the students ways to
remember using simpler words like the middle and center. She told students that the word
median is also used to describe middle part of a road. She showed how the median in the
road divides the road in half just like the statistical median divides a set of numbers with
half below the median and half above the median. She checked for understanding to be sure that
the students knew the definitions of distribution and median. She reminded students of strategies
to remember what median means.
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She then proceeded to teach the students step by step how to determine the median.
Step 1: Create a distribution. Place the numbers in order, from smallest to largest.
Step 2: Find the center or middle results, the median. She provided three methods
to determine the center number.
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After showing the students how to do the problems, she worked several guided practice
problems with the students. Throughout the lesson, she emphasized over and over the meaning
of distribution and median and the steps to use. She checked for understanding throughout the
lesson by having students work problems on their white boards.
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EDI Lesson results:
Analysis of the students’ independent practice showed that 80% of the students received 100%.
Twenty percent did the work, but forgot to place the numbers in order or placed the numbers in order
and went back to the original data sets to find the median. These students were identified for individual
interventions.
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TEACHER #3
Shela Seaton, 3rd grade, Heritage Primary
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CA Content Standard:
Algebra & Functions 2.2. Extend and recognize a linear pattern by its rules.
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Lesson Objective:
Given a series of tables, students will complete the tables by recognizing the linear pattern
and will write the rule that applies to the pattern.
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Shela started the class by asking the students how many legs on 2 chairs, on 3
chairs, etc. She distributed questions among different students.
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Shela continued the lesson by explaining that patterns repeat over and over and we can write a
rule for the pattern. She provided examples and modeled determining the total number of legs of 1
through 5 spiders. She then guided the students through several more examples such as the number
of tires in 1 bike, 2 bikes, 3 bikes, etc. At the end, the students were determining the rule for
each pattern. Throughout the lesson, Shela checked for understanding to see if the students were
following. Towards the end of the lesson, she realized that a few students still were
not able to do it. She assigned independent practice to the students who knew how to do it
and provided assistance in a small group to the 5 students who needed additional help.
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EDI Lesson results:
Analysis of the independent students’ independent practice showed that in the
end all students understood the new concept. All students scored 80% or better.
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TEACHER #4
Donald Blankenship, 10th grade History, Delhi High School
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CA Content Standard:
10.5 Students analyze the causes and course of the First World War
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Lesson Objective:
Given World War I propaganda posters, the students will (1) determine the propaganda
objective and (2) the propaganda tools that were used to promote the objective.
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Don started the class by connecting the new lesson to prior knowledge.
"If we look around our campus, we find that many students are wearing the same type and
color of clothes. Let’s think for a minute. Who influenced these students to dress like
that? What tools were used to achieve this objective?"
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Don continued by telling the class that World War I required the population to support
"total war." "Governments needed a way to convince everyone to support this concept.
All governments needed to embark on a big propaganda campaign to get the public behind
the "total war." Propaganda can be defined as ideas, facts, or allegations spread
deliberately to further one"s cause or to damage an opposing cause. When the government, or any
other organization, embarks in propaganda, it first comes up with a set of objectives, or goals,
that it wants to accomplish. Then it needs to come up with a list of tools that it needs to further its
own cause, just like the definition of propaganda says."
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Don continued by explaining the purposes of the WWI posters and the tools being used.
"Now, we are going to spend some time analyzing some of the actual posters that were produced by
different countries during World War I."
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He used a video projector to show a WWI poster on the wall and then explained how to interpret it.
"We will use the following steps: Step 1: Analyze the poster. Step 2: Determine what was the
objective, or goal, of the poster. The goal of this poster is to finance the war effort
because it is trying to get people to buy bonds. Step 3: Decide which propaganda tools are
being used in the poster. The tools that are being used are name-calling because the
German is called a Hun and demonization because the German’s face in the background looks
devilish. Step 4: Write all this information in the graphic organizer."
Don checked for understanding throughout the lesson.
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Several additional WWI posters were analyzed with the students before
they were given a new set to analyze for independent practice.
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EDI Lesson results:
Analysis of students’ independent practice showed that 85% of the students
scored 80% or better on the assignment.
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What was common to all these Explicit Direct Instruction lessons?
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All lessons were taught at grade-level. |
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The whole standard was not taught. It was "deconstructed"
or chunked into teachable parts.
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All the lessons had a preview or review to activate prior knowledge. |
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A learning objective was written that defined what the students were
going to be able to do independently.
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The students were told clearly what they were going to learn, why it was important to learn the
information, and how it was done.
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All the lessons had a preview or review to activate prior knowledge. |
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The teacher worked many examples together with the students during guided practice.
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Checking for understanding was done throughout the lesson. |
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The students were very successful during independent practice.
At least 80% of students scoring 80% correct.
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At the end of this project, the teachers analyzed the independent practice as a result
of their EDI lessons and were invited to reflect upon their experiences.
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| Teachers stated that: |
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EDI lessons make no assumptions about the students’ abilities.
EDI lessons make no assumptions about the students’ abilities.
The entire class was explicitly taught new grade-level content.
As a result, students clearly moved ahead learning new concepts as opposed to creating
more gaps by rehashing old content. The entire class was explicitly taught
new grade-level content. As a result, students clearly moved ahead learning new concepts as
opposed to creating more gaps by rehashing old content.
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EDI lessons uncover weak areas of teaching. Analysis of student work showed that
students were not successful in specific areas that were not well taught.
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EDI lessons provide for daily and immediate interventions. Students who are
identified during the lesson or through the independent practice as not getting it can be
given immediate, specific assistance.
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EDI lessons are an emotional experience to write because teachers have to give up a
lot of their preconceived ideas about teaches.
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During reflections, teachers also discussed the importance of their principal being
supportive throughout this process. They stated that principals need to be knowledgeable of the
process themselves and provide planning and school-wide collaboration time.
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So, what did we learn from this project? Some educators said that the
students were successful only because teachers explicitly taught the students how to
do the work. That’s exactly the point. Students can learn...but they need to be taught.
This can only be done with a well-crafted lesson.
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For more information regarding how EDI can work for your school, contact
DataWORKS at marketing@dataworks-ed.com or
800.495.1550
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