Ruth Tsu rtsu6@yahoo

1. Overview of the ‘Complex Instruction’ Approach: Giving all students the opportunity to show they are smart Ruth Tsu rtsu6@yahoo.com

2. Cohen’s definition of groupwork Students work together in a group small enough so that everyone can participate on a task that has been clearly assigned. Students are expected to carry out their task without direct and immediate supervision of the teacher.

3. Complex Instruction: is an approach designed to counter differences in social and academic status in mixed-ability classrooms. has its roots in a sociological analysis of central features of classrooms - the nature of the task, the roles of students and teachers, and the patterns of interaction. (Cohen & Lotan, 1997)

4. Principles of Complex Instruction Curricular Materials Instructional Strategies Status & Accountability

5. The idea of smartness • Change our focus from “Who is smart?” to “How is each person smart?” • “Every student in your class is an expert in some valued intellectual skill. Try and find out what these are.” - Elizabeth Cohen

6. Students’ perceptions • “To a great extent, students develop expectations for competence (i.e., their perceptions of ‘smarts’) for themselves and for others based on the teacher’s public evaluations of classroom performance.” - Rachel Lotan in “Teaching Teachers to Build Equitable Classrooms”

7. Being “smart” Many ways to be smart are valued by the teacher and the students. Students frequently and successfully demonstrate their “smarts” and are recognized publicly for their competence and accomplishments.

8. Need to examine beliefs about • “smartness” • learning of mathematics • teaching of mathematics

9. Providing opportunities for students to demonstrate their smartness – working in groups Must establish a productive and safe learning environment where students learn they can trust each other as they engage in conceptually challenging and intellectually rich learning tasks

10. Must teach students the skills to interact respectfully and productively; • Must give them rich enough tasks around which to engage, to struggle, to learn • Must intervene in ways that support their interaction and engagement, but also push on their understanding of key concepts • Must be vigilant about issues of status

11. The issue of trust • Between teachers • Between teachers and students • Between students • Between teachers and administrators

12. Recognizing issues of status A status issue is seen as non-participation or dominance growing from “agreed-upon” rankings within a group with relation to perceived academic ability and/or attractiveness as a friend/popularity

13. Teacher actions to support equitable interaction in groups • delegate authority through the use of norms and roles • provide learning tasks that require many different intellectual abilities for their completion and that promote interaction • present a multiple-ability orientation to alert students to abilities needed

14. Students as resources Students make the groups work by serving as intellectual, academic, and linguistic resources for one another and by holding each other accountable.

15. Teacher interventions to support autonomy of the group • observe and document interaction • intervene to: - assess understanding of individuals - “push” on students thinking/talking - hold individuals & groups accountable - identify contributions of specific students

16. Groupwork: equity pedagogy When teachers and students alike are able to recognize and value the diverse intellectual contributions of all students in heterogeneous classrooms, they show their commitment to close the achievement gap and to develop democratic and caring classrooms. - Lotan (2006)

17. For more information “How to Recognize Complex Instruction in the Classroom” (handout) Bibliography of articles and books (handout) Contact information (after this week): rtsu6@yahoo.com 503-267-4599