Prepared Especially for the Professional Learning Network of the BROOKWOOD CLUSTER

1. THINKING GOES TO SCHOOL: DEVELOPING AND NURTURING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS Alton C. Crews MS GwinOaks ES Five Forks MS CraigES Brookwood HS Brookwood ES R.D. Head ES Prepared Especially for the Professional Learning Network of the BROOKWOOD CLUSTER by Dan Mulligan, Ed. D. August 2011

2. Premise of the Session As the United States continues to compete in a global  economy that demands innovation, the U.S. education system must equip students with the four Cs: 1.Critical thinking and problem solving, 2. Communication, 3. Collaboration, and 4. Creativity and innovation.

3. epals.com

4. The value of teacher teams analyzing student achievement data to improve TEACHING and LEARNING is dependent on the VALIDITY and RELIABILITY of the assessment used to generate the achievement data. Mulligan, 2011

6. 4 – second partner Find a new friend in the room. Introduce yourself and share what you ‘do’. Find 2 comfortable seats and relax.

7. Grade 2 Academic Knowledge and Skills

8. a. The number of cavities the sixth graders have? b. The number of people in the sixth graders’ families? c. The ages of the sixth graders’ mothers? d. The heights of the sixth graders in inches?

9. MOVING from ETCH-a SKETCH Learning Don’t let the ‘what’ overshadow the ‘how!’ to Each STUDENT UNDERSTANDING

10. The Power of Our Questions

11. page 5 – 7 QUESTIONS TO EXTEND THINKING

12. There are three parts to any research-based lesson: • Beginning– ‘check for’ and ‘build’ background knowledge of each student; (BL) • During– teach and actively engage each student in new content – making connections to prior knowledge; (DL) • End– check for understanding - provide each student with an opportunity to summarize (in their own way) and practice the essential knowledge and skills conveyed in the lesson. (EL)

13. SAMPLE Pre-assessment that includes differentiation

14. “If you don’t know where you are and you don’t know where you are going, anything you do will get you there”

15. HUNT for SOLUTIONS Record your response to each question…

16. At the Brookwood Cluster: 1. The % of Non-Poverty students scoring EXCEEDS on the Grade 3 CRCT Reading test in 2010. 2. The % of Poverty students scoring EXCEEDS on the Grade 3 CRCT Reading test in 2010. 3. The % of Non-Poverty students scoringEXCEEDS on the Grade 6 CRCT Reading/ELA test in 2010. The % of Poverty students scoringEXCEEDS on the Grade 6 CRCT Reading/ELA test in 2010. 5. According to the Silent Epidemic, the percent of U.S. dropouts who would have stayed in school if learning was more interesting and real-world. 6. According to the Silent Epidemic, the % of U.S. dropouts who felt they were ‘too far behind’ by the end of elementary school. 7. The % of ALL students scoringGraduating On-Timein Class of 2010. 8. The % of ELL(LEP) students Graduating On-Time in the Class of 2010. 62 44 67 44 80 51 94 46 SOLUTIONS: 44, 44, 46, 51, 62, 67, 80, 94

17. Self Reliance There are three types of baseball players--those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who wonder what happened. Tommy Lasorda teachers/administrators

18. Minority Student Achievement in Suburban Schools~Toward Excellence with Equity, Ronald Ferguson, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, 2007 When I work hard, it is because my teacher tells me I can do well. (“Yes,” instead of “Maybe” or “No”) • Survey of all students in 15 middle & upper income districts in 10 states; • Examined family characteristics, opinions about quality of instruction, achievement motivation, course-taking, effort, comprehension, GPA and other factors;

19. Mission Statement The mission of Gwinnett County Public Schools is to pursue excellence in academic knowledge, skills, and behavior for each student resulting in measured improvement against local, national, and world-class standards.

20. HIGH-YIELD STRATEGIES

21. Identifying Similarities and Differences

22. The process of identifying and articulating similarities and differences among items. Comparing The process of grouping things into definable categories on the basis of their attributes. Classifying The process of identifying and articulating the underlying theme or general pattern in information. Creating Metaphors The process of identifying relationships between pairs of concepts (e.g., relationships between relationships). Creating Analogies What processes can students engage in to identify similarities and differences?

23. Similarities and DifferencesAnalogies putter is to a set of golf clubs as 2 is to the set of primes 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, … What is the common relationship? putter

24. Conceptual Knowledge Research has solidly established the importance of conceptual understanding in becoming proficient in a subject. When students understand concepts that frame a subject, they are able to use their knowledge flexibly. They combine factual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and conceptual knowledge in powerful ways. Standards in Classroom Practice, McREL, 2002 Students demonstrate conceptual understanding when they: • Recognize, label, and general examples and non-examples of concepts; • Use and interrelate models, diagrams, manipulatives, and so on; • Know and apply facts and definitions; • Compare, contrast, and integrate concepts and principles; • Recognize, interpret, and apply signs, symbols, and terms; and • Interpret assumptions and relationships in a variety of settings.

26. Hey… This looks familiar… Which of the high yield instructional strategies do you see in this structure?

27. page 8

29. 4 – second partner

30. WHY ACADEMIC VOCABULARY? • Find a 4-second partner • Tell them who you are and one summer joy; • Find 2 seats. • Briefly share what you know about photosynthesis. • Tell a chain story about the process of photosynthesis… • …without using words that begin with: P, L, T, S

31. Research on Imagery as Elaboration Students who used imagery to learn vocabulary, on average, performed # of studies

34. The average student talks 35 seconds a day. The student who is talking is growing dendrites.

35. Organizing Theme: Things someone would say… FAMOUS WOMEN OF 2011 EDITION Trivia Triangle The Queen of England 200 POINTS Hillary Clinton Lady Gaga 100 POINTS 100 POINTS Sara Palin U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Michelle Obama 50 POINTS 50 POINTS 50 POINTS

36. Science Energy 200 POINTS Hypothesis Electron 100 POINTS 100 POINTS Atmosphere Experiment Dissolve 50 POINTS 50 POINTS 50 POINTS

37. Health/PE Body Mass 200 POINTS Equipment Nutrition 100 POINTS 100 POINTS Movement Wellness Endurance 50 POINTS 50 POINTS 50 POINTS

38. Things that are parallel area perimeter Types of graphs Types of angles Ways to make .25 page 9 Grade 4 Math 200 POINTS 100 POINTS 100 POINTS 50 POINTS 50 POINTS 50 POINTS

39. Great Sites for Images http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/index.htm

42. HIGH-Yield Instructional Strategies

44. page 11 Self-Assessment Tool Setting objectives & Providing Feedback

45. Kinds of Evidence – Continuum of EvidenceInformal Check for Understanding

47. 1 4 Team Turn 2 3

48. page 10

50. “A pupil from whom nothing isever demanded which hecannot do, never does all he can.” John Stuart Mill “No one Rises to Low Expectations.” Carl Boyd