Effective Teaching Strategies Exploring Similarities and Differences

1. Effective Teaching StrategiesExploring Similarities and Differences Windham Middle School December 3, 2008 Jane Cook EASTCONN Staff Development Specialist Windham Middle School Literacy & Technology Coach janecook@earthlink.net Parts of the presentation are adapted from a PowerPoint presentation by Scott King-Owenhttp://www.nhcs.k12.nc.us/instruction/ssflpe/CITWhandouts/Teaching%20Similarities%20and%20Differences.pptand a PowerPoint presentation by Rebecca Pilver, EASTCONN Staff Development Specialist

2. Warm Up What do we have in common? • With a partner, you have 2 minutes to find 4 things that you have in common - the 4 things have to be hidden (not obvious). Write them down. • Now, get with another partner. Find 4 things that you have in common. Again the 4 things must be hidden (not obvious). Write them down. • Now, join into a group of 4 and compare the commonalities and find things that are unique about each of you. Find 2 things that each of you have that is unique to only you. • What did you learn? How could you use this activity with your students? What purpose would it serve?

3. Objectives • To understand how Effective Teaching Strategies connect to Data Teams and the DDDM process • To explore the Effective Teaching Strategy (ETS) known as Similarities and Differences • To practice using the Similarities and Differences strategy and plan ways to apply this ETS in your teaching

4. Review of Effective Teaching Strategies Marzano, et al, 2001 Similarities and Differences Summarizing and Note Taking Effort and Recognition Homework and Practice Nonlinguistic Representation Cooperative Learning Setting Objectives & Providing Feedback Generating & Testing Hypotheses Cues, Questions and Advance Organizers

5. Why Are These “Effective” Strategies? 10. Non-fiction Writing NOTE: This strategy was identified after Marzano’s book was published * Indicates district-wide focus 2008-09 Classroom Instruction that Works Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering, Jane Pollock 5

6. How do we use ETS in Data Driven Decision Making? • Let’s try an example: • Team collected and charted data: They found through their pretest data that students are scoring far below their peers on problem solving. • Team wrote a SMART Goal: Currently 50% of our grade 5 students are scoring below proficient on math word problem solving as measured by the pretest. By the end of the 3-week instructional unit, 75% will score proficient or higher on math word problem solving as measured by the post test.

7. Data Team Thinking

8. Similarities and Differences • Read the description of Similarities and Differences. • Turn to a partner and briefly discuss why similarities and differences are considered the “core of all learning.”

9. Similarities and Differences • Let’s play the Similarities and Differences online evolution game at: http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/similarity_hs_01 • With a partner, discuss how such an activity might support a student’s learning.

10. 4 Types of Similarities and Differences • Comparing • Classifying • Creating Metaphors • Creating Analogies

11. 4 Door Shutter Fold Foldable • Fold a piece of paper in half widthwise (like a hamburger). • Open it up and fold each half in half so they meet in the center – You now have a 2 Door Shutter Foldable • Fold the 2 Door Shutter in half widthwise (like a hamburger). • Open it back up and cut or tear the shutters on the fold line so you have 4 doors instead of 2. • Write Comparing, Classifying, Metaphors and Analogies on the four shutters (tabs). • Use this 4 Door Shutter Fold Foldable to take notes today.

12. Comparing • Turn to your neighbor/s and compare a “table” to a “chair”. • What steps did you go through in order to compare? • What did comparing require of you?

13. Comparing – Steps in the Process • Select the items • Describe the items (visually or linguistically) • Select the characteristic(s) of the items that are most important for comparison • Explain how the items are similar and different according to the selected characteristic(s) OR PUT ANOTHER WAY…

14. Graphic Organizers for Comparing • Comparison Matrix • Venn Diagram • Double Bubble • Others?

15. A Comparison Matrix is… • A table that is used to describe items (things, people, places, events, ideas, etc.) and to compare their characteristics • An effective analytic tool to simplify the process of analysis. • An organized way of thinking that allows users to compare multiple characteristics of two or more items If students haven't worked with a Comparison Matrix before, the structure of the matrix should be as unsophisticated as possible. As students become more knowledgeable, you can add more characteristics for a deeper comparison.

16. A Simple Comparison Matrix How are they alike? How are they different? Directions: Place a 'X' in the box to indicate if an item possesses that characteristic.

17. A Complex Comparison Matrix Here’s an example of a completed matrix: http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/hands_on_plastics2/activities/abrasion_results.asp

18. Real World Applications of a Comparison Matrix What real world applications can you think of for a Comparison Matrix? Turn to a partner and discuss this. Any ideas? How about this?

19. Venn Diagram A Venn Diagram is a graphic organizer that uses circles to represent sets (or items), with the position and overlap of the circles indicating the relationships between the sets (or items). It was named after John Venn (1834–1923), British logician. Venn Diagrams show how items relate to each other. Most of the "action" is in the overlapping areas. Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/venn-diagram

20. How to make a Three-Tab Venn Diagram Book Foldable®* 1. Fold a piece of (8 ½ x 11”) paper in half vertically (like a hotdog). If using notebook paper, fold only to the margin. 2. With the paper horizontal and the fold of the hotdog up, fold the right side toward the center, trying to cover one half of the paper. (Make a mark here, but do not crease the paper.) Or, to reinforce math skills, have the students determine what the measurements would be for dividing the page into 3 equal parts using a ruler. 3. Fold the left side over the right side to make a book with three folds. 4. Open the folded book. Place your hands between the two thicknesses of paper and cut up or tear the two valleys on one side only. This will form three tabs. 5. Draw overlapping circles on the three tabs to make a Venn Diagram. A GetReal! Project http://getreal.wikispaces.com/ *Foldables are 3D Graphic Organizers created by Dinah Zike. www.dinah.com

21. Double Bubble A Double Bubble is a kind of thinking map/graphic organizer that can be used to compare similarities and differences. It has multiple bubbles that connect two items with their similarities and differences. To download this graphic organizer, go to: http://freeteach.com/graphic_organizers/double_bubble

22. Double Bubble Template • To use the Double Bubble Template: • Fill in the 2 large circles with the items you are comparing and contrasting. • In the shaded bubbles, write in the characteristics that the 2 items have in common. • Use the other circles to list characteristics that are unique to each item. Source: http://www.cwhp.info/curriculum/sources2/graphic_organizers.pdf

23. Create a Double Bubble Middle School Meatloaf

24. Sample Completed Double Bubble

25. Comparing Students may benefit from brainstorming about the topics to be compared by using a Circle Map. This allows them to focus on one object of comparison at a time.

26. Comparing Teaching Tips • Students can expand their creative thinking if you ask them to compare two objects which seem very dissimilar.(How is the President similar to and different from a restaurant chef?) • How you use it depends on your purpose. For example, if you wish for students to focus on specific similarities and differences, the activity will be more teacher-directed. If you wish to stimulate divergent thinking, the activity would be more student-directed.

27. Other Ideas? In small groups or with a partner, talk about what you will be teaching in the next few weeks and discuss: • How can you use comparing in your classroom to teach the concepts that you want your students to learn? • Jot down some ideas on your 4 Door Foldable.

28. Classification • Classifying refers to sorting objects into categories based on shared characteristics. • Classifying depends on identifying the similarities and differences between the objects. • Share: When have you used classifying as an instructional strategy?

29. Classification Activity • Sort the words on the next slide into categories. • Discuss: What steps did you take to sort the words? What did classifying require of you?

31. More Classifying Ideas • Ask students to classify objects in teacher directed groups and then ask them to form new groups and create new classifications. • Use classifying to preview, assess and tap into prior knowledge before a unit. • Use classifying for vocabulary development.

32. Why is classification effective? Look at the following letters for 10 seconds: XIBMSATMTVPHDX

33. What do you remember? • How many letters did you remember? • All 14 • Between 8 and 14 • Less than 8 • What strategy did you use to remember the letters?

34. Look at them again. XIBMSATMTVPHDX

35. Now what do you remember? • How many letters did you remember this time? • All 14 • Between 8 and 14 • Less than 8 • Why did you remember more the second time? • What strategy did you use to remember the letters?

36. Other Ideas? In small groups or with a partner, talk about what you will be teaching in the next few weeks and discuss: • How can you use classifying in your classroom to teach the concepts that you want your students to learn? • Jot down some ideas on your 4 Door Foldable.

37. metaphor simile A similarity between two objects at an abstract level. Life is a rollercoaster A similarity between two objects at an abstract level using “like” or “as.” Life is like a rollercoaster What is a Metaphor? Comparison involving similarity A simile is a type of metaphor because it is a comparison, but not all metaphors are similes.

38. A Rose is… • Rose: The blossom is beautiful and sweet to smell, but if you touch the thorns, they can stick you. • Something is beautiful but it can sometimes hurt! OUCH! • Love: Love makes you feel wonderful, but you can get hurt. Love is a rose.

39. Metaphors: Choose one of the following and create a metaphor. • The water cycle is… • Writing a paragraph is…. • Poetry is… • Differentiating instruction is… • Reading is….

40. Why are metaphors effective? • Think about when someone you were learning from used a metaphor in their teaching. Why was it effective?

41. Metaphor Teaching Tips • Use metaphors in your teaching to help connect to background knowledge. • Give students open-ended metaphors to encourage creative thinking. • Give students completed metaphors to explain and evaluate.

42. Other Ideas? In small groups or with a partner, talk about what you will be teaching in the next few weeks and discuss: • How can you use metaphors in your classroom to teach the concepts that you want your students to learn? • Jot down some ideas on your 4 Door Foldable.

43. as as Analogy • An Analogy is a comparison between related pairs. A is to B as C is to D C A D B Brace Map

44. as CAR PLANE AIR A Sample Miller Analogy Test Item PLANE : AIR :: CAR : (a. motorcycle, b. engine, c. land, d. atmosphere) Or put another way:

45. Who thinks the answer is… • a. motorcycle • b. engine • c. land • d. atmosphere Turn to a partner and explain why you chose the letter that you did.

46. as CAR PLANE AIR c. LAND The Answer • In this type of analogy, one term causes, creates, provides, requires, uses, or in some other way relies on the other term. • For this particular item, one term in each pair of terms “travels on” the other. A plane travels on air, just as a car travels on land. Source: http://pearsonassess.com/NR/rdonlyres/1A2076F6-2608-421F-8ECA-EA884EBB9288/0/NAGAPPresentation2008.pdf

47. Create an Analogy “I Have a Dream” was to the Civil Rights Movement as _____________ to _________________. (historical event (movement) or document) In small groups, complete the analogy using another historical event or document in the first blank and a movement in the second blank.

48. Analogy Teaching Tips • During Instructional Delivery: -Use an analogous situation to explain difficult concepts using more familiar terms. This helps students connect the known to the unknown. • Ask students to generate analogies: -Give them a partial analogy and ask them to generate another pair -Ask them to come up with the analogy on their own -Put word pairs into an envelope and ask students to randomly construct analogies -Ask students to defend their reasoning orally and in writing

49. Other Ideas? In small groups or with a partner, talk about what you will be teaching in the next few weeks and discuss: • How can you use metaphors in your classroom to teach the concepts that you want your students to learn? • Jot down some ideas on your 4 Door Foldable.

50. EDUCATION HUMOR – WORST ANALOGIES USED IN ESSAYS The following are from the winners of the "worst analogies ever written in a high school essay" contest from http://www.adprima.com/humor.htm: • Mary was as interested in Joey as she was in a two-day old tuna sandwich left on the kitchen table, hidden by a dishcloth. This perplexed Joey. • Her hair glistened in the rain like nose hair after a sneeze. • Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.