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Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. Whether teachers differentiate content, process, products, or the learning environment, the use of ongoing assessment and flexible grouping makes this a successful approach to instruction.

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1. Using reading materials at varying readability levels;

2. Putting text materials on tape;

3. Using spelling or vocabulary lists at readiness levels of students;

4. Presenting ideas through both auditory and visual means;

5. Using reading buddies; and

6. Meeting with small groups to re-teach an idea or skill for struggling learners, or to extend the thinking or skills of advanced learners

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1. Using tiered activities through which all learners work with the same important understandings and skills, but proceed with different levels of support, challenge, or complexity;

2. Providing interest centers that encourage students to explore subsets of the class topic of particular interest to them;

3. Developing personal agendas (task lists written by the teacher and containing both in-common work for the whole class and work that addresses individual needs of learners) to be completed either during specified agenda time or as students complete other work early;

4. Offering manipulatives or other hands-on supports for students who need them; and

5. Varying the length of time a student may take to complete a task in order to provide additional support for a struggling learner or to encourage an advanced learner to pursue a topic in greater depth.

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1. Giving students options of how to express required learning (e.g., create a puppet show, write a letter, or develop a mural with labels);

2. Using rubrics that match and extend students' varied skills levels;

3. Allowing students to work alone or in small groups on their products; and

4. Encouraging students to create their own product assignments as long as the assignments contain required elements.

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1. Making sure there are places in the room to work quietly and without distraction, as well as places that invite student collaboration;

2. Providing materials that reflect a variety of cultures and home settings;

3. Setting out clear guidelines for independent work that matches individual needs;

4. Developing routines that allow students to get help when teachers are busy with other students and cannot help them immediately; and

5. Helping students understand that some learners need to move around to learn, while others do better sitting quietly

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Whole group
Independent Small Group
Individual Instruction
Cross-Age Tutoring
Peer Tutoring
Mixed-Readiness Groups
Teacher-Directed Small Groups

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Public Law 94-142 (1975) -Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA)

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Public Law 94-142 (1975) -Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA)

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During this time it was estimated that more than half of the children wit disabilities were not receiving an appropriate education. This federal policy required students between the ages of 3-18 with a disability a free and appropriate education. The following principals were the main principals of the law:

free and appropriate education regardless of the severity of the handicap

protection of the rights of children with disabilities and their parents in educational decision making

individualized education programs

least restrictive environment

appropriate evaluation.

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Public Law 101-476 (1990) - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

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Public Law 101-476 (1990) - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

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This law was an amendment to P.L. 94-142 (1975). Much of the language was changed from the first law. These changes included:

people-first language

language that puts the person before the modifier (example: a person who had been called "a handicapped person" was now called "a person with a disability"

a child who had been called "a mentally retarded child" was now called "a child with mental retardation").

added autism and traumatic brain injury to the categories of disabilities.

Transition services, promotion of movement from school

The six guiding principles of IDEA are:

1. Zero Reject

2. Protection in Evaluation

3. Free Appropriate Public Education

4. Least Restrictive Environment

5. Parent and Student Participation in Decision Making

6. Procedural Due Process

IDEA grants educational rights to children with disabilities from birth through age 2 (now called Part C) as well as ages 3 though 21 (Part B).

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Public Law No: 114-95 (2015 ) -Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

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Public Law No: 114-95 (2015 ) -Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

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This replaces the law  No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. The ESEA serves as the national educational law and longstanding commitment to equal opportunity for all students.

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Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

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Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

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Children with disabilities may be eligible for special education and related services under Section 504.

For students to qualify under a 504 plan a student must be determined to be under one of the following conditions:

have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities

have a record of such an impairment

be regarded as having such an impairment

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The purpose of a  Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is to ensure that every child’s access to a Free Appropriate Public Education. The IEP is a written document, developed by an IEP team, which draws upon existing evaluation information in order to meet a student’s unique educational needs.

An IEP must include the following information:

student’s present levels of educational performance

annual goals and benchmarking objectives

services and supplementary aids to be received

a detailed explanation of instances where a student is not participating in the general classroom and why

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An appropriate education must be administered on a non- discriminatory basis if the student is suspected of having a disability that is preventing them from learning. The goal of the evaluation is to help plan for the child's education and future instruction. Once the appropriate evaluation is completed, a child's eligibility and recommendations must be completed in a timely manner.

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Procedural safeguards are put in place to help parents and students be able to have their rights enforced under federal law. These safeguards not only protect parental access to information about placement, but it also helps resolve disagreements between parents and schools involving a child.

Under the safeguards, parents have the right to:

review all educational records pertaining to their child

receive notice prior to meetings about their child’s evaluation, placement, or identification,

to obtain an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) for consideration at such meetings.

Parents also to have the right to request mediation or a due process hearings if a disagreement arises. This can be at the state level or federal level.

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Parents are to be able to participate in placement decisions. They are both an equal participant and decision maker as a parent. The rights that parents have include the following:

the right to equal participation in this process

are entitled to notification of a planned evaluation

access to planning and evaluation materials

involvement in all meetings regarding their child’s placement

the right to refuse further evaluation of their childBoth students and parents must be invited to IEP meetings, and the IDEA explicitly establishes a role for the parent as equal participant and decision maker

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Post any questions that you have about ESE

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Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)

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Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)

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FAPE should be designed to meet a child’s “unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living.” All public schools are to provide FAPE.

IDEA requires schools to prepare Individualized Education Plans, that have “meaningful educational benefit” to children with disabilities.
“Meaningful educational benefit' are:

focus on raised student expectations

appropriate progress

transition into postsecondary education and independent living

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The IDEA places a strong emphasis on placement in a general education setting.
Some ways that an IEP team can provide accommodations for students to be placed in the least restrictive environment are:

classroom modifications

supplemental aids and services

alternative instructional methods

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These accommodations change the way information is presented.

Listen to audio recordings instead of reading text

Learn content from audiobooks, movies, videos, and digital media instead of reading print versions

Work with fewer items per page or line

Work with text in a larger print size

Have a “designated reader” — someone who reads test questions aloud to students

Hear instructions spoken aloud

Record a lesson, instead of taking notes

Get class notes from another student

See an outline of a lesson

Use visual presentations of verbal material, such as word webs

Get a written list of instructions

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Give responses in a form (spoken or written) that’s easier for them

Dictate answers to a scribe who writes or types

Capture responses on an audio recorder

Use a spelling dictionary or digital spellchecker

Use a word processor to type notes or give answers in class

Use a calculator or table of “math facts”

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Work or take a test in a different setting, such as a quiet room with few distractions

Sit where they learn best (for example, near the teacher)

Use special lighting or acoustics

Take a test in a small group setting

Use sensory tools such as an exercise band that can be looped around a chair’s legs (so fidgety kids can kick it and quietly get their energy out)

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Take more time to complete a task or a test

Have extra time to process spoken information and directions

Take frequent breaks, such as after completing a worksheet

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Take more time to complete a project

Take a test in several timed sessions or over several days

Take sections of a test in a different order

Take a test at a specific time of day

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Use an alarm to help with time management

Mark texts with a highlighter

Use a planner or organizer to help coordinate assignments

Receive study skills instruction

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Comprehensive Individual Evaluation

Eligibility Determination

Initial IEP Development

Review and Revise the IEP

Reevaluation

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CLICK HERE FOR PDF
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that created rules and guidelines for special education. The law gives eligible children with disabilities rights to the specially designed instruction and individualized services and supports they need to benefit from public education. The IDEA has six foundational principles, which are outlined below.

Principle 1: Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
The IDEA gives each eligible child with disabilities the right to a free appropriate public education. FAPE means educational services:

Provided at public expense under public supervision

Provided at no cost to the parents (other than ordinary costs charged to all students)

That meet the standards established by the state department of education

That are designed to meet the unique needs of each eligible student

Provided according to a written Individualized Education Program (IEP)

Provided to students from preschool through high school, ages 3 to 21

That continue to be provided to students who have been suspended or expelled

Special education programs must:

Be designed for the student to make progress in the general education curriculum (there is only one curriculum for all students)

Provide a chance for students to meet challenging goals

more than a minimal benefit but with no requirement to maximize potential (a serviceable Chevy vs. a brand new fully-loaded Cadillac)

Include related services and supports and provide for participation in extracurricular and other school activities

Include extended year services when necessary to provide FAPE

Principle 2: Appropriate Evaluation

The IDEA requires that a student must receive an evaluation before providing special education services to determine: (1) whether the student qualifies as "child with a disability" according to the IDEA definition, and if so, (2) to determine the educational needs of the student.

Parents must give permission for evaluation and for services

A student must be evaluated in all areas of suspected disability

The evaluation should include a variety of tools and strategies to gather functional, developmental, and academic information

An evaluation should never be based on a single measure or assessment

The instruments and methods used for the evaluation must be technically sound, not culturally discriminatory, and provided in the language the child uses

Administered by trained and knowledgeable personnel

A new or updated evaluation should be conducted if there is reason to suspect a need or if the parent requests one

An evaluation must be conducted within 60 calendar days of the parent giving permission

Re-evaluations may occur when:

Conditions warrant new information

The parent requests re-evaluation

A comprehensive re-evaluation must be completed every three years unless both the parent and educators agree it is not necessary

Every three years is the minimum requirement for a re-evaluation; it can be conducted more often if needed, but not more than once a year

Independent educational evaluations:

Parents have a right to request an independent evaluation at public expense if they disagree with the results of the school's evaluation.

Parents may seek an independent evaluation at their own expense at any time. The IEP team "must consider" any recommendations from outside sources but don't necessarily have to follow them.

Principle 3: Individualized Education Program (IEP)

An IEP is a written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised at least once a year by a team including educators, parents, the student whenever appropriate, and others who have knowledge or expertise needed for the development of the student's special education program. The key word is individualized.

The IEP must contain measurable goals written for where we want a student's skills to be in a year. It must also be designed to offer meaningful progress in the general education curriculum and functional performance.

Special education is not a place. The goals and services should be designed without preset expectations for where the services will be provided. The educational program is determined first; the placement or educational setting is determined second:

Parents are involved in both program and placement decisions

Parents and the student need to be meaningfully involved in the development of the program and any periodic revisions

Principle 4: Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

The IDEA requires that "...To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are not disabled." Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) means that:

Any placement outside the general education classroom must be justified by the child's individual disability-related needs

Students must have meaningful access to same age peers without disabilities, when appropriate.

Schools must consider providing any needed services in the general education classroom and other integrated settings

Involvement in music, art, physical education, school trips, clubs, extracurricular and other activities must be accommodated

Funding is never an appropriate reason for a more restrictive placement

States must maintain a full range of placement options to meet the needs of children who require specialized treatment programs.

Principle 5: Parent and student participation in decision making

The IDEA is very specific about what schools must do to ensure that parents have the opportunity to be active participants in each step of the special education process. Parents, and (whenever appropriate) the student, must be meaningfully involved in:

The development, review, and revision of the IEP

Educational placement decisions

Determining what data needs to be collected during evaluation

Reviewing evaluation data

Transition planning and services starting by age 14

Principle 6: Procedural Safeguards

The IDEA includes important procedural safeguards to ensure that the rights of children with disabilities and their parents are protected and that they have access to the information needed to effectively participate in the process.
Parents are entitled to notice in writing including:

A parental rights notice to provide information about special education, procedural safeguards, and student and parent rights

Notice in writing of IEP meetings

Prior written notice whenever the school proposes to change or refuses to change the educational programming or educational placement of their child

Parents are entitled to access student records:

They may review educational records for their child

They may obtain copies of educational records for their child

They may place a statement of correction or explanation in the student's record if it contains something they disagree with

Parents have a variety of procedural protections they can invoke when they disagree with educators:

The Resolution Facilitator Process

A Mediation Conference

A Formal Written Complaint

A Due Process Hearing

ASK Essential Questions

Is my child being provided access to FAPE, including meaningful and challenging IEP goals?

Has my input been considered by the IEP team?

Is my child learning in his/her least restrictive environment?

Related Resources

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The IDEA is a federal law that created rules and guidelines for special education; here, we outline the six foundational principles of this law.

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1. Student is identified as needing services and/or related
services beyond what is provided through general education
2. Consent is signed (timeline starts) and the Student is evaluated
3. Eligibility is determined
4. Student is found eligible or ineligible for services
5. Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting is scheduled
6. IEP is drafted by the team
7. Services are provided
8. Progress is measured over time
9. IEP is reviewed
10. Student is re-evaluated (at least every three years)

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The Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services supports school districts and others in their efforts to provide exceptional student education programs for students ages 3 - 21 who have been determined eligible for exceptional student education (ESE).

Each school district is responsible for providing services to students who are eligible for the following ESE programs.

Each school district must establish and make publicly available their policies and procedures which are used to provide services and supports to their students with disabilities. More information on these policies and procedures can be found at the following link: https://www.fldoe.org/academics/exceptional-student-edu/monitoring/.

The bureau provides additional support to school districts and families through many state and federally funded discretionary projects. Please see below for links to frequently visited bureau-managed discretionary projects, and for more information, please visit: https://www.fldoe.org/academics/exceptional-student-edu/grants-management.stml.

A Legislative History of Florida's Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Program

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The Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services supports school districts and others in their efforts to provide exceptional student education progra.

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A child with an established condition is defined as a child from birth to two years of age with a diagnosed physical or mental condition known to have a high probability of resulting in developmental delay or disability. Such conditions shall include genetic disorders, metabolic disorders, neurological abnormalities and insults, or severe attachment disorder.

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Birth -2: A child who is developmentally delayed is defined as a child from birth to two years of age who has a delay in one (1) or more of the following areas: adaptive or self-help development; cognitive development; communication development; social/emotional development; physical/motor development (Florida State Board of Education Rule 6A-6.03031).

3-5: A child who is developmentally delayed will be transitioned into ESE Pre-K. Developmentally delayed falls off at age 6.

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One general education teacher (K to 12) is providing instruction and an ESE teacher is providing consultation services in accordance with a student’s IEP. The teachers meet face to face or virtually on a regular basis to plan, implement, and monitor instructional alternatives designed to ensure that the student with a disabilities is success in the general education classroom. This is an external (out of the classroom) support.

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Two teachers are providing instruction (not co-teaching). The general education teacher (K to 12) is teaching the course content and an ESE teacher provides services via “in class one on-one.” The ESE teacher meets with an individual student or a small group of students with disabilities within a traditional
classroom. Ongoing collaborative planning is necessary. The
ESE teacher’s schedule is flexible allowing support to occur for a partial period or certain days of the week.

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Two teachers are providing instruction through co-teaching.
Both teachers share responsibility for planning, delivering, and
evaluating instruction for all students in a class/subject for the
entire class period.

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Student receives instruction in an ESE setting with students
with IEP’s receiving specially designed instruction from an
ESE teacher the majority of the school day. Students in this
placement type are usually on a modified curriculum.

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Everything a student does is a form of assessment and provides the teacher with information that can be used to adjust instruction and respond to student needs.

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Examples of Products:
Journals, worksheets, quizzes, tests, projects, self-assessments, reports, and stories

Examples of Observations:
Working with manipulatives, role-plays, demonstrations, experiments, performances, and observing the process of a cooperative learning team

Examples of Conversations:
Student-teacher conferences, oral presentations, peer conferences, and cooperative team conferences

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https://www.hmhco.com/blog/free-graphic-organizer-templates

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Help your students classify ideas and communicate more effectively with these free graphic organizer templates, available for download. They can be used to structure writing projects and help in problem solving, decision making, studying, planning research, and brainstorming.

Printable Graphic Organizers

Select a blank graphic organizer from the following categories depending on your curriculum needs.

Sequence of Events

Main Topic and Key Details

Compare/Contrast

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Free Downloadable Graphic Organizer Templates

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Use these free graphic organizer templates to help your students communicate more effectively by classifying ideas, structuring writing projects, and more.

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Why do you take notes? What do you hope to get from your notes? What are Cornell Notes and how do you use the Cornell note-taking system?

There are many ways to take notes. It's helpful to try out different methods and determine which work best for you in different situations. Whether you are learning online or in person, the physical act of writing can help you remember better than just listening or reading. Research shows that taking notes by hand is more effective than typing on a laptop. This page and our Canvas module will teach you about different note-taking systems and styles and help you determine what will work best for your situation.

In our Cornell Note Taking System module you will:

Examine your current note taking system

Explore different note taking strategies (including the Cornell Notes system)

Assess which strategies work best for you in different situations

The best way to explore your current note-taking strategies and learn about the Cornell note taking system is to go through our Canvas note taking module. The module will interactively guide you through how to use Cornell Notes - click on the link here or the button below. This module is publicly available.

Just want to see a bit more about Cornell Notes? You can view the videos below.

Watch: What are Cornell Notes?

Watch: Learn how students use the Cornell Note Taking System

The Cornell Note-Taking System was originally developed by Cornell education professor, Walter Pauk. Prof. Pauk outlined this effective note-taking method in his book, How to Study in College (1).

Pauk, Walter; Owens, Ross J. Q. (2010). How to Study in College (10 ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth. ISBN 978-1-4390-8446-5. Chapter 10: "The Cornell System: Take Effective Notes", pp. 235-277

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Why do you take notes? What do you hope to get from your notes? What are Cornell Notes and how do you use the Cornell note-taking system? There are many ways to take notes. It's helpful to try out different methods and determine which work best for you in different situations.

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If we want students to develop into critical thinking, lifelong learners, we need them to develop metacognitive skills. Metacognition is vital for helping students become self-directed learners (both self-managers and self-starters). It will help them navigate the complexities of a changing world and it will help them as they engage in creative work. In this blog post, we explore how to make that happen.

If you enjoy this blog but you'd like to listen to it on the go, just click on the audio below or subscribe via iTunes/Apple Podcasts (ideal for iOS users) or Google Play and Stitcher (ideal for Android users).

https://spencerauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/metacognition.mp3

We live in an era where robotics and artificial intelligence will replace many of our current jobs. Global connectivity will continue to allow companies to outsource labor to other countries. Our students will likely change jobs every five to seven years. The corporate ladder is gone and in its place, is a complex maze. They will inhabit a world of constant change. But how do we help students navigate that maze?

We often hear that our current students will work in jobs that don't exist right now. But here's another reality: our current students will be the ones who create those jobs.

Not every student will create the next Google or Pixar or Lyft. Some students will be engineers or artists or accountants. Some will work in technology, others in traditional corporate spaces and still others in social or civic spaces. Some of them will work in high-skilled manufacturing. But no matter how diverse their industries will be, our students will all someday face a common reality. They will need to be self-starters and self-managers.

This is why metacognition is so vital. Metacognition happens when students analyze tasks, set goals, implement strategies and reflect on what we're learning.

People debate about which subjects will prepare kids for the future - whether it's engineering or coding or philosophy. But I love way A.J. Juliani puts it, "Our job as teachers is not to 'prepare' kids for something; our job is to help kids learn to prepare themselves for anything."

This is why metacognition is so important. When students have strong metacognition skills, they are able to anticipate change and navigate complexity. But that doesn't always happen. According to a Pascarella and Terenzini study, one of the most significant challenges college students face is managing their own learning.

However, it goes beyond success in college and career. If we want students to become lifelong learners, they need to know how to own their learning; which means they need to know how to think about thinking.

I love the way the authors of How Learning Works put it, "To become self-directed learners, students must learn to assess the demands of the task, evaluate their own knowledge and skills, plan their approach, monitor their progress, and adjust their strategies as needed."

The authors of How Learning Works describe metacognition as a cycle. Check it out in the video below.
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It starts with the ability to assess the task at hand. Here, students have a clear picture of what they need to accomplish. This part sounds easy. However, this goes beyond simply reading instructions. It includes the ability to integrate prior knowledge with new knowledge and make connections between direct instruction and a new tasks. If a task feels too complicated, students can become overwhelmed and give up. Other times, they might oversimplify the task or get hung up on one specific detail.

In the second phase, students evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses. This can be tricky if students have an inaccurate view of their skills. Often, students who are highly skilled will suffer Imposter Syndrome, where they underestimate their skills because they are painfully aware of what they don't know. On the other hand, students with a lower skill level might experience the Dunning Kruger Effect, where they overestimate their skills.

Afterward, students plan out their approach. Note that this does not have to be a detailed plan. In some cases, students might visualize where they need to be and what they need to do to get there. However, it's interesting that experts tend to spend more time in planning than novices but are more effective in implementation, because novices experience more initial mistakes.

Students then take action and apply the strategies and monitor their progress, which leads to the next phase, where they reflect on their learning and adjust their approach. Here, they might determine new strategies that ultimately lead back to a re-assessment of the tasks. Effective problem-solvers are more likely to adjust their approach by highlighting what's working and fixing what's failing while poor problem-solvers are more likely to stick with an approach that isn't working.

This cycle can happen rapidly or over a longer stretch of time. And it doesn't always follow the sequence systematically. In some cases, it can almost feel so seamless that it's invisible. However, even so, it is vital for learning. When students have strong metacognition skills, they are more likely to succeed in college, in their careers, and in life-long learning.

Although there are many ways to boost metacognition, the following are a few ideas you might try out. This is by no means an exhaustive list. If you have additional ideas, I'd love for you to share them in the comments section at the bottom of this post.

#1: Use a Gradual Release Approach

Metacognition is a natural part of the learning process. However, students often need additional support to see what metacognitive thinking actually looks like. Teachers can model metacognitive thinking by walking students through the process verbally and making the process visible for students. It shouldn't be an isolated lesson plan on metacognition so much as an integrated part of direct instruction and checking for understanding. You can model the process in small groups or one-on-one as well. In some cases, you might provide scaffolding, such as sentence stems or graphic organizers.

It also helps to provide specific metacognitive strategies and structures. This will help students to assess the tasks and planning the approach. For example, you might help students learn how to look at a complex task and develop a to-do list or a checklist.

#2: Integrate Self-Assessment

When students engage in self-assessment, they learn how to identify their strengths and weaknesses (a key part of the metacognition cycle). Here, students can set goals for the key areas where they need to grow.

When students own the assessment process, they are able to figure out:

What they have already know (prior knowledge)

What they don't know (areas of improvement)

What they want to master (their goals)

What they will do to improve (action plan)

Self-assessments might include self-reflection questions and surveys that help them articulate where they are in terms of mastery. But they can also include diagnostic rubrics and checklists to compare what they need to do with what skills they have mastered. Other times, it might be more open-ended, with students annotating their work with a critical eye. Notice that this type of self-assessment also helps students monitor their progress.

However, self-assessment doesn't have to be solitary. Sometimes students experience blind spots and need fellow students to help provide more accurate feedback. Students can do a peer conference with sentence stems. You might provide a specific critical friends structure, like the twenty-minute peer feedback system or you might try a shorter structure like see-think-wonder, 3-2-1, or the feedback carousel. Teachers can play a critical role in this process, too, by using student-teacher conferences.

The Focus

Targeted help/instruction in specific areas of reading

Guiding students toward self-reflection

A conversation about the mastery of standards

Role of the Student

Ask questions and seek out specific feedback

Answer questions and reflect on his or her learning

Talk about progress toward specific standards

Role of the Teacher

Answer questions with accuracy and precision and allow for students to practice a strategy under supervision

Ask questions, paraphrase answers and guide students toward self-reflection

Asks questions about progress and share information based upon evidence of student work.

Further Application

Students leave with actionable steps to fix a particular work

Students can select the strategies and plan for future improvement based upon self-reflection.

Students can figure out what standards still need to be mastered and how to get there

Role in Cultivating a Growth Mindset

Every student has a chance to admit to failure and learn from it

Every student has a chance to articulate areas where they are growing and where they still need to grow

Every student is able to realize that there are as many retakes as necessary until they master the standards

If you're interested in using these assessments, check out the free assessment suite that I included in the design thinking toolkit at the bottom of this post.

#3: Practice Visualization

Visualization is a critical component for metacognition because it helps improve executive functioning skills. You might simply ask students to start a class period by visualizing what they will accomplish. This helps support the idea of developing a plan. However, for longer-term planning, you might want to have students sketch out their plan. I once saw a teacher who had students sketch out a large calendar on butcher paper (despite the fact that she clearly wasn't a butcher) and then create stick figure sketches as they broke down the tasks. Each day, students would unroll their butcher paper and review their visual planning document.

#4: Incorporate Project Management

For the longest time, I was the project manager for 30 different projects. I would chart their progress and nag them about getting tasks done. Or I would set specific deadlines for the entire class. Over time, though, I realized that my students could learn how to manage their projects on their own. This is also why I believe in guiding students through a project management process. It's not perfect. Kids will still struggle to meet deadlines. Procrastination will still occur. As a teacher, you will need to do frequent check-ups to see if they are accurately monitoring their progress.

However, that's okay. Project management is a skill that improves over time. As students learn how to break apart tasks and chart their progress, they develop improved metacognition because they are applying strategies and monitoring their progress on a regular basis. They learn how to modify their initial plans and troubleshoot when they hit a wall.

If you do a quick search online, you'll see tons of different project managemen t models, apps, and programs. I've seen people who swear by one particular approach. However, it's more of a personal preference. While the frameworks and programs vary, the important thing is that students are engaged in the project management process. Here are four key components to project management:

These components do not need to occur sequentially. Sometimes students will change goals in the middle of a project and that's okay. It's all a part of developing improved metacognition.

#5: Allow Mistakes and Reward Risk-Taking

Students are more likely to develop metacognitive skills when they have the permission to make mistakes and grow from them. In How Learning Works, Susan Ambrose and her co-authors note that student attitudes and mindsets have a strong impact on metacognition. When students have a growth mindset, they are able to think about their learning and modify their approach as they go. Furthermore, they tend to be more open to feedback and more accurately assess their own strengths and weaknesses.

Here's where it helps to reward creative risk-taking. Schools tend to reward students for getting the right answer quickly. However, when students have the permission to make mistakes and to take creative risks, they see learning as iterative and evolutionary. Here, they are more likely to assess and revise their own work and to seek out feedback in a space that feels safe and low-risk.

When teachers empower their students, they help them develop metacognitive skills. This is why we integrated metacognition into the LAUNCH Cycle, a design thinking framework. Students get to ask the questions, choose the research strategies, and actively monitor their progress through project management. If you're interested in this, check out the free design thinking toolkit. I've included the free assessment suite with templates for self-assessment, peer assessment, project management, and student-teacher conferencing.

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Five Ways to Boost Metacognition In the Classroom

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If we want students to develop into critical thinking, lifelong learners, we need them to develop metacognitive skills. Metacognition is vital for helping students become self-directed learners (both self-managers and self-starters). It will help them

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Fordham, N. W. (2006). Crafting questions that address comprehension strategies in content reading. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 49, 390-396.

Liang, L. A., Watkins, N. M., Graves, M. F., & Hosp, J. (2010). Postreading questioning and middle school students' understanding of literature. Reading Psychology, 31, 347-364.

Raphael, T.E., & Au, K.H. (2005). QAR: Enhancing comprehension and test taking across grades and content areas. The Reading Teacher, 59, 206-221.

Wilson, N. S., & Smetana, L. (2011). Questioning as thinking: A metacognitive framework to improve comprehension of expository text. Literacy, 45, 84-90.

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The question-answer relationship (QAR) comprehension strategy teaches students how to ask key questions about their reading, and then how to find the answers to their questions - whether it means locating a specific fact, drawing an inference, or connecting the reading to their own experience.

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Accommodations and modifications are school supports that help kids learn. One changes how kids learn. The other changes what they learn.

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Allow outlining, instead of writing for an essay or major project

Use of alternative books or materials on the topic being studied

Computerized spell-check support

Word bank of choices for answers to test questions

Provision of calculator and/or number line for math tests

Film or video supplements in place of reading text

Reworded questions in simpler language

Projects instead of written reports

Highlighting important words or phrases in reading assignments

Modified workload or length of assignments/tests

Modified time demands

Pass/no pass option

Modified grades based on IEP

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Breaks between tasks

Cue expected behavior

Daily feedback to student

Have contingency plans

Use de-escalating strategies

Use positive reinforcement

Use proximity/touch control

Use peer supports and mentoring

Model expected behavior by adults

Have parent sign homework

Have parent sign behavior chart

Set and post class rules

Chart progress and maintain data

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Please sign your name and school before starting this padlet. 

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Please sign your name and school before starting this padlet. 

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De Bono - who died in 2021 - was also the inventor of "lateral thinking," a method of solving problems indirectly, often in creative and surprising ways. Similarly, Six Thinking Hats is a way to understand and explore different types of thinking.

Six Thinking Hats for Decision Making

The Six Thinking Hats technique gets you to look at a problem in six different ways. It takes you and your team beyond any instinctive positions, so that you explore a range of perspectives. That way, you can carefully consider each one, without having to argue your case or make snap decisions about what's "right" or "wrong."

By the time you've tried out all six hats, you should have a rich collection of insights that will help you to decide your next steps.

Here's what each of the Six Thinking Hats represents:

Blue Hat: "the Conductor's Hat"

When you or your team are in blue hat mode, you focus on controlling your thinking and managing the decision-making process. You have an agenda, ask for summaries, and reach conclusions.

Green Hat: "the Creative Hat"

The green hat represents creative thinking. When you're "wearing" this hat, you explore a range of ideas and possible ways forward.

Red Hat: "the Hat for the Heart"

This hat represents feelings and instincts. When you're engaged in this type of thinking, you can express your feelings without having to justify them logically.

Yellow Hat: "the Optimist's Hat"

With yellow hat thinking, you look at issues in the most positive light possible. You accentuate the benefits and the added value that could come from your ideas.

Black Hat: "the Judge's Hat"

This hat is about being cautious and assessing risks. You employ critical judgment and explain exactly why you have concerns.

White Hat: "the Factual Hat"

The white hat represents information gathering. Think about the knowledge and insights that you've collected already - but also the information you're missing, and where you can go to get it.

Reproduced with the permission of Penguin Random House U.K and the trademark and copyright holder deBono.com. To find out how to use the Six Thinking Hats®️ in teams please contact debono.com.

The Benefits of Six Thinking Hats

As well as improving the quality of your decisions, the Six Thinking Hats technique has some other benefits to offer:

More organized thinking. You can be confident that you've considered every angle, and it helps you to weigh up the information you obtain efficiently and accurately.

Improved creativity. It gets you to step away from your default positions and approaches. And comparing or combining different perspectives can sometimes spark novel thoughts.

Better thinking skills. It's a great way to strengthen important skills such as curiosity and critical thinking.

Stronger interpersonal skills. It encourages you to practice listening, questioning and answering. So it can also make you more persuasive, better at spotting when others need support, and more confident to resolve conflicts when they arise.

Greater inclusivity in teams. It requires people to set aside any preconceptions and to focus on seeing things from the same perspective for a while. Debate still happens, but it's based on shared understanding - which can help everyone to feel included.

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Six Thinking Hats® - Looking at a Decision in Different Ways

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When you make decisions, it helps to see things from a different perspective. Edward De Bono's Six Thinking Hats is a powerful tool for doing just that.

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Bethune Academy