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What is a PLC Meeting? (collaboration article)

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Student by Student, Target by Target Article

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Student by Student, Target by Target Article

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Transforming the Culture of Math: Developing Students as Powerful Mathematical Thinkers - National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

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Jancey Clark concludes her series on transforming the math class environment.

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Many people think that some students can work to high levels and some cannot because of the brains they are born with, but this idea has been resoundingly disproved. Study after study has shown the incredible capacity of brains to grow and change within a remarkably short period of time.

Some of the amazing evidence of brain plasticity comes from studies of London Black Cab drivers. To become a black cab driver in London you need to study for between two and four years and at the end of that time take a test called The Knowledge. To pass The Knowledge you must memorize over 25,000 streets and 20,000 landmarks in Central London. Scientists found that after this complex spatial training the hippocampus of the taxi drivers had grown significantly. The hippocampus is a part of the brain that specializes in acquiring and using complex spatial information. When drivers retire, many years later, the hippocampus shrinks back down again.

The studies conducted with Black Cab drivers, of which there have now been many, showed a degree of brain flexibility, or plasticity, that stunned scientists. They had not previously thought that such brain growth was possible. This led scientists to shift their thinking about ability and the possibility of the brain to change and grow.

Around the time that the Black Cab studies were emerging, something happened that would further rock the scientific world. A nine-year old girl, Cameron Mott, had been having seizures the doctors could not control. Her physician, Dr. George Jello, proposed something radical. He decided he should remove half of her brain, the entire left hemisphere. The operation was revolutionary-and ultimately successful. In the days following her operation, Cameron was paralyzed. Doctors expected her to be disabled for many years, as the left side of the brain controls physical movements. But as weeks and months passed, she stunned doctors by recovering function and movement that could mean only one thing-the right side of her brain was developing the connections it needed to perform the functions of the left side of the brain.

Doctors attributed this to the incredible plasticity of the brain and could only conclude that the brain had, in effect, "regrown."

The new brain growth had happened faster than doctors imagined possible. Now Cameron runs and plays with other children, and a slight limp is the only sign of her significant brain loss. To learn more about this story visit the Today Show website.

The new findings that brains can grow, adapt, and change shocked the scientific world and spawned new studies of the brain and learning, making use of ever-developing new technologies and brain scanning equipment. In one study that is highly significant for those of us in education, researchers at the National Institute for Mental Health gave people a 10-minute exercise to work on each day for three weeks. The researchers compared the brains of those receiving the training with those who did not. The results showed that the people who worked on an exercise for a few minutes each day experienced structural brain changes. The participants' brains were "rewired" and grew in response to a 10-minute mental task performed for just 15 days over three weeks. Such results should prompt educators to abandon the traditional fixed ideas of the brain and learning that currently fill schools-ideas that children are smart or dumb, quick or slow.

If brains can change in three weeks, imagine what can happen in a year of math class if students are given the right math materials and receive positive messages about their potential and ability.

This article contains excerpts from Jo Boaler's new book, Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential Through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching
Teaching Children With These Messages

In a recent summer camp the youcubed team taught mindset and brain messages to local 6th and 7th grade students. They also - importantly - taught math in way that supported the new evidence. The camp had a huge impact on the students. After 18 days of math teaching the students improved their scores on standardized tests by an average of 50%.

You can see the camp in this music video:

Here are some quotes from the students:

"They taught us how, um, how math is for everybody, and I believed that I wasn't a math person before but now I believe that anybody can do math, and, and that helped me a lot. And the way I thought that math was all about right answers and wrong, but it's really about ideas and it's very creative, and that helped me like it a lot more." -Olivia

Four or five brains work better than one, so when we combine all of our ideas .... When we got an idea, we shared it with the group and then we compared all of them and if we got, a few people got the same one, we try convincing the other person and we see who's right. -Antonio

Yeah, um, math is .. like now that I've seen a whole new different perspective of it, I really like it 'cause it's really, it's a really creative subject, and there's a lot of ways to figure out a math problem, and it's, um, it's really fun. -Isabel

References

Boaler, J. (2015). Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential Through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Boaler, J (2015). What's Math Got to Do with It? How Teachers and Parents Can Transform Mathematics Learning and Inspire Success. New York: Penguin

Karni, A., Meyer, G., Rey-Hipolito, C., Jezzard, P., Adams, M., Turner, R., & Ungerleider, L. (1998). The acquisition of skilled motor performance: Fast and slow experience-driven changes in primary motor cortex. PNAS, 95(3), 861-868.

Abiola, O., & Dhindsa, H. S. (2011). Improving classroom practices using our knowledge of how the brain works. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, 7(1), 71-81.

Maguire, E., Woollett, K., & Spiers, H. (2006). London taxi drivers and bus drivers: A structural MRI and neuropsychological analysis. Hippocampus, 16(12), 1091-1101.

Woollett, K., & Maguire, E. A. (2011). Acquiring "The Knowledge" of London's layout drives structural brain changes. Current Biology, 21(24), 2109-2114.Book Image
To read about studies of schools that have given students positive messages about their ability, combined with mathematics teaching that supports the brain messages, see:
Boaler, J. (1998). Open and closed mathematics: Student experiences and understandings. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 29(1), 41-62.

Boaler, J., & Greeno, J. (2000). Identity, agency and knowing in mathematics worlds. In J. Boaler (Ed.), Multiple perspectives on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 171-200). Westport, CT: Ablex Publishing.

Boaler, J. (2002). Experiencing school mathematics: Traditional and reform approaches to teaching and their impact on student learning (revised, expanded edition). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Boaler, J. (2002). Learning from Teaching: Exploring the Relationship Between Reform Curriculum and Equity. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 33(4), 239-258.

Boaler (2005). The 'Psychological Prison' from which they never escaped: The role of ability grouping in reproducing social class inequalities. FORUM, 47, 2&3, 135-144.

Boaler, J. (2006). Opening Their Ideas: How a de-tracked math approach promoted respect, responsibility and high achievement. Theory into Practice. Winter 2006, Vol. 45, No. 1, 40-46.

Boaler, J. (2006). Urban Success. A Multidimensional mathematics approach with equitable outcomes. Phi Delta Kappan, 87, 5.

Boaler, J & Staples, M. (2008). Creating Mathematical Futures through an Equitable Teaching Approach: The Case of Railside School. Teachers' College Record. 110 (3), 608-645.

Many people think that some students can work to high levels and some cannot because of the brains they are born with, but this idea has been resoundingly disproved. Study after study has shown the incredible capacity of brains to grow and change within a remarkably short period of time.

Some of the amazing evidence of brain plasticity comes from studies of London Black Cab drivers. To become a black cab driver in London you need to study for between two and four years and at the end of that time take a test called The Knowledge. To pass The Knowledge you must memorize over 25,000 streets and 20,000 landmarks in Central London. Scientists found that after this complex spatial training the hippocampus of the taxi drivers had grown significantly. The hippocampus is a part of the brain that specializes in acquiring and using complex spatial information. When drivers retire, many years later, the hippocampus shrinks back down again.

The studies conducted with Black Cab drivers, of which there have now been many, showed a degree of brain flexibility, or plasticity, that stunned scientists. They had not previously thought that such brain growth was possible. This led scientists to shift their thinking about ability and the possibility of the brain to change and grow.

Around the time that the Black Cab studies were emerging, something happened that would further rock the scientific world. A nine-year old girl, Cameron Mott, had been having seizures the doctors could not control. Her physician, Dr. George Jello, proposed something radical. He decided he should remove half of her brain, the entire left hemisphere. The operation was revolutionary-and ultimately successful. In the days following her operation, Cameron was paralyzed. Doctors expected her to be disabled for many years, as the left side of the brain controls physical movements. But as weeks and months passed, she stunned doctors by recovering function and movement that could mean only one thing-the right side of her brain was developing the connections it needed to perform the functions of the left side of the brain.

Doctors attributed this to the incredible plasticity of the brain and could only conclude that the brain had, in effect, "regrown."

The new brain growth had happened faster than doctors imagined possible. Now Cameron runs and plays with other children, and a slight limp is the only sign of her significant brain loss. To learn more about this story visit the Today Show website.

The new findings that brains can grow, adapt, and change shocked the scientific world and spawned new studies of the brain and learning, making use of ever-developing new technologies and brain scanning equipment. In one study that is highly significant for those of us in education, researchers at the National Institute for Mental Health gave people a 10-minute exercise to work on each day for three weeks. The researchers compared the brains of those receiving the training with those who did not. The results showed that the people who worked on an exercise for a few minutes each day experienced structural brain changes. The participants' brains were "rewired" and grew in response to a 10-minute mental task performed for just 15 days over three weeks. Such results should prompt educators to abandon the traditional fixed ideas of the brain and learning that currently fill schools-ideas that children are smart or dumb, quick or slow.

If brains can change in three weeks, imagine what can happen in a year of math class if students are given the right math materials and receive positive messages about their potential and ability.

This article contains excerpts from Jo Boaler's new book, Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential Through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching
Teaching Children With These Messages

In a recent summer camp the youcubed team taught mindset and brain messages to local 6th and 7th grade students. They also - importantly - taught math in way that supported the new evidence. The camp had a huge impact on the students. After 18 days of math teaching the students improved their scores on standardized tests by an average of 50%.

You can see the camp in this music video:

Here are some quotes from the students:

"They taught us how, um, how math is for everybody, and I believed that I wasn't a math person before but now I believe that anybody can do math, and, and that helped me a lot. And the way I thought that math was all about right answers and wrong, but it's really about ideas and it's very creative, and that helped me like it a lot more." -Olivia

Four or five brains work better than one, so when we combine all of our ideas .... When we got an idea, we shared it with the group and then we compared all of them and if we got, a few people got the same one, we try convincing the other person and we see who's right. -Antonio

Yeah, um, math is .. like now that I've seen a whole new different perspective of it, I really like it 'cause it's really, it's a really creative subject, and there's a lot of ways to figure out a math problem, and it's, um, it's really fun. -Isabel

References

Boaler, J. (2015). Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential Through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Boaler, J (2015). What's Math Got to Do with It? How Teachers and Parents Can Transform Mathematics Learning and Inspire Success. New York: Penguin

Karni, A., Meyer, G., Rey-Hipolito, C., Jezzard, P., Adams, M., Turner, R., & Ungerleider, L. (1998). The acquisition of skilled motor performance: Fast and slow experience-driven changes in primary motor cortex. PNAS, 95(3), 861-868.

Abiola, O., & Dhindsa, H. S. (2011). Improving classroom practices using our knowledge of how the brain works. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, 7(1), 71-81.

Maguire, E., Woollett, K., & Spiers, H. (2006). London taxi drivers and bus drivers: A structural MRI and neuropsychological analysis. Hippocampus, 16(12), 1091-1101.

Woollett, K., & Maguire, E. A. (2011). Acquiring "The Knowledge" of London's layout drives structural brain changes. Current Biology, 21(24), 2109-2114.Book Image
To read about studies of schools that have given students positive messages about their ability, combined with mathematics teaching that supports the brain messages, see:
Boaler, J. (1998). Open and closed mathematics: Student experiences and understandings. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 29(1), 41-62.

Boaler, J., & Greeno, J. (2000). Identity, agency and knowing in mathematics worlds. In J. Boaler (Ed.), Multiple perspectives on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 171-200). Westport, CT: Ablex Publishing.

Boaler, J. (2002). Experiencing school mathematics: Traditional and reform approaches to teaching and their impact on student learning (revised, expanded edition). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Boaler, J. (2002). Learning from Teaching: Exploring the Relationship Between Reform Curriculum and Equity. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 33(4), 239-258.

Boaler (2005). The 'Psychological Prison' from which they never escaped: The role of ability grouping in reproducing social class inequalities. FORUM, 47, 2&3, 135-144.

Boaler, J. (2006). Opening Their Ideas: How a de-tracked math approach promoted respect, responsibility and high achievement. Theory into Practice. Winter 2006, Vol. 45, No. 1, 40-46.

Boaler, J. (2006). Urban Success. A Multidimensional mathematics approach with equitable outcomes. Phi Delta Kappan, 87, 5.

Boaler, J & Staples, M. (2008). Creating Mathematical Futures through an Equitable Teaching Approach: The Case of Railside School. Teachers' College Record. 110 (3), 608-645.

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Anyone Can Learn to High Levels - YouCubed

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Many people think that some students can work to high levels and some cannot because of the brains they are born with, but this idea has been resoundingly disproved. Study after study has shown the incredible capacity of brains to grow and change within a remarkably short period of time.

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When You Believe in Your Students They Do Better Article

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When You Believe in Your Students They Do Better Article

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It may seem obvious that students achieve at higher levels when teachers believe in them, but few would have predicted how much a simple message from teachers can change students' whole trajectories and achievement.

A study many years ago that probably would not be allowed today, showed something remarkable about teacher beliefs. Researchers told teachers that some classes of students - across six grade levels - had been tested and were capable of greater intellectual growth than other students. In reality, those students were of the same achievement levels as other students and were randomly chosen for the classes. At the end of one year the students' scores on IQ tests matched the teachers' false beliefs. When teachers were told that students had higher intellectual ability their students scored at significantly higher levels on IQ tests than students whose teachers were not told anything (Rosenthal and Jacobs, 1968). This study is a powerful illustration that teachers' expectations and beliefs about students matter.

In a much more recent study, researchers illustrated just how powerful a single message can be. Hundreds of students were involved in an experimental study of high school English classes. All of the students wrote essays and received critical diagnostic feedback from their teachers, but half the students received an extra sentence on the bottom of the feedback. The students who received the extra sentence achieved higher grades a year later, even though the teachers did not know who received the sentence and there were no other differences between the groups. It may seem incredible that one sentence could change students' learning trajectories to the extent that they achieve at higher levels a year later, with no other change, but this was the extra sentence:

I am giving you this feedback because I believe in you.

Students who received this sentence scored at higher levels a year later. This effect was significant for students of color, who often feel less valued by their teachers (Cohen & Garcia, 2014). I share this finding with teachers frequently, and they always fully understand its significance. I do not share the result in the hope that teachers will add this same sentence to all of their students' work. That would lead students to think the sentence was not genuine, which would be counterproductive. I share it to emphasize the power of teachers' words and teachers' beliefs they hold about students, and to encourage teachers to instill positive belief messages at all times. Furthermore, belief in students alone is not enough (Shouse, 1996). Teachers must couple these beliefs with an academic environment that values open, growth mathematics , mistakes , and high quality assessments.

Teachers can communicate positive expectations to students by using encouraging words, and it is easy to do this with students who appear motivated, who learn easily, or who are quick. But it is even more important to communicate positive beliefs and expectations to students who are slow, appear unmotivated, or struggle. It is also important to realize that the speed at which students appear to grasp concepts is not indicative of their mathematics potential (Supekar et al, 2013). As hard as it is, it is important to not have any preconceptions about our students.

We must be open at all times to any student working hard and achieving at high levels.

Some students give the impression that math is a constant struggle for them and they may ask a lot of questions or keep saying they are stuck, but they are just hiding their mathematics potential and are likely to be suffering from a fixed mindset; often these students are scared to take a risk or to get anything wrong. Some students have had bad math experiences and messages from a young age or have not received opportunities for brain growth and learning that other students have, so they are at lower levels than other students. This in no way means they cannot excel with good mathematics teaching, positive messages, and, perhaps most importantly, high expectations from their teachers and parents.

You can be the person who turns things around for students and liberates their learning path. It usually takes just one person-a person whom students will never forget.

This article contains excerpts from Jo Boaler's new book, Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential Through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching
References

Boaler, J. (2015). Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential Through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Cohen, G. L., & Garcia, J. (2014). Educational Theory, Practice, and Policy and the Wisdom of Social Psychology. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 1(1), 13-20.

Rosenthal, R., & Jacobson, L. (1968). Pygmalion in the classroom. The Urban Review, 3(1), 16-20.

Shouse, R. C. (1996). Academic press and sense of community: Conflict, congruence, and implications for student achievement. Social Psychology of Education, 1(1), 47-68.

Supekar, K.; Swigart, A., Tenison, C., Jolles, D., Rosenberg-Lee, M., Fuchs, L., & Menon, V. (2013). Neural Predictors of Individual Differences in Response to Math Tutoring in Primary-Grade School Children. PNAS, 110, 20 (8230-8235)

It may seem obvious that students achieve at higher levels when teachers believe in them, but few would have predicted how much a simple message from teachers can change students' whole trajectories and achievement.

A study many years ago that probably would not be allowed today, showed something remarkable about teacher beliefs. Researchers told teachers that some classes of students - across six grade levels - had been tested and were capable of greater intellectual growth than other students. In reality, those students were of the same achievement levels as other students and were randomly chosen for the classes. At the end of one year the students' scores on IQ tests matched the teachers' false beliefs. When teachers were told that students had higher intellectual ability their students scored at significantly higher levels on IQ tests than students whose teachers were not told anything (Rosenthal and Jacobs, 1968). This study is a powerful illustration that teachers' expectations and beliefs about students matter.

In a much more recent study, researchers illustrated just how powerful a single message can be. Hundreds of students were involved in an experimental study of high school English classes. All of the students wrote essays and received critical diagnostic feedback from their teachers, but half the students received an extra sentence on the bottom of the feedback. The students who received the extra sentence achieved higher grades a year later, even though the teachers did not know who received the sentence and there were no other differences between the groups. It may seem incredible that one sentence could change students' learning trajectories to the extent that they achieve at higher levels a year later, with no other change, but this was the extra sentence:

I am giving you this feedback because I believe in you.

Students who received this sentence scored at higher levels a year later. This effect was significant for students of color, who often feel less valued by their teachers (Cohen & Garcia, 2014). I share this finding with teachers frequently, and they always fully understand its significance. I do not share the result in the hope that teachers will add this same sentence to all of their students' work. That would lead students to think the sentence was not genuine, which would be counterproductive. I share it to emphasize the power of teachers' words and teachers' beliefs they hold about students, and to encourage teachers to instill positive belief messages at all times. Furthermore, belief in students alone is not enough (Shouse, 1996). Teachers must couple these beliefs with an academic environment that values open, growth mathematics , mistakes , and high quality assessments.

Teachers can communicate positive expectations to students by using encouraging words, and it is easy to do this with students who appear motivated, who learn easily, or who are quick. But it is even more important to communicate positive beliefs and expectations to students who are slow, appear unmotivated, or struggle. It is also important to realize that the speed at which students appear to grasp concepts is not indicative of their mathematics potential (Supekar et al, 2013). As hard as it is, it is important to not have any preconceptions about our students.

We must be open at all times to any student working hard and achieving at high levels.

Some students give the impression that math is a constant struggle for them and they may ask a lot of questions or keep saying they are stuck, but they are just hiding their mathematics potential and are likely to be suffering from a fixed mindset; often these students are scared to take a risk or to get anything wrong. Some students have had bad math experiences and messages from a young age or have not received opportunities for brain growth and learning that other students have, so they are at lower levels than other students. This in no way means they cannot excel with good mathematics teaching, positive messages, and, perhaps most importantly, high expectations from their teachers and parents.

You can be the person who turns things around for students and liberates their learning path. It usually takes just one person-a person whom students will never forget.

This article contains excerpts from Jo Boaler's new book, Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential Through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching
References

Boaler, J. (2015). Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential Through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Cohen, G. L., & Garcia, J. (2014). Educational Theory, Practice, and Policy and the Wisdom of Social Psychology. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 1(1), 13-20.

Rosenthal, R., & Jacobson, L. (1968). Pygmalion in the classroom. The Urban Review, 3(1), 16-20.

Shouse, R. C. (1996). Academic press and sense of community: Conflict, congruence, and implications for student achievement. Social Psychology of Education, 1(1), 47-68.

Supekar, K.; Swigart, A., Tenison, C., Jolles, D., Rosenberg-Lee, M., Fuchs, L., & Menon, V. (2013). Neural Predictors of Individual Differences in Response to Math Tutoring in Primary-Grade School Children. PNAS, 110, 20 (8230-8235)

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When You Believe In Your Students They Do Better - YouCubed

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It may seem obvious that students achieve at higher levels when teachers believe in them, but few would have predicted how much a simple message from teachers can change students' whole trajectories and achievement. A study many years ago that probably would not be allowed today, showed something remarkable about teacher beliefs.

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7 Ways to Balance Joy with Rigor in Math Class

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7 Ways to Balance Joy with Rigor in Math Class

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7 Ways to Balance Joy With Rigor in Math Class

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A few straightforward shifts and strategies can help create math classrooms where even the most reticent learners find their footing.

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Developing Assessment Capable Learners Article

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Developing Assessment Capable Learners Article

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Cultivating learner agency is an endless journey. It not only entails knowing our students as human beings but also requires identifying and unlearning patterns in our teaching that unknowingly engender dependence in learners.

The term agency comes from the Latin agere, meaning "to set in motion." It is precisely what agency should do in our classrooms: empower learners so that their minds and hearts become the engines that drive learning in our classrooms. This isn't as simple as some might believe. Providing too much voice and choice without proper scaffolds can be counterproductive, resulting in chaos in the classroom.

Consider the following moves that cultivate learner agency-and choose one to try in your classroom.

Embrace the Quiet Moments

In an era of learning acceleration and learning loss, it can be hard to grant ourselves permission to slow down. But if we're looking to cultivate learner agency, we must consider the negative effects of accelerating learning-of always asking our students to be "on" in our classrooms. We must ask ourselves: Where does the urgency come from, and how might it be disenfranchising some of my students?

That sense of urgency can actually cause us to diminish learner agency. I've certainly been there. When I'm feeling that sense of urgency, I can't help but intervene prematurely, act on behalf of my students, and bear the majority of the cognitive load. But when I extend my wait time and embrace quiet moments that allow students to have opportunities to think on their own, my time investment pays off in large dividends, providing me with independent learners who find they have lots of tools to overcome obstacles on their own.

When we embrace these quiet moments, we bear witness to student process, which is perhaps the most personalized part of learning in our classrooms.

Praise Students' Journeys

By stepping back and supporting our students while they productively struggle, we can learn a great deal about their learning habits, praising and coaching their efforts along the way.

Praising students' journeys is a great place to start. But we must be specific in our positive feedback. We must name what our students are doing well in order to help them identify it for themselves. Otherwise, our classrooms become places full of empty compliments.

"I can tell you're seeking patterns," I said to a student recently. "That is something good mathematicians do. You may not always find the patterns, but looking for them is a great idea."

"I know research can be frustrating and confusing," I say to validate my students' feelings when they engage in the research process. "Let's talk about some ways to work through those feelings."

Cultivate a Sense of Mastery

Daniel Pink, author of Drive, describes mastery not as unlocked achievements or boxes checked on a report card, but instead as a "desire to get better at something that matters." In schools, this means cultivating awareness of how effort is connected to tangible progress.

After all, it makes intuitive sense: If we can see that the effort we're putting into a task is helping us grow, we're more likely to replicate those behaviors and persist through challenges. But it's easier said than done.

Allow for Learner-Driven Evaluation

In order for students to evaluate their own work, they need to have the language to do so. Otherwise, students may nondescriptively refer to their work as "good" or "bad." This means that educators must create structures, such as learner-friendly rubrics, that can provide them the language necessary to self-evaluate.

These learner-friendly rubrics should contain standards-based, student-friendly learning objectives, such as I can calculate the area and perimeter of rectangles. After evaluating their work on the rubrics, I recommend following up with a structured reflection, in which students state strengths, challenges, and action steps in their own words, as I detail in Reclaiming Personalized Learning: A Pedagogy for Restoring Equity and Humanity in Our Classrooms.

When first starting learner-driven evaluation, learners will need a lot of support. You may want to model how to reflect, even letting them borrow some of your language until they're ready to do it on their own.

Ask Questions More Often Than You Provide Corrective Feedback

While providing specific and actionable feedback is helpful for productive learning, asking thoughtful questions can help students give themselves feedback, allowing them to tap into their own agency and initiate improvements to their work on their own.

Good questions will have multiple answers; they won't lead students, either. Consider asking questions like "Why did you choose to...?" or "Is there a more efficient way to...?" This will force students to think about their thinking, adding a layer of agentive criticality to conversations.

When students are stuck, you may feel inclined to intervene directly in order to get them over their obstacles. But we must remember that if we, the teachers, are acting on behalf of students to help them overcome challenges, we may be doing more to diminish agency than we are cultivating it. In this instance, I like to ask students, "What tools do you have to help you get unstuck?"

Tell Students You Trust Them

This sounds simple, but it's really powerful. By telling students that you trust them, you hand over responsibility to them, and you let them know that no matter what happens-even if they make a mistake-it's all going to be OK.

But you have to walk the talk. It's not enough to only tell students that you trust them. You have to show them, too, by embracing the aforementioned teacher moves that cultivate learner agency.

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Teacher Moves That Cultivate Learner Agency

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Cultivating learner agency is an endless journey. It not only entails knowing our students as human beings but also requires identifying and unlearning patterns in our teaching that unknowingly engender dependence in learners. The term agency comes from the Latin agere, meaning "to set in motion."

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5 Thinks I Wish I Knew When I Started Teaching

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5 Thinks I Wish I Knew When I Started Teaching

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Agenda Items for Vertical Teams at Work! 

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Agenda Items for Vertical Teams at Work! 

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Accountability Partners Peer Observation Form

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Collaboration Scenarios - Common Team Member Challenges.pdf

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Maria Nielson Video-Boulders, Rocks, Butterflies

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Maria Nielson Video-Boulders, Rocks, Butterflies

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How to Write a Strategic and Engaging Curriculum Unit (Maria Nielsen) by Have a Life Teaching

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In this episode, we speak with Maria Nielsen - former school principal, current education consultant, and author of the new Solution Tree book - 15 Day Challenge: Simplify and Energize Your PLC at Work. We discuss how to write 15 day curriculum units, efficaciously and efficiently, through a seven step PLC process that is strategically aligned to academic goals, anticipates student needs, assesses impact on student growth and achievement and is collaborative in nature. Learn how such a process not only increased teacher ownership and creativity in design of the learning plan at Maria’s school but helped clarify and differentiate for educators at her school the content that students had to learn (boulders) from learning that was superfluous (butterflies). If you like this episode, also check out our recent conversations with Chad Dumas on using data within PLC work as well as our chat with Marine Freiburn and Sandy Brunet on developing learning objectives. Maria Nielsen Solution Tree Bio
Maria Nielsen LinkedIn The 15 Day Challenge Book Learning by Design Music - Aylex

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Day 2 February 5th (Goshen County Workshop)

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Day 1 February 4th (Goshen County Workshop)

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7th Percents Unit-Student Handouts Key (MTM Curriculum).pdf

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From Performance to Learning Assessing to Encourage Growth Mindsets

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Assessment for a Growth Mindset-Jo Boaler & Amanda Confer

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Assessment for a Growth Mindset-Jo Boaler & Amanda Confer

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Assessment for a Growth Mindset-Jo Boaler Paper Stanford

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Check for Understanding Template (Standard)

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Agenda Slide Templates-High Impact Lesson

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Assessment Cover Sheet: Diagnostic Tool & Clarity Around Learning

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Assessment Cover Sheet: Diagnostic Tool & Clarity Around Learning

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(Unit Cover Sheet Template) Standard Topic

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Proficiency Scales: Remediation & Deeping Knowledge

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Proficiency Scales: Remediation & Deeping Knowledge

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Outcome Checklist-Math Objectives Curriculum, Checkpoints & Outcome Tracking

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Continued Focused Learning-Student Lead Mastery Tracking

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Continued Focused Learning-Student Lead Mastery Tracking

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Tracking Strengths & Weaknesses/Growth Mastery of Standards PLD aligned

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Cultivating learner agency is an endless journey. It not only entails knowing our students as human beings but also requires identifying and unlearning patterns in our teaching that unknowingly engender dependence in learners.

The term agency comes from the Latin agere, meaning "to set in motion." It is precisely what agency should do in our classrooms: empower learners so that their minds and hearts become the engines that drive learning in our classrooms. This isn't as simple as some might believe. Providing too much voice and choice without proper scaffolds can be counterproductive, resulting in chaos in the classroom.

Consider the following moves that cultivate learner agency-and choose one to try in your classroom.

Embrace the Quiet Moments

In an era of learning acceleration and learning loss, it can be hard to grant ourselves permission to slow down. But if we're looking to cultivate learner agency, we must consider the negative effects of accelerating learning-of always asking our students to be "on" in our classrooms. We must ask ourselves: Where does the urgency come from, and how might it be disenfranchising some of my students?

That sense of urgency can actually cause us to diminish learner agency. I've certainly been there. When I'm feeling that sense of urgency, I can't help but intervene prematurely, act on behalf of my students, and bear the majority of the cognitive load. But when I extend my wait time and embrace quiet moments that allow students to have opportunities to think on their own, my time investment pays off in large dividends, providing me with independent learners who find they have lots of tools to overcome obstacles on their own.

When we embrace these quiet moments, we bear witness to student process, which is perhaps the most personalized part of learning in our classrooms.

Praise Students' Journeys

By stepping back and supporting our students while they productively struggle, we can learn a great deal about their learning habits, praising and coaching their efforts along the way.

Praising students' journeys is a great place to start. But we must be specific in our positive feedback. We must name what our students are doing well in order to help them identify it for themselves. Otherwise, our classrooms become places full of empty compliments.

"I can tell you're seeking patterns," I said to a student recently. "That is something good mathematicians do. You may not always find the patterns, but looking for them is a great idea."

"I know research can be frustrating and confusing," I say to validate my students' feelings when they engage in the research process. "Let's talk about some ways to work through those feelings."

Cultivate a Sense of Mastery

Daniel Pink, author of Drive, describes mastery not as unlocked achievements or boxes checked on a report card, but instead as a "desire to get better at something that matters." In schools, this means cultivating awareness of how effort is connected to tangible progress.

After all, it makes intuitive sense: If we can see that the effort we're putting into a task is helping us grow, we're more likely to replicate those behaviors and persist through challenges. But it's easier said than done.

Allow for Learner-Driven Evaluation

In order for students to evaluate their own work, they need to have the language to do so. Otherwise, students may nondescriptively refer to their work as "good" or "bad." This means that educators must create structures, such as learner-friendly rubrics, that can provide them the language necessary to self-evaluate.

These learner-friendly rubrics should contain standards-based, student-friendly learning objectives, such as I can calculate the area and perimeter of rectangles. After evaluating their work on the rubrics, I recommend following up with a structured reflection, in which students state strengths, challenges, and action steps in their own words, as I detail in Reclaiming Personalized Learning: A Pedagogy for Restoring Equity and Humanity in Our Classrooms.

When first starting learner-driven evaluation, learners will need a lot of support. You may want to model how to reflect, even letting them borrow some of your language until they're ready to do it on their own.

Ask Questions More Often Than You Provide Corrective Feedback

While providing specific and actionable feedback is helpful for productive learning, asking thoughtful questions can help students give themselves feedback, allowing them to tap into their own agency and initiate improvements to their work on their own.

Good questions will have multiple answers; they won't lead students, either. Consider asking questions like "Why did you choose to...?" or "Is there a more efficient way to...?" This will force students to think about their thinking, adding a layer of agentive criticality to conversations.

When students are stuck, you may feel inclined to intervene directly in order to get them over their obstacles. But we must remember that if we, the teachers, are acting on behalf of students to help them overcome challenges, we may be doing more to diminish agency than we are cultivating it. In this instance, I like to ask students, "What tools do you have to help you get unstuck?"

Tell Students You Trust Them

This sounds simple, but it's really powerful. By telling students that you trust them, you hand over responsibility to them, and you let them know that no matter what happens-even if they make a mistake-it's all going to be OK.

But you have to walk the talk. It's not enough to only tell students that you trust them. You have to show them, too, by embracing the aforementioned teacher moves that cultivate learner agency.

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Teacher Moves That Cultivate Learner Agency

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Cultivating learner agency is an endless journey. It not only entails knowing our students as human beings but also requires identifying and unlearning patterns in our teaching that unknowingly engender dependence in learners. The term agency comes from the Latin agere, meaning "to set in motion."

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Developing Assessment Capable Learners Article

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Developing Assessment Capable Learners Article

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7 Ways to Balance Joy with Rigor in Math Class

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7 Ways to Balance Joy with Rigor in Math Class

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7 Ways to Balance Joy With Rigor in Math Class

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A few straightforward shifts and strategies can help create math classrooms where even the most reticent learners find their footing.

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What is a PLC Meeting? (collaboration article)

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Student by Student, Target by Target Article

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Student by Student, Target by Target Article

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7th& 8th Sample Intervention/Enrichment 

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7th& 8th Sample Intervention/Enrichment 

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Accountability Partners Peer Observation Form

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Agenda Items for Vertical Teams at Work! 

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Agenda Items for Vertical Teams at Work! 