Promise of Practice #3 Masterful Teaching & Student Engagement

[Audio] Promise of Practice # 3. Masterful Teaching & Student Engagement. A Rationale..

[Audio] What is masterful teaching? What is student engagement? It's important for us all to calibrate these common terms as we prepare to learn more about Promise of Practice 3 next school year..

[Audio] An artisan "this or that" implies that a craftsperson created a product in small batches, applying specialized knowledge and skill, with a measure of artistic creativity. An artisan is one skilled in the applied arts, a craftsperson...a unique combination of artist, scientist and skilled laborer..

[Audio] Excellent teachers are just like this. They are Artisans. Artful, knowledgeable, skilled, masters of their craft..

[Audio] In other arts, such as painting, sculpture, and the writing of novels---master artisans use basic tools to transform the rawest of materials into the most valued assets in society. In that same way, teachers should see themselves as artisans. Their tools being a sound knowledge base of teaching, a repertoire of instructional practices, and the abilities of reflection and problem-solving..

[Audio] Promise of Practice 3. Common Questions & Answers..

[Audio] How many pillars are in Promise of Practice 3? Three pillars makeup promise of practice 3. Respectful Learning Tasks. Student Engagement and Rigor. and Assessment for Learning..

[Audio] Why does Promise of Practice 3 include a focus on assessment for Learning? Assessment for learning involves putting scholars at the center of their own learning in a way that intrinsically motivates them to keep track of where they are now, where they are going, and how to close their learning gaps. Black and Wiliam's groundbreaking meta-analysis, ' Inside the Black Box' showcases the student as a decision maker. Many other prominent education experts have also described the benefits of student involvement in assessment processes such as goal-setting, tracking learning, and self-reflection..

[Audio] Why is student engagement a cornerstone of Promise of Practice 3? Without student engagement, teaching is a solo act. Several studies and high school reform initiatives cite student engagement as a key ingredient in helping students stay in school and be successful..

[Audio] Why is student engagement a cornerstone of Promise of Practice 3 ? Think about the typical question-and-answer session in most classrooms as a " beach ball scenario". Picture it. The teacher is holding a beach ball. The teacher tosses the beach ball to student 1, who quickly catches the ball and tosses it back. She then tosses the beach ball to Student 2. The same scenario happens perhaps three or four times during what is poorly referred to as " class discussion". Although the teacher asked three or four questions, only two or three eager students actually got an opportunity to demonstrate active cognitive engagement with the topic at hand. The teacher got little feedback from the other students and didn't get an accurate assessment of what the others learned, perhaps until it's too late..

[Audio] The problem with tossing the beach ball is that too many students sit, either passively or actively disengaged, giving no indication of what they are thinking or of what they have learned..

[Audio] Here's the reality. The actual implementation of techniques that cognitively engage students is not the norm in many classrooms. This situation is true in urban, rural, and "well-to-do" suburban schools..

[Audio] Educational research identifies teacher quality as the most important school-related factor influencing student achievement. Teacher quality includes teachers' ability to seamlessly use strategies that result in masterful teaching, student success, and consistent and authentic student engagement..

[Audio] The next step is to dig deeper into the three pillars Promise of Practice 3. Respectful Learning Tasks. Student Engagement and Rigor. And Assessment for Learning..