Everybody is talking about RIGOR or asking, "What is rigor?" If you do any research on rigor, you will find that rigor does not mean difficulty. Instead rigor means the level of mental processing that must occur to answer a question, perform a task or generate a product. Two widely used measures of rigor are Bloom's Taxonomy and Webb's Depth of Knowledge Levels. Both measures of rigor go from the simple to the complex. Karen Hess' Cognitive Rigor Matrix integrates these models as a strategy for analyzing the level of teacher lessons and assessments. Bloom's verbs indicate the level of performance or the level of questioning. Webb's Depth of Knowledge focuses on the complexity of standards in order to successfully complete an assessment or a task. The outcome (product) is the focus of the depth of understanding. In my district, we have been using Karen Hess' Cognitive Rigor Matrix to map out our learning events in our UbD units This matrix allows you to map out your lessons and assessments to ensure a balance at all levels. Certainly there is a place for recall and reproduction or routine thinking, but this matrix can be used for "tweaking" some of our lessons to make them more rigorous. When you unpack the Common Core Standards, look at the verbs and align the standard with the level of Bloom's taxonomy. Then check out what follows the verb to indicate the level of understanding. What comes after the verb is more important than the verb itself. For example, DOK 1 Describe three characteristics of metamorphic rocks. DOK 2 Describe the difference between metamorphic and igneous rocks. DOK 3 Describe a model you might use to represent the relationships that exist within the rock cycle. Online, you can easily find copies of the Cognitive Rigor Matrix for ELA, Math, Science and Social Studies. You can also find the Bloom's Posters created by Wake County Public Schools System Academically Gifted Program. I am attaching a link to my free flipchart on DOK in the Content areas on TPT. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/DOK-Depth-of-Knowledge-in-the-Content-Areas-455359 You can also download my free Depth of Knowledge posters for your classroom.
In each text there are 10 mistakes that the students must find and correct. It gives students a possibility to practise their knowledge about English grammar. - ESL worksheets
Last week, I blogged about Bloom's Taxonomy and Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS). (See April 2, 2012.) My friend, Andrea, over at One Teacher's Take...is Another's Treasure commented that she also uses Webb's Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Levels and Marzano's Dimensions of Thinking, both of which are new to me. So, I immediately googled them. Here's what I found. . . Webb's DOK Levels look like this: What I like about Webb's model is the 4 levels versus Bloom's 6. It's always nice to condense things, isn't it? At least in my realm of preparing dozens of lesson plans each day, less is more! The 4 level descriptors (the inner circle) boast newer and somewhat clearer concepts. Then my eye wanders over the outer circle. Ouch! Another sea of verbs to swim through. The 4th level, presumably the quarter in which we strive to spend most of our time, is curiously short on verbs compared to the other 75%. Are those 8 verbs/phrases just more succinct? Or, do they reflect the limitations foisted upon teachers by the Common Core of Teaching Standards, standardized testing, and uniform time lines? Surely that triad has bearing on it. Perhaps there is more to be considered, however. Is the 4th level truly where teachers strive to be? I hope, in my heart of hearts, that the answer is YES. However, it is possible that some, if not many, teachers find little motivation to work on level 4. Their efforts are not evaluated by standardized tests, depriving them of extrinsic approval. Paychecks remain static whether teachers push their students toward extended learning or not. Indeed, rewards are esoteric. Certainly the dedicated, professional teacher experiences intrinsic satisfaction. S/he may even be fortunate enough to receive accolades from students, parents, colleagues, and/or administrators. Is that enough? In a future blog, I'll discuss Marzano's Depth of Knowledge Levels. Until then, I'd love to hear your thoughts about teaching HOTS.
Albert Einstein once said that if he had an hour to save the world he would spend fifty-five minutes defining the problem and five minutes finding the solution. This suggestion gets to the heart of coaching in proposing a ratio of thinking to acting in response to what we perceive as a problem.
Question stems can be used as thinking prompts for class discussions, prompting, and various forms of assessment.
A poster created for our English language arts and social studies departments (humanities) to use in their classroom, as well as in the library.
“Deep learning is the central principle of Curriculum for Excellence. It involves knowledge and understanding and the skills to apply knowledge in useful ways.” High Order Skills Excellence Group F…
I put this image up on Facebook and a lot of trainers seemed to like it. So here it is – you can use it freely (yes, even for commercial projects) as long as you leave the copyright statement and…
In Part 1 of this series, Critical Thinking: Time Is of the Essence, I suggested: If you’re a business analyst — absolutely, making time to think matters! There needs to be something more on your schedule besides meetings. You need to carve out time — significant time — to think! Why? Thinking takes time. Why? It requires […]
Lateral thinking solves problems via a creative approach involving ideas that may not be obtainable by using traditional step-by-step logic.
The purpose of these critical thinking question stems is to help students practice willingness to sit with an idea and struggle wonderfully.
What is a "daily stand-up" really for and how do you get the best out of this key Scrum event? How do you avoid stand-up fatigue? Here are some tips to make the Daily Scrum effective again.
Question stems can be used as thinking prompts for class discussions, prompting, and various forms of assessment.
A district-wide unit that affirms the experiences of ELLs while teaching content and developing their language skills. ELLs voices were highlighted through this multi-grade, multi-school unit.
A chart from Macmillan Education lists 10 English idioms that use the word ‘book’.
19 Saying Saying I Think Phrases in English As I understand it… I consider that… I esteem that… I deem that… As I see… I assume that… I feel that… If you wonder my opinion… In my opinion… If you ask me… The way I see it… It seems to me… As far as I can see… As far as I’m concerned… I feel… I honestly believe that… From my point of view… I assume… I consider…
Sentence Starters! Here you will find a useful list of common sentence starters that you can use in a discussion as well as in essay writing. Learn these
Dr Spencer Kagan is a renowned educator who changed the way the world viewed teaching. He is mainly known for his work on cooperative learning strategies (often referred to as Kagan learning struc…
How interoceptive awareness works, the impact on self-regulation, signs of modulation challenges, and activities to gain IA.
The late William Edwards Deming was an American statistician, professor, author, lecturer, and consultant. He is perhaps best known for the “Plan-Do-Check-Act” cycle popularly named after him, and is…
How to help your child find the right learning styles to enhance their potential in school and to prep the brain for higher learning. Learning is unique and different for each child.
Nonverbal is a important communication skill for police officer. Police officers use nonverbal skills every day we rely on are skills to keep themselves and citizens out of danger. Pinizzotto & Davis (1999) says, “A police officer's safety is dependent on their ability to nonverbally establish authority and dominance when working with the public in instances such as routine traffic stops”. Ways a police officer can insure their safety is through physical body language, hand signals and direct eye contact. Another way of communicating nonverbally is that police officers are mainly identifiable by the uniform they wear and the appearance of the car they drive. References: Pinizzotto, A. J., Davis, E. F. (June, 1999). Offenders' Perceptual Shorthand: What Messages Are Law Enforcement Officers Sending to Offenders? [Electronic version]. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 68, 1-4.
A research paradigm, or set of common beliefs about research, should be a key facet of any research project. However, despite its importance, there is a paucity of general understanding in the medical sciences education community regarding what a research paradigm consists of and how to best construct one. With the move within medical sciences education towards greater methodological rigor, it is now more important than ever for all educators to understand simply how to better approach their research via paradigms. In this monograph, a simplified approach to selecting an appropriate research paradigm is outlined. Suggestions are based on broad literature, medical education sources, and the author’s own experiences in solidifying and communicating their research paradigms. By assisting in detailing the philosophical underpinnings of individuals research approaches, this guide aims to help all researchers improve the rigor of their projects and improve upon overall understanding in research communication.
Most non-profit boards rightly focus their risk governance on identifying and assessing risks before developing a set of escalating controls to prevent an adverse event. They then consider how thei…
Teaching English online has become more and more popular in recent years. Through the following courses below, we will show you how to adapt your existing skills and knowledge to suit this specific area of the teaching world.
Micromanagement is the best way to get the Least from your team! Micromanagement is a counter-productive management style characterized by such behaviors as an… | 36 comments on LinkedIn
I came across this recently and thought I'd share it: The original source.
I have really enjoyed chatting with teachers on Twitter lately about DOK (Depth of Knowledge) levels. Part of what I teach in my college class to
Whether via classroom discussions, analysis of written text, higher-order questioning, or other strategies, learn and share ways to help students go deeper with their thinking.
The principal sin of plagiarism is not ethical, but cognitive. Brad Hokanson , U of Minnesota ...
