Best Practices using Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures and Higher level

questioning

Becca MasseyGifted and Talented Teacher

Georgetown ISD June 25, 2014

Logistics

• Class- 8:30-3:30• Lunch -11:30-12:30• Breaks- 10 min a.m./ 10 min. p.m.• Name cards • Find website: GISD, Cooper Elementary, Gifted

and Talented, Becca Massey

Objectives

• Today we will learn: • How to implement best practices using Kagan

Cooperative Learning Structures• Determine how adding depth and complexity

to daily lessons will result in long term learning

• Use different higher level questioning strategies to add rigor to our daily lessons

Stop to Jot

• Please complete the following prompt on sticky note or piece of paper:

• The students in my classroom learn best when…....

• Be prepared to share!

T-Chart Sort• A/B Partner- Decide which of you would like to be partner A

and partner B- take turns sorting the statements according to where you think they should go!

More Less

TTT

• Truth telling time- Still using A/B partner take a few minutes to share which statements you use and implement on a daily basis.

• This is non-judgmental so please be honest.

Best Practices Model

Best Practices- Research BasedStudent Centered

• We need to find students interests, all across the curriculum and allow them to investigate their own questions and ideas.

• How- Provide hands on, whole ideas and events, real complex ideas and materials, genuine challenges, choices and responsibilities in their learning.

Cognitive• Our most powerful learning comes when

children develop true understanding of concepts through higher-order thinking through inquiry and self-monitoring of their thinking.

• How- students should be able to recreate and reinvent every cognitive system they encounter (math, language, literacy, sciences)

• Learners should be able to reflect, debrief from their learning

Social

• Learning is socially constructed and often interactive. Teachers need to create classroom interactions that “scaffold” learning.

• How- Cooperative learning activities tap the social power of learning better than competitive and individualistic approaches

• Sentence Stems can be used with all Cooperative Learning Activities

What Makes An Activity Truly Cooperative?

• Simultaneous Interaction- are the largest possible number of students actively contributing to the lesson at the same time?

• Equal Participation-are all members required to contribute equally to the team project or activity?

• Positive Interdependence- Is the success of the team dependent upon positive contribution by all members?

• Individual Accountability- Is each member held accountable for his or her own contributions and learning?

Benefits of Cooperative Learning• Higher self-esteem• Improved social skills• More on-task behavior• Higher academic achievement for all students• Better attitudes toward teacher and school• Greater use of higher-level thinking skills• Increased appreciation for different points of

view

Keys to a Cooperative Classroom

• Social Skills must be taught• Taking turns, no put downs, sharing materials,

participating equally, staying on task, encouraging others, patient waiting, communicating clearly, accepting differences, active listening, staying with the team, celebrating success, helping others!

Kagan Cooperative Learning Goals

1. Make cooperative learning part of every lesson2. Requires very little advanced preparation3. No changes in curriculum needed 4. Very easy to do5. On the outside it might looks like a lot of noise

and chaos, but on the inside you will find it to be a powerful teaching tool and that the noise is constructive noise

Inside/Outside Circle• In concentric circles, students rotate to face new partners

and answer questions.

• Students stand in two concentric circles, facing a partner. The inside circle faces out; the outside circle faces in.

• Students use flashcards to ask questions of their partner, or they may take turns responding to a teacher question(s).

• Partners switch roles: outside circle students ask, listen, then praise or coach.

• After each question or set of questions, students in the outer circle rotates to the next partner. (Teacher may call rotation numbers: “Rotate three ahead.”)

Mix, Pair, Share• Students mix to form pairs and share their knowledge

of a topic • Teacher poses a problem or question that has an exact

answer or is open ended with many responses• Teacher calls, “Mix!” -Students mix around the room.

(Play favorite music) • Teacher calls, “Pair!” (Stop the music and students

pair)• Students pair• Students share their responses to the teacher prompt-

students respond with “Thank you for sharing”

Numbered Heads Together• Teammates work together to ensure all members understand; one

is randomly selected to be held accountable.• Students count off numbers in their groups.• Teacher poses a problem and gives wait time (Example: “Everyone

think about how clouds are formed. [Pause] Now make sure everyone in your team knows how clouds are formed.”)

• Students lift up from their chairs to put their heads together, discuss and teach.

• Students sit down when everyone knows the answer or has something to share or when time is up.

• Teacher calls a number. The student with that number from each team answers the question individually using: response cards, dry erase boards, manipulatives, or IPAD apps (Educreations)

Mix, Pair, Solve

• Students mix to form pairs and solve a problem• Teacher poses a problem or asks a question • Teacher calls, “Mix!” -Students mix around the

room. (Play favorite music) • Teacher calls, “Pair!” (Stop the music)• Students pair• Students solve the problem that was posed-

students respond with “Thank you for helping”• Good to review for an assessment

Showdown• Students in teams number off. Student 1 becomes

the Leader. The Leader reads the first task card aloud.

• All students attempt to solve the problem and write their responses on paper, dry erase, etc.

• The Leader asks for a “Showdown.” Teammates compare and check answers.

• Students discuss the answer, offering help if needed.

• Leader role rotates

Mix and Match• Give each student a card with information on it and

the other half of information on another card• Start music and have students mix the cards as they

mix around the room• Stop the music and have students find their match.

Have the matching pairs form an outside circle around the room.

• Students share why they match with their partner Continue to mix and match

• Ideas-units of time, equivalent fractions, different numeric representations, vocabulary

Rally Coach

• Partners take turns, one solving a problem while the other coaches.

• The teacher poses a problem to which there is one correct answer

• Partner A solves the problem; Partner B watches, checks, and praises (A can be talking out loud)

• Teacher poses the next problem.• Partner B solves the problem; Partner A watches, checks

and praises (B can be talking out loud)• Repeat starting at Step 1

Round Table

• Students in teams number off.• Students pass a paper around the team as

they take turns recording answers• Have them fill in a graphic organizer to classify

something (geometric shapes, seasons, etc.)

Round Robin

• Students number off• Teacher poses question or topic• Teacher calls a number to indicate which team

member will share their answers first.• Remaining students take turns orally sharing a

response (use a sentence stem when responding) Idea-non-fiction story that they all read, question

cards and then respond (STAAR)

Who Has, I Have? • Each student gets a card with a statement and a

question on it• Teacher prompts one student to start with the

question prompt *this student will answer last• Students must listen to the question and

description and be ready to answer• Example: Who has “the pointed top of a mountain

or hill? “I have Peak, who has the part of an ocean, sea, or lake extending into the land…I have Bay…keeps going

• Other ideas-math vocabulary, characters in a novel

Activity

• Chose a Kagan Cooperative Learning Structure and decide how you can use it in your classroom?

• Mix, Pair, Share

Brain Breaks

• Research shows that children need a “change of state” to maximize learning

• Mix, Pair, Share- what would be a way to “change the state” in order for children to refocus?

1. Pancake2. Countdown3. Hammer4. Rocketship5. Skate6. Tree stand- count by 10’s, multiples of a number7. Continent dance8. Be Verbs 9. Songs/Poems10.Water Cycle song

Higher Level Questioning

• Adding Depth and Complexity with Language to Literacy Charts

• Socratic Questioning• PLORE Questions

Depth & Complexity

• Depth and Complexity are words or prompts that activate higher levels of knowing. They are words that help us decode meaning. They allow us to gain expertise in a domain. The icons assure that you use these strategies consistently and use them all of the time. They provide a common vocabulary.

Depth

• Exploring a discipline by looking below the facts and investigating generalizations, principles, and universal concepts.

Language of the Discipline

• Students identify terms or words that are specific to a subject or discipline.

• How professionals in the field talk to one another.

• Appropriate terminology.

Details

• Students are instructed to note the attributes, traits, or characteristics of an idea or event.

Patterns

• Students are instructed to identify reoccurring events.

• Patterns repeat themselves.

• We use patterns to predict.

Unanswered Questions

• Students are instructed to question what is still not known or understood.

• What is still unclear?• Discrepancies• Do any conclusions need

further investigation, evidence or support?

Rules

• Students are instructed to define how the topic is structured

• Orders you follow• Laws, norms, formulas

Trends

• Students identify factors or events (social, political, economic, and geographic) that cause events to occur or happen.

• Influences• Forces

Ethics

• Students are instructed to identify any dilemmas or controversies of the idea or event.

• Determine the elements that reflect bias, prejudice, or discrimination.

Big Ideas

• Students determine the overarching statement that best summarizes what is being studied.

• It is a generalization, principal or theory.

• Bloom’s Synthesis forming parts to make a new whole.

Across the Disciplines

• Relate the area of study to other subjects within, between and across disciplines.

Change Over Time

• Students describe how the effect of time changes the idea or event.

• Examining the origin, the present, and the future.

Different Perspectives• Students are instructed to

investigate the opposing points of view, roles, status, or values.

• Students examine the event form the perspective of different disciplinarians (anthropologist, economist, sociologist, political scientist, mathematician, scientist, artist)

• You don’t know an issue until you know it from both sides.

Do you teach for questions or answers?

• Be accepting of all answers and questions• Participate in the activities• Model answering and questioning daily• Incorporate questioning techniques in your lesson

plans

Answer: If your answer is “answers”, then cut the strings and fly a little!

Convergent Questions

• Convergent Questions- attempts to find the best answer

• Evaluation, describing, defining, graphing, drawing, conclusions, etc.

• Attempting to take many ideas and draw them together toward a single goal or result.

Divergent Questions

• Divergent Questions- many possible answers…open ended, engaging to get kids thinking; seeks responses that consider many possibilities; responses are not evaluated as right/wrong; good or bad

• Fluency, Flexibility, originality, elaboration

• Activity-next slide

1. In groups take a piece of paper and make a circle map…tell me everything you know about a rectangle.

2. Flexibility-think of different ways to use a placemat…list those

3. Originality- Compile a list and decide which is most creative or original

4. Elaboration- How could we make the placemat better or more useable?

Productive/Reproductive Questions

• Compare/Contrast• Feelings/Opinions• Personification Questions• Analysis Questions• Synthesis Questions• Evaluation Questions• Application Questions• Was It Possible Questions• Risk- Taking Questions• Process of Elimination Questions

PLORE QuestionsPredict- What do you think will happen to Arthur’s bike?Locate-Find the sentence on pg. 27 where Francine tells Arthur and Buster about what happened to her bike. Write the sentenceOrder- Put the following events in order from what happened first to last.– The kids decide to tell Mr. Haney about the bike.– One of the garbage collectors picked up Francine’s bike.– Francine tells Buster and Arthur her bike is stolen.Recall- Why does Muffy think someone stole the bike? Pg. 28Evaluation- Do you think Francine should tell her friends about

what really happened to her bike? Why/Why not?What Kagan strategy would you use to implement PLORE

questions?

L to L Chart

• Select a book from your table• Use the elements of depth and complexity

descriptors to fill in the L to L chart for your book.

• Are there others to add? Can you make connections to other literature? Can you see any trends, across disciplines, etc.?