OVERVIEW OF STRATEGY 5
Strategy 5: Use Evidence of Student Learning Needs to Determine Next Steps in Teaching
This strategy was previously called “Design lessons to focus on one aspect of quality at a time.” Jan Chappuis and Rick Stiggins changed the name and purpose of the strategy based on further research and observations in classrooms.
Effective teachers build in a feedback loop by:
- determining where students are in their learning and what students’ learning needs are throughout the instruction for a learning target.
- considering the teaching strategies that will best address the needs of the students.
- planning time in their instruction to take action.
Feedback Loop – Zone of “What Happens Next”
Hattie calls this critical feedback loop “the zone of what happens next.” Hattie, Chappuis and other researchers point out that teachers often think they do not have time for assessing student understanding and mastery after the initial instruction. Wiggins says teachers are really saying they do not have time for learning. After the initial instruction, the students respond in some manner. Then the teacher and students analyze their performance to determine if additional instruction is needed or if students can revise their work based on feedback from the teacher or based on their own self-assessment. This feedback loop is essential to ensure student learning takes place before work is graded.
Coaching Companion
Video: Analyzing Student Work
UNPACKING STRATEGY 5
Designing Assessments to Diagnose Learning Needs
Hover here to reveal the answer
Number 2 reveals more because it requires a higher level of understanding and reasoning.
Number 1 only asks students to remember the formula and how to use the formula.
Number 2 requires using the correct formula C=2πr and understanding that radius is half the diameter and reasoning. Applying understanding that circumference represents one rotation of a circle; students can solve the problem correctly. Accurate Answer: 31.4 cm
Types of Learning Needs
Researchers have identified different types of student learning needs. Errors that students often make are due to three major types of problems: incomplete understanding, flaws in reasoning and misconceptions. Most of the problems students exhibit can be attributed to one of these causes.
Incomplete Understanding
Incomplete understanding means that the student knows something about the content/skill or partially understands the content, process or skill. They do not need re-teaching of the entire content. They are not confused but they need more instruction. In this case feedback is not the best strategy because they need to complete their understanding before they can benefit from feedback. For example, a student may know how to use a number line to add numbers, but when presented with a subtraction problem, they add the 2 numbers rather than subtracting. They understand how to use a number line but do not know how to use it for subtraction. What additional instruction do they need?
Looking at the examples below, what other partial understandings might these students have? How would you design instruction to help the students develop a more complete understanding of the task and how to solve problems like this one?
Incomplete understanding: 10 divided by 2 equals 5 (may know that d=2r but may have incorrect understanding between radius and circumference of a circle)
Based on the math problem we looked at earlier (How far will a wheel travel in one rotation if the diameter is 10 cm?), look at this student’s answer – 5 cm. One possible partial understanding is given: student divided 10 by 2 because he/she may know that the diameter = 2 times the radius.
Student always capitalizes titles (over-generalization)
- I spoke to Mayor Slay yesterday. (correct)
- Francis Slay, Mayor of St. Louis, will not run for re-election. (correct)
- The Mayor is excited about his transition to his law practice. (incorrect)
- I would like to be Mayor someday. (incorrect)
What are some examples of incomplete or partial understanding in your classrooms? What kind of instruction do students need to move forward?
Flaws in Reasoning
Another type of error is due to flaws in reasoning. When the teacher analyzes the student’s work, the work shows that the student is confused about the steps or the concepts in that type of reasoning. For example, the student may not understand the concept of cause and effect or classification or they may not know how to use the steps for summarizing or inference. As a result, the teacher may see these kinds of examples: students identify characteristics as similar when they are different or they make an illogical inference.
For students that make errors due to flaws in reasoning, Chappuis suggests helping students identify the flaw (Strategies 1 and 2), and ensuring students understand the definition, steps, rubric, and strong and weak work.
How far will a wheel travel in one rotation if the diameter is 10 cm? Inaccurate Answer: 10 cm
1 x 10 = 10 cm (one rotation times the diameter = 10)
Evidence: The writer substitutes one term for another in the argument, yet the terms are not the same.
Example: The undemocratic government of Mexico had only one political party with real power. This dictatorship has been in control of Mexico since 1919.
Coaching Companion
Example: Early Learning Planning Sheet
What is the flaw in the student’s reasoning? What examples of errors in reasoning do you see in your classrooms? What are some ways to help students who exhibit flaws in reasoning?
Misconceptions
A third type of error is due to misconceptions. Student work shows they have either learned a concept incorrectly, have formed a conception that is not supported by current thinking or are not applying rules correctly. For example, they think the sun revolves around the earth or a civil war is only the U.S. Civil War.
C=2πD (Incorrectly interchanged radius and diameter)
Examples:
- I would like to except this award for my father. (accept/except)
- As a teacher, I effect many students. (affect/effect)
What is the misconception? What instruction does the student need? What are some examples of misconceptions in your classrooms? What kind of instruction do students need to move forward?
Diagnosing Learning Needs
What are some sources we can use to identify learning needs? Which of these could you use?
- Learning progressions
- Deconstructed standards (supporting standards)
- Diagnostic assessments
- Rubrics
Look at the examples below and think about how each of these might help you to diagnose student learning needs.
Look at the following Learning Standard Progression, and how the complexity increases at each level for this standard.
- K.R.1A.b. With assistance, ask and respond to questions about texts read aloud.
- 1.R.1.A.b. Ask and respond to relevant questions.
- 2.R.1.A.b. Ask and respond to relevant questions.
- 3.R.1.A.b. Draw conclusions and support with textual evidence.
- 4.R.1.A.b. Draw conclusions by providing textual evidence of what the text says explicitly.
- 5.R.1.A.b. Draw conclusions by providing textual evidence of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Draw conclusions, infer, and analyze by citing the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- Analyze what the text says explicitly.
- Analyze inferences drawn from the text.
- Find evidence in the text.
- Decide which evidence most strongly supports.
- Support analysis of text with strongest evidence.
Analyze proportional relationships and use them to solve problems.
- Recognize and represent proportional relationships between quantities.
- Determine when 2 quantities are in a proportional relationship.
- Identify and/or compute the constant of proportionality (unit rate.)
- Represent proportion by equations
- Explain what a point on a graph means
- Solve multi-step ratio and percent problems
What are some diagnostic assessments your school/district uses and how can they be used to identify student learning needs? Some examples might include:
- DAR (Diagnostic Assessment of Reading)
- Basic Reading Inventory (Jerry Johns)
- CORE Phonics
- Key Math
How could this rubric for Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning be used to diagnose student learning needs?
| Standard | 5 | 3 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claim | Introduces the claim that answers the question asked. Claim is accurate, complete and specific. | Introduces the claim and answers the question asked. Claim is accurate but not complete or specific. | Claim is not clearly stated, does not answer the question, is inaccurate and/or incomplete. |
| Evidence | Supports claim with specific evidence. Evidence is factual, accurate, credible, sufficient, and cited. | Supports claim with some evidence, but evidence is either not factual, accurate, credible, sufficient and/or not cited. | Claim is not supported by evidence or evidence is not factual, accurate, credible or sufficient. Evidence is not cited. |
| Reasoning | Logically links the claim to the evidence proving claim to be true. Shows detailed understanding. | Links claim to evidence but does not use words to create a logical link between claim, reasons and evidence. | Claim is not linked to the evidence. No connection between claim, reasons, and evidence. |
How can we know what learning needs we need to address? How can we develop assessments that provide diagnostic information and create traction for instruction? How can we scaffold learning for students with misconceptions, errors in reasoning, and partial understanding?