The Exchange
Teachers set the tone by greeting students at the door with a welcoming comment. This quick exchange sends a powerful message to students - that you care. We know from research that students are more likely to succeed if they feel connected to school and have positive, respectful relationships with teachers. During the exchange, students receive their marker(s) and eraser and proceed directly to their learning frame for The Rewind.
The Rewind
Volumes of research suggest that students perform best when they feel confident and safe to experiment. The sole purpose of The Rewind is to build confidence by connecting “just right” problems to prior learning that allow students to experience success from the moment they enter the classroom. The Rewind includes three graduated problems, with an additional Challenge Problem to be completed prior to The Micro-Lecture.
The Micro-Lecture
John Medina, in Brain Rules, points out, “You’ve got seconds to grab someone’s attention and only 10 minutes to keep it. At 9 minutes and 50 seconds, something must be done to regain attention and restart the clock.” The Micro-Lecture allows for 10 minutes of direct instruction, introducing new academic language, skills/concepts, and sample problems. Students take notes on this information to use as a resource when they apply the new academic language and skills during The Practice.
The Practice
The Practice is the opportunity for all students to experience learning together. Each student performs in a personalized “learning frame” on the wall while the teacher remains in the middle of the classroom and has a 360-degree view of student learning. Students grapple with the problems in a manner that fosters discussion and collaboration. The teacher can see the misconceptions as they are happening, in real-time, and help students navigate through the learning with consistent, positive support and guided peer collaboration.
The Proof
The Proof is designed to give all students an opportunity to apply their knowledge and demonstrate mastery of the skills at the end of each lesson. The Proof is completed independently and serves as an informative assessment will guide the teacher as he/she creates the problem sets and Micro-Lecture plans for the following lesson. Teacher planning is emphasizes building on what students know to ensure their improvement and growth each and every day.
The Progress Bar
The Progress Bar was designed based on neurological research and the impact of technology on student thinking. As students complete problems and their work is verified, a check-mark is placed in each box and their success is charted visually in The Progress Bar. The student and teacher can get a snapshot of the progress by calculating how many checks have been earned indicating the readiness for the “next level” of work.
