It's OK (Beneficial Actually) for Students to Struggle and Vocabulary Instruction

Excellence in Education: Causing a Student to Struggle

“Causing a student to struggle,” sounds counter-intuitive to our mission as educators, doesn’t it?

It’s not.

So when I saw a math teacher challenge students to solve a problem without telling them how, I was excited. Research shows that when you’re asked to solve a problem before being shown  how to solve it, the subsequent solution is better learned and more  likely to be remembered.

So whether it’s solving a math problem, or asking students, “How do you think (insert historical figure/event and a scenario?” or having students make corrections to something they haven’t yet learned, you’re actually priming their brain for learning. It’s perfectly acceptable for them   to struggle—learning shouldn’t be easy and learning is actually made more permanent when it is difficult.

For more information see Daniel  Willingham’s Why Students Don’t Like School or Make it Stick by Peter Brown, Henry Roediger, and  Mark  McDaniel. 

Ideas for the Classroom: Vocabulary Instruction

Vocabulary is a vital part of all learning, so important that it cannot be ignored because the correlation between vocabulary knowledge and learning and comprehension is undeniable.

Effective vocabulary instruction takes time and research shows that having students look up the definitions is perhaps the least effective means to improving student vocabulary. Robert Marzano has developed the following 6-step program to teach vocabulary.

Use direct instruction to provide students with a description, explanation, and an example (and a non-example) of the word. You can also provide a visual.

Have students restate the description, the explanation or an example in their OWN words.

Students should construct their own visual (graphic, picture, symbol, etc.) for the word.

Allow students to use the words in different settings and in different ways (interact with each other by sharing their visualizations, working together on graphic organizers, etc.)

Use periodic games or other high-interest strategies to learn the terms (Bingo, tech games, Pictionary, etc.)

Administrative Notes

Positive Referral Link: http://goo.gl/s0KXRB So far only 2 students have been nominated for positive referrals. Let’s make it a goal for each of us to nominate at least one student by next Wednesday.

Work Order Request Form: http://goo.gl/H7hFwK

We’ll have one more fire drill this week. We’ll have a school-wide lockdown drill on Wednesday. Thanks to all of you who practiced lockdowns on Thursday.

What I’m Reading

Seven Ways to Engage Students In Class : Simple strategies to ensure every student is part of the learning process

Five Research-Based Tips for Providing Feedback : Testing is an effective means of monitoring student progress and providing meaningful feedback 

NY Times: Liking Work Really Matters : A lot of good stuff in this article which includes talk of interest, how to gain interest, and cognitive psychology

Lectures Aren’t Just Boring, They’re Ineffective Too : This is a scientific article, but also includes suggestions for how to enhance learning while not disbanding lectures 

Is a Degree Still Worth It? : Statistics show that a bachelor’s degree is near an all-time high.