Strategy Spotlight

TOP 3 most misused strategies across all classrooms and levels. This monthly post is provided to provoke a little conversation. And, remember, the thoughts presented here are offered up as indisputable facts, not just opinions. So here we go….Our without-a doubt, talk-to-the-hand most misused strategies.

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There is not much that is more important in any classroom than robust discussion. Still, here’s the thing. Turn and Talk has been reduced too often to useless chatter with no purpose and little accountability. This is a great strategy that too many of us view as a toss-away. No, we should not abandon this practice but we gotta get better at getting better. Turn and Talk can be effective as a pre-planned or impromptu activity, but it must have a clear purpose and even a tiny bit of accountability. At the very least, we should keep the conversation short and focused, and follow it up by randomly calling on a few kids and requiring them to report out and justify their thinking. Turn and Talk can function as a check for understanding, and top-notch teachers often use it to listen for subtle misunderstandings and to repair student comprehension!

This is a powerful strategy that continues to fuel debate, even among secondary teachers. The truth is that great habits and benefits can result when Read Aloud is done well. If we get this strategy wrong, it has little benefit. Even if the students are enjoying the story, Read Aloud can lead to lost instructional time and missed opportunities. If done effectively, Read Aloud is as great option for engaging kids in complex texts and (in turn) introducing them to advanced vocabulary. It may surprise you to learn that students can expand their vocabularies simply through increased exposure to new words, even when we don’t stop and define the words for them. Read Aloud can also improve attention span and, of course, get students excited to read more.

Yes, Formative Assessment covers a broad range of things, from quizzes to polls to exit tickets. In fact, it is rare to see this best practice not utilized in some form in every classroom. The problem is that Formative Assessment is one of the most misused and misunderstood practices in our industry. What most teachers agree on is that formative assessment techniques should drive learning in some form or fashion. What is missing in many classroom is a common agreement on who should be using the assessment results or data. Here’s the thing! Formative assessment should benefit the student, not just the teacher. The best formative techniques measure learning in a way that requires students to review their answers through some form of error analysis so they understand better what they know and what they still don’t know. Yes, teachers should also use the results to adjust their instruction, but the real power comes from student ownership of their learning.

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