Identifying Similarities and Differences

Using similarities and differences requires higher order thinking as students analyze items for similarities and differences.

Summarizing and Note taking

Students synthesize information and organize it into meaningful information by breaking information down to main ideas, key supporting details, and removing redundant and irrelevant information.

Technology Integration Strategies:

Reinforcing Effort & Providing Recognition

Addressing students' attitudes and beliefs is key to success. Many students don't connect the relationship between the amount of effort and the amount of achievement. Students, like most people, do better when effort is reinforced and quality work is recognized. When students are rewarded or praised for achieving specific goals, their level of achievement is higher. Publishing quality student work can be highly motivating to students!

Homework and Practice

Quality homework offers an extension of learning opportunities. Homework and practice allow students to practice, review and apply understanding. Homework and practice enhance students' ability to reach the expected level of proficiency for a skill, learning process or learning objective.

Nonlinguistic Representation

Nonlinguistic representations can include graphic representations, mental pictures, physical models, drawings, and kinesthetic activities. New knowledge is usually presented in a linguistic form. When students are also able to use imagery, the effects on achievement can be significant.

Cooperative Learning

Cooperative learning is traditionally the opportunity for students to interact with each other in groups in ways that enhances learning. Simply working in a group is not cooperative learning. Cooperative activities support the ideas that there should be a variety of criteria to group students, clear objectives for groups to aim at, and a for of evaluating group work as well as individual work.

Setting Objectives & Providing Feedback

Setting objectives establishes a direction for learning. Once students understand an objective, they should understand what evidence will be accepted to show mastery of the objective. Specific, timely, and regular feedback to students enhances their learning. Also, feedback should include an explanation of why an item is correct or incorrect and be criterion referenced. Students should understand where they stand relative to a specific objective throughout the learning activity, not just at the end.

Generating & Testing Hypotheses:

Enhance student understanding of an ability to use knowledge by engaging students in the mental of generating and testing hypotheses includes several processes including systems analysis, invention, experimental inquiry, decision making, and problem solving. Students should be asked "what if?" as they plan and conduct simple investigations. This is not restricted to the science classroom!

Cues, Questions, & Advanced Organizers

Cues, questions & advanced organizers pertains more to what the teacher does in preparing for a topic. This includes the ability to pose questions that promote students's ability to retrieve, use, and organize what they already know about a topic. Giving students a preview of what they are about to learn or experience helps them activate prior knowledge. This strategy gives students the opportunity to connect what they already know to what they need to know. Questions should focus on what is central and most important. Advance organizers are most useful for information that is not easily presented in a well-organized manner.