High
stakes testing season is right around the corner. Both students and teachers
are starting to feel the pressure. In recent posts, we have been highlighting
Return on Investment ideas for learning and teaching. Today’s blog emphasizes
the learning strategy that has the highest ROI. The strategy also takes little
time.
According
to Robert Marzano’s meta-analysis, the instructional strategy
that has the highest effect on achievement is Identifying Similarities and
Differences.* Comparison is one of the processes of this effective strategy and
comparison takes little time.
When we
learn anything, we compare. Most of the time, we compare naturally: we compare
shapes of leaves to identify plants; we compare new vocabulary words to words
we already know; we compare characters in movies to people we know. Try consciously using comparison when learning
difficult new material. Ask yourself how
the new math process compares (or contrasts) with a process you already know.
Ask yourself how the complex science theory compares with a simpler theory that
you already understand. Ask yourself how the main idea of paragraph one
compares with the main idea of paragraph two. At this time of year we might ask
ourselves how testing compares to learning. You get the idea:
Just
fill in the blanks: How is ________________
similar to _____________ ? How is ______________ different than
_______________?
When we
teach anything, we can help learners explicitly compare. Provide a Venn diagram
or T-chart or other graphic organizer to help learners get into the mindset of
comparing and contrasting. One online
free source for graphic organizers is http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/
Using a
strategy with high ROI is important in this testing season. Next time we will
talk more about finding time with organization tips. You might be surprised at the
thirty second organizational rule.
*Reference:
Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock. Classroom Instruction that
Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement Association
for Supervision & Curriculum Development, 2001. Print
