Flexibility in CIA to Expand Access - Active Learning for Students in Poverty - Use of Hard & Soft Data - Student Feedback

1. Introduction to Purposeful Instructional Equity ©

2. Theme #1
HARD & SOFT
DATA

3. Data is the Means to Getting a Full Picture of Students
Hard Data Soft Data
• Student Surveys
• Observations
• Anecdotal records
• Student interview
• Formative assessment
• Attendance records
• Last standardized testing profile
• Benchmark testing
• Cum record
• Unit pretests
• Number of address changes

4. If we look at data only for the purpose of instructional adjustments for the
following year, we miss a HUGE resource to make our teaching flexible and
responsive in the moment for the students NOW.

5. Knowing that a student has extreme difficulty speaking in front of the class allows you as the teacher to employ
strategies to lessen the anxiety for students who have that issue. You may set aside 5 minutes at the end of class
for students to approach you with questions, for example.
EXAMPLE
KNOWING YOUR STUDENTS

6. “Classrooms that TEACH UP
function from the premise
that student potential is like
an iceberg—most of it is
obscured from view—and
that high trust, high
expectations, and a high-
support environment will
reveal in time what's
hidden.” Tomlinson & Javius

7. The Zone of Proximal Development is the sweet spot ❤️ for learning.
Knowing the students’ entry point in the skill or content area allows you
to gauge instruction that is challenging but ATTAINABLE to the student.
A student does not grow by being given tasks that he or she can do or
conversely, work that is beyond what he or she is capable of at this
time…..like asking a 6 month old to speak in complete sentences.
GETTING IN THE ZONE…..

8. Knowing The Entry Point Is Important In Planning Instruction
❤️

9. Another Representation of the Zone of Proximal Development

10. Theme #3
Flexibility in CIA to Expand
Access

11. UDL At a Glance 
How Do You Meet the Needs of a
Diverse Group of Students?
We are aiming at the concept here, though not
necessarily the program by CAST. This concept
can be applied in any platform to better meet
the needs of all students.
Universal Design for Learning

12. The Three Principles of UDL
CAST

13. CAST

14. CAST

19. Tiffany was a 13 year old regular education fifth grade KIP at a high poverty school. This very sweet girl entered
the school with her two siblings in January of the school year. Tiffany had repeated two grades and was
significantly behind her classmates. She read on a third grade level. Tiffany had missed 31 days so far during this
year.
Her fifth grade teacher had assigned a project in Social Studies that required reading content, and the independent
development of a project. The students were given two weeks to complete the projects which constituted their
homework every night during this period. She provided a clear project guide and answered any questions that the
students had in class during the course of the two weeks. The teacher provided reminders regarding the due date.
HOMEWORK
HEADACHES
On the date the project was due the teacher collected the projects. Only three students had
not submitted the assignment, Tiffany was one of them. She gave all three one additional day
to submit their projects. The next day, all but Tiffany’s was submitted. Her explanation was that
she forgot it. Her mother did not respond to the note sent home. Mrs. Green started keeping
Tiffany after school as a consequence.
Her teacher subsequently approached the principal to issue a conduct card for non-compliance.

20. Digging Deeper
This well intentioned teacher had no clue as to why this student continually
did not complete her project. The expectations and un-scaffolded process
far exceeded Tiffany’s ability to even begin this assignment. This student
had barriers in terms of reading level, undeveloped executive function skills,
limited background on the topic of the project and lacked any support at
home. Tiffany’s anxiety level was heightened because she felt out of control
and embarrassed. She began with multiple somatic complaints and getting
into arguments with classmates.
The expectations were unrealistic-setting her up for failure.

21. The project assigned
to this KIP required
that the student
perform a multi-step
project which was
outside her Zone of
Proximal
Development, at the
highest level on
Bloom’s Taxonomy,
in the place where
she has no support &
with no scaffolding.

22. What could have made a
difference? • Getting to know the student
• Personalized means of building background
• Explicit support in obtaining resources
• Flipped homework for the lower level tasks
• Higher level skill portion done with teacher
• The assignment being broken into small incremental, accountable
steps
• Regular conferencing with student about progress
• Partnering students
• Explicit exemplars
• Use of rubric for guided self assessment

23. Jonathan Bergmann in his book, Solving the Homework Problem by Flipping the Learning makes a
interesting case for inverting Bloom’s Pyramid and giving assignments at the lower level for homework,
saving class time for the application and analysis with the teacher’s support and guidance. He suggests
that “students interact with introductory material at home prior to coming to class.”

25. Regardless of where you weigh in on this concept, what we know is that at its core,
teachers of students in poverty must seek creative options for providing the instructional
design structures that allow these students to be successful.
Rubrics
Active Learning
Media
Flipped
Assignments
Facilitated Project
Based Learning
Conferencing

26. “Students don't lose stamina simply because they struggle. They lose stamina when they struggle
with no strategies or hope of success.” Paula Bourque, 2017

27. Theme #3
Student
Feedback

28. “Good feedback gives student information they need so they can so they
can understand where they are in their learning and where to go next.
Once they feel they understand what to do and why, most students
develop a feeling that they have control over their own learning-the
motivation factor.”
How to Give Effective Feedback to Your Students, Susan M. Brookhart

29. Task Feedback Process Feedback
Self-regulation
Feedback
Personal Feedback
Four Types
of Feedback
Less transferable to other tasks-
Re-teaching may be more effective
Makes connection between what they did
& the outcome- This is scaffolding the transfer
Does nothing to promote growth
It needs to develop self- efficacy

30. Some Facts About Effective Feedback
 Feedback must occur while the learning is still fresh.
 Feedback is most effective when changes can still be made.
 Give feedback about strengths as well as weaknesses.
 Writing volumes of feedback on poor quality student products accomplishes nothing.
 Not putting any feedback on good quality work is a missed opportunity.
 Comments should include next steps in the learning.
 Focus on 2-3 learning targets.

31. Do & Don’t of Providing Effective Feedback
 Do compare student’s work with established
rubrics
 Do compare with student’s previous
performance sample
 Use simple, clear language in feedback
 Be sure the student understands the
feedback
 Don’t compare with other student’s work
 Don’t give feedback on criteria not established
beforehand
 Don’t use sarcasm or innuendo
 Don’t assume the student understands your
feedback

32. “Some students who are interested and engaged in learning
will hear almost any message eagerly. These students do self-
assessment spontaneously.”
”Students who don’t have solid prior learning experiences
or don’t have the learning skills to process the
information….will benefit from feedback that helps them
connect the process they used with the results they
obtained.”
How to Give Effective Feedback to Your Students, Susan M. Brookhart

33. Using Feedback to “FEED” growth is the piece that
helps students make that coveted “Leap of Faith”

35. Every Kid Deserves a Champion 
In closing, please watch this video clip.

36. ….for thegift of your time, participation &presence.