#EDvice: Interest Powers Learning and Outcomes

Humans crave a deep connection when it comes to learning something new, especially if they initially don't see any value in what's being taught or facilitated. We expect this as adult learners, so it goes without saying that our students both want and need this as well. In the absence of authentic meaning there is a tendency to disconnect or go off task, putting the learning experience at hand in jeopardy of not being successful. No one wants this, especially teachers who have spent a great deal of time planning lessons. 

In the classroom making connections to content and concepts embedded within standards is of utmost importance, but these have to be captivating as some kids naturally won't be jazzed up about certain content. The key is to elicit attending behavior. Interest is a powerful element that acts as a motivator and is a key component that drives learning. NEVER underestimate the importance of a "hook" during the opening movements of a lesson to empower ALL learners. In this piece of #EDvice I unpack some tips on how utilize simple strategies as well as share some practical examples. 

Whether you refer to the strategy as a hook or anticipatory set, they key is to infuse relevance that piques the interest of diverse learners.  Below are some of the startefgies I shared in Disruptive Thinking in Our Classrooms:

• Picture prompt
• Real-world problem of the day
• Current event or personal story
• Open-ended writing prompt that sparks inquiry and creativity
• Riddle
• Short, engaging video followed by a turn and talk
• Sensory exploration 

If we want to improve outcomes, in the classrooms or during professional learning, we must make efforts to impart interest. 

Bookend Pedagogy

As I work with more and more schools in a coaching role, I am beginning to see specific trends emerge. Now, before I go any further, it goes without saying that I see fantastic examples of sound pedagogical practices and innovative strategies that are leading to improved learning outcomes.  However, my role, as the schools I partner with and I see it, isn't to just spit out platitudes and tell them what they want to hear.  The most important aspect is to empower them to take a critical lens to their work through evidence and begin to think deeply about needed changes to practice.

In a previous post, I outlined what a typical coaching day with me looks like, as well as the most common areas where growth can be achieved based on many classroom visits.  Wells Elementary has been taking the feedback that I provide for over three years and recently asked me to create a session that focused on strategies for opening and closing lessons. I was excited about this opportunity as I was going to have the honor of meeting with all teachers by grade level and presenting newly created content. As I pondered over what I was going to call this presentation, the idea of bookend pedagogy popped into my mind.  I ran the title by my wife as she never hesitates to tell me how it is. She liked it, and off I went to create a new slide deck.

The more I think about it, I really see bookend pedagogy as a critical element of any successful lesson. How a lesson begins typically makes or breaks it in the eyes of a learner. A well-structured anticipatory set gets the ball rolling, while a review or prior learning right after helps to ensure that the kids understand what was covered previously. The end provides valuable feedback to both the teacher and student to determine if the objective/target was met and that learning occurred. Without closure, it is difficult, if not impossible, to evaluate whether a specific lesson was a success. For my session with the Wells staff, I developed and then implemented a mini-lesson on personalized learning while ensuring that I included an anticipatory set, a review of prior learning, direct instruction, and closure. 

In the past, I have written posts on all three of these elements, but a quick review never hurt anyone.  In addition, I will provide additional strategies and resources. The anticipatory set is used to prepare students for the lesson by setting the students' minds for instruction. This is achieved by asking a question or making statements to pique interest, create mental images, review information, focus student attention, and initiate the learning process. Types of sets can include the following:

• Short video clips
• Relevant writing prompts
• Riddles
• Personal stories or real-world scenarios
• Current events
• Picture prompts
• Props
• Open-ended questions

For more context, check out this video.

Just because something was presented in class, the assumption cannot be made that students actually learned it, which makes reviewing prior learning critical.  Research in cognitive science has shown that eliciting prior understandings is a necessary component of the learning process. Research also has demonstrated that expert learners are much more adept at the transfer of learning than novices and that practice in the transfer of learning is required in good instruction (Bransford, Brown, and Cocking 2000). Check out this article from TeachThought, which outlines 27 strategies to review prior learning.

How do you know if the class got it at the end of a lesson? Learning increases when lessons are concluded in a manner that helps students organize and remember the point of the lesson. Closure draws attention to the end of the lesson, helps students organize their learning, reinforces the significant aspects of the lesson, allows students to practice what is learned, and provides an opportunity for feedback and review. Time must be set aside for closure, and efforts should be made to include it in lesson plans. A straightforward way to do this is to provide three scaffolded questions (easy, moderate, and challenging) as a means of formative assessment. Below are some general closure examples:

• Explain one thing you learned today.
• What was the most challenging concept, and why?
• Identify the most significant learning from the lesson and explain why.
• What do you need to do to develop a deeper understanding?
• How did the lesson impact your understanding?
• How would you summarize what you learned for someone who wasn't here?
• What was one thing you were unsure of?
• Discuss an "aha" you had and how it connects to the learning target/objective.

The above only represents some ideas on how to close a lesson.  As is the case with anticipatory sets, reviews of prior learning, and closure, there is no one right way.  Many tools can help facilitate all of the above. Here they are in no particular order:

• Whiteboards (no tech)
• Paper exit tickets
• Plickers (best tech option)
• Mentimeter
• Pear Deck
• Nearpod
• Google Forms
• Kahoot
• Quizizz
• Quiz Whizzer
• Gimkit
• GoSoapBox
• Padlet
• Linoit
• AnswerGarden
• Flipgrid

It should be noted that bookend pedagogy might not be necessary during lessons that involve high-agency strategies such as station rotation, choice boards, playlists, or those involving extended inquiry and project-based learning. However, with any of these pedagogical techniques, there should be an opening and an end at some point, so always keep bookend pedagogy in mind. 

Don't Forget Closure

There are many pedagogical techniques that run the gambit when it comes to instruction and learning. In a previous post, I discussed the importance of opening lessons with a bang, using an anticipatory set. Whether you call it a set, hook, or bell ringer is not the issue. What is, though, is the value the strategy has as part of a comprehensive lesson. Here’s why:

The anticipatory set is used to prepare learners for the lesson or task by setting their minds for instruction or learning. This is achieved by asking a question, adding a relevant context, or making statements to pique interest, create mental images, review information, and initiate the learning process. A good do-now activity can accomplish this.

While the opening moments with students are crucial, so are the final minutes. Think about this for a second. What’s the point of an objective or learning target, whether stated, on the board, or students have the opportunity to later discover for themselves, if there is no opportunity at the end to determine if it was met or reflected upon? Closure matters, yet virtually every lesson I observe in schools across the country are missing the crucial component. Here’s why. Learning increases when lessons are concluded in a manner that helps students organize and remember the point of the lesson. Closure draws attention to the end of the lesson, helps students organize their learning, reinforces the significant aspects of the lesson, allows students to practice what is learned, and provides an opportunity for feedback, review, and reflective thinking.

Kathy Ganske provides this take.

As in a puzzle, an effective lesson has many pieces that must fit together. We typically give considerable thought to how we initiate lessons: activate or build background knowledge, teach essential vocabulary, engage learners, and set a purpose for the lesson. And we carefully select tasks or activities and texts for use during the lesson. But closure is often given short shrift or omitted entirely. We need to be sure we plan time to cycle back to the what, why, and how of students’ learning to help them actively synthesize the parts into a whole. Lesson closure provides space for students to digest and assimilate their learning and to realize why it all matters. Closure is a component of planning and teaching that we can't afford to leave out.

A Google search will turn up a slew of ideas on how to close lessons. I prefer to keep it simple. First, make sure it is planned for and that at least three to five minutes are set-aside at the end of every period or block. Second, consider the following questions that students should answer or reflect upon in relation to the objective or learning target.

• What exactly did I learn?
• Why did we learn this?
• How will I use what was learned today outside of school, and how does it connect to the real world?

Whether exit tickets, journals, whiteboards, or technology are used doesn’t really matter. What does is that closure is prioritized.

Opening Lessons With a Bang

It seems like ages ago that I was taking courses to become a teacher at East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania. My professors were huge proponents of the Instructional Theory into Practice (ITIP) model developed by Madeline Hunter. Thus, once I had a classroom of my own, I implemented what I was taught to create effective lessons. Virtually all of the facets of the ITIP model still have value today, although by no means do all seven steps have to be a part of every lesson. I will say though, that in addition to closure, the inclusion of an anticipatory set is of utmost importance. Below is a description of the strategy:

Anticipatory set is used to prepare students for the lesson by setting the students' minds for instruction. This is achieved by asking a question or making statements to pique interest, create mental images, review information, focus student attention, and initiate the learning process. 

The first couple minutes of every lesson is critical to its success, and a pedagogically sound anticipatory set that meets the criteria outlined in the picture above is well worth the time when it comes to planning lessons. I get the fact that some educators might question the validity of this strategy that dates back to the 1960s. It is also understandable to have concerns when considering the demands that some districts place on getting through the curriculum, so kids are ready for standardized tests.

The fact remains that anticipatory sets not only matter for the reasons already outlined above but also for the fact that inclusion in lessons is supported by research. Jennifer Gonzalez highlighted four separate pieces of research that link to achievement gains. I encourage you to read the entire post as she not only highlights research but also provides some examples and creation tips.

Creating an anticipatory set is not labor-intensive. During some recent coaching visits with the Corinth School District in Mississippi, I was able to observe two great examples. In an elementary classroom as class started the kids responded to the following prompt during an ELA block – “If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?” In a middle school classroom, a teacher used a picture prompt, which you can see below.

Anticipatory sets should not be a time sap when it comes to planning. Below are just a few quick ideas that can be implemented quickly:

• Picture prompt
• Real-world problem of the day
• Current event or personal story
• Open-ended writing prompt that sparks inquiry and creativity
• Riddle
• Short, engaging video followed by a turn and talk
• Sensory exploration 

Be sure to take advantage of the opening minutes of each class. Starting lessons off with a bang not only makes sense but will pay dividends both in and out of class.