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MARZANO RESEARCH ASSOCIATE TIPS FOR REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

Lesson Segments Involving Routine EventsDesign Question: What will I do to establish and communicate learning goals, track student progress, and celebrate success?

Element 1: What do I typically do to provide clear learning goals and scales (rubrics)?

• Helpstudentsunderstandthedifferencebetweentheirlearninggoalsandtheirassignments.

• Makesurethatlearninggoallanguageclearlyindicateswhetherthelearninggoalisdeclara-tiveorprocedural.

• Createmorethanonelearninggoalforin-depthlessonsorunits(contentgoal,writinggoal,vocabularygoal,andsoon).

• Refertoandtalkaboutthescalewithstudentsthroughoutthelessonandunit.

• Usethescalewhendesigningassessmenttasks.

• Poststudent-friendlylearninggoalsandscaleswhereallstudentscanseethem.

• Askstudentstousethelearninggoalthroughoutthelessonandastheyreflectontheirlearning.

• Havestudentswritethelearninggoalsinanotebookorjournal.Foryoungerstudents,simplyhavethemrepeatthelearninggoalsaftertheteacher,ifwritingisoverlytime-consuming.

• Askstudentstomonitortheirprogressontheirpersonallearninggoals.

• Don’tuseastandardsstatementasalearninggoal.

• Writelearninggoalsthatareappropriatefortheageorabilitylevelofstudents.

• Promptandguidestudents,ifnecessary,tohelpthemidentifypersonallearninggoalsthatareimportantandmeaningfultothem.

2 BECOMING A REFLECTIVE TEACHER

Element 2: What do I typically do to track student progress?• Scoreandreturnassessmentstostudentspromptly.

• Considerwhetheraspecificassessmentsituationcallsforanindividualscore-levelassessment.

• Usestudent-generatedtasksasawaytoallowstudentstopersonalizetheirlearning.

• Keeptrackofthetypesofassessmentsusedtoensurethatonetypeisnotusedexcessively.

• Usea“datawall”displayintheclassroomtodisplayclassprogressonlearninggoals.Updateitoften.

• Usesimplertrackingsystemswithyoungerstudents.

• Monitorstudents’personallearninggoalprogressaswellasprogressontheclasslearninggoals.

• Meetwithstudentsfrequentlytoreviewtheirprogressandupdategoalsforimprovement.

• Makeupdatingprogressonlearninggoalsaclassroomroutine.

• Informparentsorhavestudentsinformtheirparentsoftheircurrentstatusandgoalsforimprovement.

• Sendhomecopiesofapplicablescaleswithastudent’scurrentstatushighlightedonaweeklyorbi-monthlybasis.

• Setclassgoalsforeachlearninggoal.

• Reportclassprogresstostudentsregularly.

• Don’tconfusemechanicalerrors(forexample,poorspelling,incompletesentences,awkwardwritingstyle,andsoon)withlackofknowledgeorpoorperformanceonthelearninggoalcontent.

• Don’tuseonetypeofassessment(forexample,paperandpenciltests)exclusively.

• Don’ttracktoomanygoalsatonce.

• Don’tassumethatstudentsknowtheircurrentstatus.

• Don’tassumethatstudentswilltracktheirprogresswithoutsupportfromtheteacher.

Element 3: What do I typically do to celebrate success?• Makecelebrationsofsuccesspublic.Forexample,communicatecelebrationstoparents,other

teachers,andotherstudents.Keepinmindthatsomestudentsmaypreferquieter,privatecelebrations.

• Holdminiconferenceswithstudentstogivethemverbalfeedback.

• Planfeedbackforspecificstudentsbasedontheirperformanceonanassessmentorlearningactivity.Bespecificabouttheirstrengthsandweaknesses.

• Givestudentsspecificfeedbackaboutwaystoimprovetheirscores.

• Keepeachstudent’sindividualscoresprivate.

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• Celebrateknowledgegain,effort,andpersonalbests.Avoidcomparingstudents’perfor-mancesorencouragingcompetition.

• Avoidpraisinginnateintelligenceor“fixed”characteristics.Rather,recognizespecificstudenteffortthatledtodesiredoutcomes.

Design Question: What will I do to establish and maintain classroom rules and procedures?

Element 4: What do I typically do to establish and maintain classroom rules and procedures?

• Communicaterulesandprocedurestoparents.

• Modifyorsimplifyrulesandproceduresforstudentswhostrugglewithtypicalclassroomstructures,usingbehaviorcontractsandotherstrategies.

• Treatstudentsrespectfullywhencallinginappropriatebehaviortotheirattention.

• Adjustormodifyrulesthatnolongermakesenseorthataregettinginthewayofclassroomlearning.

• Don’tallowrulesthatexcludestudentsorfavoraspecificgroupofstudents.

• Don’ttreatstudentsdisrespectfullyorcondescendinglyduringclassroommeetings.

Element 5: What do I typically do to organize the physical layout of the classroom?

• Arrangefurnituretofacilitatemovement.

• Usecolor,size,andshapeofwalldisplaystohelpstudentseasilylocateimportantinformation.

• Askforstudents’permissiontodisplaytheirwork.

• Explaintostudentswherematerialsareandhowtolettheteacherknowifsuppliesarerun-ninglow.

• Trytomakeeverystudent’sdeskfourstepsorlessfromtheprimaryteachinglocation.

• Allowstudentstogiveinputontheroomlayout.

• Considervision,hearing,physical,andbehavioraldifficultieswhendesigningaseatingarrangementforstudents.

• Don’tcluttertheroomwithunnecessaryitemsorteacherbelongings.

• Whendisplayinginformationonawhiteboardorchalkboard,makesureitisorganizedandlegible.

• Changewalldisplaysregularlytoreflectcurrentcontent.

• Keepwallsfreefromclutterorvisualdistractions.

M Associate Tips for Reflective Practice


• Arrangestudents’deskssothattheirlegs,feet,andmaterialswillnotposeanysortoftrippinghazard.

Lesson Segments Addressing ContentDesign Question: What will I do to help students effectively interact with new knowledge?

Element 6: What do I typically do to identify critical information?• Givestudentsopportunitiestodiscusswhattheyalreadyknowaboutthecriticalinformation.

• Incorporaterelevantmedia(suchasaudioclips,videoclips,orarticleexcerpts)whenpresent-ingcriticalinformation.

• Showenthusiasmforthecriticalinformation(especiallyifitistypicallyconsideredboringtoteachorlearn).

• Explaintherationaleforlearningthecriticalinformationtostudents(real-worldapplications).

• Alertstudentsbeforeyoubegintopresentcriticalinformationandletthemknowwhattofocuson.

• Avoidtellingstudentsthattheyneedtolearnthecontentbecauseitwillbeonastateornationalexam.

Element 7: What do I typically do to organize students to interact with new knowledge?

• Designatasksheet(outliningpurpose,materials,procedures,directions,andclosure)thatstudentscanuseasaguideduringgroupwork.

• Periodicallyaskgroupstostopandreflectonhowwellgroupmembersareobservinggroupnorms.

• Collectobservationaldata(unobtrusiveassessment)aboutstudentlearningandlevelsofcom-petencewhilestudentsareworkingingroups.

• Planalternativeactivitiesforstudentswhoareunabletoworkintheirgroups.

• Teachstudentstomoveinandoutoftheirgroupsquickly(in1–2minutes)andquietly.Useastopwatchtotimethemastheypractice.

• Rearrangegroupsasoftenasappropriatesostudentshavetheopportunitytoworkwithasmanyoftheirpeersaspossible.

• Considerthepurposeofeachlessonandactivitywhendecidingwhichkindsofgroupstouse(forexample,dyads,triads,groupsuptofive,adhocgroups,orassignedgroups).

• Havematerialsreadyforeachgroupbeforestudentsmovetotheirgroups.

• Don’taskgroupstocompleteactivitiesthatarebettersuitedtoindividualwork.

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Element 8: What do I typically do to preview new content?• Previewunfamiliarandimportantvocabularyterms.

• Throughoutthelesson,referbacktopreviewingactivities.

• Makeconnectionsbetweenpreviouslylearnedinformationandnewcontent.

• Ifstudents’backgroundknowledgecontainserrorsormisconceptions,correctthemduringpreviewing.

• Don’tusepreassessmentscorestodetermineastudent’sfinalgradeorscore.

Element 9: What do I typically do to chunk content into “digestible bites”?

• Adjustthesizeofchunkswhileteachingiftheplannedchunksseemtoolargeorsmall.

• Tellstudentsabouteachchunkandhowlongitwillbebeforepresentingthelesson.

• Useanadvanceorganizertovisuallyrepresentchunks,theirrelationships,andtheirrelativesizestostudents.

• Betweenchunks,provideopportunitiesforstudentstoprocessandreflect.

• Checkforunderstandingafterpresentingeachchunk.

Element 10: What do I typically do to help students process new information?

• Explicitlyteachstudentsthestepsforeachprocessingactivitybeforeaskingthemtoengageinit.

• Postachartwiththestepsforprocessingstrategies(suchasjigsaworreciprocalteaching)intheclassroomwhereallstudentscanrefertoit.

• Postalistofspecificclarifyingquestionsthatstudentscanaskduringsmall-groupdiscussions.

Element 11: What do I typically do to help students elaborate on new information?

• Askstudentstoreflectonhowelaborationisextendingtheirlearning.

• Havestudentsrespondtoeachother’squestionsratherthanalwaysusingteacher-posedquestions.

• Usegraphicorganizerstohelpstudentsmapouttheirthinkingandreasoning.

Element 12: What do I typically do to help students record and represent knowledge?

• Havestudentsreferbacktotheirnotestoclarifyinformationandcorrectmisconceptions.

• Providefeedbacktostudentsonthequalityoftheiracademicnotebooks.



• Don’taskstudentstorecopynotesfromtheboardorscreenortakeverbatimnotesfromalecture.

• Don’trequireeachstudenttohaveexactlythesameinformationinhisorheracademicnotebook.

Element 13: What do I typically do to help students reflect on their learning?

• Modelreflectionbyreflectingandsharingyourreflectionswiththeclass.

• Usebothoralandwrittenstrategiesforreflection.

• Askstudentstoreflectoften.

• Givestudentstimeforreflectionrightafteralearningevent.

Design Question: What will I do to help students practice and deepen their understanding of new knowledge?

Element 14: What do I typically do to review content?• Usegamestoreviewcontent.

• Usereviewstrategieswithinlessons,notjustatthebeginningofeachday.

• Makesuretoreviewimportantvocabulary,inadditiontocontentinformation.

• Havestudentsteachreviewsegments.

• Inadditiontoreviewingcontent,reviewthelearninggoalsandobjectivesforaunitregularly.

• Askreviewquestionsthatrequiremorethanayesornoanswer.

Element 15: What do I typically do to organize students to practice and deepen knowledge?

• Havestudentsrecordtheirindividualthoughtsandideasbeforeconferringwithapartnerorgrouptoincreaseaccountability.

• Don’tusetournamentsorteampointstodeterminestudents’scoresorgrades.

Element 16: What do I typically do to use homework?• Makesurestudentshaveawaytocheckhowtheyaredoingwithaspecificprocedureorskill

astheypracticeitindependently.

• Explaintostudentshowthehomeworkisdesignedtohelpthemimproveonthelearninggoals.

• Completehomeworkassignmentsyourselfbeforeassigningthemtostudents.Estimatehowlongitwilltakeforstudentstocompletethemandanticipatequestionsthatmayarisewhilestudentsareworkingontheassignment.

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• Provideadequatetimetoexplainhomework,forstudentstorecorddirectionsandexpecta-tions,andtoanswerstudents’questions.

• Don’tmakehomeworkamajordeterminerofastudent’sfinalgradeorscore.

• Givestudentsfeedbackabouthomeworkassignments.

Element 17: What do I typically do to help students examine similarities and differences?

• Selectitemsthatallowforextendedcomparisons.

• Askstudentstorevisetheircomparisonsandclassificationsafterdiscussingthemwithpeers.

• Modelhowtocreateandusecomparisons,classifications,similes,metaphors,andanalogies.

Element 18: What do I typically do to help students examine errors in reasoning?

• Explicitlyteachstudentswhateacherrormeansbeforeaskingthemtofindtheerrors.

• Don’tuseexamplesthatmightbeconsideredbiasedtowardaculture,agegroup,orgendergroup.

Element 19: What do I typically do to help students practice skills, strategies, and processes?

• Ifstudentstracktheirimprovedperformance,celebratetheirprogressastheyachieveincreas-inglevelsofproficiencyandfluency.

• Askstudentstoindicatehowconfidenttheyarewithaskillorprocessusingascalefrom1(notconfidentatall)to4(veryconfident).

• Letstudentsmovetoamorecomplexlevelofpracticewhentheyareready,notwhenthewholeclassisready.

• Donotassignstructuredorvariedpracticeashomework.

Element 20: What do I typically do to help students revise knowledge?

• Providefeedbacktostudentsontheiracademicnotebookentries.

• Providestudentswithascaleorrubricthatallowsthemtoself-evaluatetheiracademicnotebooks.

• Don’tscoreacademicnotebookcontents.

Design Question: What will I do to help students generate and test hypotheses about new knowledge?



Element 21: What do I typically do to organize students for cognitively complex tasks?

• Teachstudentsaboutdifferencesbetweenexperimental,problem-solving,decision-making,andinvestigationtasks.

• Allowstudentstochoosewhatdatacollectiontoolsandotherresourcesarebestsuitedtotheirprojects.

• Findexistingopportunities(forexample,Ameritowne)thatallowstudentstoengageincognitivelycomplextasks.

• Don’tinsistthatallstudentsworkincooperativesettingsforeverytask.

Element 22: What do I typically do to engage students in cognitively complex tasks involving hypothesis generation and testing?

• Makesurethatstudentsarefamiliarwithcontentbeforeaskingthemtoengageincognitivelycomplextasks.

• Useamonitoringsystemtotrackindividualandgroupprogressontasks.

• Modelandteachthestepsforeachtypeoftask.

• Providetimeforstudentstolearnandpracticethesetofstepsforeachtaskbeforeengaginginthem.

• Havestudentsexaminesimilaritiesanddifferencesamongthetypesoftasksandexplainwhichtasksaremostappropriateforwhichtypesoflearning.

• Providechartsandvisualaidstohelpstudentsrememberthestepsforeachtask.

• Displayexamplesofendproducts.

Element 23: What do I typically do to provide resources and guidance?

• Identifystudentswhoneedextrasupport,andvolunteeryourhelp.

• Createaprocedureorsignforstudentstousetorequesthelp.

• Letstudentsknowwhoyouarehelpingandwhoyouareplanningtocometonextifseveralstudentsneedhelpatthesametime.

• Providestudentswithaccesstothelibrary,computers,andtheInternet.

• Makesurethattheresourcesprovidedareappropriateforstudents’levelandtask.

• Beproactiveaboutofferingresourcesandguidance.Don’twaitforstudentstocometoyouforhelp.

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Lesson Segments Enacted on the SpotDesign Question: What will I do to engage students?

Element 24: What do I typically do to notice when students are not engaged?

• Useastopwatch,ifnecessary,toremindyourselftocheckontheengagementlevelintheroom.

• Planstrategiesintoeachlessonthatwillbringdisengagedstudentsbackintothecontent.

• Seatstudentswhohabituallydisengageclosetothefrontoftheroom.

• Reinforceengagedbehaviorwithpositiverecognition.

• Don’tembarrassorsingleoutstudentswhoarenotengaged.

Element 25: What do I typically do to use academic games?• Explainthepurposeofagametostudentsandconnectittothelearninggoals.

• Allowstudentstointroducenewacademicgames.

• Emphasizelearninginsteadofwinningduringinconsequentialcompetition.

• Don’tusegamesthatarenonacademicorthatarenotrelatedtothelearninggoals.

• Don’tusegamescorestodeterminegrades.

• Ensurethatallstudentshavetheopportunitytoparticipateingames.

• Don’tallowinappropriatecommentsoroverlycompetitivebehavior.

Element 26: What do I typically do to manage response rates?• Useabalanceoforalandwrittenresponsestrategies.

• Explainthedifferenttypesofwaitandpausetimeandtheirpurposestostudents.

• Useafriendlyandrespectfultoneofvoiceduringfollow-upquestioning.

• Don’tallowirrelevantquestionstodistractfromthetopicathand.

Element 27: What do I typically do to use physical movement?• Explaintostudentsthereasonsforphysicalmovement.

• Teachstudentsprocedurestoavoidwastingtimetryingtogetbackontask.

• Tryastrategyseveraltimesbeforedecidingwhethertocontinueusingit.

Element 28: What do I typically do to maintain a lively pace?• Afterteachingstudentstheproceduresfortransitioning,timethemwithastopwatchwhile

theypracticequicklymovingfromoneactivitytoanother.



• Useverbalandnonverbalcuestosignaldifferentinstructionalsegmentstostudents.

Element 29: What do I typically do to demonstrate intensity and enthusiasm?

• Ifyouaren’tgenuinelyexcitedaboutthecontent,studyitmoredeeply,lookforinterestingconnectionsbetweenitandyourinterestareas,orjustfakealevelofexcitement.

• Learnaboutstudents’interestsinordertomakeappropriateconnectionsbetweenthecontentandstudents’lives.

• Don’tsharenegativeopinionsornegativepastexperienceswithspecificcontent(forexample,“I’vealwayshatedmath”)withstudents.

• Don’tusestoriesthatareoverlypersonalorcontroversial.

Element 30: What do I typically do to use friendly controversy?• Closelymonitorstudentsduringfriendlycontroversyactivitiestoensurerespectfulbehavior.

• Askstudentstoparaphraseothers’positionsonissues.

• Emphasizethatideas,notpeople,arethesubjectofthedebateordiscussion.

• Teachstudentsrespectfullanguageandphrases(forexample,“Irespectfullydisagree”)toensurecourtesyduringdiscussionsordebates.

• Selectage-appropriatetopicsfordiscussionanddebate.

• Makesurethatstudentsarenotcondemnedorpersonallyattackedfortheirviews.

• Alwayssavetimeforadebriefingsessionafterafriendlycontroversyactivity,debate,ordiscussion.

Element 31: What do I typically do to provide opportunities for students to talk about themselves?

• Creategraphicrepresentationscomparingstudentinterestsandopinionssothatstudentscanseecommonalitieswiththeirpeers.

• Don’tallowstudentstojudgeoneanother’sinterestsoraccomplishments.

• Allowstudentstooptoutofsharingaboutthemselvesiftheyaren’tcomfortable.

Element 32: What do I typically do to present unusual or intriguing information?

• Shareunusualinformationwithcolleaguestocreateabankofunusualfactsforeachlearninggoalandunit.

• Identifystudentexpertsandinvitethemtosharewhattheyknowaboutthecontent.

• Avoidoverwhelmingorconfusingstudentswithtoomuchunusualinformationorwithunclearorirrelevantinformation.

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Design Question: What will I do to recognize and acknowledge adherence or lack of adherence to rules and procedures?

Element 33: What do I typically do to demonstrate “withitness”?• Establishroutinesthatencourageteacherproximitytostudents(forexample,theteachergoes

tostudents’deskstoanswerquestionsduringindividualworktime).

• Prepareteachingmaterialsbeforeclasstoavoidbeingdistractedorturningawayfromtheclassduringinstructionaltime.

• Bespecificaboutwhatstudentbehaviorisinappropriateandwhatstudentbehaviorisdesired.

• Don’tmakejudgmentalorbroadcommentsaboutstudentsinresponsetoinappropriatebehavior.

Element 34: What do I typically do to apply consequences for lack of adherence to rules and procedures?

• Trytoremovefactorsthatmaybemotivatingstudentstoactinappropriately(suchascertaingroupconfigurationsorseatingarrangements).

• Usegroupcontingencycarefullytoavoidcreatingnegativerelationshipswithandamongstudents.

• Consultwithadministratorstodetermineproceduresalreadyinplacefordealingwithhigh-intensitysituations.

• Don’thumiliatestudentswhoareactinginappropriately.

Element 35: What do I typically do acknowledge adherence to rules and procedures?

• Encouragestudentstomonitortheirownbehavior.

• Encouragestudentstorecognizeotherstudentswhoareadheringtorulesandprocedures.

• Bespecificaboutthepositivebehaviorexhibitedwhengivingverbalacknowledgement.

• Identifyspecificpositivebehaviorsthatstudentsexhibited,andtellhowtheycontributedtopositiveclassroomfunctioningandlearning.

• Don’tneglecttopraisestudentswhodependablyadheretotherulesandprocedures.

• Avoidcomparingstudents.

Design Question: What will I do to establish and maintain effective relationships with students?



Element 36: What do I typically do to understand students’ interests and backgrounds?

• Writedownspecificdetailsabouteachstudentasyoulearnaboutthem.

• Keeptrackofstudentsaboutwhomlittleisknown,andseekopportunitiestolearnmoreaboutthem.

• Considercoachingasportorsponsoringaclubinordertolearnmoreaboutstudentsanddeveloprelationshipswiththem.

• Ifnecessaryandappropriate,makehomevisitstoconnectwithstudentsandparents.

• Don’tendorseinappropriateelementsofstudentculture.

• Don’tsacrificetheteacher’spositionasanauthorityfigureinorderto“befriends”withstudents.

Element 37: What do I typically do to use verbal and nonverbal behaviors that indicate affection for students?

• Writepersonalnotestostudentstorecognizepositivebehaviors.

• Knowwhatnamestudentsprefertobecalledby.

• Recognizethatphysicaltouchmakessomestudentsuncomfortable,andcommunicateaffec-tionandinteresttotheminalternativeways.

• Usehumorrespectfully.

• Don’tusesarcasm.

• Don’tlaughatstudents.

• Don’tembarrassstudents.

Element 38: What do I typically do to display objectivity and control?

• Ifyoucannotcontrolyouremotions,takea“time-out.”

• Takedeepbreathstoslowyourheartrateandcalmdown.

• Useasoft,controlledvoice.

• Don’thave“favorite”studentsor“teacher’spets.”

• Don’traiseyourvoice,yell,ordemeanstudents.

Design Question: What will I do to communicate high expectations for all students?

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Element 39: What do I typically do to demonstrate value and respect for low-expectancy students?

• Realizethatpriorteachers’expectationlevelsforstudentsmayinfluenceyourexpectationlev-elsforstudents.

• Don’tgroupstudentsbasedonexpectationlevels.

• Don’tallowstudents’previousteacherstomakenegativecommentstoyouaboutstudents.

Element 40: What do I typically do to ask questions of low-expectancy students?

• Buildrelationshipswithstudentssotheyarecomfortableansweringquestionsinclass.

• Allowstudentstowritetheiranswersfirstorcheckinwithapeerbeforerespondingoutloudinfrontoftheclass.

• Givestudentstimetochecktheirthinkingbeforeanswering.

• Don’tacceptresponsesonlyfromstudentswhoraisetheirhandsorindicatethattheyknowtheanswer.

Element 41: What do I typically do to probe incorrect answers with low-expectancy students?

• Useapositivetoneofvoiceandanupbeatattitudewhenrespondingtostudentanswers.

• Don’tshowirritationorfrustrationwithastudentwhoanswersincorrectly.

• Don’tembarrassorhumiliateastudentwhoishavingtroubleanswering.
