In the 1970s, Madeline Hunter set the standard for lesson planning. As we dip our toes into 2023 teaching, not much has changed in the general structure of planning lessons. What Hunter deemed an anticipatory set in 1976, Zaretta Hammond calls igniting learning today. No matter the name, the first five to ten minutes of each lesson set the scene for the learning ahead.
While the first few minutes are vital, it's the practice time later in the lesson that builds learning muscle.
In Hunter's version of a lesson, students independently practice only after there are no errors in the new learning. Hammond, however, refers to this final part of learning as chewing and reviewing. In a culturally responsive version of lesson planning, Zarretta Hammond recognizes that students need time together to chew on learning and review what they have learned in communal and appropriate ways.
As students dive into practice each class, teachers definitely need time to take a breath, check any important emails or information, and regroup in anticipation of working with students during practice time. Once teachers have taken a moment for themselves, there is sometimes a desire to walk the room and see which students need your help. If we truly want to build independent learners, we cannot let randomness guide practice. We all need intentional tools in our toolbox to hold students accountable for work during independent learning and to hold ourselves accountable for using the time to move learners forward and close learning gaps.
Consider the following ideas to create the perfect classroom practice:
Teacher-Led Seminars
Educational podcast, Cult of Pedagogy, advocates for using independent work time in a small group instruction format dubbed by educator Melanie Meehan as seminars. A seminar is a ten-minute focused small group session. Teachers use pretest data or informal observations of student work to determine what kind of seminars they might need to offer during work time. Students are able to sign up for seminars on topics that interest them or the teacher can assign students to attend one of the small group sessions. Ultimately, seminars allow the teacher to work intentionally on skills while also providing choice and autonomy for students.
Playlists and Accountability
I have often seen teachers with the best of intentions allow students to choose not to complete the work in front of them during practice time. The Covid pandemic made us all more aware of social-emotional learning needs in the classroom. However, over and over again experts are pointing to the fact that true compassion for students is shown through accountability. Insisting that students make choices that will improve their learning and providing them the structure they need to do that is real kindness.
One structure that provides accountability during practice time is Catlin Tucker's playlist model. The simple act of providing students chunked steps to accomplish during practice time with quick accountability built in is powerful. As teachers, we can use the practice time to meet individually with students as they work through the playlist. The structure helps us keep track of what gaps we may need to fill or where students may be falling behind. Playlists are only one way to provide structure and accountability during independent practice but they are a compelling first step.
Choices and Differentiation
A final strategy to support structured independent practice time in your classroom is to provide students with differentiated choices. The ultimate goal is to find creative ways to personalize practice time, whether that is with tiered lessons, as recommended in Angela Watson's blog, or with techy choice boards full of options, like Kasey Bell discusses in her Shake Up Learning podcast. No matter the means, when students have choices and comfortable practice at their level, they are more likely to use the time to complete the work.
From Hunter to Hammond, lesson planning has followed the same basic steps for over fifty years. Education, however, has changed. Meeting the needs of students in 2023 is not easy. Teachers are working hard every day to engage students, close gaps, and move learning forward. Intentional strategies help students chew on information and purposefully review what they have learned to make practice time more perfect.
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