Visible Learning Meets BTC - Ch 5 - I Strive for Challenge and not Merely "Doing Your Best"

Flow.

IYKYK, right?

This is almost verbatim with what is in the BTC book!

Not too hard.

Not too boring.

But juuuuuuust right.

But first...Goals

1) Consider prior knowledge.  

This has been a constant focus it seems here in these last couple years, as I have front-loaded my lesson with prior knowledge material to help cover some of the learning gaps created from virtual/hybrid schooling.  

Drawing the "learning map" so students can see the connections between what they've learned previously and how it will relate to their new learning today.

It's important to know where the lesson is going...and in many cases, I will ramp up the rigor to make it more challenging in the end.  But with consolidation, will always start at the bottom to grab all students that may have fallen in the gap.

2) Describe the observable behaviors the learners should exhibit (what you expect to see on the board, the calculations to strive for in thin-slicing...)

3) Name conditions for monitoring the learners' behavior (time frames to complete a problem, resources available, expected level of collaboration)

4) Specify standards of evaluation (what percent correct when completing CYUs)

5) Personal bests help make the students own the goal.  This was a crazy section to read as I used this exact vocabulary this year when administering the state assessments!  I will continue to use our growth charts for Test Trainer, Fastbridge, and State Assessments.

Flow

"a learner is deeply involved in the task, and in the zone, they can then experience the deepest and most lasting happiness."

This is always my goal for my students.

Nothing feels better than when I am "in the zone".

How to achieve this with BTC???

1) Low floor/High ceiling problems

2) Non-curricular tasks

3) Thin Slicing

4) Taking away homework so the need to "just complete it" is no longer a thing

SOLO

No ideas

One idea

Many ideas

Related ideas

Extended ideas

To be honest, I need more time to digest this particular concept.

But to me, this is the whole idea of concept fluency. 

When students stay in the unistructural or multistructural levels, the downfall happens when solving more complex problems in math where several concepts are needed.

I see this over and over again.

This is again why work on the VWBs with random groups is critical as knowledge can be passed more quickly to other students allowing for the math to become more about relationships and patterns then just stand alone concepts.

So here's where the magic happens...when we can "adjust the level of difficulty just above the learner's current achievement level". 

However, this is easier said than done.

As achievement levels are all over the place.  

What is too challenging for one student, may be boring for another, yet just right for some.  

With VWBs though, groups can push through

While allowing you a "white board window" of their thinking!