part II, chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6 focus on content. Chapter 3 looks at conducting direct instruction lessons, chapter 4 on conducting practicing and deepening lessons, and chapter 5 on conducting knowledge application lessons. Chapter 6 focuses on using strategies that appear in all types of lessons.
In part III, chapters 7 and 8 focus on context. Chapter 7 emphasizes using engagement. In chapter 8, readers find a discussion of strategies for implementing rules and procedures and building relationships.
In chapter 9, readers will learn about a four-step process for developing teachers’ expertise in an effort to increase students’ learning.
Each chapter includes self-rating scales that teachers can use to assess their performance on each element addressed in this book. By doing this, they can determine their areas of strength and the areas in which they might want to improve relative to The New Art and Science of Teaching. All scales in this book have the same format for progression of development. To introduce these scales and help readers understand them, we present the general format of a self-rating scale in figure I.2.
Figure I.2: General format of the self-rating scale.
To understand this scale, it is best to start at the bottom with the Not Using row. Here the teacher is unaware of the strategies that relate to the element or knows them but doesn’t employ them. At the Beginning level, the teacher uses strategies that relate to the element, but leaves out important parts or makes significant mistakes. At the Developing level, the teacher executes strategies important to the element without significant errors or omissions but does not monitor their effect on students. At the Applying level, the teacher not only executes strategies without significant errors or omissions but also monitors students to ensure that they are experiencing the desired effects. We consider the Applying level the level at which one can legitimately expect tangible results in students. Finally, at the Innovating level, the teacher is aware of and makes any adaptations to the strategies for students who require such an arrangement.
Each chapter ends with a Guiding Questions for Curriculum Design section to help with planning. For easy reference, the strategies we have chosen to feature from the more than 330 appear in bold typeface in figure A.1 (page 156), The New Art and Science of Teaching framework overview.
Next, chapter 1 begins part I on feedback by examining how teachers can provide and communicate clear learning goals to students.
PART I
Feedback
CHAPTER 1
Providing and Communicating Clear Learning Goals
When teachers design and communicate learning goals well, students benefit. They not only know what they are supposed to be learning but also know where they stand relative to that targeted content. Additionally, within The New Art and Science of Teaching, teachers should communicate clear learning goals so that students understand the progression of knowledge teachers expect them to master and where they are along that progression.
The elements within this first teacher action of providing and communicating clear learning goals include the following.
• Element 1: Providing scales and rubrics
• Element 2: Tracking student progress
• Element 3: Celebrating success
Think of these three elements as a linked set: scales and rubrics are essential for students to track their progress, and tracking progress is necessary for celebrating success.
Element 1: Providing Scales and Rubrics
Scales and rubrics provide the tools for students to understand the progression of knowledge and expectations as the focus for learning.
For element 1 of the model, we selected the following specific strategies to address in this chapter. We list additional strategies for element 1 in figure A.1 in appendix A, on page 156.
• Clearly articulating and creating scales and rubrics for learning goals
• Using teacher-created targets and scales and implementing routines for using them
It is important to note that simply employing a strategy does not ensure the desired effect on students. We recommend that teachers use the scale in figure 1.1 (page 12) to rate their current level of effectiveness with the specific strategies for providing scales and rubrics.
Figure 1.1: Self-rating scale for element 1—Providing scales and rubrics.
Clearly Articulating and Creating Scales or Rubrics for Learning Goals
A proficiency scale articulates a progression of knowledge or skills and reflects a continuum of learning goals (also referred to as learning targets). It includes five levels of proficiency ranging from 0.0 to 4.0 as indicated in the samples for generating narratives for grades 8 and 2 in figures 1.2 and 1.3. Level 3.0 represents at-grade-level work. A score of 2.0 shows foundational skills, and a score of 4.0 reflects the achievement of more complex learning goals. Teachers clarify learning goals using a proficiency scale to identify what students will come to know or be able to do within a unit of study. They explicitly teach items on a scale. However, not all students need instruction for
