by filling out the “Strategy Reflection Log” on page 331.
Modeling
When teachers present any skill, strategy, or process to students, they should first model it for them. This involves the teacher walking through the steps involved in the skill, strategy, or process. The modeling process can include a number of steps and can incorporate different media to make content engaging and easy to comprehend. Teachers can use the following techniques to model a skill, strategy, or process for students.
• Demonstrating a skill, strategy, or process step by step
• Verbally explaining each step of a skill, strategy, or process
• Showing a video that demonstrates a procedure or process
• Showing a completed example with significant parts labeled for students
• Demonstrating several different ways a student can effectively perform a skill, strategy, or process
• Providing multiple completed examples
• Pointing out common errors in completed examples
• Performing an error while demonstrating a skill, strategy, or process and then explaining why it was incorrect
In addition to these modeling techniques, teachers can use think-alouds to explain why and how to use a skill, strategy, or process. Each time they enact a step in a procedure, they should explain why they are performing this step, how they are going to perform this step, and how students can recognize when they need to use the procedure. Think-alouds should also help students relate the procedure to what they already know. Students can use think-alouds to explain their own decisions if they demonstrate a procedure for the class or the teacher.
Guided Practice
Guided practice involves well-structured opportunities for students to engage in new skills, strategies, or processes. During these opportunities, activities move from very simple to more complex versions of the skill, strategy, or process. Figure 4.1 can help guide your use of this strategy.
Source: Marzano Research, 2016.
Figure 4.1: Guided practice planning guide.
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/instruction for a free reproducible version of this figure.
Close Monitoring
When students are learning a new skill, the teacher provides a highly structured environment and monitors student actions very closely to correct early errors or misunderstandings. As students become more adept with a skill, strategy, or process, the teacher encourages them to monitor their own progress and evaluate their own performances.
Use the following techniques to implement close monitoring in the classroom in a way that scaffolds the attainment of a skill, strategy, or process for students.
• Break procedures or processes into steps or chunks so that students can easily practice each piece.
• Model each step of the procedure or process.
• Ask students to work independently only when you have completed modeling the step so that you are available to observe their actions.
• Observe students as they practice each step. Only move on to the next step in a procedure or process after every student has completed the first step correctly.
• Gradually move students from simple examples to more difficult examples. One way to do this is to have students simply imitate or replicate your actions at first and then gradually have them execute the skill, strategy, or process on their own.
• When students are first learning processes or skills, ask them to repeat information in chorus. As students grow familiar with the information, call on individual students for answers or explanations to a question.
• Stop the whole class when you notice a pattern of errors in the students’ performance of a skill, strategy, or process. Explain the errors to the class and have them practice that specific element of the procedure several times.
• Once students are able to complete the skill, strategy, or process independently, place students in small groups and have them complete several problems within the group. Ask each group member to contribute to the completion of the task and speak up if the group has made an error.
Frequent Structured Practice
When students are learning a new skill or process, the teacher first provides a clear demonstration of it. After this demonstration, students should have frequent opportunities to practice discrete elements of the skill or process and the process as a whole in situations where they have a high probability of success. Students should experience success multiple times before moving away from this type of practice. Figure 4.2 (page 68) can help guide your use of this strategy.
Varied Practice
Once students have engaged in frequent structured practice, they begin practicing a skill or process in more challenging situations. Students should still experience success, but they might need to work a bit harder than was necessary during frequent structured practice. During this type of practice, the teacher should encourage students to monitor their progress with the skill or process and to identify their strengths and weaknesses.
Students are ready to begin practicing a skill, strategy, or process in more challenging and varied situations when they can:
• Summarize how to perform the skill, strategy, or process
• Explain when to use the skill, strategy, or process
• Write out a step-by-step procedure for performing the skill, strategy, or process
• Describe the general use of the skill, strategy, or process
• Execute the skill, strategy, or process independently
Source: Marzano Research, 2016.
Figure 4.2: Frequent structured practice planning chart.
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/instruction for a free reproducible version of this figure.
Once a teacher is certain that students are ready to vary their use of the skill, strategy, or process, he or she can design more difficult practice problems.
Fluency Practice
Once students are comfortable with a skill or process and have experienced success with it in a wide range of situations, they engage in independent practice in which they focus on performing the skill or process skillfully, accurately, quickly, and automatically. The teacher can assign
