Teaching Mathematics in the Visible Learning Classroom, Grades 6-8

t could happen in the morning during homework review. Or perhaps it happens when listening to students as they struggle through a challenging problem. Or maybe even after class, when planning a lesson. At some point, the question arises: How do I influence students' learning—what’s going to generate that light bulb “aha” moment of understanding?

In this sequel to the best selling Visible Learning for Mathematics, John Almarode, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and John Hattie, help you answer that question by showing how Visible Learning strategies look in action in the mathematics classroom. Walk in the shoes of middle school teachers as they engage in the 200 micro-decisions-per-minute needed to balance the strategies, tasks, and assessments seminal to high-impact mathematics instruction.

Using grade-leveled examples and a decision-making matrix, you’ll learn to

• Articulate clear learning intentions and success criteria at surface, deep, and transfer levels
• Employ evidence to guide students along the path of becoming metacognitive and self-directed mathematics achievers
• Use formative assessments to track what students understand, what they don’t, and why
• Select the right task for the conceptual, procedural, or application emphasis you want, ensuring the task is for the right phase of learning
• Adjust the difficulty and complexity of any task to meet the needs of all learners

It's not only what works, but when. Exemplary lessons, video clips, and online resources help you leverage the most effective teaching practices at the most effective time to meet the surface, deep, and transfer learning needs of every student.

Table of Contents

List of Videos

Acknowledgements

Introduction

• What Works Best
• What Works Best When
• The Path to Assessment-Capable Visible Learners in Mathematics
• How This Book Works

Chapter 1: Teaching with Clarity in Mathematics

• Components of Effective Mathematics Learning
• Surface, Deep, and Transfer Learning
• Moving Learners through the Phases of Learning
• Surface Learning in the Middle School Mathematics Classroom
• Deep Learning in the Middle School Mathematics Classroom
• Transfer Learning in the Middle School Mathematics Classroom
• Differentiating Tasks for Complexity and Difficulty
• Approaches to Mathematics Instruction
• Checks for Understanding
• Profile of Three Teachers
• Joanna Halstrom
• Luciana Fernandez
• Jasvinder Singh

Chapter 2 - Teaching for the Application of Concepts and Thinking Skills

• Ms. Halstrom and Circles
• What Ms. Halstrom Wants Her Students to Learn
• Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
• Guiding and Scaffolding Student Thinking
• Modeling Strategies and Skills
• Closure
• Ms. Fernandez and Systems of Linear Equations
• What Ms. Fernandez Wants Her Students to Learn
• Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
• Guiding and Scaffolding Student Thinking
• Closure
• Mr. Singh and Integers
• What Mr. Singh Wants His Students to Learn
• Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
• Modeling Strategies and Skills
• Closure

Chapter 4 – Teaching for Procedural Knowledge and Fluency

• Ms. Halstrom and Circles
• What Ms. Halstrom Wants Her Students to Learn
• Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
• Guiding and Scaffolding Student Thinking
• Modeling Strategies and Skills
• Closure
• Ms. Fernandez and Systems of Linear Equations
• What Ms. Fernandez Wants Her Students to Learn
• Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
• Guiding and Scaffolding Student Thinking
• Closure
• Mr. Singh and Integers
• What Mr. Singh Wants His Students to Learn
• Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
• Modeling Strategies and Skills
• Closure

Chapter 5 – Knowing Your Impact: Evaluating for Mastery

• Mastery Learning
• Using Learning Intentions to Define Mastery Learning
• Establishing the Expected Level of Mastery
• Collecting Evidence of Progress toward Mastery
• Ensuring Tasks Evaluate Mastery
• Ensuring Tests Evaluate Mastery
• Feedback for Mastery
• Task Feedback
• Process Feedback
• Self-Regulation Feedback
• Conclusion

Appendices

• A. Effect Sizes
• B. Planning for Clarity Guide
• C. Learning Intentions and Success Criteria Template
• D. A Selection of International Mathematical Practice or Process Standards

References

Index