07 March 2005: A Nice Gesture (4 of 5)

And what about the high school level? Can you imagine a small, easy hand motion that represents the function of cell parts? Not only can these gestures support memorizing, but they can be an indicator of the cell's function as well. Nucleus holds the genetic information for the cell--cup your hands together, as if protecting something very valuable.

I once had a colleague who taught his class the water cycle through gesture. You'd see middle school students precipitating, evaporating and condensing up and down the halls during passing period.

Of course, the gestures can be even more powerful teaching tools if you let the students generate them. If you want them to remember five factors contributing to the Great Depression, make five groups, assign each group five minutes to come up with a simple hand gesture that will remind everyone of their assigned factor. Then, for the next three days, spend two minutes at the start and end of each class period rehearsing the five gestures and reviewing the factors. Those kids will never forget.

08 March 2005: A Nice Gesture (5 of 5)

So, teaching with gestures is not just about modeling, it's also about reaching those students who may be kinesthetic learners. Muscle memory can be a powerful memory tool, but for some it's more than just helpful, it's actually how they learn.

This is especially true when teaching students considered English Language Learners. Gestures, demonstrations, modeling, and even facial expressions, can be incredibly useful in helping students who are trying to learn English along with everything else.

The truth is, what Susan Goldin-Meadow of the University of Chicago found is that some modeling is better than none, and I believe that this conclusion is true only for students fluent in the language of instruction.

Let's go back to the first example of the math lesson. If you arrived in the U.S. last week, had almost no functioning English, but you watched the teacher as she made a gesture indicating a scale, then modeled how to solve the math problem, you might be able to correctly use the algorithm.

But what if the teacher explained the procedure verbally, then modeled a different procedure?

09 March 2005: Pop Quiz (1 of 5)

Here's a little pop quiz for you. This was found in a high school social studies classroom and came to me from a colleage. First, take the quiz. Tomorrow, you can check your answers, then reflect for a moment on your life, and how it is different because you do or do not know these facts.

1) In the 1952 election, which state did Adlai Stevenson win by the largest margin?

a. Virginia

b. Missippi

c. Alabama

d. Georgia

e. Florida

2) In the 1960 election, which state did not cast its vote for the Republican or Democratic candidate?

a. Arizona

b. New Mexico

c. California

d. Mississippi

e. Florida

3) In the 1952 election, what fact explains the pattern of states carried by Stevenson?

a. Those oil-rich states tend to vote Democratic.

b. They were parts of the old Confederacy.

c. Stevenson spent most of his campaign money there.

d. New England voted Democratic.

e. Republicans cannot win in the West.

4) In the 1960 election, where did the Republicans show the most strength?

a. the West

b. the Northeast

c. the South

d. the Mississippi River valley

e. the mid-Atlantic states

5) In the 1952 election, Stevenson carried about what percentage of the 48 states?

a. about 10%

b. about 20%

c. about 30%

d. about 40%

e. about 50%

6) How much did the popular vote change in the state of Montana change[sic] from 1952 to 1960?

a. 3%

b. 6%

c. 8%

d. 9%

e. 12%

7) In the 1960 election, which state did not have a very close vote?

a. Illinois

b. California

c. Louisiana

d. Iowa

e. New Jersey

8) How much did the popular vote change in Minnesota from the 1952 to the 1960 election?

a. 4%

b. 6%

c. 8%

d. 10%

e. 12%

10 March 2005: Pop Quiz (2 of 5)

Here are the answers to yesterday's pop quiz. When you've finished grading your quiz, don't forget to reflect on the importance of this information.

1) In the 1952 election, which state did Adlai Stevenson win by the largest margin?

d. Georgia

2) In the 1960 election, which state did not cast its vote for the Republican or Democratic candidate?

d. Mississippi

3) In the 1952 election, what fact explains the pattern of states carried by Stevenson?

b. They were parts of the old Confederacy.

4) In the 1960 election, where did the Republicans show the most strength?

a. the West

5) In the 1952 election, Stevenson carried about what percentage of the 48 states?

b. about 20%

6) How much did the popular vote change in the state of Montana change[sic] from 1952 to 1960?

c. 8%

7) In the 1960 election, which state did not have a very close vote?

d. Iowa

8) How much did the popular vote change in Minnesota from the 1952 to the 1960 election?

a. 4%

First of all, I'd like to publicly admit that I didn't get a single one of these right. Just playing the odds, I should have gotten 1/5 of them correct, but apparently my guessing is even worse than chance alone.

Second of all, I want to be sure to say that I'm not going to criticize the teacher that administered this test. I don't know them or what it's like to sit in their classroom. The only thing I know for sure is that what teachers are supposed to teach is different from what the students are tested on. This test is a perfect example of this phenomenon, which I will refer to as the assessment discrepancy.

11 March 2005: Pop Quiz (3 of 5)

The assessment discrepancy is something that many teachers experience in many different settings.

As I have experienced it, this phenomenon occurs as a result of three separate forces. First, states set a specific list of standards, dictating what should be taught at each grade level--these are referred to as content standards. Next, a specific text, series or publisher is selected by states or districts for the instruction of the content--this is usually called curriculum. Finally, assessments are administered by private, for-profit companies. And because the curriculum and assessment may or may not be written with the content standards in mind, they often end up assessing teaching and learning of a different set of skills and abilities.

In the "[state] Standardized Test Practice Activity" that I have shown above, we see a perfect example of this assessment discrepancy. Clearly, the skill a student needs to do well on this so-called "activity" is effective recall of minute details.

In contrast, however, the state standards for this grade level don't say anything about recall of election facts from the mid-twentieth century. The words you find in the state content standards include "analyze," "discuss," and "discribe."