Deep Learning
How do we incorporate Deep Learning int our classrooms?
After reading and pondering on Deep Learning on pages 38-39 share some deep learning practices that you use that are effective.
Is there a way to move some of our surface learning to deep?
I look forward to reading your thoughts!
This year's TVEEs, being STEAM based, incorporate the Scientific Method which have Elaboration & Organization (HE .75) and Elaborative Interrogation (HE .59) already built in! For my asynchronous REACH students I have provided rubrics for them to "self-judge and reflect" (HE .59) with before turning in. They (nor their parents) are not really using the rubric until I check off the items (if at all) for grading. :(
ReplyDeleteAfter this 9 weeks, once they have gotten used to this year's assignment formatting, I will incorporate as part of their assignment a way for them to respond to the rubric to "reflect on their own work and make an informed judgement about the quality...and how it compares with the expectations." Maybe in Google Forms... ??
Dr. Askew does a fabulous job of incorporating classroom discussion (ES = 0.82) into her lessons. Several of the stories we have read this year have topics and themes that have led to some great discussions - recognizing how far technology has come, understanding how automation is changing jobs, examples of automation in everyday life, etc. It's interesting to hear the students' thoughts or read them in the chat. These opportunities to discuss not only involve the students but challenge their thinking as well. .
ReplyDeleteOne deep learning practice that I use that is effective is Classroom Discussion (ES=0.82). I allow time for students to discuss their thoughts, provide reasons/evidence for their thoughts and to practice how to agree and disagree with someone. Another deep learning activity we are beginning is Organizing and Transforming Notes (ES=0.85). This is going to be a very important learning practice for them this year since they will be doing this on the Milestones. I think one way to move students from surface learning to deep learning is through modeling and teaching students to be inquisitive. Through teaching them to effectively inquire and question through thinking routines the learning becomes more “visible” and the students will be able to create and apply the learning to new situations.
ReplyDeleteA deep learning practice that I think is really effective is self -judgement and reflection (ES - 0.81. ) I often feel this is effective with writing. As students complete a writing task, I think it's important to have them analyze their writing according to a checklist or a rubric. It's helpful to also provide an exemplar writing piece. Students learn to reflect on their own work and make an informed judgement about the quality of the work and how it compares with the expectation.
ReplyDeleteI incorporate deep learning by asking students to explain why a process works, compare multiple strategies for solving the same problem, and apply concepts to real-world scenarios. For example, instead of just practicing procedures, I ask students to compare two different methods and justify which one is more efficient. I also use real-world word problems so students can apply surface skills in new ways which moves the learning closer to deep learning.
ReplyDeleteI have found that my most effective lessons include engaging class discussions. After integrating some prior knowledge and acquiring surface knowledge in a previous lesson I have a lesson that I ask a series of "Agree or Disagree" questions and the class debates. This always leads students to think about their thinking (meta-cognitive strategy) and reciprocal teaching.
ReplyDeleteDeep learning is where students make connections between facts and procedures and develop enduring understandings and essential principles within a discipline. In other words, deep learning is where students understand the “why” and"how" behind what they are learning.
ReplyDeleteThis week, we worked on Argumentative Writing in 8th grade, and I incorporated deep learning by allowing the students to have class discussions about the topic. The topic was very interesting! They could write about the role technology plays & how it impacts our lives. During these discussions, students talk about real-world connections/scenarios that relate to the topic. This assignment allowed them to apply knowledge to real-world problems, which developed their ability to use information effectively and problem-solve. For example, some students discussed their pov about virtual learning vs. f2f, social media platforms, kids should/shouldn't have smartphones etc... It was very interesting to hear their dialogue and questioning amongst each other. I also allowed them to peer review each other's rough draft during the editing/revision process to offer suggestions about other students' writing. I also gave the students corrective feedback to identify their errors. Some of the feedback was in the form of questions, which allowed the students to think deeper about the errors; and I didn't always point out exactly where the problem was; they had to find it!
One deep learning practice that I use is concept mapping (ES=0.62). This is particularly helpful when we are learning about musical elements. The Italian words, English translation, the meaning and then the application of the term to music is a lot organize. I have the students make a poster in CANVA for each musical element with the goal of using it to teach younger students about the element.
ReplyDeleteI am realizing I touch on a lot of the deeper learning practices like using metacognitive strategies, organizing and transforming notes, and classroom discussion. I touch on strategies but often do not spend enough time to fully embed the strategy before moving on to the next content area and having to shift back to surface learning. I am currently working on creating summaries and using metacognitive discussions at the end of class to gauge the effectiveness of the strategies I am using. I have also started getting students to evaluate information as important (need to know and write down), clarifying (explains important may not need to be written) and leading (extra info or makes a connection) that probably doesn't need to be written down. This strategy is helping students evaluate the resources they are given to summarize and consolidate information more efficiently. This strategy is then used to help organize and reframe note-taking to make it more personal. It is a slow process to model and allow students thinking time to use the strategies presented, but students are self reporting more understanding with the newer material.
ReplyDeleteSome deep learning practices that I use are elaboration & organization, elaborative interrogation, and classroom discussion. After learning content, whether it is over a specific person, group, country, battle, etc., I like to give students a picture or meme and have them explain what person or event it describes or even create their own and explain how it fits. This leads to great discussions during class.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I am trying to use more is having students organize and transform notes and to summarize what they are learning more. We have been learning about conflicts in the Middle East in 7th grade this week and today I had students use their notes to help them create graphics as if they were on a specific side in each conflict, explaining why they were upset, their beliefs, and what the desired outcome would be for their side.
Three things that I focus on to move my students from surface to deeper learning are:
ReplyDelete1. Making things relevant. At a surface level, they memorize content so in order for them to go to a deeper level, they need to connect it with something they already know in their own words or I can give them a situation and they can relate that to the content we are discussing. For example, when we were learning about volume, we talked about how much space would be in Amazon box and how would we know how many rubic cubes could we fit in there.
2. The biggest focus I have been using in math especially is using metacognition. I have the students think about what they struggle with in a particular math problem, and try to think about what strategy they could use to help them get over that obstacle. Mostly, asking “Does that make sense? What steps did I take to get this answer? Did I leave some information out?”
3. Lastly, something I have always used is scaffold learning. Start with the basics and increase the difficulty of the questioning. This allows the students to connect surface level facts to deeper understanding.
Some deep learning I am doing in my classroom is elaboration and organization (0.75) and classroom discussions (0.82). These are areas that my students thrive in since they love to converse with each other. They are learning how to debate their ideas in a polite way. My children are taught to not argue so allowing them to have conflicting ideas can be difficult for some students. They are learning to compare and contrast their point of view with each other and also with the characters of the stories we have read.
ReplyDeleteWe have been working on expanding their knowledge and organizing their understanding of text with graphic organizers and brain storming. This is strategy we will continue to work on.
I am looking to increase their surface level learning to deeper level learning by modeling how to self-reflect on assignments or on their writing. I will focus on modeling and encouraging students to self-judge and use self-reflection (0.81). Many young students are more focused on work completion rather than comprehension of the information. I want to push my students to acquire deeper learning by including self reflection (0.81), reciprocal teaching (0.74), and transforming their notes and graphic organizers (0.85) into more understanding. Overall, I believe my students want to learn and are inspired by each other. I will continue to focus on climate first in my classroom and motivate my students to create and reach higher level goals.
As a teacher, I start with the basics and gradually build towards deeper level understanding. As a Special Education teacher, I work in Small Groups and as a collaborator with General Education Teachers, I have been able to see how important it is to have a balance between surface and deeper-level learning. For surface level strategies, I chunk information (Chunking information ES- 0.88) (for instance; I start with repeated addition and then move to arrays and then gradually into multiplication facts). I use visual aids and manipulatives, provide immediate feedback and use repetition as needed (Visual Aids and Manipulatives .62). For Deeper Level understanding, I used similar content that I would use in a surface level lesson, but bring in real world problems to allow students to apply what they have learned(Problem-Based Learning 0.53) (for instance: we may use word problems that use the content we are learning while using multi-step reasoning. Another way I use deeper level learning is through questioning of why and how a student arrived at an answer (Socratic Questioning 0.88) . I may end the year using concept mapping (.64) to allow for students to connect the ideas we have learned about this year (for instance: they can link where we used addition, arrays and multiplication.) I also use Collaborative Learning (.59) to allow students to work together to solve problems and discuss their thinking with their peers. The best part about teaching is watching students progress from mastering the basics to confidently applying their knowledge in more sophisticated ways. By intentionally planning for both surface and deeper-level learning, we can help students not only gain foundational skills but also allow for critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
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DeleteI try to incorporate particular deep learning strategies regularly in my classroom. Self-judgement and reflection (0.81) is one of those. It is important for students to be able to judge and reflect on their own work in order to continually improve their quality of work. However, this can be really challenging. Students always want to think they did their best and have a difficult time analyzing their work for areas to grow. Some students aren't ready to do this as they are just trying to check off their task list and once they submit, they are done. Done. Done.
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