Standard One: Engaging and Supporting All Students in Learning
1.4 Engaging students in problem solving, critical thinking, and other activities that make subject matter meaningful.
Description of Practice
Experienced Practice that Exemplifies the Standard
Learning opportunities are provided that extend student thinking, and engage and support all students in problem posing, problem solving, inquiry, and analysis of subject matter concepts and questions within or across subject matter areas.
Maturing Beginning Practice
Learning opportunities and support are provided for students to engage in problem solving and in investigating and analyzing subject matter concepts and questions within subject matter areas.
Developing Beginning Practice
Some learning opportunities are provided for students to engage in problem solving within subject matter areas, but little support is given to develop necessary skills.
Practice Not Consistent With Standard Expectations
No learning opportunities are provided for students to engage in problem solving, analysis, or inquiry within or across subject matter areas.
What the classroom looks like
- Encourages students to develop and have confidence in their own ability to think independently and with others
- Builds on basic knowledge and skills to enable students to apply their thinking to solving problems
- Asks open-ended questions
- Allows adequate time for students to think about their answers
- Provides opportunities to collect and interpret
- Assigns activities that include more than one method of approaching or completing the work
Teacher's Instructional Methods
- Interact, simulations
- Themes, integrated curriculum planning
- Hands-on activities
- Collaborative grouping
- Blooms Taxonomy
- Allows adequate time to accomplish activity(planned timing)
- Open-ended questions
- Research projects
- Extension activities
- Technology
- Connections to real life
- Centers with student choice
- Cultural links
- Student generated math problems
- Student presentations
- Group problem-solving
- Logic games
- Peer
- Cross-age reading/tutoring
Student Activities Competitions
- Spelling bees
- Geography bees
- Math field day
- debates
- Oral discussions
- Use of manipulatives
- Student-generated graphs/diagrams
- Reflective journals
- Self evaluation
- Flexible grouping
- Role playing
- Real life applications
" As teachers develop, they may ask, "How do I . . ." or "Why do I . . ."
- provide opportunities for all students to think, discuss, interact, reflect and evaluate content?
- help all students to learn, practice, internalize and apply subject-specific learning strategies and procedures?
- support all students in critically investigating subject matter concepts and questions?
- engage all students in problem solving activities and encourage multiple approaches and solutions?
- encourage all students to ask critical questions and consider diverse perspectives about subject matter?
- provide opportunities for all students to learn and practice skills in meaningful contexts?
- elp all students to analyze and draw valid conclusions about content being learned?
Standard 1: Engaging and Supporting All Students in Learning
Standard 2: Creating and Maintaining Effective Environments for Student Learning
Standard 3: Understanding and Organizing Subject matter for Student Learning
Standard 4: Planning Instruction and Designing Learning Experience for All Students
Standard 5: Assessing Student Learning
Standard 6: Developing as a Professional Educator
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