SDSU

EQUITY, EXCELLENCE, AND E-LEARNING

TEACHING PRACTICES FROM AMERICA’S BEST URBAN SCHOOLS APPLIED TO ONLINE LEARNING

SESSION 1

Leading ALL Students to Feel Valued & Capable Through Online Learning

Through 15 years of identifying, awarding, and studying schools that achieve excellent and equitable learning results, the National Center for Urban School Transformation has found that Black, Latinx, low-income, and other diverse groups of students are much more likely to achieve outstanding learning results when teachers design instruction in ways that lead all students to feel valued and capable. In this session, learn practical strategies for ensuring that all your students are likely to thrive in online learning environments.

DISTANT PHYSICALLY, NOT EMOTIONALLY

Making Students Feel Valued and Capable through Online Learning
Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D. Rupi Boyd, Ed.D., & Jose Iniguez, Ed.D.

SESSION ONE PRESENTATION

SESSION 2

Teaching for Coverage vs. Teaching for Understanding

Focusing on Understanding and Mastery through Online Learning

A focus on understanding and mastery is quite different from a focus on coverage that may be observed more typically. In many schools, teachers feel driven to cover the lesson associated with a pacing guide or a scope and sequence chart. Teachers in high-performing schools were passionate about ensuring that students acquired deep levels of understanding and mastery. of the concepts and skills taught. Teachers meticulously planned lessons to lead each and every student to mastery of the lesson objectives. Teachers worked relentlessly, not simply to present lessons, but to ensure that all students mastered the essential concepts and skills associated with the lessons. Throughout lessons, teachers carefully monitored what students understood related to the lesson objective and sometimes adjusted lesson designs midstream in order to increase the likelihood that every student achieved mastery.

Teaching for Coverage vs.
Teaching for Understanding

Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D. and Cara Riggs

SESSION TWO PRESENTATION

SESSION 3

“Why Didn’t You Just Tell Us What You Wanted Us to Learn?”

Promoting Clarity through Online Learning

 

In schools where all demographic groups of students achieve outstanding learning results, teachers ensure that students develop clarity about intended learning outcomes. Teachers use words, images, objects, and interactions to represent important lesson ideas. As well, they organize lessons logically so students know what they should understand and students can gauge their learning progress.

“Why Didn’t You Just Tell Us What You Wanted Us to Learn?”

Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D. and Shirley Y. Peterson, Ed.D.

SESSION THREE PRESENTATION

SESSION 4

“Hey, I Know About This! Now, This Makes Sense!”

Ensuring Culturally, Socially, and personally responsive teaching through Online Learning

One of the most exhilarating moments in teaching occurs when a student exclaims, “Oh, now I get it! Hey, I know about this! Now, this makes sense!” This seemingly magical moment occurs when a student connects a concept that he or she perceived as foreign, distant, or ambiguous with something that is part of their background or experience. The “aha moment” represents the priceless transition from confusion to understanding, from being a disengaged bystander to becoming an active participant in learning.

“Hey, I Know About This! Now, This Makes Sense!”

Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D. and Rupi Boyd, Ed.D.

SESSION 5

The Cure for “I Taught It, but My Students Didn’t Learn It”

CHECKING FOR UNDERSTANDING, PROVIDING FEEDBACK, AND ADAPTING THROUGH ONLINE LEARNING

 

“I can’t believe my students got this wrong! I know I taught this in detail! And, I know my students were paying attention. They were right in front of me, looking at me as the explanations came out of my mouth! They were smiling and nodding, showing me they understood! How could they have misunderstood this so completely?”

The Cure for “I Taught It, but My Students Didn’t Learn It”

Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D. and Cara Riggs

SESSION 6

THE GREATEST GIFT

LEADING STUDENTS TO LOVE LEARNING THROUGH ONLINE LEARNING

 

Teachers use a variety of strategies to lead their students to love learning. Most importantly, teachers exhibit a sincere enthusiasm that adds energy, value, and meaning to lessons that might have otherwise been perceived as dull or routine. Hattie (2009) acknowledged, that while teacher enthusiasm is rarely studied empirically, it has a powerful influence on student learning. In high-performing schools, teachers exhibit enthusiasm for the content they share, but they also exhibit enthusiasm as their students develop increased fluency with concepts and increased proficiency with skills. Students of all ages thrill when their teachers get excited as they demonstrate mastery of challenging, meaningful objectives.

THE GREATEST GIFT

Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D. and Cara Riggs

Concourse Village Elementary School
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