Differentiating with Technology through the Lens of Marzano’s Effective Strategies for Learning

Strategy | Summary of Strategy | Focus/Recommendations for | Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback | * Feedback is corrective in nature: what is done correctly and in correctly * Timely Feedback * Feedback specific to a criterion rather than compared to peers * Ongoing self-evaluation by students themselves | Teacher’s mobile device can serve to ensure feedback to all students and provide a record of the quality of their responses in class. Digital game environments provide instant corrective feedback, progressive skills acquisition and context for higher level thinking skills (problem-solving). Online rubric tools facilitate creating and distributing grading rubrics. | Nonlinguistic Representations | * Variety of Activities: graphic representations, physical models, mental pictures, drawing pictures and pictographs ,and kinesthetic activities * Students elaborate on their knowledge through the use of the above, allowing greater accessibility for recalling information as the teacher asks them to explain and justify their nonlinguistic representations. | Student-produced materials (with digital, multimedia tools) optimize the learning opportunities, no matter the type of learner. Web environments like the Visual Thesaurus can combine multi-sensory communication with interactive environments. Teachers can optimize traditional digital materials (documents, presentations, etc.) for the visually and hearing impaired and ESL students. | Cues, Questions, and Advanced Organizers | * Focus on the information that is critical to understanding the topic * Use higher-level questions * Provide wait time before accepting responses * Questions used before and after a learning experience | The web offers a variety of social learning environments that lend themselves to being used as advance organizers, Q&A forums, etc. Social web environments can be used in conjunction with mobile devices to stimulate questions, responses and reflections. | Cooperative Learning | * Organizing groups by ability level done sparingly * Small groups of three to four members is ideal * Used consistently, systematically and at least once a week (students must also be given time to practice independently) | Cloud-computing facilitates collaboration by groups. | Summarizing and Note Taking | * Least effective note taking is “verbatim” * Notes need to be specific to the learning goals * Notes should be a work in progress * Students use notes as study guides * The more notes taken the better | Innovative wireless tools allow for multi-sensory note-taking and review. Digital environments promote organizing study content (re-presentation) towards the learning goal. Technologies also allow student to translate content into different modalities or languages easily to increase apprehension. | Homework and Practice | * Students assigned less homework in lower grade levels * Parent involvement is as a facilitator * Homework is most effective when feedback is provided * 80% mastery of a skill requires practicing a skill at least 24 times! * During practice, students should shape what they have learned | Digital media promotes practice by expressing content in another form such as infographics or cartoon strips or animations. Sharing such project in a social media format also allows for a variety of levels of feedback. | Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition | Show students that making an effort pays off! * Explicitly teach the importance of effort * Track effort and achievement * Rewards do not necessarily have a negative effect on intrinsic motivation * Rewards need to be connected to achievement of a standard of performance * Abstract symbolic recognition (such as verbal praise) is more effective than tangible rewards | Online quizzes offer immediate feedback/recognition of success. ePortfolios, which come in a wide variety of forms, provide rich opportunities for progressive learning, demonstration, and advancement upon achievement. | Generating and Testing Hypotheses | * Inductive: specific to general * Deductive: general to specific (generally more effective than inductive) * Teacher asks students to explain their hypotheses and conclusions | Simulations on or through the web stimulate hypothesis formation and testing for science, math, and engineering, but also for the social sciences like History. | Identifying Similarities and Differences | * Both teacher-directed and student-directed enhance knowledge * Using graphic organizers or symbolic models enhances abilities to generate similarities and differences * There are four different forms id identifying similarities and differences: 1. Comparing 2. Classifying 3. Creating Analogies 4. Creating metaphors | Prezi.com equally supports both linear and global (non-linear) learners in the creation of visuals displays. |