Caleb Crum

ELED 508

Dr. Hunter

Synthesis Paper

November 1st, 2018

Caleb Crum

ELED 508

Dr. Hunter

November 1st, 2018

Synthesis Paper

Over the course of the last eleven weeks, texts such as Comprehension Connections

(2007) by Tanny McGregor, Great Habits Great Readers (2013) by Paul Bambrick-Sanotoyo,

Aja Settles, and Juliana Worrell, and How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, School

(2000) by Bransford et al., have introduced and conceptualized classrooms strategies to better

engage student’s and teacher’s in their learning processes. As learner’s, both students and

teachers play important roles for one another, learning about ones own schema’s, making

inferences, questioning, determining importance of facts, and being able to synthesize

information (McGregor, 2007). Not only that, but great teachers continually and routinely tailor

their instruction to the skills their students need the most, they differentiate, they adapt

(Bambrick-Sanotoyo, Settles, Worrell, 2013, p. 11). Classroom organization, building upon

student’s previous knowledge, helping students to recognize their own thinking, and setting up

effective habits of learning help define not only how students learn, but how teachers learn as

well. In this synthesis essay, you will be looking at the connections that I have made between the

texts mentioned above, and how they relate to both my student’s learning as well as my own.

As teachers, research has investigated and isolated proficient strategies that help students

learn, and consistently employ appropriate strategies to a variety of subjects introduced in a

student’s curriculum. The strategies that have been isolated are: using schema, which is where

thoughtful readers make connections, retrieve, and activate prior knowledge, inferring, where
readers draw conclusions, make predictions, and form interpretations, questioning, where readers

generate questions before, during, and after reading, determining importance, where readers sift

our relevant and useful information, visualizing, where readers create mental images supported

by the five senses, and lastly synthesizing, where readers continually change their thinking in

response to text (McGregor, 2007, p. 3). Teachers, including can use these strategies to help

foster their student’s learning, increasing their metacognition. As challenging as these strategies

are to implement, teachers must be able to firstly identify where their students are, not where

they were or where somebody else says they should be (McGregor, 2007). With the introduction

of metacognition, students are exposed to what defining their own thinking looks like, which is

precisely what thinking about our thinking is. When students have the ability to think about their

own thinking, they are more invested in their learning, becoming more responsible for their

learning.

To enhance student’s metacognition and schema, having students collaborate with their

peers is an important step in the process of decrypting how students learn. Not only do students

need to be in proximity to their peers, but the classroom also needs to be organized in a way that

supports these behaviors. Along with classroom design, establishing routines early on in the

school year further enhances a student’s ability to assimilate and learn. As Bambrick-Sanotoyo,

Settles, and Worrell describe it, “When every transition, behavioral expectation, and classroom

procedure has the same sort of efficiency, the result is classrooms with far more students getting

far more “game time,” making transformational instruction truly possible” (2013, p.31). Building

off of this foundation, Bambrick-Sanotoyo, Settles, and Worrell continue to support the idea of

classroom organization by explaining that the way our work spaces are set up can define how

well we learn. The way you choose to set up your classroom can greatly accelerate learning
(2000). A core idea that is shared in Great Habits Great Readers (2013), is “The best classrooms

don’t just encourage student learning; they’re designed for it” (Bambrick-Sanotoyo, Settles,

Worrell, 2013). Continuing to support established routines and expectations, teachers and

myself must make personal choices when it comes to setting up the classroom. When I spoke

with various teachers that have group style seating in their classes, they randomize the students

to make sure that students do not know each other, let them form relationships for a few months,

then recreate groups so that all students are able to build relationships with their classmates, and

experience different collaborative environments within their own class. Bambrick-Sanotoyo,

Settles, and Worrell list specific features that are beneficial in the classroom which include,

separate areas for whole-group and small-group instruction, clear pathways for students to

follow, a class library (subject specific), and a standard location for all materials (2013, p. 35).

On the first day of class, students are welcomed into the gymnasium to be instructed on

the rules, expectations, and appropriate attire when participating in PE. At this time students are

also broken up into squad colors. Within the squad colors, students will arrive in alphabetical

order, and will be grouped as such. After a few months, squads will be randomized, so each

student will be in a new color. The squad colors help create a sense of organization in the gym

for PE, aiding in team building activities that involve multiple people. This also reduces the

amount of people being singled out for an activity, allowing for all students to participate

together. As students move through their squad routines, this opens the door for a different

setting of peer to peer collaboration. When more and more student discussions occur, students

are able to express their own metacognition and schema with their peers, building on each

other’s previous schema. Bambrick-Sanotoyo, Settles, and Worrell stated, “In general, most

successful teachers we’ve observed made sure to set clear expectations for behavior that
maximizes learning, both for each student and for those around him or her…When you foster a

student’s ability to put such behaviors on “autopilot” you guide him or her a long way toward

success” (2013).

Highly structured classrooms, clear behavioral expectations, and metacognitive routines

all contribute to how students and teachers learn. To further support this model of teaching,

Bransford et al., analyzed research regarding learning and discovered that all learning takes place

in settings that have particular sets of cultural and social norms and expectations and that these

settings influence learning and transfer in powerful ways (2000, p. 4). As students continue to

construct and build upon their metacognition because of classroom structure, they are also

enhancing their schema. Author Tanny McGregor states that, “If left to think of connections on

their own, many kids would lose confidence and shut down. With a friend, everything’s easier”

(2007). McGregor highlights the importance of allowing students to be able to work

collaboratively and jointly. Having schema allows our thinking to go deeper, faster (McGregor,

2007 p. 31). When working together in a collaborative environment, each student’s schema is

unique to themselves which can enhance richer conversations, increasing depth, learning, and

building on their ability to inference and decipher information.

Although a student’s metacognition and schema are their own, being able to inference

and further construct their schema is critical to process of learning. For students to be able to

inference means they are capable of merging their schema with an evidence-based guess

(McGregor, 2007). McGregor continues to build on the definition of inferencing by stating, “I

emphasize that every inference must be directly supported by evidence” (2007, p. 50). My

intervention students have been tasked with reading through a small article, formulating a main

idea, and finding three supporting details to support the main idea. The student’s ability to
inference is critical in order to construct the main idea, while also find evidence to support their

claims. If evidence cannot be gathered, students are tasked with revisiting their main idea to

reevaluate other alternatives to their main idea and how-to best support that. Bransford et al.,

builds on this notion that, “Learning is enhanced when teachers’ pay attention to the knowledge

and beliefs that learners bring to a learning task, use this knowledge as a starting point for new

instruction and monitor students’ changing conceptions as instruction proceeds” (2000). By

using information provided from students in regards to their schema, myself and my colleagues

can further challenge our students by finding evidence to support their schema, and to take

responsibility for their learning (Bransford et al., 2000). Inferencing draws not only on student’s

schema, but also their metacognition as well. McGregor provides us with a formula which states,

“A dose of schema + a piece of evidence = a solid inference, or BK (Background Knowledge) +

TC (Text Clues) = I (Inference)” (McGregor, 2007, p. 55). Students can implement this formula

into a variety of subjects, always calling upon their background knowledge, continually growing

their schema while creating valid inferences. As both myself and my students begin to increase

their schema, and inference skills, their ability to question and determine importance also

increases, which leads to even higher levels of learning.

Questioning is at the root of all problem solving regardless of content matter. Author

McGregor recorded information regarding questioning stating that we need to, “Spend more time

looking for the right question than the right answer. Trust that the ability to ask questions can be

developed, and remember that sometimes there’s no need for answers even in school”

(McGregor, 2007, p.62). Questioning opens up various of pathways for students to explore

information. More importantly, questioning allows a deeper understanding of factual knowledge,

and how to understand facts, as well as organizing that knowledge (Bransford et al., 2000). As a
teacher, throughout the day, I am always questioning my lessons, checking to make sure they are

enjoyable, engaging, that CCSS standards are being practiced and improved upon. My student’s

similarly have questions of their own, such as, “What are we doing in PE? Why are we doing this

in PE? Can we do something else?”. Prior to my employment my students were in a simple

routine of basic activities, and going outside of their comfort zone with activity was very

minimal. As my student’s begin to question my practices and activities, I have began to realize

they are not questioning it just to question it, but they are truthful in their questions as to how this

pertains to them and their daily lives. These habits of discussion that occur daily affect how

myself and students learn to share ideas and thoughts, and how to build (Bambrick-Santoyo,

Settles, Worrell, 2013). With the more my students probe my mind, the more capable I am to

deliver instruction and activities that fit their needs for new learning to take place. I have drawn

inspiration from Figure 5-1 Comprehension Connections (2007, p. 64), on how questioning can

be affected, which includes statements of “I wonder…, or What if…, or Why…., or even I don’t

understand,” which allows me to further explore what my students are curious about, allowing

myself to tailor my instruction to meet the demands of my classes, and begin building the bridge

towards determining importance.

Throughout our day to day lives, students have to decipher a variety of information, as do

adults. It is through our academic career that we have learned the importance of determining

importance through a variety of facts, information, and knowledge and how it is applicable to our

learning. Both students and teachers alike have access to a multitude of media, information,

lessons, and activities that can be incorporated or suggested to use in the classroom, making this

a very valuable skill to use correctly. As author McGregor puts it, “Our children need to know

how to single out and process what is meaningful, and how to recognize and set aside the
distracters, in text and in daily life” (McGregor, 2007, p. 76). As both myself and my students

continue to dig deeper in the quest for knowledge, our rationale requires us to be metacognitive

in our approaches. When we model and invite our students to be metacognitive when

determining importance of events, or information, we are putting value in the process, not just

the product of determining importance (McGregor, 2007). Bransford et al., continues this theory

that, “To provide a knowledge-centered classroom environment, attention must be given to what

is taught (information, subject matter), why it is taught (understanding), and what competence or

mastery looks like” (Bransford et al., 2000, p. 24). When students gain the ability to determine

importance of information, provide evidence to support their rationale, they can then dissect

complicated texts, or subjects making it much easier to get through. Not only that, but modeling

determining importance allows myself to show what is important in our PE curriculum, and what

is not so important. This allows myself to set the expectations of the classroom, and provide a

more open line of communication between students, parents, and myself in terms of what

students can expect to learn while in PE. While this creates a lot of demand for my students, it

also sets a boundary of implications that I too must follow.

As I continue to develop my knowledge on PE content, as well as Math, ELA, Social

Studies, and Science, my implications grow even more. Bransford et al., highlights the

implications that have profound success for teachers which include, “Teachers must draw out

and work with the preexisting understandings that their students bring with them. Teachers must

teach some subject matter in depth, providing many examples in which the same concept is at

work and providing a firm foundation of factual knowledge. The teaching of metacognitive skills

should be integrated into the curriculum in a variety of subject areas” (Bransford et al., 2000, p.

19-21). Prior to this course, the only information I had immediate access to is a text regarding the
planning of lessons for PE, how to manage the classroom, and various other tools to assist in the

creation of expectations for activities and behaviors. These three sentences highlight that as a

teacher I must focus more on depth of a subject rather than breadth, and interest my students by

drawing upon their preexisting knowledge of how the world works. On top of drawing upon my

students interests and schema, I must be able to create formative assessments that allow my

students to observe their own growth in my classroom.

As my lessons continue to adapt and change, so do my assessments that I give to my

students. Often times assessments are very informal, where I observe the skills that they are

performing and provide assistance where needed. As I move away from informal assessments, I

have been formulating and discussing with several grade level teachers as to how they create

common formative assessments (CFAs). Bransford et al., states that:

“An important feature of assessments in these classrooms is that they be learner-friendly:

they are no the Friday quiz for which information is memorized the night before, and for

which the student is given a grade that ranks him or her with respect to classmates.

Rather, these assessments should provide students with opportunities to revise and

improve their thinking, help students see their own progress over the course of weeks or

months, and help teachers identify problems that need remedied” (2000).

With CFAs I have been striving to create an assessment that is appropriate for all grade levels,

and allow it to be accessed regardless of when they are in class to review the information and

answers they provide. I am currently working on how to push items to student’s iPad’s so that

CFAs may be given to all students, where they can store the information they learn in PE, and

track their own process, creating a greater responsibility of one’s own learning. This is all being

accomplished through the use of a professional learning community or PLC.

 Lastly, to ensure that all students are receiving exceptional instruction, without our school

district a great emphasis has been placed on professional learning communities (PLCs). This

allows for a sense of community amongst every grade level, and ensures that no matter what

classroom a student is put into, they are receiving the same information in that classroom,

compared to another teacher in the same grade level. This allows teachers to share and

incorporate ideas, learn from more experience teachers, invent assessments that everyone agrees

on, share data, and exchange students to teach a variety of topics. More importantly, this allows

teachers to truthfully look at data, and discuss with their peers how to make the changes

necessary to help our students succeed. The PLC environment is supported by Bransford et al.,

who comments, “Teachers must be enabled and encouraged to establish a community of learns

among themselves. These communities can build a sense of comfort with questioning rather than

knowing the answer and can develop a model of creating new ideas that build on contributions of

individuals” (Bransford et al., 2000, p. 25). As our communities grow within the school, they

also have been growing throughout the district, allowing PE teachers to meet outside of school to

discuss important standards and information, allowing a network of support and information to

be created that would otherwise be nonexistent. Without this network of support both in the

school site, and offsite, student’s nor myself would not be able to learn and receive instruction as

effectively or efficiently. Throughout this course of study, learning a variety of exercises,

strategies, and information has benefited in the way that I look at student learning and

achievement, and how I impact the quest to increase student learning.

 References

Bambrick-Santoyo, R., Settles, A., Worrell, J. (2013). Great habits great readers: a practical

guide for k-4 reading in the light of common core. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (1999). How people learn: brain, mind,

experience, and school. Washington: National Academies Press, 1999. Retrieved from

http://glbvv001.enmu.edu/login?url=https://search-ebscohost-

com.glbvvproxy.enmu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat06003a&AN=enmu.92325766

2&site=eds-live&scope=site

McGregor, T. (2007). Comprehension connections: bridges to strategic reading. Portsmouth,

NH: Heineman.