WEBVTT

00:00:01.126 --> 00:00:06.906
[Music] Welcome to the overview
on How to Organize Your Teaching.

00:00:08.576 --> 00:00:10.816
In our school, we need
to raise test scores.

00:00:10.986 --> 00:00:14.996
What can we do to improve our students'
performance across subject areas?

00:00:15.566 --> 00:00:19.776
My students do well on exams, but
by June, they seem to forget much

00:00:19.776 --> 00:00:21.766
of what I've taught them
earlier in the year.

00:00:22.416 --> 00:00:25.076
What can I do to address
this problem of forgetting?

00:00:25.886 --> 00:00:29.396
Every year my students struggle
with the same big ideas.

00:00:29.496 --> 00:00:34.286
What can I do to help them really
understand and master these concepts?

00:00:34.866 --> 00:00:38.396
Researchers have been working to
answer questions just like these.

00:00:38.956 --> 00:00:41.266
The good news is that
research in the field

00:00:41.266 --> 00:00:45.876
of cognitive psychology can provide
useful and practical suggestions for how

00:00:45.876 --> 00:00:47.386
to improve student learning.

00:00:47.846 --> 00:00:52.056
Both laboratory and classroom
studies offer insights on how

00:00:52.056 --> 00:00:55.596
to improve students' memory for
important content as well as how

00:00:55.596 --> 00:00:59.626
to help them master skills and
understand the domain they're studying.

00:00:59.836 --> 00:01:01.936
I'd like to learn about
cognition and memory,

00:01:01.936 --> 00:01:05.006
but what I really need are
strategies I can use in the classroom.

00:01:05.766 --> 00:01:07.506
Many teachers feel the same.

00:01:08.106 --> 00:01:09.966
These recommendations focus

00:01:09.966 --> 00:01:13.946
on the specific ways these research
findings can be used in the classroom.

00:01:14.306 --> 00:01:19.366
The strategies described here address
important challenges in education.

00:01:20.066 --> 00:01:23.206
Research in memory and learning
has helped us consider how

00:01:23.206 --> 00:01:25.856
to address three main
challenges in the classroom.

00:01:26.706 --> 00:01:30.836
First, how often should students
be exposed to course material

00:01:30.836 --> 00:01:32.626
so that they remember
what they have learned?

00:01:34.156 --> 00:01:37.836
Second, what are effective
ways to introduce new material

00:01:37.836 --> 00:01:39.246
so that students will be able

00:01:39.246 --> 00:01:41.716
to transfer their learning
to new situations?

00:01:42.346 --> 00:01:46.766
And third, how can we help students
develop stronger thinking skills

00:01:46.766 --> 00:01:48.476
and problem-solving strategies?

00:01:49.366 --> 00:01:51.416
These are challenges I'm familiar with.

00:01:51.416 --> 00:01:54.436
How can teachers in my school
organize their instruction

00:01:54.436 --> 00:01:55.606
to deal with these issues?

00:01:56.636 --> 00:02:00.576
Experts have identified four ways in
which teachers can promote retention,

00:02:00.826 --> 00:02:03.436
comprehension, and content mastery.

00:02:04.026 --> 00:02:05.376
Let's look at those practices.

00:02:06.216 --> 00:02:10.466
1. Space learning over time
with review and quizzing.

00:02:11.466 --> 00:02:13.536
Research shows that when
students are asked

00:02:13.536 --> 00:02:17.256
to recall the same information more
than once, over the course of weeks

00:02:17.256 --> 00:02:21.226
or months, the information is
better stored in long-term memory.

00:02:21.946 --> 00:02:25.556
Short quizzes or review
games can re-expose students

00:02:25.556 --> 00:02:27.556
to key content over time.

00:02:28.286 --> 00:02:32.896
2. Alternate worked-out problems
with problem-solving practice.

00:02:33.906 --> 00:02:38.016
Studies show that providing students
examples for every other problem,

00:02:38.236 --> 00:02:41.096
rather than providing a few
examples and a set of problems,

00:02:41.396 --> 00:02:44.286
can greatly improve problem-solving
strategies.

00:02:45.136 --> 00:02:49.896
3. Connect abstract and concrete
representations of concepts.

00:02:50.736 --> 00:02:53.526
When students are learning
about abstract concepts,

00:02:53.696 --> 00:02:57.906
teachers may consider making explicit
connections between the concept

00:02:57.906 --> 00:02:59.296
and concrete examples of it.

00:03:00.216 --> 00:03:03.566
For example, when students
learn a mathematical formula,

00:03:04.086 --> 00:03:08.436
teachers can show them how that abstract
concept could be demonstrated concretely

00:03:08.526 --> 00:03:10.836
through models or graphic
representations.

00:03:11.366 --> 00:03:15.596
This concrete representation may help
some students more easily master the

00:03:15.596 --> 00:03:17.846
concept being taught.

00:03:17.846 --> 00:03:23.046
4. Use higher-order questions to
help students build explanations.

00:03:24.066 --> 00:03:27.176
When teachers ask higher-order
questions like Why?

00:03:27.576 --> 00:03:29.476
Why not? What's your evidence?

00:03:29.986 --> 00:03:31.496
and How does this compare?

00:03:31.906 --> 00:03:34.926
they are giving students
opportunities to explain their thinking.

00:03:35.176 --> 00:03:37.676
Students' comprehension
and understanding

00:03:37.676 --> 00:03:42.356
of key concepts is improved when they
think out loud, justify their points

00:03:42.356 --> 00:03:45.296
of view, and develop
explanations for phenomena.

00:03:46.266 --> 00:03:50.566
You will find helpful materials on
this site for each of these practices.

00:03:51.106 --> 00:03:55.186
If you're unfamiliar with the practices,
begin with the multimedia overviews

00:03:55.186 --> 00:03:58.046
and expert interviews in the
Learn What Works section,

00:03:58.046 --> 00:04:01.926
and see how teachers already implement
these practices in their schools

00:04:02.216 --> 00:04:04.786
in the See How It Works section.

00:04:04.786 --> 00:04:08.126
Use the tools in the Do What
Works section to plan how

00:04:08.126 --> 00:04:11.266
to integrate these practices
into everyday instruction.

00:04:12.086 --> 00:04:16.245
This section includes tips on setting
up professional development programs

00:04:16.555 --> 00:04:20.576
for teachers interested in organizing
instruction and improving learning.

00:04:21.416 --> 00:04:23.986
Remember, there are materials
for educators

00:04:24.066 --> 00:04:25.826
at all levels of experience here.

00:04:26.426 --> 00:04:29.626
Explore them for yourself,
and then use them as you begin

00:04:29.626 --> 00:04:33.576
to implement these research-based
practices for organizing instruction

00:04:33.626 --> 00:04:35.576
and study to improve student learning.

00:04:39.016 --> 00:04:41.000
[Music]