Rigorous Instruction What is Rigor In a small

Rigorous Instruction

What is Rigor? � In a small group create a definition of rigor as it applies in education.

What is Rigor ? Rigor can be defined as: a quality of instruction that requires students to “construct meaning and impose structure on situations rather than expect to find them already apparent. ” Resnick, L. (1987) found in How to Plan Rigorous Instruction by Robyn Jackson, 2011

Goals of Rigorous Instruction Have students who: � Can solve real-world problems � Use metacognition � Persist and are resilient � Own their learning � Use thinking skills to evaluate, analyze, and synthesize information � Deal with uncertainty and ambiguity

Differences Between Difficult and Challenging Learning Challenging ◊ Requires students to develop new understandings ◊ Has students work in their zone of proximal development (Vgotsky) Difficult ◊ Unclear instructions ◊ Don’t have enough support, background, skills, or time to do

Rigorous Summative Assessment � Starting point for rigorous instruction � Characteristics • Thinking skills are measured not only facts • Is a learning experience that deepens student understanding • Requires information to be applied in a real-world or unpredictable situation

Four Characteristics of Rigorous Learning Materials � Have Implicit Meaning � Contain Ambiguity � Are Layered � Are Complex

Implicit Meaning � Use of logic is required to determine meaning from the information presented � Relevant concepts are derived from the information in the materials � Analysis and synthesis are used to reach logical conclusions

Ambiguity � Open to multiple interpretations � Require weighing of several possibilities to determine an answer � Use comparing and contrasting thinking skills to evaluate evidence and ideas � Learn to see information from multiple perspectives

Layers � Uses two or more thinking processes in sequence to solve a problem � Develops methodologies of intellectual inquiry � Requires deductive or inductive reasoning skills � Is increasingly more cognitively demanding – requires peeling back of layers to determine an answer

Complexity � Has multiple parts which may or may not be sequential � Requires seeing patterns and understanding of relationships � Promotes the understanding of interrelated concepts

Other Considerations for Selecting Rigorous Learning Materials � Grade and age appropriateness � Relevant and related to students’ lives � Build students’ capacity to deal with rigorous materials over time � Connects directly to learning standards and goals � Matches the content of summative assessments

In Conclusion When choosing materials think of the kinds of thinking you are trying to develop in students and then select materials designed to promote these thinking types.