Helping Students Invent: Extending Learning Beyond Mastery
Karen A. McCay
8 January 2019
Introduction:
Proficient students can drop out of public education more often than any other demographic--especially if they are also gifted and talented--because their educational needs are regularly ignored in general education. Because they meet their educational goals quickly and easily, they spend a great deal of class time bored. When they are challenged, they occasionally feel a sense of panic because they are underprepared to solve challenging problems. Having rarely been faced with challenges, proficient students sometimes have underdeveloped systems for identifying parts of a challenge, locating resources, solving parts of the problem, and sharing their results or findings with others. When students achieve proficiency early in a learning unit, they need opportunities to develop these skills. “Students must learn strategies for solving heuristic problems, including how to break them down into smaller problems, how to look for ways that a new problem is similar to one they may have solved in the past, and how to brainstorm possible solutions with their peers” (Goodwin and Hubbell, 2013, p. 180). These learning extensions, which students can develop through writing, media, and product creation can help students in any future field where they will need critical problem-solving skills in order face future challenges.
Written Extensions
Helping struggling writers grow is generally a fast process for language arts teachers, but helping proficient writers to become advanced is a challenging process involving unique differentiation based on each individual’s writing needs. When students’ writing achieves a proficient level, teachers can always look at the next level of standards to see how they can use those standards as goals for acceleration, and this form of acceleration is a common practice, which is simplified when we have well-written, aligned standards. If acceleration is not an option and extension of the current standards is the only available option, teachers can expand students’ writing knowledge in two simple ways. First, teachers can provide “explicit teaching of strategies for planning, revising, and editing” student compositions so students have a repertoire of skills from which to choose when they write future documents (Kellogg & Whiteford, 2009). These writing tools will help them even on the college level when they will be tasked with unfamiliar writing assignments. They will be able to rely upon familiar planning tools as they struggle with unfamiliar content and thinking processes. Another extension option for teachers is to address their students’ style. Teachers can train their proficient students to write more complex sentences by using sentence combining: “[C]ollege students learned to combine sentences best when they practiced after observation of a model performing a procedure for combining two sentences and when external feedback was provided” (ibid). This form of modeling and then trying with focused coaching would help secondary students develop advanced writing skills before graduation. Having stronger planning strategies and stylistic revision strategies would extend proficient students’ writing and help them enjoy their education.
Media Extensions
Proficient students can also extend their learning by taking their learning to a new audience. We have many students in modern education, who already publish their own Youtube videos for a variety of hobbies, and many of them are willing to turn those hobby channels into learning extensions if they see a purpose for doing so. Goodwin and Hubbell (2013) recommend framing educational units around driving questions: “A good driving question captures the heart of the project in clear, compelling language, which gives students a sense of purpose and challenge” (p. 176). If proficient students see a local, personal, or societal problem, which they can address through their use of modern media, then they will extend their own learning goals into the advanced range--and possibly find some real solutions to real problems. The key is the driving question: “A project without a driving question is like an essay without a thesis. Without a thesis statement, a reader might be able to pick out the main point a writer is trying to make; but with a thesis statement, the main point is unmistakable. Without a driving question, students may not understand why they are undertaking a project” (Larmer and Mergendoller, 2010). To ensure that the driving question truly compelling and full of purpose, teachers can use an easy test: just ask! When we have a group of proficient students, who need to extend their learning, and they are ready for a challenging learning task, we can ask them a driving question. If they start having an exciting conversation that really goes somewhere, and then they want to find some answers, then we’ve asked the right question. If not, then we can keep moving the conversation along with other questions until things become interesting. Eventually, we will find the guiding question, or we will realize that we’re having the wrong conversation. In that case, we need to change topics and ask the kids what problems they’re more interested in than the one we’re done discussing--and find extensions there.
Physical Extensions
Not all proficient learners will extend their learning by engaging through media. For students, who have high kinesthetic intelligence, physical extensions may be a better opportunity to document advanced learning. For example, I once had a student spend hours of his own time building a working microscope out of paper towel tubes, saran wrap, and electrical tape. He hadn’t been assigned this project; he just wanted to see if he could do it:
Karen A. McCay
8 January 2019
Introduction:
Proficient students can drop out of public education more often than any other demographic--especially if they are also gifted and talented--because their educational needs are regularly ignored in general education. Because they meet their educational goals quickly and easily, they spend a great deal of class time bored. When they are challenged, they occasionally feel a sense of panic because they are underprepared to solve challenging problems. Having rarely been faced with challenges, proficient students sometimes have underdeveloped systems for identifying parts of a challenge, locating resources, solving parts of the problem, and sharing their results or findings with others. When students achieve proficiency early in a learning unit, they need opportunities to develop these skills. “Students must learn strategies for solving heuristic problems, including how to break them down into smaller problems, how to look for ways that a new problem is similar to one they may have solved in the past, and how to brainstorm possible solutions with their peers” (Goodwin and Hubbell, 2013, p. 180). These learning extensions, which students can develop through writing, media, and product creation can help students in any future field where they will need critical problem-solving skills in order face future challenges.
Written Extensions
Helping struggling writers grow is generally a fast process for language arts teachers, but helping proficient writers to become advanced is a challenging process involving unique differentiation based on each individual’s writing needs. When students’ writing achieves a proficient level, teachers can always look at the next level of standards to see how they can use those standards as goals for acceleration, and this form of acceleration is a common practice, which is simplified when we have well-written, aligned standards. If acceleration is not an option and extension of the current standards is the only available option, teachers can expand students’ writing knowledge in two simple ways. First, teachers can provide “explicit teaching of strategies for planning, revising, and editing” student compositions so students have a repertoire of skills from which to choose when they write future documents (Kellogg & Whiteford, 2009). These writing tools will help them even on the college level when they will be tasked with unfamiliar writing assignments. They will be able to rely upon familiar planning tools as they struggle with unfamiliar content and thinking processes. Another extension option for teachers is to address their students’ style. Teachers can train their proficient students to write more complex sentences by using sentence combining: “[C]ollege students learned to combine sentences best when they practiced after observation of a model performing a procedure for combining two sentences and when external feedback was provided” (ibid). This form of modeling and then trying with focused coaching would help secondary students develop advanced writing skills before graduation. Having stronger planning strategies and stylistic revision strategies would extend proficient students’ writing and help them enjoy their education.
Media Extensions
Proficient students can also extend their learning by taking their learning to a new audience. We have many students in modern education, who already publish their own Youtube videos for a variety of hobbies, and many of them are willing to turn those hobby channels into learning extensions if they see a purpose for doing so. Goodwin and Hubbell (2013) recommend framing educational units around driving questions: “A good driving question captures the heart of the project in clear, compelling language, which gives students a sense of purpose and challenge” (p. 176). If proficient students see a local, personal, or societal problem, which they can address through their use of modern media, then they will extend their own learning goals into the advanced range--and possibly find some real solutions to real problems. The key is the driving question: “A project without a driving question is like an essay without a thesis. Without a thesis statement, a reader might be able to pick out the main point a writer is trying to make; but with a thesis statement, the main point is unmistakable. Without a driving question, students may not understand why they are undertaking a project” (Larmer and Mergendoller, 2010). To ensure that the driving question truly compelling and full of purpose, teachers can use an easy test: just ask! When we have a group of proficient students, who need to extend their learning, and they are ready for a challenging learning task, we can ask them a driving question. If they start having an exciting conversation that really goes somewhere, and then they want to find some answers, then we’ve asked the right question. If not, then we can keep moving the conversation along with other questions until things become interesting. Eventually, we will find the guiding question, or we will realize that we’re having the wrong conversation. In that case, we need to change topics and ask the kids what problems they’re more interested in than the one we’re done discussing--and find extensions there.
Physical Extensions
Not all proficient learners will extend their learning by engaging through media. For students, who have high kinesthetic intelligence, physical extensions may be a better opportunity to document advanced learning. For example, I once had a student spend hours of his own time building a working microscope out of paper towel tubes, saran wrap, and electrical tape. He hadn’t been assigned this project; he just wanted to see if he could do it:
"Students find project work more meaningful if they conduct real inquiry, which does not mean
finding information in books or websites and pasting it onto a poster. In real inquiry, students
follow a trail that begins with their own questions, leads to a search for resources and the
discovery of answers, and often ultimately leads to generating new questions, testing ideas, and
drawing their own conclusions. With real inquiry comes innovation—a new answer to a driving
question, a new product, or an individually generated solution to a problem. The teacher does not
ask students to simply reproduce teacher- or textbook-provided information in a pretty format.
To guide students in real inquiry, refer students to the list of questions they generated after the
entry event. Coach them to add to this list as they discover new insights. The classroom culture
should value questioning, hypothesizing, and openness to new ideas and perspectives". (Larmer
and Mergendoller, 2010)
finding information in books or websites and pasting it onto a poster. In real inquiry, students
follow a trail that begins with their own questions, leads to a search for resources and the
discovery of answers, and often ultimately leads to generating new questions, testing ideas, and
drawing their own conclusions. With real inquiry comes innovation—a new answer to a driving
question, a new product, or an individually generated solution to a problem. The teacher does not
ask students to simply reproduce teacher- or textbook-provided information in a pretty format.
To guide students in real inquiry, refer students to the list of questions they generated after the
entry event. Coach them to add to this list as they discover new insights. The classroom culture
should value questioning, hypothesizing, and openness to new ideas and perspectives". (Larmer
and Mergendoller, 2010)
Some students, because they truly love to ask themselves questions, really do learn best by building a product over and over and over until they are satisfied that it is their own work is the best “answer” they will ever find. Multiple competition-based learning opportunities exist solely for these learners, but not all product-based learners want to compete in any way. Some of them merely want to use manipulatives and building materials to learn. Some want to find real-world audiences and even market-based audiences for their products: “Schoolwork is more meaningful when it's not done only for the teacher or the test. When students present their work to a real audience, they care more about its quality. Once again, it's ‘the more, the better’ when it comes to authenticity. Students might replicate the kinds of tasks done by professionals—but even better, they might create real products that people outside school use” (ibid). These students find meaning in education when they can stop learning for the outcome of the course, but instead, for the outcome of their design and the success of their specific project, itself. The project literally becomes their driving question, and it can extend their learning exponentially.
For Administrators
Principals have to keep in mind that proficient students, regardless of what their current testing might say, are at risk, and need special programming if they are going to complete their secondary education. They need challenge and innovation, or their proficient scores are going to exit the building, so we need to find ways to meet their needs, which are honestly better ways to educate all students:
For Administrators
Principals have to keep in mind that proficient students, regardless of what their current testing might say, are at risk, and need special programming if they are going to complete their secondary education. They need challenge and innovation, or their proficient scores are going to exit the building, so we need to find ways to meet their needs, which are honestly better ways to educate all students:
"What we ultimately want students to be able to do is find issues that are important to them,
gather as much information as possible from a wide variety of resources that represent various
viewpoints and motivations, and test--to the best of their abilities--the viability of these claims in
order to inform their own decisions. By generating and testing hypotheses and by using the
associated processes--systems analysis, problem solving, experimental inquiry, and
investigation--students are able to develop these skills."
(Dean, Hubbell, Pitler, & Stone, 2012, p. 149).
gather as much information as possible from a wide variety of resources that represent various
viewpoints and motivations, and test--to the best of their abilities--the viability of these claims in
order to inform their own decisions. By generating and testing hypotheses and by using the
associated processes--systems analysis, problem solving, experimental inquiry, and
investigation--students are able to develop these skills."
(Dean, Hubbell, Pitler, & Stone, 2012, p. 149).
Administrators need to challenge their staff members to develop units around driving questions, which allow learning extensions through writing, media, and product creation to ensure that when students meet proficiency early, they can continue to grow educationally toward advanced learning and prepare for a dynamically changing future.
More Resources:
Who Cares? Extending Learning Through Real-World Perspectives
Using Technology to Extend Proficient Learning
STEM Resources to Use with Proficient Students
Watch How One School Used PBL to Save Their Beach
Return to All Learners Page
Return to Relationship Teaching Home Page
References
Dean, C. B., Hubbell, E. R., Pitler, H., & Stone, B. J. (2012). Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement, 2nd Edition. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Goodwin, B., & Hubbell, E. R. (2013). The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching: A Checklist for Staying Focused Every Day. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Kellogg, R. T., & Whiteford, A. P. (2009). Training Advanced Writing Skills: The Case for Deliberate Practice. Educational Psychologist, 44(4), 250-266. doi:10.1080/00461520903213600
Larmer, J., & Mergendoller, J., R. (2010, September). Seven Essentials for Project-Based Learner (Educational Leadership). Retrieved January 28, 2017, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/sept10/vol68/num01/Seven_Essentials_for_Project-Based_Learning.aspx
Solis, A. (2010, October 11). What is Meaningful PBL? [Video blog post]. Retrieved January 28, 2017, from https://www.bie.org/blog/what_is_meaningful_pbl
More Resources:
Who Cares? Extending Learning Through Real-World Perspectives
Using Technology to Extend Proficient Learning
STEM Resources to Use with Proficient Students
Watch How One School Used PBL to Save Their Beach
Return to All Learners Page
Return to Relationship Teaching Home Page
References
Dean, C. B., Hubbell, E. R., Pitler, H., & Stone, B. J. (2012). Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement, 2nd Edition. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Goodwin, B., & Hubbell, E. R. (2013). The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching: A Checklist for Staying Focused Every Day. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Kellogg, R. T., & Whiteford, A. P. (2009). Training Advanced Writing Skills: The Case for Deliberate Practice. Educational Psychologist, 44(4), 250-266. doi:10.1080/00461520903213600
Larmer, J., & Mergendoller, J., R. (2010, September). Seven Essentials for Project-Based Learner (Educational Leadership). Retrieved January 28, 2017, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/sept10/vol68/num01/Seven_Essentials_for_Project-Based_Learning.aspx
Solis, A. (2010, October 11). What is Meaningful PBL? [Video blog post]. Retrieved January 28, 2017, from https://www.bie.org/blog/what_is_meaningful_pbl