6 Evidence-Based Practices to Implement this School Year

Utilizing evidence-based practices is key to improve classroom instruction. Education researchers like John Hattie (Visible Learning) and Robert Marzano (High Reliability Schools) lead the charge with their recommendations on strategies that work in the classroom.

In reading the book Impactful Instructional Leadership, a Framework for Success, author Jack Hunter explained six evidence-based practices that are supported by both Hattie and Marzano. Each has large effect sizes signifying their transformative impact in the classroom. (Note– the zone of desired affects begin at an effect size of .40, which equates to one year’s growth during one year’s time. Anything over .40 means more than one year’s growth in one year’s time.)

This blog post will outline each of the six evidence-based practices, noting the effect size next to the strategy name. This will help you prioritize what to try first based on the needs of the school. It is not recommended to try more than one at a time or even more than one in a single year. These strategies take time to teach and implement to experience full results.

Collective Efficacy – 1.57

Collective efficacy means the effectiveness of a group as a whole. This occurs during professional learning communities [PLC’s] where teachers collaborate. These meetings should not focus on “how to teach,” rather the “impact of teaching” through data review and reflection. Having a criteria for success ensures planning for instruction is purposeful and clear. It also makes the data analysis process easier because teachers can reference the success criteria when evaluating student work samples. The talents, ideas, and experience of each teacher enhance the effectiveness of the group, thus positively impacting many classrooms of students.

Read past posts on PLC’s here:

• 5 Ways to Enhance your PLC’s
• Leading a PLC Data Chat
• Making a PLC Productive & Effective

Mastery-Based Learning- 1.79

This method focuses on tracking learning for power standards using a pre and post assessment system. Essentially students can work at their own pace to develop strengths, build confidence, while also receiving remediation and acceleration where appropriate. The goal is to master the standard through repetitive practice and measure growth using similar pre and post tests. Students demonstrate their proficiency before moving on to more complex topics or skills.

Microteaching- .88

Teachers can strengthen their instructional delivery through microteaching. They teach a small group of students for about twenty minutes. By video recording the lesson segment, the teacher is able to rewatch and reflect on the effectiveness of the lesson. They may even elicit feedback from students on the specific skill/process. An instructional coach or peer can also observe and provide one strength and area of focus as feedback for the teacher. At this point, the teacher may decide to reteach the lesson to another small group of students implementing the feedback recently received. When deciding what portion of a lesson to practice and receive feedback on, it is often recommended to focus on the beginning and end of a lesson for the microteaching practice.

Jigsaw – 1.20

Jigsaw allows students to become experts on a portion of a topic and teach it to their peers. It creates deep discussions through transfer of content knowledge. Teachers break students into groups of 5 to 6. They also break the content into sections and assign each student in the group to a particular section. Students leave this group to join a new group that consists of students from other groups who were also assigned the same section to read. Students read and reread together for 5 to 7 minutes. After a quick discussion and debrief on the main points of what they read, students go back to their original group and share out what they learned. Their peers are listening and taking notes. During this time, the teacher is circulating, gathering informal data on student understanding and collaboration. Jigsaw promotes critical thinking and social skills while allowing students of varying ability levels to work together.

Reciprocal Teaching- .74

This is another cooperative learning strategy. It is used specifically to enhance reading comprehension skills but can be used in all subject areas. The teacher provides a grade level passage that is no longer than 2 pages. Students are placed in groups of 5 and each member of the group has a chance to lead the learning. Students preview the passage (ie. title, pictures, captions, headings, etc.), read and reread an assigned section, and stop/jot essential information on a note catcher. Four main skills are practiced: making predictions, asking and answering question, clarifying the text (ie. context clues and decoding), as well as summarizing the passage (ie. main idea, compare/contrast, themes, claims with text evidence).  The teacher can use an informal check list while circulating to determine how well students are comprehending the text using their various strategies learned.

Spiral Review – .82

Spiral review recycles previously learned content into new learning opportunities. This ensures students retain what has been learned in the past while continuing to learn new concepts in the present. Spiral review can also be referred to as spaced practice instead of mass practice. This means that recalling information is spaced out over a period of time instead of learning a specific topic in extravagant amounts during one specific duration, only to never discuss it again. This ongoing reassessment increases transfer of knowledge. The typical flow of spiral review is:

• initial teaching of content
• weekly review during homework or morning work
• test 2 weeks later
• test a month later

The six evidence-based practices will increase teaching ability while also improving student learning outcomes. Learn more about Impactful Instructional Leadership, a Framework for Success written by Jack Hunter.

If you are need of resources to help you become an even stronger coach, browse these printable and digital options. Check out my instructional coaching must-haves here. Also, catch up on other helpful blog posts here.

GO BE GREAT!