Cycles of Success
I enjoyed my summer providing professional development to new teachers. I learn so much from their perspective and eagerness.
Instructors and teacher coaches had been sharing engagement techniques with them all summer long like stopping and jotting or turning and talking to get students engaging with material to solidify their learning as well as give the teacher an opportunity to gather quick data points on student’s comprehension. This was going well as we were seeing it being implemented live in summer school classrooms.
But there came a point where we needed to take it a step further. Instead of learning + jotting or learning + discussing, we wrapped it all up into one. We shared what is referred to as the Read-Write-Discuss-Revise cycle. This requires students to:
- Read a text
- Write response to objective aligned questions
- Discuss responses with a peer
- Revise original written response
This takes the ownership off the teacher and allows students to take responsibility for their own learning. The more thought they put into digesting the text, the more insightful response they can produce, the more in-depth conversation they can have with a peer, and a rock star revision results of this effort.
I found out that learning something and writing about it helps that knowledge grow. But learning something, writing about it and then discussing it starts solidifying that newly learned knowledge. However, learning something, writing about it, discussing it and then revising original thoughts is absolutely the most powerful way to make new learning stick so it can be applied again in the future.
Revision is the most important part of this cycle. It allows students to consider perspectives from multiple sources and adjust their thinking taking into consideration other people’s thoughts. Skipping the revision portion of the cycle is tempting to save time, but its like wrapping a present without a bow- you need to finish it off right!
I have to give credit where credit is due. Instructors and teacher coaches did not think of this cycle by themselves. The New Teacher Project [TNTP] provided the concept and resources for us to teach these new teachers and it went over amazing well. Teachers were providing opportunities for students to stop throughout their learning experience to process the information and reflect. Although this might sound like we are slowing down the pace of a lesson, it actually deepens the learning opportunity and students achieve far more than was originally intended. That is worth it.
If you are not convinced yet on this cycle, here is what TNTP says about it:
“The cycle provides time for students to synthesize their thinking in writing before sharing their answers verbally. From our own experience, we know that the first idea that pops into our mind is not always the best idea. The same goes for our students’ answers. Having time to process answers through writing has the potential to lead to higher-quality answers. This process time also can increase classroom participation. More students will volunteer to share their ideas because they’ve had time to think through them.”
I love the idea of think time. It can be awkward to pose a question in front of a room of 20+ kids and then stand there waiting. You so badly want to jump in and provide support, give a clue, take the first hand… but you can’t. That’s the worst thing you can do. I got a lot better over the years by never attaching a student’s name to a question because they would be the only one thinking about the answer. Instead, I just pose a question, wait and then if I want to call on a student, I say the name after all students have had the opportunity to construct a response.
This read-write-discuss-revise cycle forces teachers to use wait time. In fact, teachers really don’t even need to pose the question as its often designed with the text in mind ahead of time so teachers can circulate and work with small groups and let the class do their thing- LEARN!
Facilitating learning can be tough, but it really is in the best interest of the student to take ownership of the cognitive work. So I encourage you to find a rigorous, grade appropriate text. Design objective aligned questions. Then lead a lesson allowing students to grapple with the text at various points throughout- plan out exactly where ahead of time. Be ready for students to talk to each other which means you might need some sentence starters to get them going. You might also be thoughtful about student seating so students are learning from new peers of varying learning levels. Its going to take some getting used to on your end as the teacher but on the students’ side as well. Eventually you will have a well-oiled machine of quality learning experiences and excelling scholars!
Give the read-write-discuss-revise cycle a try and come back to tell me how it went!
About the author, Gretchen
I am a teacher trainer and coach. Working elbow to elbow with teachers and teacher leaders to ensure instructional proficiency and student achievement soar lights me up. We have a real need in our nation for strong educators to remain in the field. My blog, book, podcast, courses and instructional materials are geared towards empowering teachers (and those that lead them) to receive the support needed to grow and thrive today, tomorrow and always.