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The Art and Science of Teaching  

A Comprehensive Framework for Effective Instruction
Robert J. Marzano, 2007

Instructional Design Questions

  1. What will I do to establish and communicate learning goals, track student progress, and celebrate success?
  2. What will I do to help students effectively interact with new knowledge?
  3. What will I do to help students practice and deepen their understanding of new knowledge?
  4. What will I do to help students generate and test hypotheses about new knowledge?
  5. What will I do to engage students?
  6. What will I do to establish or maintain classroom rules and procedures?
  7. What will I do to recognize and acknowledge adherence to classroom rules and procedures?
  8. What will I do to establish and maintain effective relationships with students?
  9. What will I do to communicate high expectations for students?
  10. What will I do to develop effective lessons organized into a cohesive unit?

What will I do to communicate high expectations for students?

“The effect of teacher expectations on student achievement might be one of the most well-researched aspects of classroom instruction.”
“If the teacher believes students can succeed, she tends to behave in ways that help them succeed.  If the teacher believes that students cannot succeed, she unwittingly tends to behave in ways that subvert student success or at least do not facilitate student success.”
The question is: ‘If I believed this student was completely capable of learning this content, what would I be doing right now?’
“It is difficult, if not impossible, for a person to change his or her thinking about students.  Yet it is entirely possible to change behavior toward students so that all students – regardless of the teacher’s level of expectation for them – receive the same behavior in terms of affective tone and quality of interactions.”
ACTION STEPS
  1. Identify Your Expectation Levels for Students
  2. Identify Differential Treatment of Low-Expectancy Students

Affective Tone

Quality of Interactions

Making less eye contact

Calling on them less

Smiling less

Asking them less challenging questions

Making less physical contact for maintaining less proximity

Not delving into their answers as deeply

Engaging in less playful or light dialogue

Rewarding them for less rigorous responses
  1. Make sure Low-Expectancy Students Receive Verbal and Nonverbal Indications

That They are Valued and Respected


Behaviors that a teacher must systematically and consciously engage in:

Make eye contact with target students frequently

Smile at the target students at appropriate times

On occasion, make appropriate physical contact, such as putting a hand on the target student’s shoulder

Maintain a proximity to target students that communicates interest but does not violate personal space

When appropriate, engage in playful dialogue with the target students
  1. Ask Questions of Low-Expectancy Students
  2. When Low-Expectancy Students Do Not Answer a Question Correctly or Completely, Stay with Them

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