At Jackson Elementary, we believe that the child must be the center of all learning.
What this means for us as educators is that we have to give up traditional instructional models such as lecturing and skill drilling. Instead, our teachers use the “workshop model” in order to make sure that each and every student is highly engaged and is working on materials appropriate to their specific proficiency level.
Over the past decade, the workshop model has been documented as one of the most effective instructional models.
For our students, this approach begins with the design of our classroom.
You will not find desks in rows facing a blackboard! Instead, you will find a series of small tables or desks with 4 to 6 students at each, and the teachers circulate throughout the room to work with students in these small groups and individually. In traditional models, students are assessed at the end of units and their overall grade indicates their “skill level.” This big approach does not help the student or teacher to improve student learning.
Instead, Jackson Elementary uses ongoing assessments to identify precisely how our students are performing. Think of it this way. In the past, at the end of a math unit on addition, “Johnny” scores a 60% on the test, indicating that he mastered 60% of the unit. “Johnny” is behind, but all we can tell him is to “work harder.” At Jackson Elementary, teachers review student work daily to identify what the challenges are for students as they work to master skills and strategies. During a workshop, the teacher may observe that “Johnny” is able to count to 20 and add single digit numbers with great mastery but has trouble adding double-digit numbers. The teacher can focus Johnny’s work on mastering the double-digit addition instead of repeating work in the area he has already mastered. We call this approach “differentiated instruction” because the teacher provides different—targeted—instruction to each student based on the student’s skills and needs.
Workshop is an instructional method in which the goal is to teach students strategies for learning. The workshop model, or GRR framework, allows teachers to differentiate and meet the needs of all their students. Workshop helps foster a love of learning by engaging students who practice independently and collaboratively with guidance.
Big 4 Purposes:
Focused Instruction is whole class explicit teaching where the teacher establishes a clear learning purpose for learning and explains a strategy, skill, or task through modeling or demonstration and thinking aloud to foster metacognitive awareness. For reading, the Focused Instruction phase is approximately 5-15 minutes.
Guided Instruction is the “WE DO IT” phase. Guided Instruction is small-group instruction where the teacher focuses on scaffolding students’ developing skill or knowledge through questioning, prompting, and cueing. Meanwhile, the other students engage in collaborative or independent learning.
Collaborative Learning is the “YOU DO IT TOGETHER” phase. Students learn to apply knowledge and skills previously learned in a supportive environment with others. Collaborative learning routines and protocols allow students to become more independent learners who can assume more responsibility for their learning and the learning of their peers.
Independent Learning is the “YOU DO IT ALONE” phase. The focus is on the role of application as students spend time working and thinking alone.