I got GANAG and I cannot lie

Lesson Plans make me cry

When the goal is on that tiny tiny space

that goal is in your face

You assess their prior knowledge with a picture or a song

Get their neurons firing to make connections

New knowledge, new knowledge

That’s why you went to college

Expertise you’ll be sharin’

Through mini lecture and with quotes

See if kids are gettin it

written into their notes!!

Application, application

You want to see that innovation

Compare and analyze it

Summarize and hypothesize it.

Teacher, teacher

you know you are not done

Don’t let those kids leave your room

Without generalization.

Dial 1-800-JaneE.P.

And kick those nasty scores.

Baby got GANAG

1.              We would like to know more about how you moved beyond implementing the typical feedback strategies such as; pair share, ten to two, paired verbal fluency, one word summary, etc to have the strategies positively impact achievement in your classroom to the point of a twenty point gain.  More to the point, you appear to be still using these strategies but with greater impact and gain – can you define what you are doing differently?  Or, is it that the students are interacting differently with these strategies?

Yes, I still use some of the same strategies of pair-share etc, but what changed was I became more serious about wanting and needing to know if students "got it"?  It was no longer just about "closure" and saying a quick goodbye so I could get to lunch...   It was about using my "OSS" as a tool of communication every day, with every student to determine how well, or not, they understood the daily objective.  

Part two: I would also say that I became more creative is what strategies I used for the final "G".  I had many sleepless nights coming up with new, fun and innovative ways to fulfill the "G". 

2.              From conversation with Janie we understand that a change you made in your lesson planning was to implement GANAG with particular focus on the two “G’s”.  While we know that you still implemented the rest of GANAG into your daily instruction, it would seem the focus on the two “G’s” lead to your gains With this in mind, what key message or words of advice would have for us when working with teachers who may simply believe that only focusing on the two “G’s” is all that they need to focus on when intentionally planning their lessons?

Let me put it in context of a cake recipe....  While a recipe calls for different ingredients each and every part is essential for the entire recipe to insure that the cake rises, is not burned, or under cooked.  Each part of GANAG has its purpose and to neglect one of the other components means that instruction is lacking.  

Some have said that the Master Schema has acted as a sieve, allowing those activities that will best help students achieve stay in (the lesson) and the other activities which may be fun but not move students toward the learning goal will disappear.  The schema has helped us focus our teaching as well as helping the students focus their learning.


It's been good for us to see how our practice is helping us build automaticity both in and out of school.  The stories about understanding setting goals and summarizing/giving feedback have gone to places outside the school too.  One of our teachers shared how excited she was to see how effective it was with her Sunday School class.  Another said she used the concepts to help her manage something in her home.  Personally, I even used it when playing racquetball - I'd tell my r-ball partner at the beginning of our game time what my goal was for the day and that at the end of the time, we were both going to give feedback about how I had done.

 As we evaluated ourselves at the end of the book study this month, most of us feel quite confident with setting clear learning targets and with the GANAG schema, but we'd like to continue focusing on practicing additional varied assessments.  The book study format has helped us learn together and has given us common information, language, and talking points.

An unexpected benefit to our study of the GANAG schema has been the common language and understanding we now have and use.  This common language is a unifier for us as we collaborate on lessons and assessments.  The common understanding helps us evaluate our teaching and materials, and it gives us a standard against which we can consider new ideas. 



Our study of the Teaching Schema for Master Learners has been both an affirmation and a challenge.  It has affirmed us in practices that we have been doing well, and it has challenged us to focus on the learners and the practices that best engage students in their learning and increase their achievement.  The schema focuses each lesson around the goal, and in a broader sense, informs our programs by helping us by keeping student achievement as our purpose and priority.

I love knowing that as teachers (or writers) we can impact people in ways that we may never fully know. 

Sincerely,


Bill Hayes, Principal

Greeneview Local Schools

Jamestown OH