The gains (using GANAG and Scoring) for the majority of my high school students are as follows:
1. I now use the same structure/format in my class daily, so my students know what is expected. They know the drill so to speak. Less time wasted.
2. Intellectually, when I post the daily objectives they can focus on one issue for the day. I have taken the guess work out of it. They could never have articulated what they were missing prior, but they now can explain how much easier the learning is because of it.
3. They have a clearer picture of the content, the big picture of the unit and the daily portion of the content.
4. They feel more organized and there is less of a struggle to find papers. As a result, we waste less time "fighting" disorganization. I still have some revamping to do with the notebooks, however.
5. Their daily scores of understanding have increased, thus improving their assessment scores.
Thanks!
As I have progressed through GANAG training, I continually discussed the new techniques I was implementing with other department members at my high school. While some were resistant to learning yet another lesson design schema, they were very receptive to hearing my experiences and the ways in which GANAG enhanced student learning.
Since embracing GANAG in each of my lessons, I have seen measurable improvements in both my skills as an educator and my student's ability to learn new information. GANAG has truly become inseparable from my teaching.
It is not simply a format that I use when writing my lessons, but an approach to teaching that allows me to better assess my students progress, incorporate activities to build higher level thinking skills, and help students retain knowledge for longer periods of time. I feel very grateful that our district was able to invite Jane E. Pollock to share her expertise.
From this point, I can definitively say that I will continue to use GANAG. I feel that I have a good grasp of GANAG, the impact of developing critical thinking skills to enhance student learning, and other practices discussed in Classroom Instruction that Works and One Teacher at a Time. If our district decides to continue instructing teachers in GANAG, I would be more than happy to assist other art department members in the training process.
Best,
Jessica
High School Art Teacher
Betty,
These are the five recommendations made by
Atul Gawande in Better for how to become a positive deviant:
1. Ask an unscripted question
2. Don’t complain
3. Count something
4. Write something
5. Change or take action
We can use them in schools, too.
Glad to meet you and your staff in St. Louis. Good luck.