Working by the numbers -- THREEs

So the book I haven't written, but that is taking shape in my head is called Simply Three: Living, Learning and Thriving in a Complex World.
The more work I do with students of all ages the more strategies and tools I explore that are based on my "rule of three."  Ask just about any student with whom I have worked and they will be familiar with this idea.  It's not a new concept, and certainly I learned it from somewhere, but I do find that with every sitting, I "invent" a new way to utilize this rule of three.  Here are just a few:

Three stages of preparing for an important assessment
1. Build your fund of knowledge --Learn by reading, questioning, connecting, thinking and interacting
2. Recite and deepen your fund of knowledge by articulating what you know, incrementally -- PRACTICE, Correct and Reflect (look, another THREE!)
3. Take or create a practice test that mimics the real assessment -- this allows for "the testing effect"

Three steps for approaching a problem to be solved (I thought of this today on my way home AFTER working with a twenty-something student struggling to track information in word problems)
1.  Identify the critical elements (bits of information) within the problem to be solved
2. Consider the relationship(s) between these critical elements and the prompt for solution
3. Designate a first next step for moving toward solution

Three questions to ask when evaluating or critiquing the written word (When I teach critical reading or comparative essay writing, I use these questions)
1.  What is the point the author is making?
2. How does s/he go about making that point?
3.  What's missing in the article or what questions do I have with which to move forward?

How to create meaningful flashcards
1. Jot down the critical information to be mastered
2. Include two bits of information that connect the critical information to other content
3. Consider an example or a visual representation that can trigger a reminder for key words or concepts

How to manipulate flashcards once they are made  (It's not about "running them" word for word on the front and back)
1. Select 8-10 cards from your deck and sort them into THREE categories [first pass]
2. Articulate the categories and name all the cards that fall into each category [second pass]
3. After sorting, pick a pile then lay out the cards and talk through what and how these items relate to each other -- both similarities and differences; do this for all cards in one stack and for each stack. Work beyond the information contained within the card to incorporate more of what you know [third pass]
* helpful hint: Articulate the name/terms on the card -- Avoid using "it" or "they" -- the more accurate and specific auditory input to generate, the more will "stick" in your head.

Please post you Rules of Three -- I'd love to swap strategies!

Cultivating Confidence -- from an earlier post

Whenever I get ready to call my parents these days, I have to psych myself up.  Not because I don’t want to talk with them, but because I know I have to bring my “A” game to the conversation.  If I want to complain about something, I need to be prepared to troubleshoot; if I have news to share, I need to be prepared with lots of information.  Once we’re talking, it’s wonderful!  But it’s been this way for as long as I can remember. 

Growing up, my mother had a knack for asking the one question I could not answer. Not in a bad way, though— it was as though she believed I had the answer or could find it. Both her and my dad also made a point to praise my successes as they observed them. And for all the things I was bad at (and there was plenty; still are) they were great at acknowledging my frustration while simultaneously redirecting and encouraging me. They were both (and still are) amazing at accentuating the positive without ignoring the negative. They inspired confidence!

I received a gift from a parent my last year in New Jersey. It was a token of her appreciation, but it was the note that came with it that I appreciated most— it read, “You instill confidence.” As an educator, this was the best compliment I could receive and I didn’t even know it until I read it. 

Since then, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how I encourage students, what is possible through coaching and how asking the right questions can motivate students to not only find answers but also try new learning strategies on their own. In a lot of ways, this is essentially what my parents did for me but with greater focus on skill-building.  Giving students an opportunity to reflect on their attempts and intentions allows them to better understand their potential, identify gaps in their developing skills and determine how to best close those gaps. Since receiving that inspiring thank you note a year ago, I believe this is what instilling confidence is all about. It also happens to be the action plan associated with Assessment for Learning, heralded by Rick Stiggins, Jan Chappuis and others in Portland, Oregon as part of the Assessment Training Institute.

I always go back to Vygotsky’s Zones of Proximal Development when I assess what could work for students and what’s not working.  I have to listen to their routines and their habits to find “windows” of opportunity for improvement.  If I can point out patterns to their routine or regularities in their habits, we’ve pinpointed that window.  I often start with asking about preferences: time or task?  This, in the context of a desired short-range goal—prepping for cumulative exams or embarking on a long-term research project, for example—provides the laboratory for experimentation.  If they seem more task oriented, we start there; if time boundaries appeal, we start there. Always, though, this starts as a conversation.

By the end of the conversation, the student and I have worked together to identify specifics related to task, time, outcome and how to begin. We are deliberate about these specifics, always committing them to writing using language that speaks to what the student can and wants to do and how to best leverage what already works.  We end our session agreeing to check-in and debrief on the plan.Then, when I see students in the hall, outside of school or on their way in or out, I like to think that seeing me reminds them of the commitment they’ve made to themselves and the confidence I have that they can do what they have expressed a desire to accomplish.