Last month we dug deep into the first performance area in the rubric, called Learning Environment. Click here to read that deep dive newsletter. Performance Area 2 (Engagement in Learning) focuses on the extent to which the instruction supports all students to engage and learn. The learning environment described in Performance Area 1 is the foundation for students to deeply engage in the learning as described in Performance Area 2.
The teacher identifies objectives for learning that are standards-aligned and include criteria for success to be able to assess student progress toward the objective. Students not only understand the objective(s), but are able to articulate why they are important and how they will know if they are making progress toward meeting the objective(s).
The teacher plans and implements opportunities for students to access, process and practice new skills through presentation of information. To do this the teacher acknowledges the developmental level of the age group and as well as of each individual; understands the content deeply in order to communicate clearly through various methods/strategies; plans learning activities that are sequential and logically aligned, and supports students to access and process new content by scaffolding instruction. Teachers understand that a gradual release of responsibility will guide students through cognitive processes and levels of knowledge referred to in Bloom’s Taxonomy to process deeply complex content.
The teacher appropriately uses the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to check for understanding and provide feedback. All elements of instruction—activities, strategies, and materials—should be appropriate to both the content and students. The teacher understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences. Further, teachers select or design and implement multiple methods of assessment techniques to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress throughout the learning experience, to guide student improvement, and to inform the teacher’s and learner's decision making.
As a result, students are able to articulate what they are learning and why it is important. Students self-monitor their progress through their learning with clear criteria for success. When students aren’t grasping the content, they are given or provided opportunities to relearn and redo.
There are three Indicators in Performance Area 2; the Indicators and Descriptors are in the table below. These Indicators describe in detail what a classroom with highly engaged and supported students looks and sounds like.
