DIMENSIONS OF LEARNING OVERVIEW

Framing the learning

Write down anything you already know about the Dimensions of
Learning.

If it is mentioned in this lecture tick it

If you hear new information that interests you add it to your notes




Robert Marzano
Fascinated by what good teachers do
Why is it that one teacher can teach a group of children
successfully and another teacher cannot teach the same
group
Observed 70,000 classrooms in total
Published many books/articles
Many of his books in the CDU library


Dimensions of Learning is a comprehensive model
that uses what researchers and theorists know about
learning to define the learning process.

Its premise is that five types of thinking- called the
five dimensions of learning, are essential to successful
learning.


Why is it useful?
The Dimensions framework is a tool that helps teachers
to:
maintain a focus on learning
study the learning process
plan curriculum, instruction and assessment that
takes into account the five critical aspects of
learning.

How do the Dimension fit together?
Dimension 1 Attitudes and Perceptions
CLASSROOM CLIMATE
Students:
feel accepted by teachers and peers
experience a sense of comfort and order
Experience deliberate strategies designed to support a positive
classroom climate
experience a sense of comfort and order

CLASSROOM TASKS
perceive tasks as valuable and interesting
believe they have the ability and resources to complete the task
understand and are clear about the task
Experience strategies designed to support positive attitudes
toward classroom tasks



What does this mean for students?
This involves learners:
understanding about their own learning styles

being able to identify their own strengths and weaknesses

identify areas they need to work on to be successful learners

being guided through learning experiences that help them
reflect on themselves as a learner both individually and in
groups

being able to identify the various roles people take on in
groups and how this can impact on learning

understanding aspects that impact on their own attitude
towards learning

Identifying negative perceptions they might need to overcome

seeking to find the connections between different learning
that they engage in

What does this mean for teachers?
Discuss attitude with students Greeting the students as they come into the class.
Be wary of labelling or talking about children in negative ways.

Involve students in making decisions about classroom climate, guidelines for
behavior, comfort and space in the classroom. Frame these in positive language.

Establish a relationship with each student in the class. Learn about each
student. This might be an interest or achievement. Use this information to
establish rapport and trust.

Give each student undivided attention (even for a short time each day)

Even if a child responds incorrectly, always give credit for trying

Take steps to prevent bullying

Be open and encouraging to differences and creativity

Cater for individual differences - give students opportunities to choose tasks that
suits their preferred learning style (can be found through online profiling) and
give examples of success stories of individuals from a range of backgrounds.

http://literacyworks.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html

Be creative in finding things for fast finishers to do so they feel important
too. Include quiet or left out students by making yourself available to
them

Value ideas and contributions of all students and allow enough time for
all students to respond to tasks

Carefully structure group work to enable students to become more
confident in relationships, oral explanations, and group problem solving

There are many games and self-esteem building activities for students to
get to know each other in different social and learning situations

Frequently change activities and allow students to move around
regularly. Take short exercise breaks, or games when energy wanes.

Encourage students to think about their thinking, and use strategies such
as "bracketing" to maintain focus and attention by consciously blocking
out distractions (see DOL Teachers Manual page 24)

Dimension 1 Attitudes and Perceptions

Helping Students
Develop
Positive attitudes
and
Perceptions about
Classroom tasks

Believe they have
the
Ability and
resources
To complete tasks

Helping Students
Develop Positive
Attitudes and
Perception about
Classroom Climate



Experience a Sense
of Comfort and
Order
Understand and
be clear
about tasks


Dimension 2 Acquire and Integrate Knowledge
(Declarative and Procedural)

Declarative Knowledge
(know.understand)

is composed of facts, concepts, and principles we want
students to know

Acquiring and integrating declarative knowledge involves
three phases: constructing meaning, organizing and storing

To acquire and integrate new knowledge (declarative
knowledge) learners need to - build on what they already
know - be able to organise information - find strategies to
make new knowledge part of long term memory.


Procedural Knowledge
(be skilled atmaster)
is composed of processes or skills that we want student to know
how to do

Acquiring and integrating procedural knowledge involves three
phases: constructing models, shaping, and internalising

Solves multi-step problems involving fractions, decimals, and basic
percents

Uses prewriting strategies to plan written work

Predicts possible results of scientific investigations

Summarises information found in texts

Prepares a slide for biology

Follows steps in a recipe

Declarative
Knowledge
Content and
Information
Construct
Meaning
Organise
Store
Procedural
Knowledge
Skills and
Processes
Construct
Model
Shape
Internalise
Dimension 2: Acquire and Integrate
Knowledge
Dimension 3 Extend and Refine Knowledge

Once new knowledge has been acquired and integrated,
students need to develop in-depth understandings by
extending and refining their knowledge.

This is done through deeper consideration of the knowledge
by
- analysis that involves application of more complex reasoning
processes (higher order thinking) or
- transforming the knowledge into another form

Steps to Designing Learning Tasks for Complex
Reasoning

Complex reasoning processes need to be explicitly taught
through a 5 step learning process outlined below. The student
will develop better understandings of these processes if they
contextualized in familiar, interesting and engaging ways.
1. Help students understand the process
2. Give students a model for the process, and opportunities
practice using the process
3. As students use the process, help them focus on critical
steps and difficult aspects
4. Provide students with graphic organizers or representations
of the model
5. Use teacher-structured and student-structured tasks

Eight Complex
Reasoning Processes
Comparing
Abstracting
Classifying
Inductive
Reasoning
Constructing
Support
Deductive
Reasoning
Analysing
Perspectives
Analysing
Errors
Dimension 3: Extending and Refining
Knowledge
Dimension 4 Use knowledge Meaningfully

Learners will more effectively internalise knowledge when
they are able to use it to perform a meaningful task. This may
be
- something in real life that uses the new skills, or
- a life-like opportunity so that students can practice their new
knowledge and skills in a safe environment.

Dimension 4 Using Knowledge Meaningfully
Six reasoning processes for designing assessment tasks
Decision Making: Generating and applying criteria to select
from among seemingly equal alternates
Problem Solving: Overcoming constraints or limiting
conditions that are in the way of pursuing goals
Creating: Developing unique products or processes that
fulfill perceived needs
Experimental Inquiry: Generating and testing explanation o
f observed phenomena
Investigation: Identifying and resolving issues about which
there are confusions or contradictions
Systems Analysis: Analyzing the parts of a system and the
manner in which they interact.

Example of Systems Analysis

ENGLISH/THE ARTS
Select a well known fairy tale. Draw up a character web for that
story, identifying the relationships involved. Map the main events
(or plot) of the story. If you change the nature of one of the
relationships in the story, how would the story change? (e.g. if one
of Cinderellas step sisters really liked her how would the story be
different?)? Create a new plot line for the story. Select the most
interesting new scene to act out.

SCIENCE/SOSE
Select a local waterway and identify the most obvious parts of its
ecosystem. In small groups, select one part of your ecosystem.
Identify how this part could be affected by environmental change.
What would happen to the rest of the ecosystem if your part
changed?


Examples of Invention
ENGLISH/SOSE/ARTS
As part of a local promotional campaign the region is wanting to
design a new logo. Consider what aspects of the region should be
represented and how these can be shown symbolically. Also look at
elements of design and the way colour can work symbolically.
Design and present your logo to an evaluation panel, explaining the
significance of different aspects of your design.

HPE/MATH/TECHNOLOGY/ENGLISH
The school wishes to increase the opportunities for students to
engage in exercise activities both in HPE time and at lunchtimes and
is proposing to build a fitness circuit in the playground. You will need
to consider different apparatus that could be used or constructed,
and the exercises you could do on each one. Work out a circuit
where a whole class could be kept meaningfully engaged (e.g. some
stations could have activities for small groups). Also consider safety
issues. Design the fitness circuit and the instruction panels that
would need to be attached to each station.


Dimension 5 Habits of Mind
A Habit of Mind is knowing how to behave
intelligently even when you dont know the answer.
A Habit of Mind means having a disposition toward
behaving intelligently when confronted with
problems, the answers to which are not immediately
known
The critical attribute of intelligent human beings is
not only having information, but knowing how to act
on it.


Dimension 5 Habits of Mind Recognition
Persisting
Managing Impulsivity
Listening with understanding &
empathy
Thinking flexibly
Thinking about thinking
Striving for accuracy
Questioning & posing problems
Applying past knowledge to
new situations
Thinking & communicating with
clarity and precision
Gathering data through
all senses
Creating, imagining, innovating
Responding with wonderment
and awe
Taking responsible risks
Finding humor
Thinking interdependently
Remaining open to continuous
learning


How does it fit together?
Three minute pause
Take three minutes to stop and think about the research we
have been talking about

How is this already reflected in my teaching or the teaching
that I am seeing?

What do I find interesting and would like to learn more
about?