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John Hendron

Director of Innovation and Strategy

marzano

Thinking in #Hashtags

by John Hendron · Dec 11, 2015

Some of the things I do from day to day are intentional, meaning, I guess, that I go out of my way to do them for a purpose beyond the act itself. One example is using the pseudo-word automagic instead of automatic. There’s a certain cache to the word that commands especial attention, but beyond that, it signifies something special about the experience. I don’t just slip when I say automagical, but instead I purposefully choose it.

I also have recently gotten into the habit of summarizing thoughts and ideas. The practice of summarization was one of Robert Marzano’s techniques for learning that he found was effective across classrooms. In essence, students know material when they can summarize it. Whether it is for me, or for the benefit of students, I believe the practice of summarization is generally a good thing to do.

So, I’ve been thinking, what is the ultimate summary? It’s a single or even a series of hashtags. Hashtags are words or phrases used in online social spaces to label a concept in a simple way. They first came to light in social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us. Socially creating hashtags or keywords is actually called folksonomy and there is some study around this and its benefits for organizing information.

So here’s my big idea for a Friday: Consider a movement towards hashtagging with students. Show them first, then ask them to follow. You can even camp it up by creating the hashtag symbol/movement with two sets of fingers. It will feel silly. The students will certainly roll some eyes. But in the end, you’re pushing them to think about concepts through summary.

#howeasyisthat

And by the way, for our Tweeting teachers. If you think something you’re doing in school is well-aligned with our strategic plan, consider adding our hashtag to your tweet: #inspire2020

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: folksonomy, marzano

Learning Hacks Re-visited

by John Hendron · May 17, 2010

In my presentation to folks here in Goochland last school year on the 7 Learning Hacks, I implored teachers to use pictures and videos to introduce concepts, treating them as media as part of an anticipatory set or as an advance organizer.

Dr. Robert Marzano has recently published some findings about non-linguistic representations, and these can include drawings students make themselves.

Nonlinguistic strategies require students to generate a representation of new information that does not rely on language. In the hundreds of action research projects that we have conducted with teachers throughout the years, this approach is one of the most commonly studied. Specifically, across 129 studies in which teachers used nonlinguistic strategies—such as graphic organizers, sketches, and pictographs—with one class but not with another class studying the same content, the average effect was a 17 percentile point gain in student achievement (Haystead & Marzano, 2009).
  1. NLR come in many forms.
  2. NLR must identify crucial information.
  3. Students should explain their own NLR.
  4. NLR can take a lot of time.
  5. Students should revise their NLR when necessary.

Read the full story on this research via ASCD.

Filed Under: Learning for Teachers Tagged With: drawings, images, marzano, video

This is a blog by a Goochland County Public Schools Employee. © 2021 Goochland County Public Schools · PO Box 169 &middot Goochland, VA 23063 · (804) 556-5623

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