““Unmasking Rigor”Unmasking Rigor”

Roger P. CuerquezBSE, MS-AMS, Ph.D.-Mathematics (ABD)

(Polytechnic Institute of New York University)

New York City Public Schools

“Return to Share Program”

How to plan Rigorous How to plan Rigorous Instruction?Instruction?

This one day workshop will give teachers an This one day workshop will give teachers an overview of planning rigorous instruction.  If overview of planning rigorous instruction.  If you want your students to go beyond rote you want your students to go beyond rote memorization and learn memorization and learn howhow to learn then this  to learn then this workshop is for you.workshop is for you.

Objective:Objective:

Teachers will be able to learn and understand what, why, when and how to plan rigor, specifically:

• What rigor really is• The four stages of rigor• How to move students from one stage of rigorous

learning to the next• Specific strategies for supporting students at

each stage• How to develop a comprehensive plan for helping

all students access and be successful with rigor

Yes, but…Yes, but…

Pop Quiz: Agree or DisagreePop Quiz: Agree or Disagree

1. Rigor means that the work is harder.2. Rigor means more work.3. The work is not rigorous if it asks students

to apply what they learned in only one context.

4. The lower half of Bloom’s Taxonomy is not rigorous.

5. In order to engage in rigorous instruction, students have to first master the basics.

Bloom’s TaxonomyBloom’s Taxonomy

• Knowledge

• Comprehension

• Application

• Analysis

• Synthesis

• Evaluation

Why Rigor?Why Rigor?

• Rigorous instruction offers rich, robust learning experiences.

• Rigorous instruction help student meets or exceed conventional learning standards.

• Rigorous instruction is just more fun.

What is Rigor?What is Rigor?

• Everybody agrees that rigor is critical to student achievement but few understand what rigor truly is or how to effectively implement rigorous instruction. Rigor is a quality of instruction that requires students to construct meaning for themselves, impose structure on information, integrate individual skills into processes, operate within but at the outer edge of their abilities, and apply what they learn in more than one context and to unpredictable situations. 

Stages of RigorStages of Rigor

• ACQUISITION

• APPLICATION

• ASSIMILATION

• ADAPTATION

ACQUISITIONACQUISITION

How will I help my students understand the content and acquire skills?

Teach Learning Strategies;• Memory Strategies• Organizing Strategies• Summarizing Strategies• Collaborative Learning Strategies

APPLICATIONAPPLICATIONHow will I help my students apply what they learned

in a meaningful way?

Teach Thinking Skills:• Cause and Effect• Compare and Contrast• Induction• Deduction• Classification• Abstracting• Error Analysis• Evaluation

ASSIMILATIONASSIMILATION

• How will I help my students synthesize what they are learning?

Teach Thinking Processes:• Decision Making• Problem Solving• Investigation• Experimental Inquiry• Invention• Hypothesis Testing• Synthesis of Writing Assignments

ADAPTATIONADAPTATION

How will I help my students take what they have learned and apply it to new and novel contexts across disciplines?

Teach Habits of Mind:• Persisting• Finding Humor• Managing Impulsivity• Thinking Flexibly• Thinking Interdependently• Striving for Accuracy• Taking Responsible risks• Creating, Imagining and Innovation• Thinking about Thinking (Metacognition)

The Frayer ModelThe Frayer Model

The Frayer Model is a vocabulary development tool. In contrast with a straight definition, the model helps to develop a better understanding of complex concepts by having students identify not just what something is, but what something is not. The center of the diagram shows the concept being defined, while the quadrants around the concept are used for providing the details. Words that work well with the Frayer Model include quadrilaterals, insects and democracies.

Example for ScienceExample for Science

Example for MathExample for Math

Credit AccumulationNSAT Passing

Graduation Rate

7 Principles of Effective 7 Principles of Effective InstructionInstruction

• Principle One: Start where your students are• Principle Two: Know where your students are going• Principle Three: Expect to get your students to their

goal• Principle Four: Support your students along the way• Principle Five: Use feedback to help and your

students get better• Principle Six: Focus on quality rather than quantity• Principle Seven: Never work harder than your

students

Resources: http://mindstepsinc.com/rigor/ www.leadered.com

Thank you for participating!Thank you for participating!

This Workshop is part of a series of “Return to Share”

program conducted by AFTEA, Inc.,A non-profit organization of Filipino-American

Teachers in the United States specifically designed to share educational best practices and teaching

strategies to the Philippines.

Contact us: Visit us:

aftea2006@gmail.com http://www.aftea-inc.org