Presentation Rubric for Book Reviews

for Class and PLC/Discussion Board Collaboration

Allison Hardin
EDU 542
CBU Summer 2019

Part 1: Professional Reading Assignment

● Select/read a book from the list in the syllabus or one of your choice (with approval of professor) that meets the criteria of
a professional level book related to teaching and learning.
● One book can be selected for the PLC group to read or different books can be selected. The responses will still be made
by individual group members.
● The key is to synthesize the information and encourage others to read the book. Link the information to the Big Idea of
increasing student learning.
● Do not recreate or try to teach the entire book. Others can read the book if they are interested.
● Your job is to synthesize the information and present it in a compelling and professional manner.
● Use the notions of Depth and Complexity in your review.

After reading the book each group member will do the following:

POOR STUDENTS, RICH TEACHING, Eric Jenson, Date of Publication: 2016, Edition
Essential Question: How does learning happen?

Task Response
Select 2-3 key areas How poverty affects the students
or points made by
the author that add
to your professional Point 1: Stress
learning and Constant stress disturbs homeostasis (body system that maintains stability and health) resulting in
synthesize the ideas the inability to return to a healthy state. Thus, the brain can reset the stress level to a new stress
by making level called allostasis. Allostasis creates anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and/or
connections to other
relevant research
depression. It is normal for people in poverty to have this experience. Early exposure to constant
and current stress damages brain development producing a devastating effect limiting their educational ability.
information to This occurs when the brain copes with chronic stress by either acting as hypervigilant or
support the validity displaying learned helplessness causing disruptive students to be mislabeled. The classroom
of the book content. symptoms of this persistent stress can be seen in students that have difficulty sitting still, refuse to
participate, appear angry, and show poor memory.

Point 2: Cognitive Gaps

The cognitive gap between students from middle- and lower-class families display three
differences in the brain: language, memory, and cognitive control. Students in poverty are
connected to three reading issues that include, poor working memory, weak phonological
processing skills, and lack of culturally responsive grade-level books in the home. First, a large
predictor for successful reading relates to the working memory. Reading scores and intelligence
are improved simply by increasing the working memory. Building the working memory skills can
also enhance performance on a poor students memory that can lead to permanent success. Second,
phonological processing deficiency is an occurring issue among the poor that create a difficulty in
listening and disruptive classroom behavior. This can produce phoneme confusion leading to
frustration, lack of understanding, and lower scores in reading. Last, another common issue that
poverty creates is the limited or lack of reading material in the home for students. The absence of

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 books can prevent fluency and a motivation for reading. Productive reading is crucial for English
language learners as well as those that already speak English.

Point 3: Less Emotional Support

Emotional support and social skills are essential for student success but are limited among those
experiencing poverty. Poor children are more likely to have only one (or none) parent and are at an
increased risk of social maladjustment causing behavior issues. The behavior problems are usually
due to the limited role of the caregiver. Many students do not know how to productively respond
to the teacher because they were never shown the appropriate way to manage emotions. These
students may be mislabeled as defiant when they do not know any other way to express their
feelings. It is important for educators to provide their students with positive guidance that can
build a respectful connection to improve learning.

Essential Idea 1: The Fifty-Fifty Rule- The fifty-fifty rule is part of a relational mindset that focuses on
Question: How connecting poor students to academic success leading to long term memory. This involves two
does learning
happen? components: belonging and cooperative learning. Many minority students lack acceptance in
school which can lead to an absence of peer support. The fifty-fifty rule is divided into social time
How does the and individual time. Social Time includes, team work, study buddies, learning stations, and group
content support projects. Individual Time includes, independent reflection time, self-testing, goal setting, reading
long term learning?
and writing, and seatwork. Social learning is important for students because it enhances social and
academic skills. When social and individual time is encouraged in the early stages of a child’s life,
their brain can store the positive information into their long term memory which can be retrieved
at any given time. These early memories can serve as emotional objects that are stored in mental
space. When students experience a new event such as team work or goal setting they are creating
new memories. Long term learning that is supported through this mental process is referred to as
encoding and retrieval.

Idea 2: The Achievement Mindset- The Achievement Mindset consists of building student
motivation, effort, and goals. These are teachable skills that can help students that come from
poverty have a successful education by making learning happen. With an achievement mindset,
students believe that they can conquer their difficulties and learn from their mistakes. This
supports long term learning because when students succeed they are preparing themselves for
future planning. Learning happens when students have confidence and control over their decisions.

Idea 3: Reciprocal Teaching- Long term learning can be strengthened through four reciprocal
teaching strategies: asking text questions, summarizing, predicting, and clarification. When
teachers use reciprocal teaching, they are providing students with the responsibility to improve
their academic skills. These skills must be modeled by the teacher so the student can build
comprehension. Reciprocal teaching strategies are beneficial to long term learning when initiated
in early grades so students can utilize these techniques throughout their educational path. As
teachers demonstrate reciprocal teaching, it is important that they consider how poverty affects
these teaching strategies. Literacy and language development, access to resources and a students’
health and well-being are factors that can influence their academic achievement.

Evaluate the content A Christian worldview can be compatible to learning through integrating faith with the world around
in relationship to a us. An educator that values a Christian perspective will be understanding and accepting of all
Christian worldview. students’ backgrounds including one from poverty. Faith can affect academics by allowing those
Describe and from various SES levels to believe in faithful learning and perseverance.
explain areas of
compatibility and
A difference in the Christian worldview and learning might rely too heavily on the connection. For
areas of example, if a student is experiencing difficulty in learning, they may question their faith and wonder
differences? what they have done wrong.

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Link the book The content of Poor Students, Rich Teaching is connected to the theory of Information
content to Processing. Information processing is a thinking process compared to a computer. The human
one/several of the mind takes in information and organizes and stores it in our long term memory where it can be
four theories we are retrieved at any time. Students from poverty can benefit from this process because they do not
studying in this
course. Provide a
always have the resources available to provide them with this valuable information that is essential
comprehensive for learning. One way the book explains to help these students is to personalize information
overview of how the making it easier for them to process. Memory learning tools such as linking information to prior
content of this book knowledge, using mnemonics, and consistent practice can enhance the thinking process to store
falls into the information for memory retrieval at a later time. It is crucial for students that come from poverty to
category of one or embrace the learning opportunity in their educational environment because sometimes teachers
more of these four can be the only support for many poor students.
theories.

Describe1-3 Big Big Idea #1: Learning is more likely to occur when learners pay attention to the information that is
Ideas that seem to to be learned- This idea links Poor Students, Rich Thinking to the Information Processing Theory
link your book to a because the author explains how the brain changes when reasoning skills are taught. Brain
theory we are activation causes high-level cognitive skills. Teachers are capable of this brain change that
studying and provide
a rationale for your
enhances the attention span needed for learning. When students are taught thinking/attention
choice. Explain in strategies that connect to the learning material they are more likely to demonstrate understanding.
full detailed manner.
Big Idea #2: Learning and development are fostered when learners are challenged to perform
Your critical thinking increasingly more difficult tasks or to think in increasingly more sophisticated ways- This idea links
should come Poor Students, Rich Teaching to the Information Processing Theory because students that have a
through your report. low socioeconomic status commonly have low expectations. Many poor students are connected to
low academic achievement due to these low expectations. When teachers have high expectations
for all students regardless of their background, students embrace the learning process. When
teachers encourage difficult tasks they are providing the student with hope and confidence
creating a growth mindset. With a growth mindset, learners are willing to retrieve information from
their long term memory and produce advanced cognitive strategies to complete these challenging
assignments.

How has this Poor Students, Rich Teaching has enhanced my conceptual knowledge of students living in
reading helped you poverty by understanding the importance of maintaining high expectations. Having high
develop a deeper expectations will encourage learners of all backgrounds to persevere in difficult tasks and achieve
conceptual their goals. This book has also provided insight into attentive skills that poor students often
knowledge of this
content? Refer to
demonstrate. In addition, I have gained a deeper understanding of why and how poverty affects
deeper learning in their motivation and attention. Stress, physical and mental health, and the absence of a caregiver
Learning Sciences can impact a learners’ ability to focus on information.
article.
Depth and I have achieved a deeper learning for myself through reading Poor Students, Rich Teaching by
Complexity: How understanding and exploring the various mindsets: Relational Mindset, Achievement Mindset, Rich
did you achieve Classroom Mindset, and the Engagement Mindset. The Relational Mindset impacted my learning
deeper learning for the most because the author explains the importance of maintaining a connection with students
yourself in your
study of this book
through respect, empathy, and listening. I learned the impact that these relationships can have on
content? Provide young learners from poverty. Students need this positive relationship so they do not explore the
explicit evidence. wrong path looking for this connection. Greater connections equal greater success.
How has this study This assignment has increased my professional skills by expanding my ability to find a connection
helped move you between essential concepts and teaching. This was demonstrated through exploring the
from novice to relationship between poverty and the Information Processing Theory. My understanding has been
expert professional? increased on the thinking process of the brain that receives information, processes it, and stores it
for future retrieval. I utilized my learned ability to find a connection to how the learning process
impacts students living in poverty.
How does this This information helps students develop a positive growth mindset for learning by understanding
information help the importance of building relationships. Without a teacher that believes in the student, academic
students develop a
positive growth
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 mindset for success would be difficult to achieve. Teachers hold high expectations for students allowing them
learning? to believe that they can accomplish anything.
How does it help A positive growth mindset can help students develop GRIT because persistence can result in
students develop courage and strengthen one’s character. This can lead to reaching long term goals and
GRIT?
overcoming challenges.

Part 3- Responses to other postings of group book reports

1. Respond to 2-3 other book reports posted.

2. Include the following in your response to a book Review/colleagues:
o Application: How does this knowledge apply to your professional development and /or inform your teaching practice?
o How does the book support or conflict with your worldview/Christian perspective?
o How do the Big Ideas (see Ormrod’s 10 big Ideas article below) in this book topic link to your curriculum/teaching?
o How does the book content link to one of the theories?
o How does this content inform / support your worldview?
o Other points of interest you would like to share with your colleagues. Apply critical thinking…no cursory
responses on any of the areas of this assignment.

TEACHING: 10 BIG IDEAS

By Jeanne Ormrod
Many principles that we teach in educational psychology are common to two or more Isms. Here are ten examples of such
Big Ideas:

1. Learners do not passively absorb information from the environment; rather, they actively work to make sense of
their environment and construct their own, unique understandings of the world. This perspective pervades much
of cognitive theory; for instance, we see it in constructivists’ notion of knowledge construction and in information
processing theorists’ concept of elaboration. But it is also shared by the active information seeking that some behaviorist
describe.

2. Learning is more likely to occur when learners pay attention to the information to be learned. We see this idea in
information processing theorists’ dual-store model of memory, in social cognitive theorist’s four essential conditions for
modeling to occur, and in behaviorists’ concept of an orienting response.

3. Learners learn more effectively when they relate new information to prior knowledge. Such learning may take the
form of chaining two or more previously acquired S-R associations (a Piagetian perspective), or drawing on an existing
script to interpret a new situation (an idea from schema theory).

4. The close contiguity of events increases the likelihood that learners will associate those events with one
another. The concept of contiguity has historically been associated with behaviorist views of both classical and operant
conditioning. But it also plays a prominent role in contemporary views of information processing: Two pieces of
information are most likely to be associated in long-term memory if they have been in working memory at the same time.

5. Learners’ future learning and performance are influenced by the consequences that follow their behaviors. In
some cases, these consequences may be external (e.g., concrete reinforcers, teacher feedback); in other cases, they
may be internal (e.g., feelings of satisfaction, causal attributions).

6. Hints about how to think or behave often facilitate performance. Hints take difference guises in different Isms; for
instance, they may be retrieval cues (information processing theory), scaffolding (the sociocultural perspective), or
discriminative stimuli (behaviorism).

7. Learning and development are fostered when learners are challenged to perform increasingly more difficult
tasks or to think in increasingly more sophisticated ways. We see this idea in concepts from many theories; for
example, we find it in Piaget’s disequilibrium. Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development, Kohlberg’s moral dilemmas, and
behaviorists’ shaping. We see it, too, in information processing theorists’ belief that learners develop more complex

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 cognitive strategies only when environmental events challenge them to do so, as well as in social cognitivists’ belief that
self-efficacy is better enhanced when learners succeed at challenging rather than easy tasks.

8. Learners benefit from hearing or reading the ideas of others. As noted earlier, many people conceptualize
information processing theory as being based on the notion that information is transmitted from the outside world rather
than constructed by the learner. This premise underlies much of behaviorism as well; we see it not only in programmed
instruction but also in the view that organisms are conditioned by environmental circumstances. Yet this Big Idea is
hardly unique to objectivist perspectives. Even social constructivists acknowledge that group-constructed knowledge
does not occur all at one sitting; for instance, the physical, life, and social sciences have evolved over the years (in some
cases, over the centuries) through a process of studying, testing, modifying, and sometimes rejecting the ideas of those
who have gone before.

9. Learning is enhanced when learners engage in self-evaluation. We see this principle in behaviorists’ programmed
instruction, in information processing theory’s concept of comprehension monitoring, and in social cognitive theory’s view
of self-regulation.

10. Learning is best assessed by using an assessment instrument that reflects the goals of instruction (i.e., an
instrument that has content validity). In some cases, this instrument may be a traditional paper-pencil test (a strategy
often attributed to behaviorist and/or information processing perspectives). In other cases, a teacher can assure greater
content validity by using authentic assessment (a strategy often attributed to the constructivist and perspectives).

OTE Ormond’s conclusion and apply:

focus on Big Ideas has at least three advantages over a focus on Isms. First, Big Ideas are far less controversial than
Isms; most theorists agree with them to some extent. (As an example, when I changed the title of the “Constructivism”
chapter in my educational psychology textbook to “Knowledge Construction”--thus changing it from an Ism to a Big Idea--I
received more consistently positive comments from reviewers.) Second, Big Ideas typically describe general principles of
learning and/or instruction that lend themselves readily to concrete classroom applications; in contrast, experts do not always
agree regarding the specific applications of various Isms (e.g., see Anderson et al. [1997], or contrast the analyses of Spivey
[1997] and Greeno et al. [1996]).

inally, a focus on Big Ideas allows us to draw from two or more Isms simultaneously when developing classroom
applications—perhaps to analyze the effectiveness of authentic activities (a notion for which both constructivism and
situated perspectives take credit) from the perspective of generalization (as behaviorists describe it), or to talk about teacher
scaffolding (a sociocultural concept) when discussing ways to promote effective study strategies (strategies derived largely
from information processing theory).