Productive Struggle:
Building Academic Resilience
PALS
Monday, February 26, 2018
8:45-10:00am
February 26, 2018
Welcome to PALS!
Promoting Achievement, Learning and Success
Work with Your Child to Solve this Problem…
A snail is at the bottom of a well that is 10 feet deep. Each day he crawls up 3 feet and each night he slides back 2 feet. How many days will it take him to reach the top of the well?
Reflect: What process did you use to solve this problem, and why did it work?
Reflect…
�• What struggles did you have in solving this problem?
�• Were you able to overcome your struggles? How?
�• What supports did you need to solve this problem?
Our Focus Questions for Today
Discuss with your child...
How would you define Productive Struggle?
Some Definitions of Productive Struggle
“...productive struggle—effortful practice that goes beyond passive reading, listening, or watching—that builds useful, lasting understanding and skill.” Heibert, J. & Grouws, D. (2007) The Effects of Classroom Mathematics Teaching on Students’ Learning
“...students grapple with the issues and are able to come up with a solution themselves, developing persistence and resilience in pursuing and attaining the learning goal or understanding.”Jackson, R., & Lambert, C. How to Support Struggling Students
“Productive struggle is developing strong habits of mind, such as perseverance and thinking flexibly, instead of simply seeking the correct solution. Not knowing how to solve a problem at the outset should be expected. The key is working through a problem, encouraging students to think outside the box, and not letting them get discouraged if their initial strategies don’t work.” Cowen, Ellie. (2016). Harnessing the Power of the Productive Struggle. Edutopia
How is baby Emerson engaged in productive struggle?
What skills did baby Emerson use to complete this task?
What supports were provided for baby Emerson?
A Vision for Success at FMIS
We seek to develop and nurture engaged learners who pursue individual interests within a collaborative culture to transform our community.
What is resilience?
the ability to spring back into shape; elasticity.
Good News!
The skills that underlie resilience can be strengthened at any age.
Why is Productive Struggle important?
1. It prioritizes student-centered learning experiences.
Student-Centered Learning places students at the center of their own learning. This gives them a voice in why, what, and how learning experiences take shape. Through these experiences, students learn important skills needed for college, career, and citizenship, such as:
Cowen, Ellie. (2016). Harnessing the Power of the Productive Struggle. Edutopia
Why is Productive Struggle important?
2. It builds authentic engagement.
As each student confronts a problem and attempts to solve it, there is a feeling of mounting suspense. What is the question that I need to answer? How will I go about solving this problem? Will my strategy work? Will my classmates solve the problem in different ways? By the time the students gather in a group, they have a rich context for the problem at hand, and are genuinely curious about its solution.
Cowen, Ellie. (2016). Harnessing the Power of the Productive Struggle. Edutopia
Why is Productive Struggle important?
3. It emphasizes strategic thinking.
Students are encouraged to seek solutions that are grounded in logic and prior knowledge and that make sense to them, instead of imitating methods used by their teacher or peers.
Cowen, Ellie. (2016). Harnessing the Power of the Productive Struggle. Edutopia
Why is Productive Struggle important?
4. It creates ample opportunity for assessment, intervention, and feedback.
During class time, teachers can work with struggling learners or circulate, making observations about student strengths and weaknesses. By the time students come together to discuss the problem, the teacher is well informed about the successful and unsuccessful strategies students have attempted, and can provide useful feedback about their work.
Cowen, Ellie. (2016). Harnessing the Power of the Productive Struggle. Edutopia
Why is Productive Struggle important?
5. It builds perseverance.
Faced with a challenge, students experience the discomfort of not knowing. However, especially with practice, they become more comfortable with enduring this tension and working through it. Eventually, they will also experience the incredible personal satisfaction of solving a challenging problem or completing a complex task.
Cowen, Ellie. (2016). Harnessing the Power of the Productive Struggle. Edutopia
Something to Think About...
“Teachers sometimes perceive student frustration or lack of immediate success as indicators that they have somehow failed their students. As a result, they jump in to ‘rescue’ students by breaking down the task and guiding students step by step through the difficulties. Although well-intentioned, such ‘rescuing’ undermines the efforts of students, lowers the cognitive demand of the task, and deprives students of opportunities to engage fully...”
NCTM, Principles to Actions
How can we encourage Productive Struggle?
Principles to Actions, 2014
Try It Out!
Using just scrap paper and a pair of scissors, recreate this structure.
As you work, discuss your ideas and methods, but if you are successful, keep your method a secret.
Thank you!
Please provide us with some feedback and suggestions.
See you April 30!