Academic Rigor in the Classroom

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Academic Rigor in the Classroom

• Do not confine your children to your own
  learning, for they were born in another time.

Hebrew Proverb
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Objectives

• Assess our current understanding of rigor in the
  classroom
• Review a set of best practices for promoting
  academic excellence through rigor in the classroom

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Assess our current understanding of rigor in the
classroom

• http//www.school-teacher-student-motivation-resou
  rces-courses.com/film-clip.html

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Rigor - students

• Assists students in fulfilling predetermined
  outcomes and
• competencies by challenging them with high
  expectations.
• Essential components for rigor in the classroom
• Content acquisition
• Critical thinking
• Relevance
• Integration
• Ability to apply concepts
• Long term retention
• Responsibility

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Staff

• Demanding
• Relevant
• Engaging
• Addressing different learning styles
• Self-challenge
• Adaptability

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Develop a set of best mgt practices for promoting
academic excellence through rigor in the classroom
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Best Practices

• Writing (journals, varied levels of writing,
  writing across the curriculum, etc.)
• Problem-solving (case studies, group activities,
  essay exams, etc.)
• Oral communication (debates w/expert judges,
  summary presentations, role playing)
• Reading/comprehension (reading and analyzing
  ie. in-class discussion, quizzes, summaries, etc)
  
• Collaborative group projects

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Best Practices continued

• Socratic method/interactive discussion
• Knowing your students (contact, interaction,
  praise, showing interest, meeting w/students)
• Providing a detailed, clear syllabus with faculty
  and student objectives grading rubric, calendar,
  etc.
• Class size - use technology to enhance efficiency
  of content delivery, engage students, dont let
  tech drive faculty
• In-class small group discussion and report
  findings (think-pair-share)