This Study Guide is designed to deepen your understanding of Teaching What Matters Most: Standards and Strategies for Raising Student Achievement, an ASCD book written by Richard W. Strong, Harvey F. Silver, and Matthew J. Perini and published in August 2001.

You can use the study guide after you have read the entire book, or as you finish each chapter. The study questions are not meant to cover all aspects of the book; rather, they are intended to address key ideas that warrant further reflection. Though you may wish to use them independently, the questions work best in a team setting. Consider sharing your analyses with other colleagues and trading ideas about how to improve your classroom or school. Also, try reporting back to colleagues after putting some ideas to work because practical insights are invaluable.

In addition to the questions provided here, rubrics and matrices are dispersed throughout the book to help you analyze your current practices. Best of all, you can find rich examples of authentic lessons that illustrate how these standards are being addressed and successfully implemented in the classroom.

Introduction

1. This book is designed to help schools assess their practices. In it, the authors describe what they think makes a school responsible: responsible standards, responsible strategies, and responsible assessment practices. After reading through the introduction, which of the three is most effectively met in your classroom? In your school or district? Which do you think is least effectively met?
2. Responsible standards are defined as standards that fit three criteria: (1) They enable students to meet the varying standards in all 50 states; (2) They elicit popular support among diverse communities and constituencies; and (3) They are manageable in that schools feel they can help all students meet them. What are some standards you would like to see your school measured by as defined by the three criteria above?

Chapter 1: Standard 1: Rigor

1. Some people believe that rigor has a certain severity, while others like the challenge rigor provides. What are your experiences with rigor? When do you find it challenging yet enjoyable? When is it severe and painful?
2. Figure 1.3 shows how rigor can be measured in four distinct ways. Which of these four types of rigor do you emphasize in your classroom? Which do you avoid? How would you create more of a balance between the four types?
3. Which of the five reasons for why rigor matters (pp. 9-10) speaks most clearly to you? Why?
4. Why do you think rigor is so rare in schools today?
5. How would you implement the tips on pages 10-12 in your classroom or school?

Chapter 2: Strategies for Rigorous Learning

1. This chapter begins by describing reading processes. It explains that the more aware teachers are of their own reading process, the better they are at helping students become better readers. What do you know about your own reading process? How can you apply this knowledge to help students understand their own reading process?
2. In Classroom Instruction That Works, Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock (2001) remind us that two of the nine most effective strategies for reading are notemaking and nonlinguistic representation. Split-screen notes and glossing combine both strategies. Why are these kinds of notemaking rare in schools? How might you work split-screen notes and glossing into your classroom?
3. As you read through the last two strategies (e.g., do you see what I see and statements) in this chapter, cite reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with the following statements: (A.) The use of strategies that heighten student attention to inference can significantly affect student learning; (B.) Strategies that focus on students' inferential thinking are easy to implement in our schools.

Chapter 3: Assessing Rigor

1. The beginning of this chapter focuses on Eva Benevento's use of Rigorous Mondays with her 6th graders. How can you implement the program in your classroom?
2. The story of Michael on page 27 shows us how important it is for teachers to understand how students learn. How can you ensure that you understand not simply what students in your class learn, but how they learn? In what ways can assessment practices provide windows into rigorous learning?
3. Using the rubric in Figure 3.4, assess the level of rigor in your classroom. How might you use the tools on pages 28-29 to make your assessment more accurate and informative?

Chapter 4: Standard 2: Thought

1. A common complaint is that this student, or that driver, or this colleague doesn't think. We seem to be clearer about what it means not to think than what it means to actually think. Why do you think this is so? Define thinking for yourself. How does your definition compare with the simple definition on page 32?
2. Take some time to take notes on Picasso's painting on page 33; include your observations, feelings, and questions. Compare your notes with those of your partner, colleague, or with the teacher whose notes appear in the book. How do your notes differ?
3. This chapter deals significantly with five key disciplines of thought (p. 34): Inquiry, knowledge acquisition, problem solving, communication, and reflection. Which of these are emphasized in your classroom? Which receive less attention?
4. This chapter also explores some of the differences between experts and novices. Think of something at which you excel. Do you use any of the five disciplines of thought when you practice your area of expertise? How would you teach those disciplines to a novice in your area of expertise?

Chapter 5: Strategies for Thoughtful Learning

1. In the beginning of this chapter, five educators tell the stories of the people and events that taught them how to think. Who, or what, taught you to think, and how did it occur?
2. Based on what we know about the nature of thought, why is it especially important to use thinking practices in our classrooms to help students develop their own thoughts?
3. In our discussion of Magdalene Lampert, we saw how she adapted structured problem solving from Japanese math classes to fit the U.S. classroom. How might such an adaptation look in other content areas, such as history, science, or English?
4. Imagine a teacher who argued against Claudia Geocaris's use of extrapolation in her science class. Such a teacher might say she was neglecting the core of science (scientific concepts) for a more peripheral issue (developing scientific explanations). How would you respond to such an argument?
5. Examine the list of thinking practices, examples, and disciplines in Figure 5.10. Rank the thinking practices by their importance to you and your classroom.

Chapter 6: Assessing Thought and Curriculum in Student Work

1. Look over Robin's planning form in Figure 6.2. If you were to use this form for a unit of your own, how would you use it? Develop an outline of a unit using the planning form in Figure 6.2 as a model.
2. In introducing Barb Heinzman's math class on page 55, the heading reads, "Overcoming Our Pasts: Thoughtful Mathematics." What do you think the phrase "overcoming our pasts" means? How does Barb's work in creating a thoughtful mathematical classroom reflect the idea of overcoming educational pasts?
3. The authors refer to assessment as a window and a ladder. How are the assessments Robin and Barb use effective in assessing how students think as well as how well they are climbing the ladder of thought?
4. Using Figure 6.4, A Rubric for Thought, as your guide, evaluate how deeply you encourage thought in your classroom. Which of the disciplines do you pay the most attention to? Which do you pay the least attention to?

Chapter 7: Standard 3: Diversity

1. What does diversity mean to you? How does your definition of diversity compare to that offered in the book? How does diversity affect your classroom?
2. Of the four reasons (pp.65-66) the authors give for why we should value diversity, which one is most important to you? Why?
3. How does your own diversity (Figure 7.2, p. 68) influence your classroom decision making?
4. What do you believe are the obstacles in your school for the successful implementation of the diversity standard? Are they similar or different from those raised in Geneva?
5. What is your reaction to Geneva's four principles (p. 69) for addressing the successful implementation of the diversity standard? Which of the four is most important to you?
6. What do you believe would be the effect on student learning if your school and classroom truly addressed the diversity standard?

Chapter 8: Strategies for Diverse Learning

1. Based on the descriptions of the four learning styles in Figure 8.1 (p. 71), which style is best addressed in your classroom? Which is least addressed? Can you explain why?
2. How does your own learning style influence your teaching style? Do you think your teaching style is the same as your learning style? Explain why.
3. Do you think our schools and society value certain styles of learning and intelligences more than others? Why is this so?
4. How is the principle of focused and supporting choice described in the chapter like a Ferris wheel? What choices do you provide for students in your classroom? How do they respond?
5. How can you apply the principles of validation and compensation in your classroom? What are some ways you have used your students' strengths to help them learn difficult content outside their dominant modality?
6. How can you apply the SPEAR model (p. 78) to another content area? What would it look like?
7. How has this chapter affected your ideas about how to address the standard of diversity? What strategies do you use to address diversity in your classroom? How does this compare with the authors' suggestions? What new insight have you acquired?

Chapter 9: Assessing Diversity in Curriculum and Student Work

1. What assessment practices are you using in your classroom or do you see in your school? How diverse are they?
2. Since state assessment tests put a high premium on verbal, logical, and visual intelligences as well as cognitive (as opposed to affective) learning, is it justified for teachers to provide assessments in learning styles and intelligences that are not emphasized on these tests?
3. Design a task rotation assessment or an assessment using a variety of intelligences for a content standard you teach. Which style or intelligence did you find it most challenging to address? (See pp. 82-86 for guidance.)
4. What do you understand to be the difference between window-like assessments and ladder-like assessments? How do they support each other?
5. Do you believe students can be good assessors of their own abilities? What opportunities does the graduated difficulty strategy provide in terms of developing students' self-assessment skills? What challenges might result?
6. Examine two textbooks. Which learning styles do they best address? Select a reading that might address each of the four learning styles.
7. How do you feel about teaching students about learning styles and multiple intelligences? What do you think would be the impact if you share this information with your students?

Chapter 10: Standard 4: Authenticity

1. What does authentic learning mean to you? How does it compare to the authors' definition?
2. What are some examples of authentic learning in your school or classroom?
3. How would students be affected if they had more opportunities to be engaged in authentic learning?
4. How well do you believe schools prepare students for their future work environments? What are some factors that shape this preparation? What do you believe schools need to do to prepare students for these new work environments?
5. What are some obstacles to schools becoming more authentic learning environments?

Chapter 11: Strategies for Authentic Learning

1. Although some believe that authentic learning and direct instruction fall on opposite ends of the instructional spectrum, the authors of this text disagree. Explain why. Do you agree with their analysis?
2. Agree or disagree with the following statements: (A.) Teachers don't have the time for citizenship because we have too much content to cover. (B.) Building citizenship skills also builds essential academic skills and opportunities to work deeply and personally with rigorous content.
3. The authors contend that the students "who need authentic education are among those least likely to get it." Why is this so? What can be done about this problem?
4. What is your reaction to Ann Brown's work on the Fostering Communities of Learners (F.C.L.)? How can Brown's work reduce the tension between emphasizing core academic skills and preparing students for their future careers?

Chapter 12: Assessing Authenticity in Curriculum and Student Work

1. If you were an employer in today's technological information age, what kinds of skills would you be looking for in a prospective employee?
2. What is your reaction to Carl Carrozza's and Sherry Gibbon's ideas about using the first day of school to assess students' abilities to work authentically?
3. Review the B.E.G.I.N. process for planning authentic learning. How might you use this process to develop an authentic learning experience for your students?

Chapter 13: A New Deal for Teachers and Students

1. Chapter 13 offers three stories from different classrooms and schools. How does the attitude of responsibility reveal itself in the work of these educators?
2. In what ways do you demonstrate responsibility to the students in your school? What can you and other members of your school's community do to become a more responsible school system?
3. Examine the assessment contracts on pages 120-21. How do these contracts lead to improved practice? What would an assessment contract in your content area or grade level look like?
4. On page 122 in their closing on standards, the authors say, "The labels don't matter; what matters is that [our standards] remind us of our course." What does this mean to you?

Teaching What Matters Most: Standards and Strategies for Raising Student Achievement was written by Richard W. Strong, Harvey F. Silver, and Matthew J. Perini. This 137-page, 8" x 10" book (Stock #100057; ISBN 0-87120-518-1) is available from ASCD for $18.95 (ASCD member) and $22.95 (nonmember). Copyright 2001 by ASCD. To order a copy, call ASCD at 1-800-933-2723 (in Virginia 1-703-578-9600) and press 2 for the Service Center. Or buy the book from ASCD's Online Store.