Activity 1: Setting High Academic Expectations

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Evaluation Criteria
Project Description
Overview
Beginning with a classic study on the Pygmalion effect in the 1960s, teacher expectations on student
achievement have been extensively researched. When teachers believe that students have the
intellectual capacity to learn at high levels, they generally perform at the high levels expected by the
teacher--a result often called the self-fulfilling prophecy. Too often, educators judge a student’s ability
by previous test scores, reports from past teachers, or the performance of the student’s sibling who
was in the teacher’s classroom the previous year. In some cases the expectations for a students’
academic performance are determined by their race, gender, disability, the economic status of their
families, or the way they act in class rather than their actual academic ability.
When teachers hold high academic expectations for students, they interact with students in ways that
encourage the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills. Teachers are more likely to
push these students to higher levels of achievement and the development of knowledge and skills that
will give them access to college. When teachers hold low academic expectations, students may be
tracked into low-level courses or groups with activities that are not meaningful, interesting,
demanding, or supportive of higher order thinking. Students in these groups are often able to move to
higher level work only when a teacher recognizes their ability and begins to treat them as if they are
capable of achieving at higher levels. Research studies have found that many students remain at the
same academic level in which they were placed by their kindergarten teacher throughout their school
careers. In this activity you will have the opportunity to discover and analyze teaching strategies that
lead to higher academic performance of students for which you may have had low expectations.

Performance Outcomes
Candidates understand the importance of setting high expectations for students' academic achievement
Candidates analyze teaching strategies that engage low-performing students in achieving at higher
levels

What will you do?

1. Read Chapter 9 of The Art and Science of Teaching
2. Learn about strategies used by teachers to improve the academic achievement of low-performing
students by referring to the resources under Required Study and Reference Material as well as other
references on the web
3. Use Flipsnack or other Web 2.0 tool to report:
Your findings on at least three teaching strategies that have been effective in improving the academic
achievement of low-performing students. For each of the three teaching strategies, you should
describe the strategy as well as its goal and effectiveness. References following the APA style should
be cited to support your findings.
A summary of how setting high expectations for the academic achievement of all students can
contribute to student learning at higher levels.
A description of how you will develop high academic expectations for all of your students

Report Requirements
A Flipsnack (or another Web 2.0 tool) with the information in #3 above
Activity 2: Creating High Performance Learning Environments
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Project Description
Overview
Challenging common teaching practices can prove to be a difficult task for a teacher. However, in
order to improve learning effectiveness and to create deeper learning experiences for students,
teachers need to regularly reinvent their teaching strategies to include more student controlled learning
experiences. This does not mean ignoring all past practices, but simply setting different ones to meet
the learning goals. In this activity you will watch teachers using different strategies to help students
learn at high levels and think about how you could adapt the strategies to your own teaching.
Performance Outcomes

 Candidates critically review high performance expectations in different teaching strategies

and compare and contrast them with their own teaching style and preferences

What will you do?

1. Watch this video: Roller Coaster Physics and review this lesson plan Glog on a teacher’s roller
coaster project
2. Watch this video: 3rd Grade Chinese Math class & read this article describing how math
instruction is delivered in China
3. Watch this video: Whole Brain Teaching & review the various teaching strategies at the Whole
Brain Teaching website
4. Write a blog post that analyzes the teaching-learning situations in the three videos for the following
areas:

 Academic expectations - do you think the teacher holds high performance expectations for
students in each of these scenarios? Why or why not?
 Behavior expectations - do you think behavior expectations are high for students in each
scenario? Why or why not?
 Norms and Procedures - what are the norms and procedures in these scenarios that support
high student performance?

5. Share your opinion on the three teaching strategies with your cohort in the Discussion Forum
6. Concur or disagree with at least two of your peers’ video analyses in the Comments section.
7. Write a summary at the end of your video analysis on: “Setting high performance expectations
among my students” in which you

 Compare how you would create learning environments for your students that are similar or in
contrast to the three teaching situations illustrated in the above videos.
 Provide a brief context for your summary in terms of grade level and background of your
students.

Report Requirements
Blog post on your blog site with:

 Analysis of three teaching-learning situation examples in the videos

 Summary on creating a learning environment with high expectations for your students
 Participate in the discussion of the videos in the Discussion Forum
 Peer review two peers’ video analysis
Activity 3: Reflecting on High Expectations
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Project Description
Overview
Academic achievement is reported around the world by student performance on international tests that
result in rankings of countries. These tests include the Trends in International Mathematics and
Science Study (TIMSS), Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), Program for
International Student Assessment (PISA), and other international assessments listed in the resources
for this activity. High rankings are read by policy makers as an indicator that a country has a strong
educational system, and they become a source of pride for the citizens of the country. South Korea,
Singapore, Finland, and China are currently at the top of the rankings. Educators debate the reasons
for these differences in test scores across countries. Do the students in some countries score higher
because they have better teachers, better teaching strategies, better schools, greater resources, or other
factors? Are students in some countries expected to achieve at higher levels than students in other
countries?
To improve learning (and test scores) teachers are being encouraged to raise their academic and
behavioral expectations for students. Some school districts have purchased behavior management
systems to improve the environment of a school so that there is more time for learning. Some school
districts call their students “scholars” or “super scholars” to contribute to raising the expectation that
they are capable of high academic achievement. (Remember Ms. Noonan in the video on classroom
transitions in U2A2?) In this activity, you will report on the international ranking of student
achievement in the country in which you are working and your perceptions of the academic
expectations that teachers, schools, and parents exhibit in the schools with which you are familiar.

Performance Outcomes

 Candidates understand the potential impact on students when teachers set high expectations
for students' academic achievement

What will you do?

Write a reflection on the academic expectations of teachers, schools, and parents in the country in
which you are working that addresses the following:

 the international ranking of student achievement in the country in which you are working (see
Additional Resources)
 reasons for the international ranking of the country (e.g, greater resources to support
education or all teachers must have a master’s degree)
 your perception of the academic expectations of teachers, schools, and parents in the schools
with which you are familiar
 your view of the importance of a teacher setting high academic and behavioral expectations
for students

Report Requirements

 A reflection on high academic expectations of students as described above

Notes
This reflection will serve as a summative assessment for Unit 3. Make sure your reflection is thorough
and comprehensive.