Annual Visible Learning Conference 2022

Wow!  I feel very blessed that I was able to attend the AVL 2022 presented by Corwin.  It was such a wonderful time spent with passionate educators who are committed to making maximum impact on student achievement.  

Professor John Hattie (squweee!) presented a motivating keynote entitled "The Future of Learning is Now."  He previewed a Visible Learning sequel meta-analysis which he is currently writing.  He has been studying the effects of COVID closures on students.  He found the effects have been minor (approximately d = -.15 to -.18), which is similar to that of summer slide.  For comparison is a list of other negative effect sizes: retention; d = -.32, boredom; d = -.33, bullying; d = -.33, and anger; d = -.82. This is encouraging and frightening.  For more information about effect sizes, please visit:  https://www.visiblelearningmetax.com/.

We know that students may not have had access to ALL of the grade level instruction due distance, hybrid, or quarantine learning since 2020.  However, this means as educators we need to be efficient and narrow our focus to prioritize what students need to know.  Here are some ideas to consider as your grade level Teacher Based Teams or Professional Learning Communities plan for instruction.

Effect Sizes

When John Hattie wrote his best-seller Visible Learning in 2013. He determined that the effect size of d = .40 indicates one years growth.  His wife suggested that he create a visual element to help teachers understand.  Hence the Barometer of Influence, which shows effect sizes and ranges.  To accelerate student learning, it is suggested that we plan instructional strategies in the Zone of Desired Effects.  

Guiding Questions for TBTs or PLCs:

• What is our common language about instruction?
• What data about student learning do we have access to currently and what do we still need to know?
• Know who before you do!
• What are the essential skills and concepts required to meet the standard.
• Determine the learning intentions (LI) for the standard.  
• What did we learn about students from the pre-assessment?
• Develop success criteria (SC) for the learning intentions.
• Professor Hattie suggests two SC for each LI. 
• The first SC addresses the content, knowledge, or skills required. 
• The second SC should incorporate how the students' will relate to the content, knowledge, and skills.  What will students think, say, and do to show how they are interpreting the SC?
• Plan together to gather evidence of student learning.
• What is/are the SC asking of my students?
• What evidence am I expecting to see?  (What will the students do, say, and/or write to show their understanding of the SC?)
• Plan and implement meaningful learning experiences to move learning forward.  See Teacher Clarity Playbook Module 8 and these Helpful Video Resources.  
• Evaluate the impact of your instruction.  Formative Assessment (non-evaluative) has an effect size of d = .40, the more checks for understanding the higher the effect size.  
• Consider the following (from Vince Bustamante, Great Teaching By Design and this blog):
• What am I observing my students doing? 
• What am I observing my students saying?
• What am I observing my students writing?
• Determine who benefitted and who did not?
• What strategies were successful?  What didn't work?  
• What would you like to try in the next cycle? 
• How will you intervene to move students towards mastery? 

Click here for a printable set of Guiding Questions.