EDU 512 Reading Notes Format:

Name Madison Schweizer

Book Title Visible Learning for Literacy

Chapter Number and Title Chapter 5: Determining Impact, Responding When the Impact is Insufficient, and
Knowing What Does Not Work

Do the following:

Part 1: Describe each of the concepts clearly

Part 2: Describe the three specific applications in each chapter for your work in this current class or what you
might expect to be doing in a future classroom as a credentialed teacher. Be able to describe the supporting
reasoning as to why this research would be worth applying to your professional practice. Each application should
be sufficiently described and applied to cover the ideas you are presenting.

Be well prepared to discuss your ideas in class. The Chapter notes must be submitted each week in the class
assigned to receive full credit.

Application 1:

Description of Concept
One of the concepts that was discussed in this chapter was collective teacher efficacy. The text states that “as
teachers discuss the data and success with their peers, they develop collective teacher efficacy” (Fisher et al, 2016,
p. 135). It is important that teachers are able to share everything from failures to success with their peers because
this is where the learning happens. The effort that the teachers put into their teaching directly effects the students
and the way that they learn. “When teachers experience success collaborating with peers and those collaborations
improve teaching and learning” (Fisher et al, 2016, p. 135) it is noticeable. When teachers put time into their work,
it isn’t in vain because the students benefit, and other people are able to see the effect that the teachers are
having. It is important for teachers to remember that they are lifelong learners as well and that their colleagues
have a lot to offer. Success in the classroom is a team effort.

Application to your work/learning

Research has found that collective teacher efficacy has an effect size of 1.57 which places it in extremely high on
the Barometer for the Influence of Sentence Combining. This concept has proved to be extremely effective in the
classroom. As a teacher I want to make sure that I am implementing the things that are going to help my students.
Research has found that this is extremely beneficial which is why I know that this is something I want to put into
practice. My colleagues are going to be extremely experienced when it comes to teaching which means that I can
gain a lot of wisdom simply from talking to them and sharing my experiences with them. It is important for me to
remember that humility is something that is important when it comes to helping your students. I am never going
to have all of the answers nor am I going to know what to do in every situation. Coming to my colleagues and
sharing with them my success and my failures is going to benefit not only me as a teacher, but also my students.

Application 2:

Description of Concept
Another concept that was discussed in this chapter was feedback. The text discusses one teacher who
implemented this into her classroom. The chapter states that she “focused her feedback on students’ processing of
the task, rather than simply focusing on their performance” (Fisher et al, 2016, p. 143). This concept emphasizes
the importance of helping students understand where their strengths/weaknesses lie rather than simply evaluating
how they performed on a certain task. It is important for students to know the specific things that they need to
work on and feedback does just that. It also provides teachers with an idea as to what they need to focus on for
that particular student. The more specific teachers are, the easier it will be for them to monitor their students’
progress.

Application to your work/learning

Researchers have found that the effect size for feedback is 0.75 which places it in the “Zone of Desired Effects” on
the Barometer for the Influence of Sentence Combining. Feedback is for the teacher not just for the student.
Writing feedback provides the teacher with insight as to where they might need to make adaptations or changes to
their lessons. This is one thing that I always find very valuable as a student. The courses where my teachers don’t
provide feedback always leave me guessing as to what I need to work on. Grades aren’t helpful if feedback is not
included. As a teacher I never want my students and their parents feeling like they have to guess in order to meet
my expectations. I want my students to know exactly where they are at in terms of knowing the material and a big
part of this is providing them with clear and specific feedback. Providing feedback also keeps me accountable as
the teacher and that is something that every teacher needs. It is hard to keep track of all of the students in your
classroom which is another good reason to record specific things for each one of them.

Application 3:

Description of Concept
Another concept that was discussed in this chapter was small-group learning. The chapter states that “needs-
based instruction, with flexible groups, should not be eliminated” (Fisher et al, 2016, p. 143). The chapter also says
that “student-centered teaching can be very effective. In fact, small group learning has an effect size of 0.49 –
provided the grouping is flexible, not fixed” (Fisher et al, 2016, p. 143). Student-centered teaching and small group
instruction aren’t something that should be used all of the time, however it does have a place in the classroom. It
is important for teachers to be able to incorporate different types of instruction into their classroom so that each
student benefits. This kind of learning is catered towards the needs of the learner which makes this strategy great
for students who struggle. It is important to note that the success of this teaching strategy depends a lot on the
students in the class as well as how the teacher implements it. This strategy has been very effective in some
classrooms which is why it is important to talk to the teachers who have been successful in order to see what they
did to make it such a success.

Application to your work/learning

The research states that the effect size for small-group learning is 0.49 which places it in the “Zone of Desired
Effects” on the Barometer for the Influence of Sentence Combining. This means that when implemented correctly,
classrooms have benefitted greatly from this kind of teaching. I know that in my career as a teacher one of the
things that I will struggle with is being flexible and teaching my lessons in a variety of ways. I need to remember
that not every student in my classroom is going to have my same learning style and that they have their own set of
strengths and weaknesses. The way that I like to learn isn’t going to apply to every single student in my classroom
and this is why I need to incorporate other kinds of instruction into my lessons. It is also going to be extremely
beneficial for me to talk with other teachers in order to understand the things that they do with their students. The
research shows that these things are beneficial which means that these are things that I need to learn how to
incorporate into my teaching.