Learning in the Fast Lane: 8 Ways to Put ALL Students on the Road to Academic Success

187 Pages·2014·4.85 MB·English

by  Suzy Pepper Rollins

Too often, students who fail a grade or a course receive
remediation that ends up widening rather than clos-
ing achievement gaps. According to veteran classroom
teacher and educational consultant Suzy Pepper Rollins,
the true answer to supporting struggling students lies
in acceleration. In Learning in the Fast Lane, she lays out
a plan of action that teachers can use to immediately
move underperforming students in the right direction
and differentiate instruction for all learners—even those
who excel academically. This essential guide identi-
fies eight high-impact, research-based instructional
approaches that will help you
• Make standards and learning goals explicit to
students.
• Increase students’ vocabulary—a key to their
academic success.
• Build students’ motivation and self-efficacy so
that they become active, optimistic participants
in class.
• Provide rich, timely feedback that enables students
to improve when it counts.
• Address skill and knowledge gaps within the
$26.95 U.S.
context of new learning.
Students deserve no less than the most effective
strategies available. These hands-on, ready-to-
implement practices will enable you to provide all
students with compelling, rigorous, and engaging
learning experiences.
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Learning in the
Fast Lane
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PAPERBACK ISBN: 978-1-4166-1868-3 ASCD product #114026
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rollins, Suzy Pepper.
Learning in the fast lane : 8 ways to put ALL students on the road to academic success / Suzy Pepper
Rollins.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4166-1868-3 (paperback : alk. paper) 1. Remedial teaching. 2. Academic achievement.
I. Title.
LB1029.R4R54 2014
372.43—dc23
2013050764
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(cid:94)
For Doris Linder Chinnis
My mother, my mentor, my friend
(cid:93)
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LEARNING IN THE
FAST LANE
8 WAYS TO PUT ALL STUDENTS
ON THE ROAD TO ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Introduction .............................................................................................1
1. Acceleration: Jump-Starting Students Who Are Behind .........................3
2. Standards Walls: Transforming Standards
into Clear Learning Goals .......................................................................21
3. Success Starters: Sparking Student Success Right Away ........................35
4. Formative Assessment and Feedback: Checking
Student Understanding Minute by Minute ...........................................55
5. Vocabulary Development: Implementing a Strategic Plan ..................76
6. Student Work Sessions: Giving Students Greater
Responsibility with Valuable Work .......................................................94
7. Student Motivation: Creating Engaging Tasks and
a Positive Learning Environment .........................................................118
8. Scaffolding: Providing What’s Missing Just in Time...........................133
9. Why Are Some Students Still Failing, and
What Can We Do About It? .................................................................146
References .............................................................................................166
Index ......................................................................................................171
About the Author .................................................................................175
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Introduction
The best chance learners have to achieve success is the fi rst time they go
through a class or course. After that, the outlook becomes decidedly bleaker.
When students fail to show mastery of concepts, and instruction turns to
remediation, students’ hopes dim and their academic options narrow.
My experience as a veteran classroom teacher, an educational consul-
tant, and a coordinator of remedial programs in one of the largest school
districts in the United States has led my thinking to one conclusion:
to reach their potential, struggling students need the most powerful,
effective instructional practices that research and practice have to offer.
Tragically, the opposite often happens: instruction that aims to catch up
lagging students or fi x all their past problems ends up providing class-
room experiences that are not compelling, rigorous, or engaging. Such
instruction may inadvertently widen rather than close achievement gaps.
Accordingly, this book introduces a framework of eight high-impact
instructional approaches that can move academically challenged stu-
dents toward success. Rather than slowing students down, these instruc-
tional changes will enable students to grasp concepts more effectively
and place them securely in the fast lane with their peers. These hands-on,
ready-to-implement strategies will help you
• Use acceleration to immediately get students moving in the right
direction.
• Make standards and learning goals explicit to students.
1
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