Running head: BEST PRACTICE

Steven Bambauer
MAT670 Theory Best Practice Teaching
Best Practice
Professor Denise Finney
September 3, 2016

BEST PRACTICE

The best practice book that I chose is Classroom Instruction that Works by Ceri Dean,
Elizabeth Hubbell, Howard Pitler, and BJ Stone. It contains research- based strategies for
increasing student achievement, which can support the three shifts in Common Core Math
Standards from the Achieve the Core Video. The first section of the book highlights a number of
best practices that can be used by a teacher to have positive effects on students ability to learn
and understand the material. The strategies themselves are not meant to be used in isolation from
the others, but I believe that for the Focus shift in Common Core Math, setting objectives is
important for success.
Setting objectives is beneficial to both the teacher and student providing a flow to the
material that highlights the importance of organization. When teachers communicate objectives
for student learning, students can see more easily the connection between what they are doing in
class and what the are supposed to learn (Dean, Hubbell, Pitler, & Stone, 2012, p.3). At the
most basic level the best practice of setting objectives requires that the teacher provide clear
communication to the student as to the material that will be covered and the expectations of the
students. The book teaches four steps for this best practice and they include setting learning
objectives that are specific not restrictive, communicating learning objectives, connecting the
objectives to past and future learning, and engaging students in setting personal learning
objectives (Dean, Hubbell, Pitler, & Stone, 2012, p.5). Specific learning is provided to students
by explaining to them what it is they are supposed to learn instead of directions and information
on the task they will complete to learn. Taking the specific learning objectives and telling both
parents and students verbally, in writing, or by other means further sets expectations and
provides those involved the notice they need to ask questions. Once the expectations are set it is
important to tie together past and future material with the current objectives in order for the

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students to make connections and truly learn the material. Finally a teacher must allow the
students to make their own individual personal learning objectives. This will motivate the
students to learn and complete the tasks required because they will be personally connected to
the material.
One of the shifts in Common Core that I believe is highly important is Focus. Focus
works to change the amount of topics covered in a class, semester or year from a very wide,
thinly covered curriculum, to one that is significantly more narrow and more deeply covered.
This is necessary so that students can develop a better foundation and understanding of the
material, which will lead to better retention of knowledge, and ability to apply their math skills to
problems inside and outside of the classroom. By deepening the focus of the Common Core in
Math, and maximizing the communication of learning goals, we will strengthen the ability of
students to understand the math that is taught, and be more prepared for increasingly more
complex mathematics later in their education.
Setting objectives is an important best practice to utilize to enhance the shift in Common
Core Math to a more focused curriculum. This is especially important in Math because there are
typically two or three specific learning objectives based on the Common Core for students during
each lesson. This amount of new concepts can often be overwhelming if done without clear
communication with the students. By telling my students exactly what they will be learning with
a focus on the content they will be better prepared to retain the specific problem solving skills
that I show them during class. Math is already a difficult subject to teach as many students
believe that is the type of thing that a person is naturally good at. This is not the case, and setting
objectives with the students will help them change their opinion of the subject. Since math is
hard to connect with, using the recommendation of having the students set personal learning

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objectives will be highly important to the success of this strategy and the shift to focus. By
focusing the material and having the students go deeper into a given topic, if they have a
personal objective associated with the topic they will be more willing to try to master the
information.

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References

Achieve the Core. The Common Core State Standards Shifts in Mathematics. Retrieved from
http://achievethecore.org/shifts-mathematics.
Dean, C.B., Hubbell, E. R., Pitler, H., & Stone, B. (2012). Classroom Instruction that Works 2nd
Edition. Danvers, MA: McREL.