Module 5

 Complex Tasks Transfer

Chapter 5 "Design Complex Tasks"

    In Chapter 5, "Design Complex Tasks", of Rigor by Design, Not Chance, author Karin Hess discusses the importance of designing complex tasks for the classroom, ensuring children are challenged with deeper level thinking and transfer understanding in meaningful context.

    In "Design Complex Tasks", Hess explains what designing these tasks should look like by comparing previously used project-based assessments that she feels do not fit the mold of a complex task. For example, engagement with no grade or the use of a pass/fail system or focusing on the final product and contributing to content grades would not fall under the mold of a complex task, however, focusing on both the process and product while contributing to a student's portfolio in demonstrating competency would fall under the mold of a complex task (Hess, 2023, p.178). She goes on to further explain complex tasks as including a requirement to do something with opportunity for disciplined inquiry and critical creative thinking and must include evidence of far transfer, or "applying what you know in ways you might not have been explicitly taught" (Hess, 2023, p.179). She states that complex tasks must have the following characteristics: open-ended context, productively challenging, ability to uncover thinking, promote authentic doing and sharing, require far transfer, integrate academic knowledge, personal skills, and student input, and spark reflective and metacognitive thinking. Finally, Hess provides a series of questions to ask yourself when considering the complexity of integrated tasks followed by the eight steps to designing performance-based assessments. The questions Hess mentions to consider when integrating a complex task include the following:

1. What will be transferred during learning and will be assessed?

2. How does this task align with local competencies or academic strengths?

3. Within what real-world context and format- a case study, a design problem, an investigation, or a simulation- will students solve a problem or investigate an essential or driving question?

4. How will PBAs reflect the cultural diversity of learners?

5. Will all students have an opportunity to develop knowledge that they can transfer to a new situation or problem by engaging in this task?

The steps Hess mentions to follow when designing performance-based assessments include the following:

1. Identify what you want the assessment to measure.

2. Identify one or more authentic contexts for applying these skills, concepts, and dispositions in the assessment.

3. Identify appropriate formats for how students will apply their knowledge, skills, and dispositions.

4. Identify which choices, input, or decisions students will make.

5. Describe the task.

6. Develop an overview of the PBA with directions and general teacher instructions.

7. Finalize success criteria.

8. Develop a scoring guide or rubric.

    After reading Chapter 5 "Design Complex Tasks", I chose to look further into transfer learning, a term that has repeatedly been mentioned in Rigor by Design, Not Chance thus far, and is also mentioned by Hess in "Design Complex Tasks" as a necessary piece of complex tasks. As I am working toward a primary education degree, I searched for a transfer of learning article related to elementary school students. Through my search, I found "Chapter 3: Learning and Transfer" in National Academies Press How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition, which discusses how to support transfer learning in the classroom, including possible challenge and barriers. I found many connections amongst this source when comparing it to Hess' Chapter 5 "Design Complex Tasks" in Rigor by Design, Not Chance.

    The first thing that I came across mentioned by the National Research Council which relates to Hess's "Design Complex Tasks" is the statement, "Different kinds of learning experiences can look equivalent when tests of learning focus solely on remembering (e.g., on the ability to repeat previously taught factors or procedures), but they can look quite different when tests of transfer are used" (1999, p. 51). Throughout "Design Complex Tasks", Hess emphasizes the importance of using complex tasks that involve critical thinking, or require transfer, subsequently requiring the students to apply knowledge flexibly. She further argues that complex tasks within assessments show the ability to extend knowledge supporting evidence that deeper learning has been reached.

    The next connection between the two sources is the mention of the importance of multiple contexts when learning. National Research Council states "Knowledge that is overly contextualized can reduce transfer..." (1999, p. 53) while Hess states "Students are expected to use multiple approaches, tools, and resources. Solutions don't require a single correct solution path..." (2023, p.180). These quotes both support the notion that the concepts should be provided in multiple contexts, allowing the students to use their deep understanding of the concept to problem solve flexibly. 

    Another connection between the sources is the role of metacognition in successful transfer. National Research Council states, "Metacognitive approaches to instruction have been shown to increase the degree to which students will transfer to new situations without the need for explicit prompting" (1999, p. 67). Similarly, Hess states that complex problem-based assessments should spark "metacognitive thinking" (2023, p. 183). She further states, "Self-reflection is intentional in the task or project design" (1999, p.183).

    Overall, the sources use their platform to argue the emphasis on transfer equating to a testament of deep learning. To implement this type of transfer learning, one must be intentional in the rigorous curriculum and assessments provided. Through transfer learning, students can reach a higher level of success through their gained ability to problem solve and think flexibly. 

Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Rocking, R. C. (1999). Chapter 3: Learning and Transfer. In How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition (pp. 51–78). essay, National Academy Press.

Hess, K. (2023d). Chapter 5: Design Complex Tasks. In Rigor by Design, Not Chance: Deeper Thinking Through Actionable Instruction and Assessment (pp. 174–246). essay, ascd.

 Strategic Scaffolding Ensures Rigorous Learning

Chapter 4 "Consider Strategic Scaffolding"

    In Chapter 4, "Consider Strategic Scaffolding", of Rigor by Design, Not Chance, author Karin Hess discusses the importance of using strategic scaffolding, or providing "steps to support completing a task", in lessons to ensure they are rigorous for all students (2023, p. 136). Hess emphasizes the importance of scaffolding stating that "scaffolding strategies enable each student to successfully access grade-level content, complete an assignment, and grow in confidence and independence as a learner" (2023, p. 136). She adds that "all learners benefit from the strategic use of scaffolding" (2023, p. 136). Hess goes on to explain that scaffolding assists in reducing "the demands on a student's working memory during learning" (2023, p. 136). This is further explained as allowing students to focus on the target skill of the lessen, rather than additional struggles that may be faced. She also makes mention of the importance of understanding the difference between scaffolding and differentiation, which provides students choices in which tasks to complete. 

    Scaffolding can be structured in four ways, teacher and peer, content, task, and materials. To determine the most appropriate scaffolding for the lesson, the educator must consider the zone of proximal development of each student and how the scaffold will make the content more accessible. This is summarized through the key question "How can scaffolding help students show what they know by making content more accessible or by supporting the processing of content?" (Hess, 2023, p. 139). Through scaffolding, the educator must think of themselves as a "strategic learning coach" (Hess, 2023, p. 139). 

    Finally, Hess summarizes three main reasons to scaffold during instruction. These reasons include deepening content knowledge and connecting to big ideas, facilitating executive function and the application of skills and processes, and supporting language and vocabulary development.  

    Following the reading of "Consider Strategic Scaffolding", I chose to look further into beneficial scaffolding techniques. I chose this topic as I felt it was most relevant to my current situation of being a student teacher and preparing to soon have my own classroom. As a result of this, I felt I would personally benefit from educating myself with a variety of scaffolding strategies to store in my toolbox. Through my search on Edutopia I came across an article titled "6 Scaffolding Strategies to Use with Your Students" by Rebecca Alber. This article discusses six different scaffolding strategies recommended by Alber. 

    Upon initially beginning reading the article, I was hit immediately with many statements similar, if not identical, to Chapter 4 of Rigor by Design, Not Chance, which only affirmed my article choice. After giving a non-example of scaffolding, Alber mentions the need of starting with the difference of scaffolding from differentiating, something also done by Hess. Alber states "Scaffolding is breaking up the learning into chunks and providing a tool, or structure, with each chunk" while differentiating comes after and includes "modifying an assignment or making accommodations like choosing a more accessible text or assigning an alternative project" (2014). This reinforces the differences mentioned by Hess which included choices for differentiating and supporting steps for scaffolding as previously mentioned. Both Hess and Abler also use the term "manageable chunks" when referring to scaffolding. Alber also states, "you have to know the individual and collective zone of proximal development of your learners" (2014) which closely mimics Hess's statement, "In other words, the scaffolding activity is in students' zone of proximal development" (2023, p. 137). 

    After identifying scaffolding and its difference in comparison to differentiating, Alber provides her six recommended scaffolding strategies. The first strategy mentioned is show and tell, or modeling, which is stated to be the "cornerstone of scaffolding" (Alber, 2014). Show and tell can be done through a fishbowl activity or a think aloud. The second strategy mentioned is tapping into prior knowledge which can include students sharing their own experiences. The third strategy mentioned is giving time to talk which can include think-pair-share and turn-and-talk. The fourth strategy mentioned is pre-teaching vocabulary which can be done through appropriate context, symbols, analogies, and discussion. The fifth strategy mentioned is the use of visual aids which can be done through graphic organizers or charts. The sixth and final strategy mentioned is pause, ask questions, pause, review. This strategy allows for a check of understanding and must be designed prior to the start of the lesson and focusing on specific, guiding, and open-ended questions. 

    Of the strategies mentioned, the new information I gained from the article was the sixth strategy, pause, ask questions, pause, review. This was a strategy I had not previously been taught or had ever personally experienced. While I feel that this article was a nice introduction to the strategy itself, I will be conducting additional research on the strategy to further familiarize myself with it, as well as read about it being implemented with more detail. 

    Additional information that stood out to me within the scaffolding strategies was the mention of tapping into prior knowledge which reinforces last week's topic from Chapter 3 "Build Schemas". 

    Overall, Hess uses Chapter 4 to argue the importance of scaffolding and how the use of it ensures that all students, despite capability, are provided with rigorous lessons. Using the support provided within the scaffold will allow each student the opportunity to be successful in the task at hand, ultimately lending toward the completion of the rigorous lesson and subsequently a gained skill. Alber confirms this notion in "6 Scaffolding Strategies to Use with Your Students" while also going into detail as to what that scaffolding implementation might look like. 

Alber, R. (2014). 6 Scaffolding Strategies to Use with Your Students. Edutopia.

Hess, K. (2023c). Chapter 4: Consider Strategic Scaffolding. In Rigor by Design, Not Chance: Deeper Thinking Through Actionable Instruction and Assessment (pp. 134–173). essay, ascd.

Module 3

 Building Schema

Chapter 3 "Build Schema"

    In Chapter 3 of Rigor by Design, Not Chance, author Karin Hess expresses the importance of schema being intentionally addressed in lessons due to being an essential component in "dramatically expanding a learners knowledge base" (Hess, 2023, p. 104). Hess quotes Barbara Oakley, Beth Rogowsky, and Terrance Sejnowski's description of "Schemas" as a "quintessential form of prior knowledge …. Schemas shape our thoughts about what we are learning … and allow new learning to be more easily placed in with other, previously learned material" (2023, p. 103-104). 

    Schema plays a crucial role in our expansion of knowledge as new information overloads our working memory when our brain lacks prior knowledge, subsequently lending to information that "often doesn't stick" (Hess, 2023, p. 105). Hess explains a teacher's role in guiding the building of schema as considering unifying concepts and essential skills, how these pieces relate to the overall genre, what prior knowledge exists, if any, and the potential of misconceptions (2023, p. 106). Schema is most commonly built through the following mental models: structural which refers to the organization of knowledge, and procedural which refers to the steps necessary when completing a process.

    

    Following the reading, I chose to look further into Schema Built Instruction in the elementary setting. I chose this topic due to its relevancy to my primary education degree. Within my search, I found the article The Effects of Simplified Schema-based Instruction on Elementary Students’ Mathematical Word Problem Solving Performance by Houbin Fang, Sherry Herron, Qi Zhou, Taralynn Hartsell, and Richard Mohn featured in Education for All: Journal of Mathematics Education. In addition to its relevance to my degree, it highly relates to my current classroom placement which is a math room composed of third grade students testing into the low end of mathematic ability.
    The Effects of Simplified Schema-based Instruction on Elementary Students’ Mathematical Word Problem Solving Performance features the study of Simplified Schema Based Instruction (SSBI), a modified Schema Based Instruction, with general education second grade students when solving one-step addition and subtraction word problems. The modification of Schema Based Instruction into SSBI was done in an effort to tailor the strategy into one more developmentally appropriate for the younger learners. The strategy behind SSBI was to teach the learners to solve word problems by recognizing the underlying structure of the problem which "is very important to problem 'comprehension and representation'" (Fang et al., 2015, p.38). Word problems were targeted within the study as "according to National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), word problems have become a very difficult area for students across ability and all age levels" despite researcher's efforts in developing "effective word problem solving instruction" (Fang et al., 2015, p. 38). "In addition, the investigators also intended to discover if participants could maintain SSBI strategy after the intervention terminated" (Fang et al, 2015. p. 41). During intervention, the learners were taught to solve the word problems using four steps- Step 1: read the word problem out loud while identifying the larger number, smaller number, unknown number, and label of interest, then rephrase the problem in your own words, Step 2: fill in the given diagram with the larger and smaller numbers followed by the label, Step 3: decipher the operation choice using the instructions "if the total or the sum of two numbers is unknown, addition is the choice of operation; however, if the total is known and the problem is to find one of the smaller numbers; or if the difference between two numbers is asked for, subtraction is required to solve the problem" (Fang et al., 2015, p. 43), and Step 4: solve the equation and check the answer. The learners were taught using one worksheet containing five word problems per session, then required to solve the same five problems independently. The figure below shows participants' performance in all phases. "Participants' performance in word problem solving immediately increased during the intervention. Researchers also found that participants remained SSBI skills at a high level during maintenance phases (92% on average). Therefore, SSBI cannot only help students with their word problem solving, but also can be mastered by students" (Fang et al., 2015, p. 49).

    

    This study is a wonderful example of intentionally incorporating schema into lessons, as mentioned by Hess in Chapter Three of Rigor by Design, Not Chance. This study also verifies the importance of schema as reiterated by Hess throughout the chapter. In this example, schema created a deeper understanding, represented by the successful completion of word problems, which ultimately led to a skill that stuck. The steps utilized in the study, as mentioned above, also closely mimick Hess' procedural schema for word problems on page 111. Here, she mentions to solve word problems using schema through the following procedure: "read the problem for key words or phrases", "determine what's being asked and identify the operation needed" (she also mentions the use of possible visuals or tools that may help in this step which in the study was the given diagram), "list related math terms or symbols and any operations or concepts that will help solve the problem", "perform the operation, check my calculations, and show my work", and "explain in two or three sentences". 

    

    Overall, The Effects of Simplified Schema-based Instruction on Elementary Students’ Mathematical Word Problem Solving Performance support Hess' statements in Chapter 3 of Rigor by Design, Not Chance "Building schemas is really important" and "Schemas become frameworks for learning new content and dramatically expanding a learner's knowledge base" (Hess, 2023, p.104). In addition, the study is a reminder of the importance of intentional rigor in a classroom, in this instance accomplished using schema.

Fang, H., Herron, S., Zhou, Q., Hartsell, T., & Mohn, R. (2025). The Effects of Simplified Schema-based  Instruction on Elementary Students’  Mathematical Word Problem Solving  Performance. Journal of Mathematics Education, 8(1), 37–55. https://doi.org/Education for All

Hess, K. (2023b). Chapter 3: Build Schemas. In Rigor by Design, Not Chance: Deeper Thinking Through Actionable Instruction and Assessment (pp. 104–134). essay, ascd. 

Module 2

Encouraging Critical Thinking Through Questions   

Chapter 2 "Ask a Series of Probing Questions"

   In Chapter 2, "Ask a Series of Probing Questions," of Rigor by Design, Not Chance: Deeper Thinking Through Actionable Instruction and Assessment, author Karin Hess discusses the importance of educating students to formulate their own questions, in lieu of teacher-led questions, to propel their unique learning path. 

    Hess begins the chapter by describing the importance of questions, stating, "Promoting self-directed learning skills, such as asking questions and using metacognition, empowers learners to transfer learning to new situations" (2023, p. 67). This is a critical part of comprehension as our brain requires meaningfulness to activate long term storage and can be encouraged by the teacher asking dialogic questions, ultimately promoting more complex thinking. Dialogic questions are described by Hess as "open-ended, philosophical, and challenging" and used to "promote discussion, critical thinking, and inquiry" (2023, p. 68). Dialogic questions can be asked in the following three ways: question sequencing, where the teacher asks for a personal reaction to the text, an interpretation of the theme, and the relation between the structure of the text and the author's message; Socratic questioning, where the students ask their peers clarification, assumption-based, and evidence-based questions; and Genius Hour, where student-generated questions are used to lead topic investigations. One strategy Hess mentions can be used to generate questions in a range of complexities is a cognitive rigor matrix template which allows the user to categorize questions based on their depth of knowledge, or DOK, and type of thinking (2023, p. 77). Questions should take into consideration background knowledge and learning connections. Finally, to ensure questions are asked continually throughout lessons, teachers can follow the Actionable Assessment Cycle. This cycle consists of 6 stages, clarifying learning targets using essential and driving questions, embedding formative tasks using strategies such as think-pair-share or word clouds, uncovering thinking using strategies such as send a question or would you rather, interpreting evidence and determining next steps using strategies such as 5-minute teacher-student writing conferences, and using performance tasks to deepen learning. 

Genius Hour

    Following the reading of Chapter 2, I chose to look further into Genius Hour. I chose to research this strategy as the chapter provided my first introduction to it in comparison to some of the other mentioned strategies which I had prior knowledge of. In addition to this, I was intrigued by the free-flowing nature of the strategy, therefore curious as to what this would potentially look like in action.

 

    Using Genius Hour Projects to Help Students Find Meaning by Vicki Davis focuses on teachers guiding middle and high school students to work together on projects of interest ultimately leading to higher achievement. Davis mentions just how different this interest-based project looked in her classroom, varying from Minecraft to album singles. Despite the vastly different nature of the projects, Davis mentions one thing that stayed consistent from group to group was the higher level of interest, commitment, and results. Davis goes on to describe the process including a verbal pitch, written pitch and project plan, implementation, presentation, and reflection. 

Connections/Disconnections

    In Using Genius Hour Projects to Help Students Find Meaning, Vicki Davis provides a look into her take on Genius Hour, a questioning strategy mentioned by Hess in "Ask a Series of Probing Questions". Hess explains that Genius Hour begins with "student-generated questions" (2023, p. 70). Hess and Davis both mention the project beginning with student-generated questions. Hess gives the initiating question example of "How can I create a video about ___?" while Davis mentions her topics are sparked by the questions "What do I want to learn?" and "How can I solve an authentic problem?" (2022). Hess and Davis also both mention the project ending with a presentation to an audience. Finally, both authors make mention of the project utilizing twenty percent of the students' time.
    While both authors mention the importance of the meaningful connections made through the project, Davis also mentions the positive impact Genius Hour has on mental health stating she has noticed her project making lives "happier and more satisfied" (2022). Davis also makes mention of time for 3 self-selected reflection periods utilizing photographs and videos whereas Hess makes no mention of a reflection period.

Conclusion

    Overall, "Ask a Series of Probing Questions" and Using Genius Hour Projects to Help Students Find Meaning have reinforced the notion I have personally always believed- student success soars when meaningful connections are made. Genius Hour is one example of a strategy I will utilize to encourage a deeper level of thinking in an engaging way. Reflecting back to the definition of rigor, a developmentally appropriate challenge which transfers to everyday life and is presented in a meaningful way, Genius Hour is a wonderful, and seemingly successful way, to incorporate exactly that into our classrooms. 

References

   Davis, V. (2022, February 18). Using Genius Hour Projects to Help Students Find Meaning. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-genius-hour-projects-help-students-find-meaning 

 Hess, K. (2023). Chapter 2: Ask a Series of Probing Questions. In Rigor by Design, Not Chance: Deeper Thinking Through Actionable Instruction and Assessment (pp. 66–102). essay, ascd.