First, let me say that I'm a biologist trapped in a chemistry classroom, but I'm really enjoying it, my supervisor and I hold many of the same ideas about teaching, and I've already got to do several reviews and a lab experiment (I stay for two different blocks of the same class, chem I). The students are beginning to ask me directly for assistance, even when my supervisor is available. As for my observations and their relationship to Marzano's instructional strategies, here we go...
In chapter five, Marzano describes homework and practice as “opportunities (for students) to deepen their understanding and skills relative to content” (p. 60). In two sections of a Chemistry I class at Huntington High School (mixed 10th, 11th, and 12th grades), students are assigned homework and practice nearly every day. To study chemistry, students must learn theories with mathematical applications and practice these operations until they achieve a level of proficiency, because the next theory will build on the last. Chemistry students must perform experiments and report results in terms of what is happening on a molecular level. This week students study the atom, atomic numbers, mass numbers, the mole (an abstract unit of measurement with which some students seem to have trouble- but wait that’s my psychology class) and Avogadro’s number (which is 6.022times10to the 23rd power, and students don’t seem to grasp this idea either; by the way, Avogadro’s number applies to things, particulates, pieces, stuff which in this case is atoms of gas, molecules of water, or grains of sand, all of which were used as examples). The teacher explains the idea or theory, shows and tells how it is applied, models how to approach the problem, and then assigns in-class work. Students work individually or collaboratively on the problems, seeking help from each other before seeking help from the teacher. The next day the work is reviewed, questions are answered, and more work is assigned. Quizzes indicate in which areas students need the most help, and more examples are solved on the board, where a teacher models how to think your way through the problem (referred to in Marzano’s chapter 3, always think aloud to model the cognitive processes). Then more practice. A lab experiment allows students to take measurements and see tangible results from abstract concepts. A pre-test serves as more practice and a study guide. All work is due the day of the test, and there is a positive, direct relationship between the amount of homework completed and achievement on the exam… but that starts into illustrations of chapter four, and I’m saving it for next time.