Helping Students Connect EFFORT with ACHIEVEMENT
Teachers have an opportunity every day to affect student success. While we may not be able to change students' innate ability, we can facilitate opportunities for success by talking about EFFORT.
There are two important strategies for helping students realize the influence effort can have on achievement, according to Robert Marzano, Barbara Gaddy, and Ceri Dean (2000) What works in classroom Instruction.
There are two important strategies for helping students realize the influence effort can have on achievement, according to Robert Marzano, Barbara Gaddy, and Ceri Dean (2000) What works in classroom Instruction.
The ideas and matierals presented on this page are adapted from Marzano, R.J., Pickering, D.J., & Pollock, J.E.(2001). Classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
1.Teach Students the Role Effort Can Play in Enhancing Achievement
"One way to help them understand this is to explicitly teach it and share examples. For example, teachers might share personal examples of times that they succeeded by continuing to try even when a task was hard or when a solution was not immediately apparent...Teachers might also seek out and share examples of well-known athletes, educators, or political leaders who succeeded in large part simply because they didn’t give up. Examples might also be shared from stories that are familiar to students."
2. Have Students Assess Effort and Achievement
"A powerful way to reinforce the influence of effort on achievement is to have students occasionally assess their effort and achievement on a task and note the relationship between the two. This can be accomplished by first presenting students with rubrics for effort and achievement...In addition to charting the relationship between the two variables, students might be asked to identify what they learned from the experience. For example, teachers might periodically ask students to describe what they noticed about the relationship between the effort they put into a project or task and their achievement. Reflecting on their experiences in this way heightens students’ awareness of the power of effort."
How to Get Started with an Effort and Achievement Discussion
When you start something new that requires students to change, you need to consider the following:
-Anticipate and address resistance to change.
Listen carefully to your students and resist the temptation to discount or refute their responses. Instead, show your understanding and proceed with the steps below.
- Continue to build trust.
Get students to "buy-in." Share data. Provide examples of others who have committed to exerting effort, despite obstacles. Identify and garner support of adults and older students who can give encouragement to your students. Invite community members in to share success stories.
- Provide support tools and on-going feedback and reflection time.
How often will students assess their effort and achievement and how can you embed discussions about this relationship? What tools will you provide and use consistently to show students YOU are committed to helping them?
-Anticipate and address resistance to change.
Listen carefully to your students and resist the temptation to discount or refute their responses. Instead, show your understanding and proceed with the steps below.
- Continue to build trust.
Get students to "buy-in." Share data. Provide examples of others who have committed to exerting effort, despite obstacles. Identify and garner support of adults and older students who can give encouragement to your students. Invite community members in to share success stories.
- Provide support tools and on-going feedback and reflection time.
How often will students assess their effort and achievement and how can you embed discussions about this relationship? What tools will you provide and use consistently to show students YOU are committed to helping them?
Teaching Effort and Achievement: Classroom Tools
1. Ideas and suggestions for implementing an "effort" discussion
teaching_effort_and_achievement.docx |
rudy.article.doc |
data_tracking_sheet.students.doc |
effort_and_achievement_rubric.elem.doc |
evaluating_effort_and_achievement.generic_poster.doc |