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Classroom Instruction That Works
Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Students Achievement

By Robert J. Marzano, Debra J. Pickering, and Jane E. Pollack
Chapter 1: Applying the Research on Instruction: An Idea Whose Time Has Come
It is interesting to know that the "art" teaching had not systematically been studied in a scientific manner until 30 years ago. From that time till now, the "art" of teaching is becoming more the "science" of teaching. In the beginning of 1970, researchers began to look at the effects of instruction on student learning and concluded that the quality of schooling student receives accounts for only about 10 percent of the variance in student achievement. The remaining 90 percent that is left is attributed to student's natural ability or aptitude, the socioeconomic status of the student, and the student's home environment. In conclusion, schools make little difference in the student's achievements and the most difference in the test scores remain on the fact that it is not controlled by the schools.

However, the ten percent attributed to the student achievement translates into a percentile gain of about 23 points, on the students who attends a "good" school that implies that schools definitely make a difference in student achievement. Also, an individual teacher can have a powerful effect on her students even if the school doesn't.  That was the comment made by the researchers Jere Brophy and Thomas Good (1986) when they commented: "The myth that teachers do not make a difference in student learning has been refuted" (p. 370).

Recently, the researchers Sanders & Horn, 1994; Wright, Horn, & Sanders, 1997, concluded "the most important factor affecting student learning is the teacher. The immediate and clear implication of this finding is that seemingly more can be done to improve education by improving the effectiveness of teachers."

Corroborating to this researchers, this book "Classroom Instruction that Works" will present some techniques to improve teaching effectiveness by presenting some Instructional Strategies that affect student achievement, like:
1. Identifying similarities and differences;
2. Summarizing and note taking;
3. Reinforcing effort and providing recognition;
4. Homework and practice;
5. Nonlinguistic representations;
6. Cooperative learning;
7. Setting objectives and providing feedback;
8. Generating and testing hypotheses, and
9. Questions, cues, and advance organizers.

The next chapters will consider each one of these strategies in more details.

In spite of the strategies presented in the book are good tools they should not be expected to work equally well in all situations.
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