Help Your Students Process New Content (Marzano # 10)

I remember sitting in a PD years ago with a presenter who said something like, "Students don't learn from reading, they learn by thinking about what they have read."  At the time, I didn't quite get it - I had yet to shed an over-reliance on textbooks and worksheets.  But now, I realize the presenter (whether they knew it or not) had a clear understanding of Dr. Marzano's tenth element - Helping Students Process New Content.

Below are some things you (or an administrator) could look for to see if this element is being utilized in your classroom.

Students could be...

• making predictions
• explaining what they just learned in their own words
• asking clarifying questions
• working in groups that are effectively probing and questioning each other's ideas

Teachers could be...

• using strategies to help students process new information
  
• ​facilitate group members' ability to generate conclusions