Marzano's Classroom Instruction that Works

Melissa D’Agostino Fundamentals of Curriculum Development Blog #2: Classroom Instruction that Works
December 8, 2010

Only 30 years ago, teaching began to be studied scientifically. Marzano discusses the Coleman report and the Jencks study in the introduction of his book. He mentions that the 10% difference that schools contribute to student achievement translates into 23 points which paints a more positive picture regarding the influence of schools. In 1986, Jere Brophy and Thomas Good stated: “The myth that teachers do not make a difference in student learning has been refuted” (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001). More recent research has shown that effective teachers can have a profound influence on student achievement.

When using instructional strategies, it is always good to implement those that are research based. Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement, is the result of the analysis of 100 different studies in educational research which involved approximately 1.2 million participants. “The goal of the analysis was to identify those instructional strategies that have a high probability of enhancing student achievement for all students in all subject areas at all grade levels” (Brabec, Fisher, & Pitler, 2004).

The following research-based strategies are discussed: 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, 9) cues, questions, and advance organizers. Students are assisted in taking charge of their learning. This is done through the use of the strategies to: summarize information in note taking, use graphic organizers to compare and contrast, setting up homework policies, generating and testing hypotheses, learning how to use imagery with nonlinguistic representation, and how to ask question to further learning with cues, questions, and advance organizers. Also, strategies to provide feedback are important for teachers to be familiar with in order to provide the most positive feedback. Research has shown that the way in which teachers deliver feedback can have a negative impact on student achievement. In cooperative learning, it is also beneficial to have the students provide feedback to their peers.

Robert Marzano admits that Classroom Instruction that Works is not an answer for all educational questions. The following questions have remained unanswered:

“Are some instructional strategies more effective in certain subject areas? Are some instructional strategies more effective at certain grade levels? Are some instructional strategies more effective with students from different backgrounds? Are some instructional strategies more effective with students of different aptitudes?” (Marzano, 2009).

One positive aspect is that it focuses on a variety of different areas in education. Marzano’s goal in writing his book was to not focus on a narrow range of components. He feels that “focusing on any single set of categories exclusively is a serious mistake (Marzano, 2009). Overall, Marzano is a name in education that seems to be spoken highly of and using the research-based strategies that he recommends also seems to be beneficial to student achievement.




Resources
Brabec, K., Fisher, K., & Pitler, H. (2004). Building better instruction:
how technology supports nine research-proven instructional
strategies. Learning & Leading with Technology, 31(5), 6-11.

Marzano , R.J. (2009, September). Setting the record straight on “high-
yield” strategies. Kappan, 30-37.

Marzano, R.J., Pickering, D.J., & Pollock, J.E. (2001). Classroom
instruction that works: research-based strategies for increasing
student achievement. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development.