How I went from thinking “one more thing” to developing “the thing”.
Plan and Observe with Ease using the 3 Rs and 3 Ps
Before I elaborate on the above title and chart, I want to make some disclaimers. First, I have been influenced by so many incredible educators and leaders that I can’t claim original thought or necessarily remember to whom I should attribute credit. In those cases, I will reference the professionals best known for their contributions to the idea. Second, this framework, process, or whatever this tool is remains a work in progress. I will tweak it and add to it, but promise to keep it simple.
The 3 Rs
A focus on Relationships, Relevance, and Rigor.
Maybe you remember hearing about the essential three “R”s schools were tasked to focus and develop as Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic- the basics. It sounds great in the literal sense but falls apart on paper when one is forced to consider that only one of the words begins with the letter “R.”
I was introduced to the new three “R”s as Relationships, Relevance, and Rigor in my earliest years of teaching. This concept made much more sense to me and not just because it avoided the previous creator’s blunder. I was actually able to make an immediate and direct connection from the updated three Rs to the increased engagement and effectiveness I experienced with my students at the alternative school I was assigned. As a provisionally licensed teacher with no student teaching experience, I was in a perpetual state of experimenting and adjusting my lessons and strategies, looking for patterns in what worked to limit the possibility of chaos and ensure my students were learning. It was overwhelming and exhausting.
The intentional inclusion of relationships, relevance, and rigor became essential at the state standards when designing a lesson.
*Dr. Bill Daggett is known for his work creating the Rigor/Relevance Framework and Relationships Framework. I can’t honestly remember I learned about the three Rs from him, but you can learn more about Dr. Daggett and his many contributions here.
The 3 Ps
Pursuit, Practice, and Performance of Learning as an Essential Process
The 3 Rs discussed above guide educators in making decisions about selecting practices strategies best suited to invite and engage students in learning, but the 3 Ps of Pursue, Practice, and Perform orient student actions as they progress towards mastery.
Shifting my thinking about planning lessons from the common “I Do, We Do, You Do” to asking “What do I want my students to think about?” and “How do I know what they are thinking?” meant my role in the classroom needed to change and the bulk of my cognitive labor occurred preparing for class. Broken down simply, new information needed to get into their brain by actively reading, listening, or watching which I refer to as Pursue. Then, students need the opportunity to grapple with this new information or Practice in the learning process. Next, our students show us what they know when they provide evidence or Perform their learning. Once this cycle is completed with specific feedback, it is revisited by filling in any gaps in new knowledge or providing additional time to different ways interact with content before demonstrating understanding again.
This process made differentiation simple to understand in both concept and practice. If it were not for effective instructional leadership and the work of Dr. Ray Jones, I think I would have felt overwhelmed and stuck teaching students in a constantly changing educational landscape.
Here is a link to Dr. Ray Jones Architecture of Learning Page on his website. His ideas and protocols about student learning had a large influence on me as an educator and the development of 3Ps.