Now, more than any time in education, teachers have had to rethink not only what is most important to teach and assess, but also what to modify or lose when trying to ensure equitable access and engagement in face-to-face, online, or hybrid learning environments. It's a balancing act to maintain high expectations for learning when so many students have experienced distress and instability in the last year.
Should teachers lower learning expectations in favor of what's easiest to teach and assess, and focus mostly on students' social-emotional needs? Or is it possible to design lessons that engage students in learning that promotes deeper thinking and a positive collaborative culture while keeping students' well-being in mind? If we expect every student to learn more, to master new technologies, and to transfer what they have learned to real-world contexts, then we cannot let go of rigor.
Rigorous teaching and learning involves setting high expectations while maintaining a balance among the complexity of the learning content (texts, concepts, etc.), cognitive engagement with that content (learning tasks), and a teacher's ability to make the content or tasks accessible to every student.
Cognitive Rigor Is More Nuanced Than You Think
Some educators misinterpret rigor to simply mean asking students to do more work, memorize more difficult or more abstract concepts, or work independently on complex tasks. This approach of "shooting high and hoping for the best" is inaccessible to many students who need a more scaffolded progression of learning.
Cognitive rigor is influenced not only by the complexity of the content, but also by the cognitive engagement with the content (sometimes referred to as depth of knowledge levels) and the scope of the planned learning activity (Hess, et al., 2009). We see evidence of cognitive rigor when students can think flexibly, refine their thinking as they get input from others, use strategic scaffolding and collaboration, or apply metacognitive and self-direction skills.
Depth of Knowledge in Action
Many educators have heard of Norman Webb's Depth of Knowledge Framework (2002). When students learn facts, skills, and new vocabulary, they are working at Level 1. When they begin to connect information (e.g., summarize or compare ideas, solve routine/familiar problems), they have moved to Level 2. Level 1 and 2 skills and concepts are easier to teach and assess, but they rarely deepen understanding. It is only when students are asked open-ended questions or given a challenging task that they must transfer what they know to unfamiliar situations to find solutions or support conclusions with evidence (Levels 3 and 4).
The single most important use of Depth of Knowledge levels is to think about how to shift the roles of teachers and students. At Levels 1 and 2, teachers direct learning and students receive and recall information (using "near or familiar transfer"). At Levels 3 and 4, teachers coach learning and students drive the direction of learning (using "far transfer"). When planning a lesson, think about how to move students from acquiring foundational information to using what they know. The goal of rigorous lesson planning is to reach Depth of Knowledge Level 3 or Level 4 thinking. (A sample math lesson planning template illustrates Depth of Knowledge activities by level.)
To plan your lesson, first consider questions and tasks for each level. The chart below describes questions and activities a teacher might use at each level. Delivery does not have to be linear, but that may be the easiest path to start out on.
Shifting Teacher–Student Roles Using Depth of Knowledge Planning
Depth of Knowledge Levels | Teacher Roles with Planning Strategies | Student Roles with Observable Evidence of Learning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – Acquire a Foundation | • Questions to focus attention (Who? What? Where? How? When?) • Directs, leads, demonstrates, defines • Monitors practice • Scaffolds for acces | • Acquires vocabulary, facts, rules • Memorizes, recites, quotes, restates • Retrieves information • Practices and self-monitors basic skills • Clarifies procedures, asks for support using resources, tools |
| 2 – Use, Connect, Generalize | • Questions to build schema: differentiate parts-whole, classify, draw out basic inferences • Models and scaffolds conceptual understanding (Why? Under what conditions? Gives example/non-example?) • Provides guided practice for multi-step activities | • Explains relationships, sorts, classifies, compares, organizes information • Makes predictions based on estimates, observations, prior knowledge • Proposes problems, topics, or questions to investigate • Raises conceptual or strategy questions |
| 3 – Deepen and Construct Meaning | • Questions to probe reasoning, thinking (How will you know/do this? Where is the evidence?) • Promotes peer discourse/self-reflection; uncovers links to Big Ideas • Designs tasks requiring proof, justification, analysis of evidence quality and accuracy | • Uncovers relevant, accurate, credible information, flaws in a design, or proposed solutions linked with "Big Ideas" • Plans how to develop supporting (hard) evidence for conclusions or claims • Researches/tests ideas, solves non-routine problems; perseveres • Self-assesses; uses feedback to improve |
| 4 – Extend, Transfer, and Broaden Meaning | • Questions to extend meaning (Big Ideas), explore sources, broaden perspectives (Are there potential biases? Can you propose/support an alternative?) • Models and scaffolds validation of sources, peer-to-peer critique and self-reflection | • Initiates, transfers, and constructs new knowledge/insights linked to "Big Ideas" • Modifies, creates, elaborates based on analysis and interpretation of multiple sources • Investigates real-world problems and issues; perseveres; manages time-task • Sets goals; self-manages time |
Putting It All Together: Lesson Design Moves
Some teachers tell me that when they give students a challenging task, the students don't seem to know how to fully engage from start to finish without a high level of teacher intervention. Designing lessons with a range of depth of knowledge levels creates a more accessible pathway for every student.
My work at all grade levels starts with helping students draw on prior knowledge to acquire a foundation (Level 1), and then use that foundation to build conceptual understanding in a variety of situations (Level 2), such as reading different texts to practice identifying the main idea or summarizing. These activities make it possible for students to build confidence when given something more challenging. Level 3 and Level 4 tasks generally have more than one entry point.
I propose five research-based lesson design moves that support students to better understand what they are learning, and thus deepen student engagement and ownership. An easy way to remember the moves is to use the "ABCs."
(A)sk a series of probing questions that increase in depth and complexity to uncover thinking.
Planning a series of questions, rather than a single "higher order" question, promotes student-to-student discourse and allows adequate wait time for every student to formulate ideas, actively grapple with concepts, and freely exchange ideas of increasing complexity.
Small group analysis (Levels 1-3): Teachers use Google slides with 1-3 probing questions of increasing complexity (What does this remind you of? What makes you say that? Can you find/show some evidence? Where might this apply in the real world?). Individual students or groups have a slide to record their response and discuss in breakout rooms before reacting to peer responses as a whole group.
Self- and peer assessment using work samples (Level 3): Teachers share examples of student work at proficient and almost proficient levels. Students find evidence for why one sample meets rubric criteria for proficiency and discuss how to improve the almost proficient example. This skill is later transferred to self- and peer assessment.
(B)uild schemas in each content domain.
Memorization of facts and details uses a lot of working memory space, and often the information doesn't stick for very long. Opportunities to deepen conceptual understanding helps students to connect ideas, explain models or representations (cause-effect; compare-contrast), and ask questions that reflect substantive understanding (e.g., What are the essential characteristics of ___?). Schemas, or creating mental maps, vary depending on the subject and project.
Oral summarizing (Level 2): Students use sketchnotes with a structural frame provided (e.g., blank timeline, storyboard) to visually capture relevant ideas as they listen, read aloud, or view a text. Sketches are then used to summarize orally or in writing. Whether face-to-face or remotely, teachers can monitor pacing so students have time to listen, stop to sketchnote, listen, and stop again to sketchnote.
Conceptualizing (Level 2): Students develop visual concept collages related to a concept or to interpret connections in an informational text. Teachers can use Google Draw to locate images ahead of time or co-develop concept colleges with students to build content-specific vocabulary.
Categorizing ideas and images (Level 2): Using sticky notes or Jamboard, students manipulate and organize related information in concept collages using examples and non-examples. Color-coded analyses are used to locate parts of the whole (e.g., intro/claims-body/evidence-conclusions of an essay or math or science evidence-based argument).
(C)onsider ways to strategically scaffold learning for different specific purposes.
One type of scaffolding will not meet every learning need. The three most common purposes for scaffolding in a lesson are to increase language development, to support executive functioning, or to deepen and extend conceptual understanding. Closely monitoring student understanding with observations and probing questions allows teachers to determine how to best assist students when they are struggling to acquire new learning.
Visuals to support engagement and language development (Level 1): Many teachers with English language learners have found that pictures are worth a thousand words. Instead of telling students or listing in writing what they need to have or produce for a lesson, create an orientation slide with visuals of the book or supplies (pencils, markers, etc.) needed for the lesson. Add a clock face or timer and give students time to get organized before starting. This is simple but effective, because understanding comes from the visuals and does not require decoding or translation skills.
Collaboratively designed anchor charts to support executive functioning skills (Levels 1-2): Teachers can present new material in a visual way that helps students quickly retrieve information when needed. Students develop anchor charts during the lesson, using visual cues, color coding, and clear succinct labels for each part (e.g., to remind students of the steps to follow when solving a math problem, or the parts of an informational report ).
Differentiating with stations to build and deepen understanding (Levels 1-4): Many teachers already make use of station rotations. With station differentiation, groups have related—but different—tasks to complete based on need or choice. Each model usually includes 1) a teacher-led micro lesson or targeted support; 2) an individual practice activity; and 3) one or more tasks for small groups that add a challenge above the practice activity, such as conducting more online research. Various entry points let students engage within their comfort levels.
(D)esign complex tasks that emphasize evidence-based solutions.
Collaboration and self-direction skills should be linked to big ideas, not simply to correct answers. Complex tasks ask all students to make choices, provide input into the processes they'll use, and justify or support the connections they make (such as citing sources or analyzing the relevance and accuracy of evidence).
Collaborative inquiry planning (Levels 3-4): Prior to beginning an investigation or project-based learning activity, students can co-design an investigation plan for teachers to sign off on. The planning process is student-directed, rather than teachers providing students with step-by-step instructions on how to conduct their investigations.
Analysis of theme development using storyboarding and video (Level 3): Individuals or groups create short videos that capture complex ideas with minimal words. Students can use a storyboard template to sketch their plan. Complexity comes in how students use visuals (color, symbolism, etc.), actions, and language to express ideas and engage an audience.
Using choice menus for book clubs and literature circles (Levels 1-4): I like to create choice menus with appetizers (less complex), main course options (more complex), and desserts (performance tasks with the highest complexity). Having menu choices is a great motivator for most students. Some will choose to do several appetizers before moving on; others might jump to a main course first.
(E)ngage students in metacognition and self-reflection before, during, and after each learning opportunity or lesson.
Reflections should happen throughout the lesson (every 10-15 minutes) for all students to pause and react to what they've learned so far (such as turn-and-talk frames, peer-to-peer conferencing, or self- or peer assessments).
Mix up the exit cards (Levels 1-3): Instead of using exit cards at the end of lesson, use them as quick prompts or "Turn and Talk" sentence starters during the lesson. Turn and Talk frames should be clear, concise, and relate directly to information just covered in a lesson (e.g., draw two examples of ____; create a metaphor for this concept; write a review question for what we just covered). When they are done with a partner, learning is both scaffolded and solidified.
Have peers give feedback (Levels 1-3): Flipgrid has become an easy tool for students to use to give online feedback to peers. Teachers list and review task success criteria, model a feedback example with a class think-aloud, and can then assign peer groups to review another group.
Use self-reflection rubrics (Levels 2-4): Success criteria and scoring rubrics can be interactive self-assessment tools. Students locate evidence of their own learning to make the case that they have met expectations for proficient performance. For example, I've created "what I need to do" rubrics using only the criteria for proficient performance, leaving room for students to identify their evidence of learning.
We all want our students to demonstrate behaviors that exemplify confident, self-directed, engaged learners. But long before these behaviors become observable in our classrooms, students first need to engage emotionally, and then cognitively. This is what the research tells us! The five lesson design moves encompass a coherent way to plan for increasing the complexity while giving students a voice, building collaboration and social skills, and making learning truly authentic.
