I get to work with hundreds of instructional leaders who are actively engaged in the formative observation and coaching process. I’m not counting the big seminar sessions that I do throughout the year. This is on-site, in the field, hands-on training and real discussions.  We spend a lot of time working to accurately determine the level of student cognition (rigor) that is occurring during an observation. The protocol we use (PowerWalks) uses Bloom’s 2 as the rigor scale.

Educators new to the formative observation process almost universally over-report “creating” level rigor.  What is confusing is that “creating” has different definitions. I can observe students “creating” word problems as a math assignment. But that does not mean that the student is operating at the “Creating” cognition level.

“Creating” as a cognition level is essentially synthesis level thinking. To operate at that level of cognition, the student is: (1) Taking understandings and information from one realm of her world. (2) Taking understandings and information from another realm of her world. (3) Using all of that to create a something new and novel in the setting she’s in right now.

If you are now thinking, “Wow! That’s tough,”you are correct.

If you are now thinking, “I’m not seeing that in my classroom,”again, you are correct.

That’s why Creating is at the top of the rigor scale.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn…

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