Unit 3: How can evidence-based reasoning be implemented in instruction?

Objectives for Unit 3: How can evidence-based reasoning be implemented in instruction?

After completing this unit, you will be able to:

• Identify places in your curriculum where you can incorporate evidence-based reasoning
• Develop learning activities that incorporate evidence-based reasoning
• Develop a rubric that assesses evidence-based reasoning

Mini-Lecture

There is no one right way for students to use evidence-based reasoning in the classroom: if they're supporting their understandings with textual evidence, they're doing the right thing! That being said, here are some ways to encourage students to use textual evidence in the classroom. These strategies can be used in both written and verbal forms.

• Make connections to prior knowledge and experiences. Students can connect a piece of textual evidence to their own lives, topics studied in class previously, or other texts that they have encountered.
  • Example: A student could choose a quote such as this one: "Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!/For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night" and make a personal connection with it, ie: "I know what Romeo is feeling here. I was heartbroken when my ex dumped me and thought I'd never get over him, until the day I met Marco! I thought I 'ne'er saw true beauty' until I met him, and I totally forgot about my ex in that moment."

• Develop questions. Students can develop questions around a certain piece of textual evidence and present them to classmates for discussion.
  • Example: A student could choose a piece of evidence from Romeo & Juliet such as this one: "Now, Tybalt, take the “villain” back again/That late thou gavest me, for Mercutio’s soul/Is but a little way above our heads,/Staying for thine to keep him company./Either thou or I, or both, must go with him" and develop a question around it, ie: "What does this quote reveal about Romeo's character?" Students could discuss, keeping their conversations rooted in the evidence that was presented.

• Justify choices with a metacognitive reflection. If students are given a creative assignment, they can supplement their assignment with a metacognitive reflection that asks them to justify the choices that they made by using textual evidence.
  • Example: If a student was asked to draw an image representing each scene in Romeo & Juliet, he could do so and submit a metacognitive reflection with his drawing, ie: "For Act II, Scene V, I drew the nurse with a mischievous expression on her face because in this scene, she spent a lot of time teasing Juliet. We could see this clearly when the nurse says, 'Your love says, like an honest gentleman, and a courteous, and a kind, and a handsome, and, I warrant, a virtuous— Where is your mother?'"

• Annotate actively. Provide students with a text and ask them to annotate it, writing comments, questions, and summaries in the margins. This will allow you to watch students make meaning from a text.

• Draw conclusions. Ask students to draw conclusions based on data that they gather from texts. If possible, put them in the role of a scientist, doctor, detective, lawyer, or someone else who uses data and evidence in their day-to-day lives.

Proposal for Final Assessment

For the final assessment for this mini-course, you will be asked to create a lesson plan, learning activity, and rubric that emphasizes evidence-based reasoning skills. Follow the link below to answer questions designed to help you reflect on what you've learned and gather your thoughts in preparation for your final assessment. Your instructor will be in touch shortly after your completion of this form in order to comment on your proposal and provide guidance as you move into your final assessment.

[| Proposal for Final Assessment]

Final Assessment

[| Follow this link to see the final assessment for this mini-course!]

References and Resources for Further Exploration

• Messenger, C. G. (2015). Information Literacy + Literacy = Evidence-Based Practice in the Classroom and the School Library. Knowledge Quest, 43(3), 20-27.
• Smith, A., Molinaro, M., Lee, A., & Guzman-Alvarez, A. (2014). Thinking with data: students use authentic data to form evidence-based conclusions and think like a scientist. The Science Teacher, (8),
• http://www.chatzy.com/

That's All, Folks!

Thank you for completing my mini-course on evidence-based reasoning. I hope you'll be guilty of incorporating it into your classroom in the near future!