Marzano's Nine Instructional Strategies

Strategy Addresses	Research-based Rationale	Best Classroom Practices	Your Definition, in your own words
Identifying similarities & differences	-Specific analysis of two topics -Compare and Contrast is a skill we constantly use in our everyday lives -Ability to use Graphic Organizers -Differences between make believe and reality	-Venn Diagrams -Cause and Effect -T-Charts -Mind Maps	Students should be able to compare and contrast two things in order to better understand them. This breakdown allows for more thorough analysis.
Summarizing	-Continuous check for understanding and comprehension -Metacognition -If students are not fluent, they will not comprehend. If they do not comprehend they will not be able to summarize -Pick out important facts	-Identify main idea and details -Self-Monitor and Clarify -Make predictions -Retell vs. Summarize	Students should be able to decipher important pieces of information and then recall them in a chronological way. This should be in their own words.
Note-taking	-Identify important information vs unimportant information -Citing sources -Information gathering from non-fiction text -Students really understand information when they can explain it in their own words	-How to study notes for retention -Using different graphic organizers to take notes in -Bullet point format -Study from notes that they did not write  -Discuss plagiarism	Students should be able to differentiate between important and less important pieces of information and put that information into an organized manner in their own words.
Reinforcing effort	-Learning Objectives: students need to know where they are going in order to get there -Reward good character -Positive praise motivates better than negative consequences -Students need to feel comfortable to take a chance -“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”	-Keep the expectation bar held high -Extrinsic motivation vs intrinsic motivation -Share inspirational stories and quotes -Give points for trying, not necessarily only correct content	Students should understand that the amount of effort they put into a task is directly related to the outcome they get. They should respond to extrinsic as well as intrinsic motivation.
Providing recognition	-Create a comfortable classroom environment where students can recognize each other -Public praise, private consequences -Extrinsic and Intrinsic motivation can be tapped simultaneously -Do not embarrass students	-Give wait time -Give rewards to individual students -Recognize when the whole class is performing a learned behavior -Relationship building activities	Students should be recognized for the good work that they do. This will build them up, create intrinsic motivation, and help them want to make an effort in the future.
Homework	-No new content should be introduced -2 problems could be more effective than 50 problems -Homework should take no more than10 minutes times the grade level, plus reading practice. (For example, 3rd grade is 3x10=30 minutes, plus reading time) -Parents should not be re-teaching	-Begin the year with a clear homework policy -Make sure homework is purposeful, not busywork -Review and practice -Teacher feedback should be present	Students should have the learning opportunity to practice what they have learned at home and teach their parents about what they have learned in school.
Practice	-Practice and learning should be simultaneous -2 problems could be more effective than 50 problems -Helps students apply skills they have learned -Both speed and accuracy are factors	-Formatively assess while students are still practicing mastering a skill -Give only small amounts of content at a time -Allow practice time during class and for homework -Assign practice in a variety of ways, not just worksheets	Students should have to practice to master the material they are learning. They should be able to practice in many different formats to help them become engaged with the content.
Nonlinguistic representations	-Using and stimulating both hemispheres of the brain -Nonlinguistic strategies often engage students better -Addresses different learning styles -Helps students memorize information	-Use songs to teach -Allow students to draw and color -Attach facts to pictures to aid in memorization -Attach movement to facts and processes	Students should have the opportunity to learn in many different ways. They can stimulate both sides of their brain by using music and art in order to solidify concepts they are learning.
Setting objectives (goal setting)	-Provides direction for lessons and units -Students need to know where they are going to most effectively get there -Students setting goals for themselves is more effective -Use language objectives in addition to content objectives	-Display and discuss learning targets -Conference with students and help them set their own goals: behavior, academic, and personal - Discuss as a whole class how the whole class is progressing towards a goal -Discuss their specific areas of interest	Students should understand where they are going in order to successfully get there. They need to know what they are supposed to learn by the end of the unit/ lesson. Students can make goals for themselves as well.
Providing Feedback	-Should be constructive -Give feedback in many different forms and situations -Use self evaluation -Rubrics	-Compile portfolios/ work notebooks -Use rubrics so students can see where specifically they need to work on -Conference with individual students -Give specific directions before assignments	Students need to know if they are on the right track to being a successful student. We as teachers need to inform them in different ways where they are in accomplishing their goals.
Generating & testing hypotheses	-Teaches a specific process -Creates deductive reasoning -Inquiry allows for scientific exploration -Automatically differentiated: students who are able can go above and beyond in their thinking	-Allow students to explore a topic that interests them -Discuss why it is important to test hypotheses -Show how we make hypotheses in our every day lives -Have students explain their thinking	Students need to know how important it is to wonder and then research based on that wonder. They also need to know that there is a process to be followed.
Questions	-Promotes class discussions -Includes higher level thinking skills -Good questions always lead to more questions, not answers -Encourages research	-Thick vs Thin Questions (Literal vs Literary Questions) -Give adequate wait time before calling on a student to answer -Different levels of questioning: Bloom’s Taxonomy -Have students infer	Students should be able to ask questions to aid in higher order thinking skills. Every student should have the opportunity to ponder the answer to a question before moving on.
Cues	-Guide students in their learning -Teach every lesson using different learning styles -Non-verbal cues are very powerful -Referencing the learning target multiple times in the lesson so students know what they are supposed to be learning	-Address all content with different learning styles in mind -Give students symbols to make bridges between their background knowledge and what they are about to learn -Class discussions -KWL Chart	Students should be able to pick up cues, or reminders, of what they should be doing/ learning at any given time.
Advance organizers	-Give multiple opportunities for learning -Help students to picture the information in their mind -Make their thinking shown -Helps with organization life skills	-Use Mind Mapping applications -Use of different graphic organizers -Skim text -Students choose most appropriate means to demonstrate knowledge	Students should be able to make their thinking shown in an organized manner. This thinking should include higher order thinking skills.