Normalize Error and Culturally-Relevant Pedagogy

"Failure is instructive. The person who really thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes." -John Dewey

I did not intend to write another piece on a Teach Like A Champion technique, but I was so honored and humbled by Doug Lemov sharing my previous one that I decided to take a go at it.

In order for our classrooms to be successful, cultural relevant pedagogy must not be an option, but the norm. Too often we see teachers telling students that they are wrong when the instructor has not taught them codeswitching and contrastive analysis strategies. Students of color are often shamed and put down, when they are simply speaking another "language", also known as Nonstandard English, African American Vernacular English, or Home Speech.

It is also lucid that students of color have often not felt empowered in their urban schools. Many students are afraid of being publicly shamed for their syntax (such as use of "habitual be") and then become increasingly afraid to speak up, due to their own fears. (The scholar in the picture above is Gloria Ladson-Billings, author of The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children. I would highly recommend the mentioned text, as she is much better versed in this subject as I. Dr. Ladson-Billings writes a lot about this subject and the dis-empowerment of urban youth.) If we want to end the "achievement gap", AKA "access gap", we must empower our students, families, and the communities in which we teach.

Finally, it is also clear that successful urban classrooms can succeed, and immensely so, when the instructor puts best practices into action. In doing so, we need not confuse culturally-relevant teaching with low expectations. Take for example, using hip-hop to teach figurative language and poetic devices. I personally grew up on New York hip-hop from the mid 90's and still love it to this day. Can rap passages be used to teach these skills? Yes- but they are the means and not the end. Instructors often try to pull a "Freedom Writers"-style classroom that attempt to be culturally-relevant (and often do not succeed) and yet sacrifice rigor in the process. Could you use A Tribe Called Quest lyrics to teach rhyme scheme and poetic devices in an urban classroom? Certainly. Should those same students be expected to analyze Shakespearean sonnets? Absolutely.

Thus comes into play Normalize Error. Lemov defines the technique as the following:

Getting it wrong and then getting is right is one of the fundamental processes for schooling. Respond to both parts of this sequence, the wrong and the right, as completely normal.

Like Cold Call, this is an incredibly simple technique that carries profound implications. Unlike Cold Call, there is much less written in the text, which may lead to teachers believing (incorrectly) that it is less important. I do not think that was the author's intent. The terseness of the passage is due to the fact of the technique's simplicity (which is not a bad thing), in addition to the fact that it has very different implications than Cold Call.

I teach Science in addition to Language Arts. Currently I am teaching a unit on evolution to my seventh grade class. Here is a "menu" of text-dependent questions that I gave to my class after Stage Two of our close read on "The Fossil Record" from our Cells and Heredity textbook:

“The Fossil Record”- Close read and analysis questions “menu”

Your group must answer four questions in total from “The Fossil Record” (pages 151-158)- one from Section A, one from Section B, one from Section C, and one from Section D. Choose one question from each “menu” to create your analysis for all four questions. Reporters will report at the end of class. Answer your questions on either the back of this paper or a separate piece.

Section A (p 151-153)

1. Show me in the text the best sentence that summarizes the concept of relative dating. Give evidence to explain why this sentence best illustrates the main idea.
2. You are an archaeologist and you need to find dinosaur fossils for a museum. Explain which forms of fossils would give you the best evidence to form a complete dinosaur skeleton- sedimentary rock, molds, casts, or preserved remains.

Section B (based on pages 154- 155)

1. You are a scientist trying to determine the exact age of specific fossils. Which method would you use- absolute dating or relative dating? Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.
2. Is the “fossil record” complete, or are there some possible missing pieces? Explain what your group can infer about the fossil record. Use the information on page 158 comparing the two theories of evolution to explain why you believe the fossil record is either complete or not.

Section C (based on pages 156-157)

1. Infer which period of the Paleozoic era (Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, or Permian) best supports the theory of gradualism. Give evidence from this chart to explain how you know.
2. Infer approximately when dinosaurs became extinct based on the chart and give evidence of how you know.

Section D (based on page 158)

1. Which theory of evolution has better evidence to support it- gradualism or punctuated equilibria? Explain which one you believe, and why it has stronger evidence.
2. What is the text structure used in this section (p 158). Explain why you know. (Hint: It is not problem/solution.)

Here's where Normalize Error comes into play. These questions are pretty rigorous for my students and they will inevitably make mistakes. First, this is not "low expectations" in any way. If students do not make mistakes, we know the content is not appropriate for their schema and must be adjusted.

Before we even begin to teach content, skills, or strategies, we need to develop a "culture of error", as Lemov asserts. Here is my codeswitching poster from my own classroom:

Students' culture(s) must not be invalidated. We need to acknowledge that our students not only have different ways of speaking in contexts, but there are also multiple situations in which multiple dialects are not only acceptable but necessary. It should be noted that incredible authors such as Alice Walker and Toni Morrison have multiple examples of "home speech" in their award-winning novels. It should also be noted that, as teachers, we are living examples of professionalism. I have frequently given the example to my students of my job interview for the school in which I teach. I arrived early, ironed my clothes, dressed formally, sat up, listened, asked and answered questions, tracked the speakers, spoke with clarity, and used academic vocabulary. It becomes clear to them that if I had worn jeans and a t-shirt that I would not have gotten the position. Simultaneously, it would be inappropriate to wear a suit to a family barbecue.

Normalizing error is great for codeswitching. If you ask a student why some evolutionists support gradualism over punctuated equilibria and a student begins their response with, "They be thinking...", you have an opportunity to normalize error. Some teachers talk about "switching it up". You could have a nonverbal correction such as a hand signal to let students know that it is time for them to codeswitch, or on their assessments you could write something to remind them about audience appropriate language- "Time to switch!" The importance here is not to shame students for their culture(s). Teachers too often make these mistakes, invalidating students' personal beliefs and identities. This leads to many negative consequences, including lower self-esteem amongst students, feelings of cultural insecurity, and increasing withdrawn behavior in the classroom. If we Normalize Error, students are aware that it is not only ok to make a mistake, but it is expected. They buy in; the effort is more important than whether they are correct or not. Students begin to see the value in pushing themselves.

Juxtaposed, when a student responds correctly, were need not  lavish the student with unnecessary praise. The best classroom managers I have seen exhibit strong Emotional Constancy, another term from Teach Like A Champion. Part of this is normalizing error. If we do not use Precise Praise, it can actually hurt students' self-esteem, because when they answer a follow up question (AKA Stretch It) they may feel disappointment in themselves when they do not get it correct. Of course we complement a student on their ability to push themselves and master the skill we are teaching; we simply do not want to send the message that this is the end of their journey. If we want to push students to academic rigor, normalizing error will help them reach for new schema and push the limits of their Zone of Proximal Development.

Let's briefly discuss the science questions mentioned previously. As students are writing their responses (I suggested in groups but it could be individually depending on your class), you can circulate and check for understanding. If your students are new to close reading (as mine are), they may have difficulty with the rigor you are requiring. They may likely be used to simple comprehension questions. There will be mistakes. With normalizing error, students know that effort is what counts.

Below are some sample responses based on the questions I created. You could also Cold Call students for responses to increase your Ratio.

Teacher: What text structure was used on page 158 (pause) Yasmin?
Student: I believe this is spatial because the author describes the different theories of evolution.
Teacher: OK, I see how you got there, but do we see descriptive words in that passage that would show us that text structure?
Student: I don't think so.
Teacher: We are seeing two different periods and the similarities and differences highlighted here. So which text structure is the author using?
Student: Compare and contrast.
Teacher: Yes, you got it!

Teacher: Which method would scientists trying to determine the exact dates of fossils would use (pause) Jamarel? 
Student: They be usin' absolute dating because it gives them the most accurate results.
Teacher: You're almost there but don't forget to codeswitch.
Student: They would use absolute dating because it gives them the most accurate results.
Teacher: Great job!

Teacher: After looking at our evidence and the fossils in class, can we say for certainty that the fossil record is complete (pause) Alex?
Student: Well yes (pausing, confused)... I'm actually not sure.
Teacher: OK, let's get a definite answer. Let me give you some time to think and check over your notes. (Use wait time)
Student: Oh! I don't think it's complete because it would not support the theory of punctuated equilibria, and scientists are still trying to identify organisms from species that have been extinct.
Teacher: Much better! I love your confidence.

With culturally-relevant teaching and normalizing error, we can show students that it is not only acceptable to make a mistake, but it is inevitable. What matters is effort, and the more our students see this, the further success they will achieve.