By Mindy Farry, School Improvement and Accountability Representative
The opposite of a worksheet is not chaos or lack of structure. The opposite of a worksheet is purposeful thinking.
Have you been trying to “ditch” the worksheets but find more and more teachers relying on worksheets and materials provided by your curriculum resources, AI, or worse yet….gasp…Teachers Pay Teachers? Worksheets are comfortable, easy to use, sometimes aligned to the standards, but very seldom aligned to the depth of what students will be asked to do on State tests. In addition, the directions are often confusing or even culturally inappropriate. Teachers often opine that students have lost a sense of curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. But if we aren’t providing those opportunities in the classroom, who WILL cultivate it?
Why not implement, “No Worksheet Wednesdays”? Declare Wednesdays as a day free from worksheets and pre-made activities in the classroom. But, to do that, teachers need to be armed with tools and strategies, and most importantly, the autonomy to experiment with their own ideas to cultivate creativity and critical thinking in the classroom. That’s the job of school leaders. Change is hard. Worksheets are comfortable. Change is hard.
Try replacing worksheets with blank sheets of paper that help students think more deeply and organize their thinking in a graphic way. These strategies will help students think more deeply and ignite discourse among students as they share their results. Students remember what they had to think about.
Sketch noting is a term coined by Mike Rohde (2014) to help all students, but especially students who have difficulty with traditional notetaking. As students read about a topic, watch a video, or listen to direct instruction, students are “doodling,” graffiti writing, drawing ideas, and making connections to the topic.
Worksheet Swaps. Swap out these ideas easily from the typical worksheets:
- Instead of a Vocabulary worksheet…instead have students generate a way to study and remember new vocabulary words
- Instead of comprehension questions…have students generate questions to swap with a classmate
- Instead of math drill sheets…set up stations with incorrect answers and have students analyze where and why the error occurred
- Instead of Note-taking worksheet (guided notes)…have students design their own note-taking graphic (two column journals; KWLs; webs; mind maps)
- Instead of “end of chapter responses”—have students write a Claim, Evidence, Response to a prompt
Encouraging Student Discourse
- “Turn and Talks- or Think/Pair Share”– tried and true, but try adding in Think/Write/Pair Share (Think about it; write a thought down; then share with a partner)
- “Give one; Get one” Provide students with a blank sheet of paper with 9 blocks. Ask a question about the reading, the math problem, the chapter in social studies, the piece of art and ask them to fill in the first two boxes with their own thoughts about your question. Then, they move around the room and give one idea to a classmate and have that classmate give them an idea. Once everyone is finished, ask students to share a piece of interesting advice, comment, etc. that they received from a classmate.
- “I used to think, but now I know. “ Line students up in two rows facing each other. They then say, “I used to think that _______(the Civil War was caused by….), but now I know there were other factors like….
- “Four Corners.” Ask questions about a reading assignment or math problem. One corner (I strongly agree); One corner (I strongly disagree); One corner (I agree); One corner (I disagree). Students then defend their decisions.
- “Collaborative Annotation.” Students use markers or sticky notes in pairs of groups to highlight important information in a reading.
- “Discussion Sentence Stems.” (especially helpful for English Learners or reluctant speakers). Provide students with examples of ways to begin discussions:
- “I agree with ___ because…”
- “I would like to add…”
- “Can you explain what you mean?”
- “My evidence is…”
- “I would like to respectfully disagree because…”
- “Another perspective might be…”
For School Leaders:
- Start small—ask teachers to replace one worksheet a week with more purposeful activities that require deeper thinking.
- Show teachers how to turn a typical worksheet into a thinking task—generate ideas from teachers.
- Model a strategy each month in a staff meeting and then focus observations on that strategy for the month. (Gradual Release process: You demonstrate it; they practice it; then independently use it in the classroom).
- Ask teachers who are using a strategy successfully in their classroom to demonstrate to their peers in a staff meeting.
- Invite teachers to visit a colleague’s classroom using “No Worksheet” strategies. Maybe even cover their class!
Remember….
- “Busy is not the same as engaged.”
- “Completion does not equal comprehension.”
- “Students remember what they think about.”
- The goal is not more activity—it’s more cognition.
Jackson, Y. (2011). The pedagogy of confidence: Inspiring high intellectual performance in urban schools. Teachers College Press.
Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., & Pollock, J. E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. ASCD.
Paivio, A. (1990). Mental representations: A dual coding approach. Oxford University Press.
Rohde, M. (2012). The sketchnote handbook: The illustrated guide to visual note taking. Peachpit Press.
Willingham, D. T. (2009). Why don’t students like school? A cognitive scientist answers questions about how the mind works and what it means for the classroom. Jossey-Bass.
If you have additional questions or interest in this topic, please contact mfarry@buckeyehope.org or your school improvement representative.