Professional Development

Depth and Complexity is a powerful, but often misunderstood, framework for teaching students to think more like experts.

My early lessons didn’t even have objectives, let alone good objectives! Here’s how to build four-part, differentiated lesson objectives.

Starting with grade-level material and trying to extend up is a fool’s errand. It’s SO much simpler to aim high and scaffold down.

How can we ask questions that make students think rather than just remember?

What separates difficulty from complexity? And why do complex tasks lead to much more natural differentiation?

High-level questions on their own simply aren’t enough. We must create sequences of questions!

The word “Create” can mask low-level tasks. Here’s why I avoid using it in objectives.

So many of us say, “I want to challenge my students!” But, would you want a job that you describe as “challenging”?

How much time do students get to think? How much time do students need to think? How can we bring those into alignment?

After looking at dozens of lessons folks sent in, I came up with three big ideas to address.

I’d show a quote and then ask, “What does this quote mean?” And that was it!

I update an old question about conflict and character change in the story Hatchet.

My students listed Unanswered Questions and then… we moved on! Oops.

Go beyond merely explaining strengths and weaknesses and get students thinking in interesting ways.

Comparing fraction strategies? Let’s take it even further!

A model of instruction that moves from specific examples to concepts to one big idea.

Want your students to ask better questions? Why not train them to inquire!?

What separates our on-level writers from our advanced writers?

So students can identify a simile, metaphor, and hyperbole. What next?

How I’d break down and rebuild a task about judging a volcano.

In some areas, a student may be shockingly advanced, while in others… surprisingly average. This is asynchrony in action.

Learn to lead a lesson that is built entirely on student curiosity.

We think of gifted kids as only having academic needs, but – in their own words – they also have many needs of the heart.

How to memorize the countries in Africa, the Japanese writing system, or a deck of cards.

Rather than just “paraphrasing” a poem, what if we did a cover version?

Is creating nine, two-sentence tasks really an effective way to differentiate?

This task is all about the product, but completely ignores how students will think.

With inductive thinking, students will work from parts to whole, discovering big ideas along the way!

How I accidentally discouraged curiosity in my classroom.

Just because a task is “creative” doesn’t mean students are at the top of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Rather than just learning about one structure, let’s climb Bloom’s and think more deeply.

Ask students to go beyond “I don’t like it” and form critical opinions based on a set of criteria. Students can produce written arguments or turn their opinion into oral presentations.

When should teachers take the time to build an advanced version of something? And when should they just let students move along?

How I’d update a low-level, overly engaging math question.

Some kids are exposed to a wide range of classic art, music, and films at home and others aren’t. Let’s even the playing field by quickly integrating classics into our lessons.

Rather than giving students rules to apply to websites, let them analyze websites to create rules.

Why being good at many things can be a bit of a burden.

For too long, I let my students turn in blah Big Ideas. Here’s how I fixed it.

When we want students to memorize two terms, we actually shouldn’t aim for memorization!

A few quick tips on how to better use graphic organizers to support higher-order thinking.

What would the pie chart look like for these three situations: the teacher asks the students, a student asks the teacher, or a student asks another student a question? I can tell you my pie chart would have been very lopsided.

What will my students do after they’ve named the story’s genre?

What would it be like if students graphed characters from stories? Historic leaders? Elements from the period table? Objects in space?

Analyze is like a gateway that connects the lower- and higher-levels of Bloom’s. But make sure you’re truly asking an Analyze-level question!

Take direction instruction beyond a monotonous practice of the same skill over and over.

I spent about a decade making some pretty major mistakes in my use of depth and complexity.

Do you know a student who’s a little bit… intense?

Here’s a simple task that will add complexity to any content from any grade level!

A big, impressive product doesn’t mean that there was big, impressive thinking.

How to improve questions at the “evaluate” level of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

A collection of helpful tips about differentiating through pre-assessment.

Can we get students as young as kindergarten discussing ethical issues? Learn some ideas for integrating these multiple perspective problems throughout your curriculum.

Cindy Phan shares her method of introducing watercolor to students using a mosaic technique.

Here’s how I got better at using the Think Like An Expert technique.

The Frame graphic organizer is a tool for studying one topic using four different angles.

A high level of thinking in math also requires the support of thoughtful scaffolding.

So your students can identify a story’s problem and solution. Then what?

Use these puzzling images to build a classroom culture that is comfortable with curiosity, ambiguity, and taking intellectual risks.

How can you tell if your students’ social-emotional needs are being met on your campus?

Why just “identifying patterns” isn’t deep enough.

How knowing your material well easily becomes a curse… and what to do about it!

Let’s improve “Create a title for this chapter. Explain why your title fits the 🏛️ Big Idea.”

How to use a classic to revamp a study of context clues.

Why was I asking five, unrelated, low-level questions in a row?

You’re implementing Depth and Complexity, but how do you know if you’re doing it well? Five things to look for.

Melanie Bondy explains how compacting will help you to “shrink the curriculum” and give students opportunities to use their time more effectively.

Here’s how Joelle Trayers gets even her youngest students ready to think in unexpected ways.

How can our students be so different? And how can we help them to understand themselves and each other better.

Here are a bunch of ways to quickly practice creativity with your students for zero dollars.

Melanie Bondy, of Mine Vine Press, explains how to accelerate curriculum for your advanced students.

I asked “How could two experts’ perspectives regarding information from this reading selection differ from one another.” Yikes!

Universal Themes are an easy way to connect lessons, units, and content areas, even going across grade levels, and into students’ personal interests.

When differentiating, most teachers simply start in the wrong place!

What if your students designed your classroom layout?

Here’s how one teacher uses inductive thinking to help students respond to literature.

Who would win in the Tournament of Least Useful Geometric Shapes or Bravest Shakespearean Characters? Create an academic tournament and watch your students’ brains sweat!

How do you know, when you’re walking through a class, whether the students are receiving appropriate work?

Fixing an under-developed (but interesting) task that was originally part of a choice menu.

This math puzzle wasn’t so puzzling. What went wrong?

Math is a particularly tricky subject for asking higher-level questions. Here are a couple of techniques I’ve used to prompt students to think, not merely calculate.

Students who breeze through school may run into problems in college.

Learn to use the Content Imperatives, a set of five additional tools that work with Depth and Complexity.

Lisa explains how Log Cabin Living changed her classroom environment. Sort of.

In a Concept Attainment lesson, we give students examples and non-examples of a concept — without telling them what that concept is!

Let’s see a few examples of how Depth and Complexity slides nicely into any graphic organizer.

While “engagement” is fun, it shouldn’t be our main goal.

Know any kids who, despite their brilliant minds, have a bit of a hard time keeping things in order, turning things in on time, or remembering to put their names on their papers?

My students made a list of problems… and we stopped right there.

This very common Depth and Complexity worksheet has many problems. And I used it for years!

Combine higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy with the prompts of Depth and Complexity!

Adults can learn to help students reduce anxiety with the tool Worry Time.

Student products give an instant glimpse into whether differentiation is happening on your campus.

Here’s how you can move from merely “summarizing a text” to a high-level task that culminates in synthesis.

As a new teacher, I only knew one model of instruction: Direct Instruction. I was like a chef who only knew how to deep fry!

Many “hands-on” activities limit students by stopping at a low level of thinking. Here’s how to fix it.

How I’d upgrade a dull “which one is better” question.

A delightfully ambiguous framework that is quick to prepare, but can last forever!

Adults can limit anxiety by implementing the Five Question Rule.

Even our youngest students can learn to think from multiple perspectives!

Giving a definition just doesn’t cut it! Use the Frayer Model to explain (and assess!) vocabulary.

Let’s fix these nine, underdeveloped discussion questions!