Identifying Critical Content: Classroom Techniques to Help Students Know What is Important (Essentials for Achieving Rigor)

Based on the earlier work of Dr. Robert J. Marzano, this instructional guide provides explicit steps, examples, and adaptations to help educators effectively teach students how to examine errors in reasoning.

With more than 15 years of education experience, Deana Senn, MS, is an expert in instructional strategies and classroom assessments. Her curriculum and instruction experience span the United States and Canada, in both rural and urban districts, from the school level to regional level. She actively develops content with the Marzano Center team and trains nationwide. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University and received her master's degree from Montana State University. Amber Rutherford, MSEd, works closely with Dr. Robert Marzano in designing content for professional development for an international audience with a particular focus on Common Core State Standards and teacher evaluation. She is a notable speaker and leads professional development throughout the nation in districts that are implementing Marzano evaluation models. Ms. Rutherford received her Master of Science in Education from Fitchburg State College and has been a successful teacher, coach, public school administrator, and certified observer in the Marzano models. As a PLC consultant, she developed PLC implementation plans that significantly raised student achievement. Her experience and commitment as a practitioner and leader in public schools guides her research in educator development for diverse populations. Robert J. Marzano, PhD, is a nationally recognized education researcher, speaker, trainer, and author of more than 30 books and 150 articles on topics such as instruction, assessment, writing and implementing standards, cognition, effective leadership, and school intervention. His practical translations of the most current research and theory into classroom strategies are widely practiced internationally by both teachers and administrators.