Because WICOR strategies actively move the classroom away from passive knowledge and toward engagement and competent engagement and development, they improve student learning. There are several overlapping pathways that contribute to the improvement.
The conversation that follows exemplifies how WICOR strategies directly improve student learning:
1. They Use Active Processing to Activate the Brain
It is not a spectator sport to learn. The purpose of WICOR is to make students do something with the material in order to explain, apply, evaluate, and so on.
An illustration of this would be if students wrote an explanation of the water cycle in their own words rather than attending a lecture. Investigate by conducting a lab experiment and work together to create a diagram. Stronger brain connections will be formed by the student’s manipulation and recall of the material in each of these examples as opposed to passive review.
Deeper, more lasting learning that is better retained and applied in the future is the outcome.
2. They Encourage Thinking to Be Visible (for Teachers and Students)
WICOR strategies offer information about students’ comprehension, which guides prompt feedback and assistance.
How it operates:
Quick write or Exit Ticket makes it clear right away who comprehended the material and who could be having trouble.
Students can exhibit their reasoning and provide evidence to support their positions during Socratic seminars.
Cornell Notes reveal a student’s method of prioritizing and organizing material.
As a result, educators are able to identify and correct mistakes in real time. Students exhibit increased metacognition, or self-awareness, of their learning; they are aware of what they already know and what they
4. They Foster an Environment of High Standards and Scholarly Conversation
WICOR procedures foster an environment where using evidence, working with a team spirit, and exercising critical thought become second nature.
How it operates:
Working together forces students to express their thoughts and view points to one another, which strengthens their own comprehension and introduces them to those of others.
By moving the discussion from “what” to “how” and “why,” inquiry raises the bar for classroom discourse.
As a result, students acquire the soft skills of communication, empathy, and problem-solving that are necessary for college or the workplace, as well as the ability to think and talk like mathematicians, historians, and scientists.
5. They Offer Several Ways to Get and Display Knowledge
Every student has unique learning preferences and aptitudes. Every youngster can have a point-of-entry thanks to WICOR’s array.
How it operates:
A collaborative exercise such as Philosophical Chairs may be a good fit for a verbal or kinesthetic learner.
Writing in their learning log allows a reflective, intrapersonal learner to show that they are processing concepts.
Organization tools may be useful to a visual learner because of their graphic structure.
More engagement and equity are the outcomes. More children will learn something when they can access it in a way that makes sense to them and show that they grasp it.
The Cumulative Effect in Brief
When applied methodically and explicitly across disciplines, WICOR strategies enhance student learning. A coherent learning experience is not created by the effectiveness of a single tactic alone, but rather by the alignment and sequencing of tactics for pupils.
A student has engaged with the material in a way that you could not accomplish with a straightforward lecture or worksheet if you teach them to take Cornell Notes (O), then ask them to use the notes to formulate questions for a Socratic Seminar (I), and finally have them write (W) a reflection about how their thinking changed.
Ultimately, WICOR can transform students from passive information consumers into capable, self-assured, and active learners who take responsibility for their education.
