Learning on Their Feet

Summary

The video presents vertical learning as a way to make group work more visible, collaborative, and focused. Students solve a shared math problem on vertical, erasable surfaces, such as whiteboards, so everyone can see and discuss how different groups approached the task.

How the Lesson Works

• Start with a rich task: Students explore exponential growth by comparing simple and compound interest. They consider which option is better for Eugene and Claire if the money remains in an account for seven years.
• Form groups randomly: A randomizer changes group membership so students work with different classmates and encounter a wider range of ideas.
• Assign roles within each group:
  • Scribe: Records the group’s thinking and is the only member who writes on the vertical surface.
  • Speaker: Represents the group and explains its work.
  • Inquirer: Is the only group member who asks the teacher questions.
  • Manager: Helps the group stay organized and on task.
• Work publicly on vertical, non-permanent surfaces: Students share their reasoning, compare representations such as tables, graphs, or equations, and revise or erase their work. Because the work is not permanent, mistakes may feel less risky.
• Have the teacher facilitate: The teacher circulates, checks each group’s progress, and asks probing or clarifying questions rather than simply delivering information.
• Debrief as a class: A group explains its conclusion, and students discuss what they noticed about one another’s work.

Main Ideas and Lessons

• Vertical learning can encourage participation, risk-taking, and discussion by making students’ thinking visible and allowing them to revise mistakes.
• Public student work gives groups opportunities to learn from different methods and perspectives.
• Randomized groups and assigned roles provide structured opportunities for students to contribute.
• Vertical surfaces alone do not guarantee meaningful learning. The approach depends on a strong task, clear roles, teacher facilitation, and purposeful discussion.
• In the interest comparison, students conclude that Eugene’s simple-interest option is better over a shorter period—about one to four years—while Claire’s compound-interest option yields more over five or more years. For the seven-year scenario, the class identifies Claire as having made the better choice.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Teacher/instructor: Explains vertical learning, the group roles, and the lesson; facilitates students’ work and discussion.
• Students: Contribute during group work and the class debrief, including a student representative who explains a group’s conclusion.
• Eugene and Claire: Characters in the math problem, not identified as speakers.