Makes Sense Strategies

Makes Sense Strategies

One of the key goals of the Alabama State Improvement Grant (SIG) and the State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) has been to increase the quality of instruction so that all students (i.e., typical achieving, learning disabled, English-language Learners, etc.) are more engaged in meaningful learning to produce substantial improvements in performance.  At the heart of this initiative has been state-wide staff development in the Makes Sense Strategies (MSS) developed by Edwin Ellis at the University of Alabama.  The MSS model is an approach to teaching based on three fundamental instructional principles:

In part, the Makes Sense approach is a collection of powerful techniques and tools for differentiating curriculum, planning and implementing instruction, and assessing student learning.  In part, it’s a curriculum because students learn new strategies and thinking skills when teachers employ the MSS strategies.  In part, the Makes Sense approach is teaching philosophy about what students should learn and how it should be taught.  MSS also includes strategies and tools for planning, implementing, and assessing innovative school reform efforts. 

Makes Sense Strategies (MSS) videos series explores the MSS Toolkit, provides directions to access and use the software, features instruction routines, and provides samples created by teachers to address specific learning standards.