Professional Development

Depth and Complexity is the most powerful framework most teachers have never heard of. Here’s what it actually is — and isn’t.

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

Stop starting at grade level and stretching up. Start high and scaffold down. It’s simpler, and it actually works.

Most classroom questions test memory. These questions test thinking. There’s a difference — and your students will feel it.

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 your students get to think after a question? Probably not enough. Here’s how to fix that.

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

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

Adults can limit anxiety by implementing the Five Question Rule.

Your advanced students already know half the material. Here’s how to move them forward instead of making them wait.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What if your students designed your classroom layout?

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!

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

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

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.

A mosaic technique that makes watercolor approachable. Students walk away with something they’re proud of.

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

As a teacher, I was constantly inhaling new ideas. I became overwhelmed. Then, because I was overwhelmed, I’d inhale more ideas – hoping to find a solution to my overwhelmedness. What I needed to do was let my brain exhale.

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

Shrink the curriculum down to what students actually need to learn. Then use the freed-up time for something better.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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!

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

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

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

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

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

This math puzzle fell flat. Why? Because puzzling isn’t about difficulty — it’s about something else entirely.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bloom’s tells you how high to aim. Depth and Complexity tells you where to look. Combine them and things get interesting.

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

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

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

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

One topic, four angles. The Frame graphic organizer gives every student a different way in — without you creating four different lessons.

The student who breezes through school may hit a wall in college. Here’s why — and what to do about it now.

Some kids hear Mozart at home. Others don’t. Let’s make sure every student gets exposed to the classics — art, music, and film.

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s fix these nine, underdeveloped discussion questions!

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

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

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

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

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

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

How I accidentally discouraged curiosity in my classroom.

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

Naming the genre is step one. But what comes after that? Here’s how to push students past identification into real analysis.

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

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

Can kindergartners discuss ethical issues? Yes. Here’s how to weave multiple-perspective problems throughout your curriculum.

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

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