Double Entry Journal #12

STEP THREE:
1. What is the title of the project?
Parents and an After School Web-Enhanced Program
2. What is the Question?
What happens to mathematical achievement scores when fifth grade students and their parents interact in an after school web-enhanced tutorial program?
4. What strategy is being used to address?
21st Century Skills (Web-enhanced programs)
5. What evidence is presented that the strategy will work?
Simulations and Games
6. How will data be collected to determine if the strategy will work?
A parent survey was sent home for the parents to fill out; it was based on student math attitudes.
7. How was the data analyzed?
Data collection was based on the students’ scores achieved on their quarterly math grades.
8. What were the results?
Overall there was an average gain of about 9.2% for the students’ fourth grading period math scores. All students involved showed great interest in learning math skills and strategies.
9. How do the results inform teacher practice?
If enough computers are provided in the classroom, a web-based program can be very beneficial to struggling students. It requires individualized work on the student's part and is very student and teacher- friendly.

STEP FOUR:
1. What is the problem?
Recognizing rhyming and word families in text.

2. What is the rational for the project?

Students and teachers focus too much on phonics, and not word family and rhyme recognition.

3. What strategy will be used to address the problem?

A variety of rhyming games will be used.

4. What is the question?

How can I use a variety of rhyming games to help my students recognize rhyme and word families in text?

5. What evidence is presented that the strategy will work?

Wylie and Durrell revealed that students learn words more easily using "rhyming phonograms" as opposed to complicated decoding rules.

6. How will data be collected?

A checklist will evaluate students' ability, along with careful observation. Student participation will be reviewed, along with whole group reading. It will be recorded in a teaching journal.

Reference:

Levy, J. (n.d.). Tnli: Action research. Retrieved from http://teachersnetwork.org/TNLI/research/achieve/levy.htm

Double Entry Journal #11

What is formative Assessment?
A formative assessment is a type of assessment that measures where the students are and how they are doing with the learning process.
What is the CENTRAL purpose of formative assessment? 
The central purpose is student learning and improving it.
Connect a best practice in formative assessment to one research-based strategy. 
Providing feedback is a research-based strategy that is one in the same with formative assessment. Timely feedback leads to motivation and overall improvement.
Give an example of how a specific assessment can be used formatively and summatively. 
A rubric is a great example because it provides clear instructions and feedback, and can be used to grade a final product.
Give an example from your field placement related to formative assessment and timing.
My host teacher does a good job of providing timely feedback when the students turn in written work. The teacher leaves comments on the rough drafts and allows students to reflect on their work based on the comments. It really seems to help and gives the students confidence when they turn in their final paper.
What are some strategies to help formative assessment be more effective when providing students with feedback?
The feedback needs to be timely and encouraging to prevent the feeling of failure. Formative assessment allows for students to feel motivated and encouraged, so positive comments and advice are key.
Name two advantages to high quality formative assessment.
One advantage is that the teacher can see from the start what problems the students are having and jump at the first signs by giving timely feedback and motivators. Students can also use the feedback to keep on track, which is another advantage. Building this relationship should (over time) allow the students to be more independent with school work.
What are some challenges to implementing high quality formative assessment?
Linking assessment to instruction so that both teachers and students benefit is a challenge. Another challenge is adjusting assessment to that students move beyond just completing the work to actually excelling at it. It all leads back to confidence and motivation. Once these are built within the student, the student will become more independent and will improve academically.

Resource: 


NCTE. (2010). Fostering high-quality. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/CC/0201-sep2010/CC0201PolicyBrief.pdf

Student Observation (5th Grade)

Today I conducted a student observation. Due to an early dismissal, I had limited observation time. I guess I should tell you why I chose to observe this child. Having been in this classroom for a few weeks now, I have become aware that this student never turns in any assigned work. I got a chance to view this child's planner and there is not one page without the teacher's red markings. (The teacher marks her students' planners when a child doesn't complete an assignment) This makes me wonder, what's going on here?

I started by observing the posture of the struggling student. While the teacher held a discussion with the class, this student was somewhat slumped in his chair, never raising his hand to any of the teacher's questions (as most of the class did). He didn't really seem to be paying attention to anything the teacher had to say.

After the brief discussion, all of the students were given a worksheet to be completed as a class to build on the discussion. The teacher read the first question and asked for volunteers to give the answer. After an answer was given, all of the students (except the struggler) wrote the answer on the sheet. My student was stretching while just staring at the paper. By the time the class had gone over about 3 questions and answers, my student struggler decided it was time to start writing. But having been so far behind, he had to ask the teacher for the answers to questions 1-3.

The end of the worksheet was near, and the teacher had the students answer the last question on their own and then turn in the paper. All the students completed the worksheet, except for the student I was observing. It was at this point when the class was dismissed to go home due to power outages. I would really like to get to the bottom of why this student refuses to complete work and turn it in. In some cases, I can witness that the work is actually complete, but he just doesn't turn it in. I think there is definitely something going on here.

Webquest

The WebQuest that Patty and I would like to work on is actually one that I completed in Instructional Technology many semesters ago. The topic is Geography, and students will use Google Earth to complete the given tasks. My WebQuest can be found here on Google Sites. It still needs a lot of work, and all forms of assessment need to be re-done. Some of the wording on the site could be updated as well. We will be keeping Google Earth as the main source in this WebQuest.


The CSO's we are thinking of using are:
SS.O.4.4.2 Analyze and assess the effects of and explain how people adapted to geographic factors (e.g., climate, mountains, bodies of water) on the following:

• Transportation routes
• Settlement patterns and population density
• Culture (e.g., jobs, food, clothing, shelter, religion, government)
• Interactions with others (local, national, global)

SS.S.4.4 interpret, and choose maps, globes and other geographic tools to categorize and organize information about personal directions, people, places and environments (The World in Spatial Terms).

Double Entry Journal #9

"Kindergartners are now under great pressure to meet inappropriate expectations, including academic standards that until recently were reserved for first grade."
I was pretty shocked when I read this statement. I think it's crazy that teachers and administrators "do not value" play in the classroom or say there is no time. If students do not play, teachers are losing the opportunity to allow students to release energy. Children are becoming more angry and aggressive today and this could possibly be one of the leading factors.

"They invent scenes and stories, solve problems, and negotiate their way through social roadblocks. They know what they want to do and 

work diligently to do it."

This statement was said in regards to children working hard at play. Play is a form of social enrichment. Children build social skills, language skills, and tend to be less aggressive when given the chance to play. Why take this away? Children put so much effort into relationships when playing, that it would be unjust to remove play from a child's life.
“If I give the children time to play, they don’t know what to do.  They have no ideas of their own.”
I totally agree with this quote. Whenever I would babysit my neighbors, they would always ask me what to do or say there was nothing to do. I find that this is a real problem with children today. Children don't know how to be creative and use their imagination. We really need to encourage kids to get their hands dirty and explore.


Here is a link to a related MSN article.

Reference:

Miller, E., & Almon, J. (n.d.). Crisis in the kindergarten: Why children need to play in school. Retrieved from http://earlychildhoodcolorado.org/inc/uploads/Crisis_in_Kindergarten.pdf


Pappas, S. (2011, August 14). All school, no play?. Retrieved from http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44123365/ns/today-parenting_and_family/t/all-school-no-play-kids-learning-suffers-without-recess-experts-say/

Double Entry Journal #8

What are some challenges to inquiry approaches to learning?
Some challenges to inquiry approaches to learning are the fact that inquiry approaches are very complex. Teachers may not fully understand how to use this approach in the classroom. Due to this misunderstanding, students won't be given proper scaffolding and assessment of projects given.


Make connections between project-based learning and three research-based strategies. Give a brief explanation of the connections.
Setting objectives- Project-based learning is all about setting objectives. The teacher needs to come up with objectives, then the students solve the problem and create a project to reach the given objective. 

Cooperative grouping- In project-based learning, students are solving real-world problems in small groups. Students learn to work in cooperative groups which means they are learning how to work together and be a member of a group. There is a strong connection between cooperative grouping and project-based learning.

Simulations and games- As stated before, in project-based learning, students are solving real-world problems. Simulations can be used to provide examples of how to react in these real-world situations. As with any group or whole-class activity, discipline must be set in place in order for this strategy to work properly. 

Reference:

Research-based strategies. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.netc.org/focus/strategies/ 

Double Entry Journal #7

1. Read the Introduction. What "dominant paradigm" is showing signs of wear?

The instructional knowledge provided by the teacher and textbook through lectures and discussion are showing signs of wear.

2. According to the research, how does Project-Based Learning support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.

Project-based learning supports student learning better than traditional approaches. It develops higher order thinking skills in the students and develops students who are critical thinkers and students who speak and write effectively. (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 1999; Bransford & Donovan, 2005)

Students involved in Project-based learning benefit from factual learning that are equivalent to students who engage in traditional learning instruction. (Thomas, 2000)

Finally, another benefit to Project-based learning is the students are given opportunities to use multimedia in the classroom. Students in this study performed better on content, design, and reaching the audience. (Penuel, Means, Simpkins, 2000)Communication, research, and presentations are the key aspects of this benefit.

3.  According to the research, how does Problem-Based Learning support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.

One benefit to Problem-based learning is that students are given problems where there is not one exact answer. It allows students to use their creativity and understanding to find a solution to a problem. (Dochy, Segers, Van den Bossche, & Gijbels, 2003)

Another benefit is that students are better able to generate a hypothesis and explain the hypothesis. (Hmelo, 1998b; Schmidt et al, 1996)

Lastly, students can support their hypothesis with well-reasoned arguments. (Stepien et al, 1993)

4.  According to the research, how does Learning by Design support student learning better than traditional approaches? Describe three benefits and cite the studies.

One of the benefits to this approach is students are able to become experts on the content they are working with. Students have to do research on the artifact they are creating. (Hmelo, Holton, & Kolodner, 2000)

Another benefit is that students are able to better understand complex systems. (Perkins, 1986)

Finally, students have the chance to design artifacts that display understanding. Students relate the artifact with a real-world concept. (Fortus and colleagues, 2004)

5. What are the differences between the three approaches?

There are a few differences between the three approaches. Project-based leads the class to produce an actual project. Problem-based has the students working in small groups to solve a given problem. Finally, the Learning by Design approach has the students creating an artifact that will be presented based on understanding and application of the material at hand. Although the three approaches are different, they go hand-in-hand.

6. In your opinion, what is the most important benefit to learning that is common across the three types of inquiry-based learning approaches?

I believe the most important benefit to learning that is common across the three approaches is that students are actually engaged in the lesson and not just being lectured to or reading from a book. I believe this because I personally learn best when I am engaged in a lesson. I still remember lessons that involved group problem solving and hands-on activities.

Reference:
Baron, , B., & Darling-Hammond, L. (1991). Teaching for meaningful learners. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/edutopia-teaching-for-meaningful-learning.pdf