Literature Review Process

Enabling students to use computing devices in the classroom seems like a no-brainer for schools who possess the resources to supply each student. Because the decision to integrate technology appears to be such an easy decision, schools across the country are adopting curriculums that utilize the possession of technological devices. I've provided links to three studies in the bottom half of the page. Each report was featured in my literature review and represents the work that education companies, institutions of higher education, and K-12 schools are completing to ensure that students are developing computing skills. 

Pearson Foundation

This Pearson Foundation study surveyed college bound seniors in high school and current college students. Results found that students are not only purchasing more tablets for personal use, but believe that the utility of the tablet extends beyond just entertainment. 

iPad in Education

Results of the iPad in Education study are overwhelmingly supportive of the use of iPads in the classroom. While it seems apparent that Apple would support the sales of its own products, much of the self reported data in this study reveals that students are not only performing more successfully on state assessments but are also more on task in the classroom when iPads are present. 

Penuel

For a more complete view of scholarly research on one to one computing, I considered Penuel's synthesis of research as a brilliant inspiration to start my study. Penuel defines one to one computing and provides a wealth of information about effective implementation. 

The Method to My Madness: How Am I Going to Increase Students' Basic Mathematics Fact Fluency?

As I begin to figure out my method for going about this action research project I know that I will be using quantitative data because I will be collecting scores from students each week.  I randomly selected one of my time-and-a-half classes because they have similar abilities.

How did I randomly select a class?

To find out click this link!  My two classes were each assigned a number and the app did the deciding for me.

Independent Vs. Dependent Variables:

My independent variable will be the treatment using the DPR (Detect, Practice & Repair) strategy and the dependent variable will be the weekly scores the students generate.

Which research design will I use?

I am thinking my research will be a comparison using a hybrid of the one-group pretest and post-test and static-group comparison.  I want both the control and experimental group to take a pretest, followed by the treatment to the experimental group and finally a post-test to both groups.  Throughout the year I give weekly homework assignments for students to practice their math facts so I would like to see the difference class instruction on mathematics facts will have over the control group just getting homework assignments.

Literature Review on Mathematics Facts

I have been researching the best ways to teach students basic multiplication mathematics facts.  Through my research I have found that there are a lot of different strategies to choose from.  I spoke with several mathematics professors to see who they thought were the experts in the field of mathematics facts instruction.  The top names that came up were Susan O'Connell, Brian Poncy and Alan Walker.

So why is it so important for students to know their mathematics facts?

According to Poncy (2010) students that have mastered basic skills will have an easier time working on more complex mathematical skills.  When students have mastered these basic facts, they require less time and mental energy to solve problems like 3/4 x 5/9.  The two multiplication problems the student have to solve is less complicated by having to figure out 4 x 9 by counting on their fingers or other strategies.  This allows students to work more quickly and keeps them focused on the process of solving the possible multiple step problem. 

Mastery of basic math skills is critical to students' success, and it is important that the instruction of these skills get the same consideration as any other subject.  While many sixth grade students know their basic mathematics facts, others are struggling to learn even the simplest facts, such as 3 + 2.  Part of my job is to ensure I do everything I can to have students master these skills so they can meet their future classes with success. 

So now the question remains; whose strategy should I use?

Brian Poncy has the Detect, Practice, Repair (DPR) strategy were students complete a pretest to determine which facts are their weakness, go through a practice phase where they get repeated practice of those facts they struggled with.  Finally they take a post-test and graph their results.  This strategy gets results that stick.  The study shows that all participants made gains with the facts they were working on.  The students working on multiplication went up 6.2 digits correct per minute.  Part of this strategy is maintaining the skills.  The results show that students over time remember the facts that they had learned. 

Susan O'Connell's method students focus on "investigating the meaning of mathematics facts through hands-on activities and thoughtful discussions, explore strategies to support their understanding of numbers, and then engage in strategic practice to memorize the facts provides students with a strong balanced foundation for mastery" (O'Connell, p. 5).

At this point I am still waiting on the data for the above strategies.  If anyone has any relevant information about the above strategy I would be very appreciative if you could leave me a comment.

Alan Walker's strategy to help students' master their mathematics facts in the language/story approach.  In this approach the classroom teacher uses stories, rhyming words and mnemonic devices.  this strategy requires a 30 day teaching session, with each meeting lasting 30 minutes.  in this curriculum, each number between two and nine is assigned a rhyming mnemonic.  For example, two is shoe, three is tree, and four is door; so three times four equals elf (twelve).  This multiplication problem would then have a story linked to it with drawings to go with it to help with student's recall.

Research (Mahler, 2011) shows that on the time pre and post-test students showed an increase in performance of a 46% gain.  In the untimed post-test the lowest performing students were able to have even more dramatic results for themselves.  In the untimed tests these students increased their scores by 47%.  A delayed post-test was also given to track stduents' retention with their mathematics facts.

References:

Mahler, Joni.  (2011). When multiplication facts won’t stick: Could a language/story approach work?  A research study examining the effectiveness of the “memorize in minutes” curriculum.  The Educational Therapist, 32, 5 – 8.

O’Connell, S.  (2011). Mastering the basic math facts in multiplication and division: Strategies, activities & interventions to move students beyond memorization.  NH: Heinemann.

Parkhurst, J., Skinner, C. H., Yaw, J., Poncy, B. C., Adcock, W., & Luna, E. (2010).  Efficient class-wide remediation: Using technology to identify idiosyncratic math facts for additional automaticity drills. International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, 6, 111—123.

Poncy, B. C., Skinner, C.H., & O’Mara, T.  (2006). Detect, practice, and repair (DPR): The effects of a class-wide intervention on elementary student’s math-fact fluency.  Journal of Evidence Based Practices for Schools, 7, 47—68.

Walker, Alan.  (2000). Memorize in minutes: The times tables.  Prosser, WA: Krimsten Publisher.

Reviewing the Literature

Over the past two weeks, I've been conducting reviews of literature in order to attempt to pinpoint my the specific strategies for informational text that I plan to research. 

I examined five very distinct studies regarding strategies for informational text, and found that, although the strategies differed in names, acronyms and specific implementation, there were four major components that each featured. One was some sort of "pre-reading" strategy that helped students activate prior knowledge. The second key compenent was a study of key vocabulary within the informational text. The third compenent involved a purpose for reading that was set by the students themselves. The last, and perhaps most important component, was that students asked questions of themselves and others. 

Authors McCown and Thomason conducted research with a heterogeneous grouping of 5^th grade students in 2014. They were testing to see if a particular strategy they coined “CSR” or collaborative strategic reading would make a significant difference in student test scores. The strategy they tested is remarkably similar in nature to Susan Szabo's modified KWHHL. It has four components: previewing (brainstorms and predictions), click (information easily understood) and clunk (difficult vocabulary), Get the Gist (summarizing main idea) and Wrap Up (generating questions and reviewing). Like Szabo, who used a gradual release model when teaching students her strategy, McCown and Thomason used direct instruction on the methodology, and then allowed students to work in collaborative groups, especially on “click and clunk” and “wrap up” portions of the model. Furthermore, Brenda Benedict, wrote an article featured by the National Association of Secondary School principals entitled “Strategies for Reading Informational Text” (2012) which discussed a reading strategy by the acronym THIEVES (title, headings, introduction, every first sentence of every paragraph or section, visuals and vocabulary, end of selection questions, and summary). Benedict published the article after the third year of students at Hopkins Middle School had been using the strategy, and cited rising test scores as evidence of its success. Like the KWL charts, THIEVES allows for activation of prior knowledge and encourages students to be active readers by setting a purpose for reading. 

Because I am interested in measuring not only the effectiveness of strategies, but also the student choice of strategies, I hope to offer several of those discussed above to my students, breaking them into categories: "before-reading", "during-reading" and "after-reading". Based on the evidence collected in the literature review, I plan to use before-reading strategies that consist of a brainstorming (like the "K" on the KWL chart) and previewing, like that described in THIEVES above. During-reading strategies will consist of text annotations and two-column note-taking to track key vocabulary, main ideas and supporting details. After-reading strategies will consist of asking questions and summation.  As Einstein said: "Information is not knowledge". Throughout my action research project, I hope to equip my students with strategies for four main components that were found throughout the literature in order to help them transform the information in text to their own knowledge.

References

Benedict, B. (2012). A strategy for reading informational text. Principal Leadership, 13. Retrieved February 14, 2015, from http://www.nassp.org/tabid/3788/default.aspx?topic=A_Strategy_for_Reading_Informational_Texts

McCown, M. A., & Thomason, G. B. (2014). Informational text comprehension: It's challenges and why collaborative strategic reading can help. Reading Improvement, 237-253. Retrieved February 16, 2015, from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezp.lndlibrary.org/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=a5f7f036-fa0c-419d-908e-1517c11c2c38%40sessionmgr112&hid=103

Szabo, S. (2006). KWHHL: A Student Driven Evolution of the KWL. American Secondary Education, 34(3), 57-67. Retrieved February 16, 2015, from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezp.lndlibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=213ac544-d217-4f26-84cf-4449c288cab3%40sessionmgr4004&vid=4&hid=4112

How Would You Teach Mathematics Facts Fluency?

If you aren't a math person, I'm sure you have uttered the words, "I'm not good at math.  I'm never going to get it."

As a passionate math teacher I want to change the mindset of everyone who enters my classroom.  Starting with building the basics of mathematics facts fluency and number sense can instill a great deal of confidence into a student who is struggling.  Once students have a good foundation for these skills they are able to begin to complete more complex math concepts with more ease.  When they have the basics down they do not have to worry about wasting mental energy on computation and can focus on the larger problem.

As I start to research ways to implement the best practice for teaching mathematics facts fluency I am thinking about ways to differentiate the instruction because I have a wide range of students in one classroom.  Some of the approaches would require me to purchase a computer program which is most likely not feasible.

The approach I am leaning towards at this point is called Detect, Practice, Repair.  Click on the link to find out more information about this strategy.

Inspiring Information

Do me a favor... click on the following two books and read their synopsis from Amazon

The Book ThiefTextbook

Which would you prefer to read? Now, pretend you are a middle school student... which would you prefer to read? Which would you expect to see in your Language Arts classroom?

Unless you're a rare breed of middle-schooler, you chose the novel, and until recently, your expectations would have been met. However, with the adoption of the Common Core State Standards (don't know what those are? Click here) Language Arts classrooms are becoming more and more centered on Informational or nonfiction text.

As you might imagine, this can be a hard sell for Middle School students, and as you also might imagine, informational text has been the source of the lowest scores for my students on the Maryland Assessment of Progress (MAP text). That's why my project will focus on giving students some concrete learning strategies to aid in comprehension of informational texts.

Though a little outdated, Lawrence Erickson's 1998 article: "Informational Literacy in the Middle Grades" details some strategies that he believes are effective for teaching informational text. While I haven't decided for certain the strategies I will use in the study, I like his non-intimidating introduction. Feel free to review here.

If I can find a way to get my students more engaged in informational text, and equip them with effective learning strategies, we can move improve test scores and help them be successful not only in my classroom, but in other content areas, in college courses, and in life!

Middle School Action Plans

Hello! This is our first group post, our past posts have been research based to help our team of middle school teachers find a basis for their action research plans. Today we will highlight the importance of action research and then identify each of our personal ideas for action research.

ACTION RESEARCH:

What is action research?  How does it work?

Action research is a process of identifying a problem or an area of weakness in your classroom or school.  Once the problem is identified the person doing the research wants to create a question that is specific as to what they will be researching.  Next the person doing the research should review sources related to their question they developed to see what is already known about the topic.  This is a way for the researcher to figure out what strategies they will want to put into place.  The researcher implements the strategy, collects and analyze the data that can be either qualitative or quantitative.  Finally the research will see if the data supports their question and if the results had a positive impact on creating change to improve the school or classroom by continuing with the strategy implemented.  Either way the data should be shared with school personal.

What are the benefits?

The benefits of action research allows positive change to occur in your classroom and school.  It allows for teachers to have an open line of communication as to what works for them and what does not.  Action research is a way to foster continuous growth for the teachers involved in the process.  The individuals doing the research are always learning through this process making them life-long learners.

Who are the people involved?

Anyone in the school system can be involved in action research.  I would think it is most often the classroom teacher and the administration conducting the research to improve the classroom and school.

What is at stake?
Everyday teachers are faced with more and more diverse students so it is important for us to continually find the best teaching practices.  Action research allows for teachers to not just use trial and error as to what works best in their classroom but have solid answers to the questions we ask ourselves as we teach and plan.

ACTION RESEARCH PLANS:
THERESA: I am going to focus my action research on increasing math fact fluency in multiplication for my two time-and-a-half courses.  Students who struggle in math class often lack fluency with their basic math skills.  If I can improve this aspect of their math background other more complex math skills will be less cumbersome.
GINA: Action research is such an overwhelming concept, especially when it is applied to Art. Art is a subject area where measuring student’s graded assignments is often objective to the teacher. Art grades do not resonate with the school community equally as other subjects. I want to find an action research plan that will show the importance of art to every stakeholder- teachers, principals, parents and especially to my students. Collecting data to prove the importance of my art curriculum can be biased and unreliable. I want to use data that is already collected for my students by our county system- MAP.  I will track my student’s skill base and then compare this data to students who do not receive art education. I hope to use their math MAP data to show growth in the areas of Geometric Measurements and Relationships, topics I cover in every art unit.
KATIE: This week we were tasked with formulating our problem statements for a research project that will carry over approximately 12 weeks, and perhaps beyond that into our eventual thesis projects. For me, this was, and still is, very daunting. I started by brainstorming some things that I’m interested in or notice as deficits in my classroom. One is student engagement, but it seemed like too big a topic to take on in 12 weeks. Another is our mandated Performance Based Assessments in the language arts curricular program, but that, too, seemed too big to tackle. So, I went online and checked my students’ most recent standardized test data. What I found there was not surprising, but intriguing. Overall, students had scored the lowest on the portion that was about informational text. Because this is such a big push under the Common Core standards, whereas it had previously not been a focus, the fact that students performed poorly was to be expected. However, I would be interested in looking at the kind of strategies I can use to help students be more successful in this area, especially since it’s not something I imagined myself, an literature major, really teaching in my Language Arts classroom. It will take some research to identify strategies with which to conduct research, and I’m not 100% sure it’s going to be THE research task I run with, but it seems like a good start.
SEAN:The proliferation of technology in the classroom presents a challenge to both teachers and learners. Generational differences, usage expectations, and openness to innovative applications hinder the development of both students and teachers, often relegating technology to little more than a research or word processing tool. At Saint Ignatius Loyola Academy, eighth grade students are equipped with Chromebook computers on an individual basis. Computers were purchased with donor funds earmarked for technology. Despite initial excitement from teachers and students, a curriculum designed to utilize technology has not been developed, due in part to a hesitant faculty and staff. My research plan is centered around improving curriculum with technology in mind.
ELANI: