So, here is the culmination of data collection! It has been a long time coming, for the task was large. I am glad to see how the changes in my approaches to teaching has affected the students. The feeling, overall, in our community is productive and positive. The students are more aware of the intended outcomes, and they are showing more dignity in the actions while learning. The biggest, and most positive change I have seen, is the students' ability to manage themselves and learn with one another while I am teaching a small group. I feel confident in their ability to teach and learn in our community, for I provide activities which they are able to do independently, yet still find a challenge they need to work with together. The movement of the stations, and added choice in activities to do has also had a great impact on the productivity in our class. The dignity and ownership the students take in math workshop time is great to see. I can tell the students also appreciate the new approach to learning. They ask to be put into groups and work with one another on a weekly basis, in content areas other than math. They are finding comfort and knowledge in each other as learners and teachers.
Unit Math Assessments - I Can Mastery
As I look back on the five units we have completed since the beginning of this action research process, I am impressed with the results I see. It is satisfying to see that with each unit, there were more and more students mastering 90-100% of the I Can Statements for that unit. I feel that making the students more aware through the use of I Can Statements has been extremely beneficial. At any given point, I can ask the students what they should know, and they can tell me...if not by instant recall they know where to look in the classroom to find the I Can Statements. Along with that, they are more open to dialogue with me and other members of the community on ways to achieve mastery. They are asking for help, teaching one another, and discovering ways of learning that benefit their particular style. The students also self-assessed on each I Can Statement. The honesty and true self-evaluation from the students was excellent to see, for their self-evaluation was generally very similar to my viewpoint of their mastery.
Link to I Can Statements
NWEA - MAP Assessment - Fall2011/Winter2012
When comparing the fall(September 2011) and the winter (January 2012) RIT scores, it is positive to see that only two students had a decrease in scores. All other students made an increases ranging from one point to thirty-nine points. Because this is a overall assessment of academic success in math, there are many factors that play a part in the students success. I feel guided math groups made a difference, for the students were actively inquiring and engaging in math at all times during instruction. The students were in their desks during math warm-up and mini-lesson, but generally, this was a brief period of time. Math workshop and small group was student directed and differentiated. All the students were working on material that was well-suited for their individual needs. As described in previous blog posts, the amount of time the students spent in math workshop/small guided groups varied. Looking back, I think the variety in approaches with each different unit facilitated in keeping the students engaged. They never seemed to get bored with the routine, and continued to improve at working in small learning communities.
DESCA Student-Self Evaluations
Following the framework of active learning and using the acronym DESCA (dignity, energy, self-management, community, and awareness) with the students had a large impact on the success of the groups. It was nice being able to refer to each of the five themes and use them as topics for morning meeting discussions. We were also able to use the acronym as a springboard for student self-reflections. Throughout the course of my action research implementation, the students filled out the DESCA self-evaluation six times after guided math instruction.
Here is a link to the DESCA self-evaluation.
For all six evaluations I found which selection in each category occurred most frequently. I then compared the six totals and found which category occurred most frequently overall. The results are as followed:
Dignity: I felt fairly positive and secure.
Energy: I was active and energetic most of the time.
Self-management: I made many choices, managed myself, always felt self-responsible.
Community: I felt that I was part of the group and wanted to help others.
Awareness: I was aware and alert all of the time
I am please with the results and will continue to use DESCA throughout the years.
Triangulation - Peer Observation
A fellow colleague came to observe my math stations three times throughout the course of my action research implementation. When the colleague came to observe, she used the following five questions to guide her observations.
Link to teacher observation form.
Here are some of the most interesting observations/comments I found that the colleague made. She commented;
"The students are eager to share at the during and at the end of guided math. Student shared strategy with another student, other student confirmed."
"Small groups engaged. Majority of small groups split to partners/groups of three."
"Sharing answers, confirming others. Students disagreed-stopped to re-explain."
"At current time, five students not engaged. 2 distracted by objects. Others working on math journal, generally engaged. One group playing iPads-fact recall...encouragement from others to win"
"Transitions smooth, students know where to go"
"I can statements posted in front of room. Off to side...could they be moved more central?"
"6 students with Ms. Gross, solving variety of fraction problems. Working on lap boards. Other students in math journal.
