Welcome St. Mary's Learners!

I want to welcome all readers to my blog, but specifically, the teachers/learners from St. Mary's University that will be attending my conference! 

Reflections In Learning has been my outlet for reflecting on my classroom practices, action research on guided math groups/active learning, and simply my learning and growth throughout the M.Ed program.  In this blog you will find strategies I have used, research I have gathered, goals I have set, data I have collected, and as the title of the blog states...my reflections in learning throughout the process. 

In order to read this blog and have it make most sense, it would be best to start at the beginning of my action research process.  To reach the beginning, please scroll all the way to the bottom of this page and read the posts from the bottom up.  The action research piece starts with the blog titled 'Planning-Full Speed Ahead.'  I hope that in reading from the bottom up, you can get a clear picture of how my action research developed and changed overtime.  If you have any questions or would like clarification on something I posted, please leave a comment on that post and I will be sure to address your comments at the conference.  I look forward to sharing my guided math journey with you in April!  

The Results Are In.

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. 

A moment to reflect...data coming soon.

With the implementation of guided math groups going on for the last few months, I am finding that life is very hectic....but in a good way (I think!)  I am finding that there is a lot of work that goes into this approach to teaching math.  I knew this going into it, but I wish I REALLY knew at the time.  For you see, I was very comfortable teaching math the way I was before.  I simply followed the curriculum, page by page, and some how, a good majority of my students made adequate progress.  

But now that I see this approach to teaching, and the way it get students thinking and actively engaging in math is really amazing.  I am continually looking at homework and forming new small groups for that day.  I find that is working best in our classroom right now.  After warm-up and mini-lesson, I meet with as many students/groups as possible...some for 10 minutes others for 5.  While groups are with me, other are working on math workshop.  This past week, fraction BINGO and math journals were the options.  A SMART board game through education city was even an option one day for a lower level group.  The stay most aware and engaged when the activities for math workshop are highly interactive.  This flexible, free-style, grouping works well for us right now versus sticking to a timer and everyone accomplishing the same tasks.  I also incorporated a Choice Board this week as part of our warm-up.  Instead of our usual format, the students had to complete five fraction word-problems in a row off of the BINGO type board.  They were really into it, and some even took on the challenge of getting a "coverall bingo"!
It was neat, and rewarding to see the students able to differentiate for themselves when need be.  I think that is a sign of them becoming more aware of their needs and abilities as learners.    

I am in the process of correcting the unit summative assessment on data.  It is a long test, which I think will be modified for next year.  From what I have seen, the studetns are doing well, and showing great mastery of the concepts/I Cans.  I'll have a full break down by the end of the week. 
Also, we took the NWEA MAP test.  All but two kids made gains!  There are even a large number of students that already met their year-end goal.  I look forward to sharing these successes with parents at conferences next week!

Regardless of the schedule, routine, or curriculum I follow, I know that it is safe to say that guided math instruction and active learning will always be foundational approaches to teaching in my classroom.  I

More details to come soon.

Another Week

This past week was a great week in math.  Our current unit is on data collection, analysis, and graph making.  We were able to work as a large group community a few days to collect some data and make some graphs.  The students' current seating chart is in small groups, with 4-6 students in each group.  These groups are mixed abilities.  It was great to hear the discussions, the learning and the teaching that was taking place within the small groups of students at their tables.
For example, we did an activity about collecting data and choosing an appropriate sample size. This activity included a large bowl of M&Ms, which immediately elevates the interest level!  Anyway...I would continually ask a question, and then give the students an opportunity to manipulate their M&Ms and "Think, Pair, Share."  It was great to hear the activity, the inquiry, and thoughtful thinking that was taking place.
While working as a large community, the students demonstrated the qualities of DESCA very well.  The short shots of small group work with mixed abilities, was a good way to re-evaluate the way our community should interact and work throughout the day.  I was able to re-model expected behaviors to the whole group, yet still work with small groups of students a few times this week.  I was able to incorporate this while other students played interactive games, either Landmark Shark using playing cards, or with a partner on the iPad.

Although the "math groups" that I would like to see did not happen again this week, I think it was a good week.  We were able to reconnect as a community, and work together to collect data.
We'll be wrapping up the data unit at the beginning of the upcoming week.  Our next unit is another unit on factions, so we'll be able to spend more time in small groups.  Plus, now the students have a stronger base knowledge of fractions, so I feel that independent math workshop time will be more productive.

As I look at closing my research and begin preparation for the conference, I feel that I can close at any time, for the work I am doing will always continue.  I can look at the data, and know that what I have been doing has changed me and my way of teaching math, only for the better.

There is still more data to be collected...I will be having my students take the NWEA math test on Tuesday of the coming week, so I can compare those numbers to the beginning of the year.  I am anxious to see the progress that has been made!

Whole Group...Minus Six

Fractions101 was an interesting unit to say the least.  Teaching this unit (or any unit for that matter) the three weeks before winter break can be a challenge.  The students are excited and counting down the days, and needless to say, it can be difficult for fifth graders to be productive and on task.

As mentioned in my previous post, the students had very little prior knowledge when it came to fractions.  After making a few attempts at running math groups/math workshop, it was deemed too hectic, and things needed to change.  So a group of six students was allowed to move at a quicker pace and receive some enrichment along the way.  This reduced the number of students in the whole group, and allowed for more focused instruction.  The lesson was extended for the whole group to roughly 40 minutes.  Small groups were pulled on a daily basis for roughly 15 minutes at the end of the lesson based on sensed needs during class.  

The results are interesting...fewer students mastered 90% or more of the material.  This does not surprise me, for the lack of small group attention makes a great difference on fixing those small mistakes I am not able to notice when working with a large group.  The unit assessment was full of simple mistakes that I know I would have been able to work on and correct in a small group setting.  Another observation of the data is that more students fall into category of knowing 70% or less.  Although I obviously do not expect ALL students to master 100% of the material, I would at least like to see at least 80% knowing  at least 80% of the material.  

I found that the accelerated group was a HUGE success.  The students demonstrated all aspects of DESCA wonderfully. They were helpful to one another, and the inquiry and teaching taking place was outstanding.  The took great ownership in knowing that they had the power to teach themselves what I could teach them.  They used the iPads for time to time, as well as an extra teacher manual to assist in their learning when material got challenging.  I will keep this group going, for the fewer bodies in the room was helpful to me and managing the other groups, and yet the students in the group benefitted greatly, too.   

Series 1 is Preview the Year taught whole group

Series 2 is Addition/Subtraction/Multiplication taught in small groups

Series 3 is Division taught in small groups

Series 4 is Fractions101 taught whole group...with six students pulled out for accelerated learning.  

Math Groups?

I haven't made a post in a while.  The main reason being that the use of math groups in my classroom has come to a stand still.  There are many reasons for this, which I will explain in detail with this post.  This post will most likely get lengthy, for there is a lot going on in the classroom.  The coming notes are may thoughts and observations...

Two weeks ago, my students and I began our "Fractions101"unit.  Prior to the start of this lengthy unit, my teaching team had decided we should complete this unit by winter break.  That gave us 14 days to teach 12 lessons and give the unit assessment.  I felt confident with that timeline.
One the first day of the unit, I gave a pre-assessment.  When I looked over the completed assessments, I was very surprised by the results.  Here was the breakdown:
Of the 29 students:
6 - strong knowledge of fractions
9 - basic knowledge of fractions
14 - little to no prior knowledge of fractions
I immediately formed six groups of students, and began thinking of how our groups would work for this unit.  Because so many students did not have prior knowledge of fractions, I knew that I needed to see as many groups per day as possible.  Because I had six groups smaller groups, I bundled them together, to also form three larger groups.  For the first three lessons, we had 15 minutes of warm-up, 20 minutes of mini-lesson, and two 20 minute groups.  I was able to see two groups.  The students that were not with me, were at math workshop working on math journal pages or doing fraction problems with whiteboards and beans.  (This activity was very good, and kept the students engaged.)  Overall the environment these two days was very hectic.  I felt very rushed during the mini-lesson.  Because most of the students did not have a lot of prior knowledge, I had to spend more time going over the basics.  By the time the students went to math workshop, many did not have the skill base to work productively.  Even with many reminders of DESCA, and the proper way to work in math workshop, the time was not productive.  The students filled out a DESCA self-evaluation after math time this week, and they too felt the overall performance during math workshop did not meet our expectations.  Also, after reviewing some formative assessments from those lessons, I realized that a change needed to be made, for the students were not making great progress or showing mastery of the I Can statements.

So...here is how things have been operating the last week.
I have a group of six students that work in the hallway during the 70 minutes of math time.  They are my 'high-flyers' who all have a very strong knowledge base.  Because the already knew most of the material we were working on, they were being a behavior issue during math workshop.  So now, they are completing the unit at their own pace (which is very quickly).   They work collaboratively and help one another through difficult problems.  It is great to see how focused and driven they are, knowing that I am trusting them to be productive and learn/teach with one another.  Once they finish the unit, which will be before the rest of the class, I have some advanced fraction work for them to do.  I meet with them during silent reading time, and review/mini-lesson the material.  This takes roughly 10 minutes.

Because they are not in the room, having six less bodies to focus on helps me.  We still have our 15 minutes of warm-up, but mini-lesson has been greatly extended.  We now have a whole group lesson for roughly 40 minutes.  I feel that this is making a large difference in the productivity of the students for the remaining 20-25 minutes of math.  During this time, the students are working on math workshop activities...mainly math journal pages.  I am pulling students as I see needed, based on observations from mini-lesson.  Sometimes this has been one-on-one, groups of three, or up to five students.  I generally work with this group for the 15 minutes, and spend the remaining 10 minutes circulating around the room assisting students individually.

I miss having the rotations of math groups, for I feel like I knew all of my students better from the perspective of math.  I got to see them work more often, and have small group conversations with them.
However, the content of this unit, the lack of prior knowledge, and the constraint of finishing the unit before winter break are not allowing this to happen.  I feel like the current set up is the best option, for there is still a little time for small group work.  The students complete another DESCA self-evaluation at the end of this week, and the results were more positive for the productivity of math workshop time, and the overall feel of the environment.  I am interested to see how the students will perform on the unit assessment and their mastery of the I Can statements.

Randomness...

This past week involved a lot of randomness during math instruction.  In a hopes to expose the students to a lot of imperative information before the MCA assessment, we did a one week geometry unit.  There was no pre-assessment for this unit, for the main purpose of it was for exposure.  So, groups this week were heterogeneous.  The students currently sit in group formations, consisting of 4-5 students per group.  Those group configurations were their math groups for the week.

We generally had three, 15 minute stations this week.  Because I have six group of desks, it worked well to combine two groups.  Each day, the mini-lesson was fairly short.  Because I had a shorter mini-lesson, one of the stations was with me, working on the same skill.  The other two stations were additional practice/review of geometry skills, and math journal review pages.
It was nice to have the groups for a solid 15 minutes.  It did not feel rushed, and that left a few minutes of fudge time, so we were not constantly feeling rushed.  However, I didn't like having a shorter mini-lesson.  I felt like the kids were asking a lot of questions in the station with me that could have been addressed had I spent a few minutes longer explaining at the beginning.

The students followed DESCA wonderfully all week.  They were very aware of their responsibilities at the stations, and showed a proper amount of energy.  The use of pattern blocks and protractors definitely kept their interest.   There was a strong sense of dignity and community.  Because the groups were heterogeneous, the stronger students were able to be excellent teachers and role models for the others.  I saw some fabulous teaching and learning take place among the kids.  The way the students can explain things to their peers, is so much better than I could!
After reviewing their DESCA surveys for the week, they too, felt this week went well in math!

Division Complete

The students took the division assessment on Friday of last week, and I was able to grade them this weekend.  Overall...I AM SO IMPRESSED!!!!!

Of the Seven 'I Cans' in this unit (see last blog for seven statements)
13 students mastered all
1 student mastered 6/7
8 students mastered 5/7
4 students mastered 4/7
2 students mastered 3/7

It is hard to say what the true contributing factor is to their great success in the division unit, but here are some observations about the week leading up to the assessment...
-The structure of the stations was all over the place, and that is completely my own doing.  Some days there were three rotations, some days two, it really all depended.  I was taking a deeper look at the students' homework and using that to focus in on who I needed to see that day in a group.  Based on their needs, the group members and their time with me varied.
-All groups got to play the activity once this week.  They loved it and even asked if this could be a recess  option vs. going outside.
-A few times I pulled students one-on-one for 10 minutes of focused practice.  We were able to use counters, and really get in some good practice/review.  It was so neat while working with Student J.  He is typically a low student and was really struggling with division.  One day he would get it, but would come back the next and completely forget.  During a one-on-one time I truly saw the light bulb go off in his head.  He is the student that mastered 6/7 I cans, when typically he fails every math assessment.  Because of the short week this week, we are spending time reviewing in math rather than starting a new unit.  After a weekend of no math...he still could divide today.  I think that is a great sign!!


So what am I finding about math groups...I don't think there is a set routine I need to set my class into.  I think it is dependent on the unit and the kids' needs.  Some days that may be three quick rotations, some days that may be two, and some days it may be no stations, but one-on-one work.
I think warm-up and mini-lesson as a class are a KEEPER.  Having the 40 minutes to group in a variety of ways works for me, and hopefully my students.  The students not with me know that their responsibilities are math journal, leveled work, or activity.  But most importantly we all must keep DESCA as the foundation for all of this, no matter the routine, to work.

New Unit...New Changes

The Division Unit got off to a good start last week.  There are seven I Can Statements for this unit:

·         I can divide multi-digit numbers.

·         I can write quotients using whole numbers with remainders.

·         I can write quotients using fractions or mixed numbers.

·         I can write quotients using decimals.

·         I can decide how to use a remainder.

·         I can solve real world and math problems using division and subtraction of decimals.

·         I can check my answers using the inverse operation

After pre-assessing the students on division, I quickly realized that there are more students that do not know how to divide, than do.  Because there are more students needing more focused instruction, I decided to try a few new things with the math groups.  Instead of having two twenty minute stations, I tried four ten minute stations.  I still did the warm-up and mini-lesson.  My hope was to see more students in one day.  I also decided to incorporate an activity/game as one of the stations.  My hope was to keep students more engaged, and more likely to self-manage.  An additional change I made was to evaluate the previous nights homework, and make 'daily' groups based on sensed needs.  The students still have there base group, this was just a random grouping for the day. 
Some observations about the new guided math instruction:  Four stations is too many!  There was not enough time to get through it all.  Monday and Tuesday we pushed our way through three, but in my opinion, the stations were very rushed.  My overall observation was that the students were self-managing well, aware of the intended outcomes, and worked really well in the small groups.  But just about the time they were really in a good groove, the timer went off, and it was time to switch stations.  Hence we kept going longer and only got through three stations.  We kept that model all week, to ensure that all four groups got to play the game.  They were really eager and on-task with the game, Divisibility Dash. 
Having 'daily'groups based on the homework was really nice.  I feel I was able to work with struggling students more closely and on a more consistent basis.  That will definitely continue for future groupings.

Well see what happens this week...we're introducing decimal division and that ALWAYS throws the students for a loop.  Let's hope they don't forget all of the great learning that happened last week!

Data Collection

This last week, we completed "Addition/Subtraction/Multiplication" unit in math.  Although I am pleased with the changes I see in our environment, the improvements in math are not as great as I had anticipated.  The students seem more engaged during math, and eager to participate but I am not seeing huge academic gains.  We are still working on the self-management aspect of the work stations.  There are improvements each week, but still progress to be made.  

Mastery of I Can Statements:  

After collecting the end of unit assessment and comparing it to "Preview the Year" (which was taught whole class) there is a slight improvement in overall mastery of student learning goals.

I feel it is important to note that for unit one (Preview the Year) there were eight learning targets to master, and for unit two("Addition/Subtraction/Multiplication" ) there were nine learning targets to master. 

~I am hoping to see further improvement for the division unit, because I plan to try flexibly grouping the students more often from day to day, rather than per unit.  I have been doing this for the last few days, and I feel much better.  I feel like I am able to work with the strugglers more often and really practice and focus specifically on their misconceptions.

~I also incorporated an activity this week into the math workshop time.  The math game (Divisibility Dash) was engaging, so the students were able to stay more focused and self-manage much better.   In addition, only one group was playing at a time.  That helped the noise level remain manageable, so the other students could concentrate on their table work.  I was also able to give focused, uninterrupted time to my small group of students.

Homework completion:

-- 29 students participated in "Preview the Year".  There were seven assignments to complete.  On average, 2.2 students turned their work in late.  Of the 38 late assignments, 14 were never completed.

--29 students participated in "Addition/Subtraction/Multiplication" .  There were seven assignments to complete.  On average, 1.2 students turned their work in late.  Of the 25 late assignments, 8 were never completed.

DESCA evaluations:  The students have completed multiple DESCA evaluations (there is a link on a previous post), but I can't figure out the best way to organize the data.  After reviewing it, the students have a good handle on the five principles.  In my observations, and those of a colleague, the overall environment has a positive tone.  The students are really working hard and aware of what they need to be doing.  

Ways that I plan on changing and adapting my plan as we begin the division unit:

• restructuring groups based on pre-assessment for division unit
• incorporating more student choice to stations
• explore with different group work formats (station rotations, games, activities, etc

"Addition/Subtraction/Multiplication" Unit complete

This last week, we completed "Addition/Subtraction/Multiplication" unit in math.  Although I am pleased with the changes I see in our environment, the improvements in math are not as great as I had anticipated.  The students seem more engaged during math, and eager to participate but I am not seeing huge academic gains.  We are still working on the self-management aspect of the work stations.  There are improvements each week, but still progress to be made.

graph here

Ways that I plan on changing and adapting my plan as we begin unit three:

• restructuring groups based on pre-assessment for division unit
• incorporating more student choice to stations
• explore with different group work formats (station rotations, games, activities, etc

A much needed AR update

This post is necessary for a few reasons...I need to sort my whole AR out and put it in writing.  It's more for me than anything else.  Crossing my t's and dotting my i's....making sure it all fits into place.
Secondly, I shared my blog with fellow learners at the fall conference.  I said that I would upload some of the things I am doing...so in this blog you will find links to some of the data collection pieces I am using, as well as a link to the 'I Can...' statements I am using with the students in math. 

I am very excited about the changes I see in my classroom.  The implementation of my AR is going well, and I am seeing some very positive development in the students.  It is great to see the learning and academic progress in math, as well as a better overall environment.  I attribute a lot of the growth to the small groups for learning.  It has also been nice having DESCA as a foundation for how our classroom functions.

How will the implementation of guided math stations affect students' academic performance?  

DESCA in Math Groups-

When we work in small groups for math, there is an emphasis on DESCA (Dignity, Energy, Self-management, Community, Awareness) .  These themes blend so well as a building block for how the groups are implemented.

• Dignity
• We promote dignity by showcasing two people each day in math.  At the end of the math block, two kids (they know when it will be their day to be showcased) share one positive thing they accomplished that day in math.  They also share one thing they would like further learning on.  I feel this sharing has helped build the students dignity, for they are proud to share something they accomplished, and comforted to share a struggle because there are often many kids that chime in and agree they need more practice in that area, too. 
• Energy
• The new schedule in math definitely brings a lot of energy to the classroom.  It is a very loud environment, but generally the students are having good discussion about math.  It is great to see kids teaching one another and moving around the room.  I usually try to incorporate some sort of movement activity in the morning before math.  I feel they really need the opportunity to participate in some sort of activity out of their chairs.  
• Self-management
• This is something the students are still working on.  There are two groups that work very diligently the entire time they are working without me.  They accomplish all of the goals, and have time for extra activities.  However, there are two groups that need many reminders to stay on-task.  I am going to try splitting the group into two smaller groups to see if that makes a difference.  I am also going to start introducing more activities to do at stations.  Hopefully the higher engagement activities will keep the students more focused.  When they are with me, they will all come together.  I think dignity in their work and true awareness of the learning targets plays a large role in the students' ability to self-manage.  
• Any ideas how to improve this with students?
• Community
• As a group, we are participating in morning meeting activities at least twice per week.  The students are working together to accomplish goals, and it's neat to see them cooperate.  I'm also trying to incorporate more 'Think-Pair-Shares' into our day, as an opportunity for the students to chat and get to know one another.  Also trying different ways of randomly pairing the kids up.   There is a cool sense of sincerity in many of their actions when they work together. 
• Awareness
• I am using my districts 'I can..' statements as a way of making the students more aware of the learning targets.  As a staff, we have taken all of the MN state math and reading standards and simplified the language so it is 5th grade friendly and put the words 'I can' in front of them.  For example, I can add multiply whole and decimal numbers.  I can solve real world math problems using addition and subtraction.  I was skeptical of these at first, but after showing them to students at the beginning of each lesson, and telling them that is is their goal to be able to say "I can find perimeter of a rectangle" by the end of today, has made a significant difference in their learning.  It is improving their dignity and ability to self-manage when working independently. 
• Link to I can... statements

Math Groups

• Review - 5 minutes 
• multiplication drills
• review mathbox homework from previous day
• Inquiries/Clarifications - 5 or 10 minutes
• Students ask questions/clarifications
• homework review, random thought, real-world math encounter
• Mini-Lesson - 20 minutes
• Announce 'I can" for the day
• All teacher modeling of how to problem solve and work through the day objective.  
• Fast-paced and minimal student interaction
• Groups - Two - 20 minute blocks
• ability grouped based on pre-assessment per unit
• some days, new groups are formed based on previous nights homework
• Group responsibilities include: completing journal pages, game/activity, leveled/targeted practice, helping/teaching one another.
• I see two (of four) groups each day.  

Data Collection

• engagement
• My Observations:  weekly records being kept. 
• link to blank Observation Log  
• Peer Observation:  Janet observed 10.6.  Observing again 11.?
• Students' DESCA evaluation:  Taken 9.30, 10.7, 10.28
• link to blank Student DESCA Evaluation
• homework completion
• using grade book to monitor missing and late work.  (overall HUGE improvement from unit one!)
• end of unit assessments
• "Preview the Year" unit scores and 'I can...' evaluations (student/teacher) completed.
• "Addition/Subtraction/Multiplication" unit assess. will be given on 11.2
• NWEA assessment. 
• Given again in January.
• Can do survey test if needed before then.  

A new goal (in addition to the many others...)

My approach to teaching has changed this school year.  I have been trying many new things, and liking the results I see.  It has been an eye opening experience, watching the changes happen to our environment and ways of learning mature in the students.  The approaches and practices that I was comfortable with before, I now question from time to time.  I am continually reflecting and thinking about how I can make things better.  Although I am excited, it is a bit overwhelming at times.  I feel like I am taking on too many new goals, but it makes it interesting to change things up a bit.

As I read about instructional leadership and goal setting this week, two things really stood out to me.  One being, to do what you say you will do.  And secondly, to frequently evaluate your progress.  This frequent evaluation is going to become a goal of mine.  Both with my own personal goals, and with monitoring my students growth and goals.  

For me, I feel that I am good at setting goals for myself.  Generally I meet them, and then set new goals.  Yet I don't think I check-in on myself as often as I should.  Sometimes this allows me to 'selectively forget' the goal and not follow through on meeting it.  I think more frequent reminders and checking-in will ensure I meet all of my goals.  Perhaps I need to write them down in one place and just glance at it every so often.

As for my students, we just set goals at conferences.  I am going to make it a point to check in on those goals more frequently.  I have been trying some new things with their homework.  It is allowing me to give more immediate feedback, so the students and I can help make the proper steps toward reaching their goals.  Maybe I could start bringing out the goals with the start of each new math unit as a reminder?  

I am also going to attempt to make some smaller goals with the students, that are more short term than the ones we just made.  Those are more or less year end goals.  I think it is important for the students to be able to see results, in order for them to keep up the momentum for reaching the goals.  

  

So Far, So Good

Some data points to share....

The math stations are going well.  I feel that the students are adapting well to the new style of learning.  As I observe the different groups working math workshop, I am very impressed by what I am hearing and witnessing.  For the most part, the students are working with one another.  It is interesting to see how certain groups have naturally divided themselves into smaller groups.  When we discussed why they chose to do so, they stated that it was too loud and hard to concentrate.  The groups they have formed seem to be working well.  I have been encouraging some cooperative work as a larger small group, allowing more perspectives.  They have developed the plan to work in smaller cooperative groups and then have their wrap-up discussion as a bigger group.  We brought up DESCA, specifically self-management, community, and awareness, while having our discussions.  They are demonstrating a good grasp of the concepts, and how they help them achieve their academic goals.  

Data Collection:  They students have completed a DESCA checklist three times, and their comfort and application of the themes seems to be increasing.  

Janet observed the stations and completed the five DESCA questions.

I personally LOVE the small group time with the students.  I am able to see the students work on a closer level.  Multiple times, I have been able to work with 4-5 students on struggling skills.  It is great seeing improvement when I can focus specifically on their struggle.  Meanwhile, I know that the rest of the class is working on math skills.  I have had very little trouble with students not being able to manage themselves and stay on task.  

My personal struggle at this point is not seeing every student each day in a small group.  I only see two groups per day...so two groups go unseen.  Although all students are getting the whole-group mini lesson, I still struggle with it.  After reading about openness, I know that I need to be accepting of the change, and with time, I will feel more comfortable.  I look forward to collecting the academic improvement data at the end of the unit.  In my observations, there is improvement, but I like to see the true comparison from pre to post test.  

I am finding that it is really important that  I am looking at the previous nights homework first thing in the morning, especially for the students who I did not see for group time the day before.  It lets me use their homework as an assessment of learning, but also as learning.  I can then use that to quickly form a new group from that day, and review the homework and necessary skills.  

Sooo, so far-so good.  I think I am on the right track.  The math groups are going well, and having DESCA as our base is going great, too.  I hope that I am collecting enough data...I am still unsure of that.  I look forward to the conference this weekend to hear the ideas and data collection of others.  

I need to keep this forrest growing....

Planning full speed ahead (again)....

Well I am feeling really good about the changes in my plan.  I have been reading a lot of new research on guided math stations and math workshop.  I am excited to implement a new plan of action that really focuses on these ideas.  In all of the new research I have done, I am feeling really good about all the work with DESCA I have been implementing into our daily routine already.  It is going to be a great way of encouraging responsible decisions during math workshop time.  One of the assessments that I had created, and the students have used once, will be very handy.  It is a simple checklist for each of the DESCA themes.
I have collected some pre-test data that will help me to form the groups, and developed a few differentiation packets to use during math workshop time for now.  I feel I have good start and look forward to implementing the groups with my students tomorrow.  As the timing of stations and the flow of the room gets more comfortable, I am excited to introduce new activities/games to math workshop.

A Change in Direction.

Now that the school year is in full swing, I have been incorporating DESCA into our daily routine.  I'll add an attachment of the activities I used soon.  I've been tracking them paper and pencil...still old school, I know.  :)  I think the students are really starting to become more aware of their actions.  Our environment is very caring and comfortable.  There are a few students that have a desire to bully from time to time, so there is still come work to do.  

However, as a implement the activities and begin thinking about specific data collection, I feel very overwhelmed.  I feel like I am trying to do too much with my action research question.  I feel there is so much going on in the implementation plan that I can't keep up with all the observing and such.  

I am thinking I may narrow my question to something like..How will the implementation of guided math stations affect students' academic performance?  I think all of the DESCA framework building that we have been doing will still be part of my plan, but I will not collect data for it.  I think that the themes of DESCA provide a great foundation for the students while working in small learning communities.  I will include activities I used and keep the research I found on DESCA as part of my RoL.  But, the main focus of my data collection will be on the implementation of guided math groups.  I will measure academic performance based on these four main components: engagement, homework completion, end of unit assessments, NWEA assessment.  I have been teaching unit one in math whole group instruction style.  I am learning a lot about the students abilities and work habits, have been writing observations on each student, and will be using the information to aid in forming student learning groups for unit two.  

I'm hoping that I'm not too late in refocusing my plan, but I really feel like this will be a good direction for me.  I feel more confident in the plan and look forward to exploring this new learning. 

Planning - Full Speed Ahead

So as I wrap my head around the research, and focus my action research question, I am excited to finish making assessments, observation forms, and plans.  It is a little scary to see the template for the week to week guide, but I am anxious to 'eat the frog' and plan the nitty gritty.  

Planning - Full Speed Ahead

QUESTION:  

How does the implementation of active learning, with an emphasis on cooperative group work in math, affect students’ academic performance and motivation? 

TIMELINE:

September - The focus of class will be on building community and how to work cooperatively.   We will use the active learning themes DESCA (dignity, energy, self-management, community, awareness) as a guide and base point.  I will provide opportunities to model these, and incorporate these themes into our daily curriculum.  Active/cooperative group work will be modeled with use of a reading literature circle unit.  The students will take the NWEA assessment, and math will be taught as whole group as a way of finding students performance levels for data.  This data will be used to place students in future cooperative groups.  

October/November -  DESCA themes will continue in daily routine.  Math will now be taught with minimal whole group instruction.  The students will work in cooperative/active learning groups during math and follow a station rotation.  

Data Collection Tools - Student reflection journal, group work student self-assessment, teacher daily record of active learning opportunities, teacher observation/reflection, NWEA data, unit summative assessments in math.

A Growing Forest

A new school year is upon us, and it is hard to believe that another summer has gone by.  But as much as I cherish the relaxing summer months, I am very anxious to begin this upcoming year.  This past summer has given me a new outlook on what I do for a living, and made me excited to change and try new things.  As I plan the 2011-2012 school year, I am keeping this vision in mind...

In order for a forest to grow, a single seed must be planted.  It takes effort, time, and patience to turn that seed into a forest.  You must be willing to plant more seeds, nurture them, make adaptations to help them survive the elements, and most importantly, have a passion to see the forest thrive. 

When I view my classroom as a forest, the seed I will be starting my forest with is active learning.  Active learning will be the base for the activities and lessons in my classroom.  We fill focus on DESCA model, Dignity, Energy, Self-Management, Community, and Awareness.  I will do my best to incorporate these themes into our daily schedule.  Once a strong base has been built on those five these, I will expand our focus (and forest) to cooperative learning and group work.  The focus of my action research will be on cooperative learning and the use of small groups to teach math.

My goal in focusing on active learning and cooperative groups, is to build an environment where the students feel more comfortable and have a stronger passion to learn.  I hope to see a classroom where students are working independently, yet helping one another and sharing their knowledge. I hope to see less direct instruction from me, and more inquiry and knowledge seeking from the students.  I want to see the students moving more and sitting in their desks less.  These are all my goals for one main reason: children don't see the joy in school any longer.  They have become robots of habit.  They are great at filling out worksheets and learning knowledge, but not able to actively engage in the process.  Learning can be fun and exciting.  But having the students sit in a desk while a teacher rambles in your ear, is not fun and exciting (There is a reason why all the adults in the Peanuts cartoons talk so funny!).  

Just as a forest will not grow over night, nor will this ideal classroom.  It is going to take time, effort, and patience in order for this to happen.  I must continue to reflect  and adapt in order for this forest to grow.  But most importantly, I must continue to have a passion for seeing the children grow.

So many thoughts...

As I began learning more about blogs, I got very excited thinking about the many ways in which I could incorporate a blog into my classroom.  It would be a new and exciting way to communicate with students and parents, I could post class activities and homework, and use it as a place to display student work.  So much to plan and think about!

But then, I couldn't help but feel that it is going to be one more thing I start in my classroom with great energy, but then with time, it fizzles out.  This is exactly what happened to the hare while he raced the tortoise, and it is exactly what happened to the class web page I started five years ago and haven't touched in almost three.  The energy was high and excitement was booming at the beginning, but then new initiatives were adopted by the district and more planning time got eaten up.  As a result, other things suffered.  And in my case, it was my class website that couldn't finish the race.  

So, how can I make this blog beneficial to me (and hopefully my students), without it becoming an extra add-on that fizzles out as quickly as it was started?  I think that for now, it needs to be a site where I reflect on my learning as a teacher and a learner.  A place where I can connect my life as a student conducting research and my life as a teacher guiding students through fifth grade.  In time, I hope for this blog to become a place where the students, parents, and I can collaborate with one another.  But that will come in small steps....slow and steady wins the race.