EETT AR Mentors:Getting Started
August 2008
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Review of AR’s Purpose in EETT
• To document the effects of EETT funding on student learning
• To include teachers’ voices in statewide report to legislature
• To support teachers as they systematically & intentionally study their laptop use
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AR Process
• Identify the AR Inquiry
• AR Context
• Data Collection
• Data Analysis
• Implications & Actions
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Identify the AR Inquiry
• Keep student achievement at the forefront– Participants (i.e. 5th graders, low achieving 3rd
graders, etc.)– Knowledge, skill or ability to be measured (i.e.
science content, phonemic awareness, social skills, etc.)
– Intervention (i.e. collaborative learning strategies, reading buddies, lab simulations, etc.)
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Identify the AR inquiry
• Examples– How does the use of simulations within a
1:1 environment influence low achieving 5th grade students’ mathematics learning during a unit on fractions ?
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AR Context
• Content area
• Grade level
• Goals for inquiry
• Targeted students
• Type of school
• Etc
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Data Collection
• Possible strategies; use multiple when possible-Test scores -Rubrics-Student artifacts -Journals-Anecdotal records -Informal interviews-Focus groups -Reflective journals-Fieldnotes -Literature
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Data Collection
• Should be a part of rather than apart from classroom practices
• Create a time line to help keep the inquiry on track and ensure feasibility
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Data Analysis
• Most challenging part of process• Need to mesh data & gut reactions• Individual teacher decisions
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Data Analysis
• Read and reread data to get an idea of what’s there
• Organize data in a logical way– Chronologically, by student, by strategies, by
class, etc.
• Interpret data; support findings with artifact
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Example finding 1
• Audio recording software and laptop use improved my two lowest achieving students’ test scores on weather and simple machine between 39 and 55 points.
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STUDENT #1 Pre-Tests (No technology)
Post-Tests (Technolgoy)
Difference
#1 – Simple Machines 15 70 55
#2 - Weather 20 73 53
STUDENT #2 Pre-Tests (No technology)
Post-Tests (Technolgoy)
Difference
#1 –Simple Machines 40 79 39
#2 - Weather 50 90 40
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Example finding 2
• Audio recording software and laptop use improved my two lowest achieving students’ behavior during tests on weather and simple machine.
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1 – 5 Low - High
Pre – Test #1
Pre – Test #2
Post – Test #1
Post – Test #2
Willingness to take the test
1 1 5 5
Focus on the test
3 – star ing off 3 – star ing off 5 – very focused
5 – very focused
Avoidance behav iors
dur ing the test
3 –rep eated atte mpts to
use the restro om, sharpen penc ils
3 – re peated atte mpts to
use the restro om, sharpen penc ils
5 – no avo idance behav iors
5 – no avo idance behav iors
Quest ions asked dur ing
test
5 – re peated requests to
read q uest ions to student
5 – re peated requests to
read q uest ions to student
1 – a sked no quest ions
1 – asked no quest ions
Completenes s of the test
4 – left the extended response quest ions (ones t hat
requ ire more read ing) blank
4 – left the extended response quest ions (ones t hat
requ ire more read ing) blank
5 – co mpleted the whole te st
5 – co mpleted the whole te st
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Example finding 3
• After starting with an average of 23.3 wpm, three of the four students achieved 115 words per minute, the 5th grade word per minute standard, on their DIBELS fluency tests.
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Implications and Actions
• Action in classroom
• Action in district
• Professional dissemination via conferences & publications
• Grant writing
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Where should you be right now?
• Determine how many AR mentors you will need and whether you want us to provide them.
• Make a plan for running AR in your district (consider running 2 phases)
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Where should you be right now?
• Make initial contact with teachers at your earliest convenience
• Be encouraging; the process is pretty straightforward but the majority of teachers end up really enjoying it
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What are we doing right now?
• Working with FCIT to get the online tool on a stable and secure server.
• Collecting information from each district regarding EETT participants.
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Contact us
• Please do not hesitate to contact us:
Kara: [email protected]
Cathy: [email protected]