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: dawson@coe.ufl.edu

Cathy: cathycavanaugh@coe.ufl.edu