Starting out the quarter with our partner presentation concerning Cooperative Learning Groups, I found the information to be pertinent and attainable for my practice almost immediately. I have not used group roles and structures in the past, but found my lesson, Cooperative Learning Group Lesson Plan, utilizing these to be very easy to implement. This introductory period also led to our learning about Cues, Questions, and Advanced Organizers. I found this to be a great way to aid in my students' understanding of various mathematics theories. In my lesson, Advanced Organizer Lesson Plan, I had my students complete an entry task that required them to look at the difference between a linear situation and an exponential situation. I have performed these types of comparisons before in my classes, but using a situation where students have some type of context was a shift in my practice. Both practices were a part of the Dean, Hubbell, Pitler, & Stone (2012) text and were great resources for helping both myself in my lesson planning and my group for our expert strategy presentation. The example of Mr. Washington's class (p. 39-41) was a great guide to how a teacher may use the cooperative learning groups strategy. I found further help in our additional research where I found the article by Scheuerell (2010) which outlined a classes use of cooperative group learning where students did research to find out about the history of their city. Another article I found spoke to the use of both cooperative group learning and advanced organizers (Box & Little, 2003). Box and Little found that the use of both cooperative group learning and advanced organizers improved the self-concept of students. These findings are of high interest to me as this is a portion of what I based my collaborative inquiry project on, improving student independence and confidence.
Moving forward through the quarter I was struck by how many instructional strategies I have not used, or used with regularity, even though they are easily applicable to my practice. The other presentations we saw demonstrated in class are ones that I feel I have not utilized enough in my practice. Both the note taking strategies and the nonlinguistic presentations showed me a method for providing access and differentiation that I need to be utilizing on a regular basis. The two lesson plans I provided with this section of the class both included the use of a nonlinguistic representation. The first used a picture of a “function robot” that provided a visual to my students about what we are really doing when we solve a function (Nonlinguistic Representation Lesson Plan). In the second of these lessons I used a graphic organizer, a flow chart, that showed different circumstances where a relation is a function (Choice (Nonlinguistic) Lesson Plan). Both of these lessons used the information we saw and read about in chapter 5 of Dean, et al., and they required me opening up my practice to include visuals (visual representations are not what I usually desire, so this is not something that has occurred naturally in my lessons). While these representations are not the only nonlinguistic representations, and I admittedly did not employ them in the best way possible, they did represent a stretch for me instructionally. They are also methods of access that I plan to use in the future with my students both during the remainder of this year and in future years. I furthered my understanding of nonlinguistic practice in my research for this session through the article by Singleton & Filce. In this article, the practice of using graphic organizers is discussed, specifically as it pertains to increasing understanding for students with disabilities. This article helped me in that although it is specific for students with disabilities, the practice and benefit can be applied to students who are currently struggling as well.
In addition to the numerous instructional strategies we saw in class and through reading Dean, et al., I feel as though the Hattie reading, and class instruction and discussion related to this, was enlightening. I found chapter 4 in Hattie (2012, p. 41) to be particularly intriguing and relevant to my current practice and the students I have right now. The lead up to the lesson is one of, if not the, most important pieces of the lesson and planning and there are so many things to consider, especially when it comes to the way my students are coming into my class or a lesson. As I was looking through the self attributes described starting on page 44 of Hattie, I found that so many of my students are in the “low” section when it comes to these issues of self. This is part of the reason that throughout this class, I have been so interested in ways that I can increase the confidence of my students and their independence. Moving forward, I will be researching ways in which my colleagues and I can work to improve the confidence and independence of our students.
Additionally, the mind frames that Hattie presents in chapter 9 (p. 182) I found to be both inspiring and a bit overwhelming. To be effective both in the classroom and as a leader of change there is so much that needs to go into my work. The focus on learning rather than teaching is what helps ease the workload in my mind. The idea that the learning of students comes first and foremost, regardless of teaching style or preference or whatever, can be an important motivating factor for all teachers. The quote on page 185 I found to be particularly striking, "I have almost reached a point at which I lose interest in discussions about teaching - not because it is not important, but because it often prevents important discussions about learning" (Hattie, 2012). I like this because it is so easy to get wrapped up in a discussion or debate about how something is taught when what students are learning, or not learning, needs to take precedent. As a math teacher, the article I found by Bruster (2015) drove home the need to place learning first. In the article, Bruster found that with the interventions she use, the five students she was working with became enthralled with reading and writing poetry, even though they all "hated" reading coming in. In placing the learning first, she was able to have students read and write the pieces that they wanted to and still see remarkable improvement in these students. I have to find ways in which I can place the learning of mathematics, a subject many, if not most, loathe, above all else and make adjustments to my practice for my students to learn as much as possible.
Finally, I believe that I have grown in both my instructional ability as well as my comfort and ability to coach or lead my peers in a community shift in practice. All of these readings, presentations, and (often) difficult tasks we completed this quarter have been so influential on the way now I think about teaching and my place as a teacher leader. I know that I have a ton to learn and I hope I always feel that way. I also know that I have some influence over those around me and that if I can find my way through implementing and normalizing some, if not all, of the strategies we learned in class, I will be able to be a leader in helping my school to a place of renewed energy and of higher learning.
Bolkan, S., Goodboy, A. K., & Kelsey, D. M. (2016). Instructor Clarity and Student Motivation: Academic Performance as A Product of Students’ Ability and Motivation to Process Instructional Material. Communication Education, 65(2), 129-148. doi:10.1080/03634523.2015.1079329
Box, J. A., & Little, D. C. (2003). Cooperative Small-Group Instruction Combined with Advanced Organizers and Their Relationship to Self-Concept and Social Studies Achievement of Elementary School Students. Journal Of Instructional Psychology, 30(4), 285-287. http://ezproxy.spu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=eft&AN=507867547&site=ehost-live
Bruster, D. B. (2015). Poetry and Writing: Improving Fluency and Motivation for Students with Developmental Dyslexic Traits. Reading Improvement, 52(3), 93-99.Dean, C., Hubbell, E., Pitler, H., Stone, B. (2012). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Colorado: McREL.
Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. New York: Routledge.
Scheuerell, S. s. (2010). Virtual Warrensburg: Using Cooperative Learning and the Internet in the Social Studies Classroom. Social Studies, 101(5), 194-199. http://ezproxy.spu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=eft&AN=53004482&site=ehost-live
Singleton, S. S., & Filce, H. G. (2015). Graphic Organizers for Secondary Students With Learning Disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 48(2), 110-117. http://ezproxy.spu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=eft&AN=110716471&site=ehost-live
