Sunday, February 3, 2013

Action Research Report DRAFT



Action Research Report

Abstract or Executive Summary
To be completed at a later date…

Title and Author
Implementing Effective Instructional Strategies

Introduction / Background (Section One) 
During the 2011-2012 school year, Brazosport ISD contracted an outside source to conduct a district audit where the findings encouraged significant attention to various areas of curriculum.  One finding in particular stressed that auditors discovered a lack of clear and consistent direction for classroom instruction in district documents.  District instruction generally consisted of teacher-directed whole group instruction or individual seatwork.  Auditors observed instruction requiring mostly low levels of cognitive processes and knowledge dimensions.  Few research-based effective instructional practices were evident.  Brazosport ISD is an urban district composed of nineteen campuses which includes eleven elementary campuses, two middle school campuses, three middle school campuses, two high schools, and one alternative campus.  BISD also provides special education programs for pre-school children and a career and technology education program on the secondary level.  The district ethnic composition is 38.8% White, 48.99% Hispanic, 8.12% African American, 1.6% Asian, .05% Pacific Islander, .48% Native American and 1.96% other.  Recently Brazosport ISD was rated Acceptable.  The district has 4 exemplary campuses, 6 recognized, and 9 acceptable in state assessment ratings.  In a district of 12,372 students, 9.9% are special education and 13.1% gifted and talented.  There are 47 campus administrators and 55 central office administrators who assisted in this action research project.  The central office administration includes five instructional coaches, of which I am included.  In addition to data collection, instructional coaches are responsible for training staff members on effective instructional strategies and supporting the implementation. 
Needs Assessment
Data collected during the district curriculum audit included, but are not limited to, student groupings, technology in use, cognitive process and knowledge dimensions, research-based effective instructional strategies, and effective strategies in the ESL classroom.  While district goals and core beliefs stressed the importance of student success, higher levels, and more rigor, this is not what was seen in classrooms by the auditors.  As auditors stated in their findings, “Classrooms consist of low rigor and limited use of effective practices.”  The evidence of teacher use of effective instructional practices can be described in Figure 1.
Figure 1

Instructional Strategy
Percentage of Classroom
Specific learning goals/objectives
11
Corrective Feedback
10
Reinforcement of effort; recognition
33
Well-constructed cooperative learning
2
Cues and prompts
12
Advance Organizers
4
Non-Linguistic representations
7
Kinesthetic activities to increase student achievement
2
Mental Pictures (by students)
0
Physical models of concepts (manipulatives)
7
Summarizing
3
Note-taking
6
Time for practice, review, application
21
Homework with a clear purpose
0
Comparing, classifying, metaphors/analogies
3
Generate and test hypotheses (students)
0
Clearly explain hypotheses and conclusions
0

As the district increases in the number of non-English speaking students, auditors looked for evidence of effective strategies for use with English language learners as recommended by the Texas Education Agency.  In these bilingual classrooms, the most common strategies were modeling of spoken language, direct teaching of vocabulary, use of various visual aids, and native language support.  In 20% of bilingual classrooms, the strategies of verbal cues, sentence stems, and positive feedback were evident.  Over all, effective strategies for English language learners were infrequent.  Teacher use of practice, review and application were the most common; however, this was often in the form of students completing seatwork in the form of worksheets or other low-level assignments.  Most of the effective instructional strategies were evident in the classroom less than 10% of the time. 
Objective and Vision of the Action Research Project
After careful review of the data presented to the district Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment team, it was determined that 100% of teachers would be trained on Classroom Instruction That Works (also referred to as CITW),  including strategies for differentiating instruction to meet the needs of English language learners, special education, and gifted students.  When these strategies are in place 70% of the school day, how is student success impacted?

Literature Review (Section Two)
Monitoring curriculum delivery and instructional practices becomes the primary responsibility of the building principal.  Other district staff may assist in communicating expectations and in curriculum monitoring and coaching. (Birmingham, 2012)  Typical practices of monitoring curriculum include regular review of lesson plans, frequent visits to the classrooms, formal and informal conferences and observations, and participation in meetings and discussions.  As administrators begin monitoring instructional practices in the classrooms, the following information will explain evidence of the CITW framework being used in daily instruction.  In the first edition of CITW, teachers and schools were encouraged to focus on the first three or four strategies that provided the highest yield to student success.  (Dean, Hubbell, Pitler, & Stone, 2012)  The second edition provides a framework that starts with building a foundation.  They call this foundation “Creating the Environment for Learning.”  This is a backdrop for every lesson, every day.  Without creating the environment for learning, teachers will never see the high yield gains they would hope in the other strategies.  Creating the Environment for Learning includes three of the nine strategies – Setting the Objective and Providing Feedback, Recognizing Effort and Providing Recognition, and Cooperative Learning.  Component two of the CITW framework is “Helping Students Develop Understanding.”  This component acknowledges that students come to the classroom with prior knowledge and understanding.  Teachers will be able to scaffold for new learning.  Finally, component three of the CITW framework is “Helping Students Extend and Apply Knowledge.”  Students should move beyond the right answer and expand their understanding to apply the new learning in real-world contexts. (Dean et al., 2012) Figure 2 (Dean et al., 2012)
The nine effective instructional strategies reflect three main principles:
  1. Students come to class with prior understandings.  To promote student learning, teachers must use this understanding and experience to build upon.
  2. Students must be provided the opportunities to apply and retrieve knowledge in real-world contexts.
  3. Students will learn more effectively when they know how they learn and reflect on their learning.
What are these nine principals? Setting the Objective provides students with an understanding of what is intended to be learned; can include surveying students, checking for understanding, goal setting, and activating prior knowledge.  Recognizing Effort and Providing Recognition tracks students effort, praises students for a job well done, and letting them know why they have done well; provides praise for goal attainment.  Cooperative Learning when used correctly, as opposed to small groups, provides students with opportunities to interact, socialize, and enhance the learning.   Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers allows students to retrieve, use, and organize what is already known about a topic.  Non-linguistic representation is too often misjudged as just picture representation, but can also include kinestic activities, class demonstrations, mental imagery, graphic organizers, skits, drama, and/or music.  Summarizing and Notetaking will provide students the chance to synthesize information and organize it in way that captures their understanding of the materials.  Assigning Homework and Providing Practice extends the learning by providing an opportunity to practice, review, and apply knowledge.  Homework and practice should be meaningful and engaging, intended to reach a proficient skill level.  Identifying Similarities and Differences, even though it is the highest yield it is the least used strategy, involves students in a mental process to determine how items are alike and how they are different.   And finally, Generating and Testing Hypotheses involve students in making and testing hypotheses in four types of scientific designs – experimental, investigation, problem solving and systems analysis.  (Hubbell, E., personal communication, October 30, 2012)

<Still to be entered: INSERT LITERATURE REVIEW ON GAINS IN INSTRUCTION AND WHAT EVIDENCE TO LOOK FOR WHEN MONITORING CLASSROOMS FOR EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES.>

Action Research Design (Section Three)

Articulate the Vision
Brazosport ISD’s superintendent created the district strategic plan with her cabinet members.  Through this plan, the superintendent was able to articulate to her campus and district administrators the goals for campus staff and faculty in implementing Classroom Instruction That Works.  Curriculum coordinators and more importantly curriculum coaches were given the task of training 100% of campus faculty.  This task was introduced, to the campus principals, in a presentation on the lesson model 5E, where 8 of the 9 effective instructional strategies were utilized.  Principals recognized these strategies within the activity and then the vision and goals for Classroom Instruction That Works was shared.  The second edition of Classroom Instruction That Works was ordered for each campus, principals were informed of the curriculum coaches’ professional development workshops that would be conducted throughout the year on their campuses.  Finally, the principals were reminded of the benchmark data on effective instructional strategies collected the prior year.  Additional articulation of these goals was shared through board meetings, curriculum team meetings, faculty meetings at individual campuses, and through communication of the strategies on the district coaching Google site  https://sites.google.com/a/brazosportisd.net/instructional-coaching-for-teachers/ . 
Manage the Organization
The first step in assuring that 100% of the district faculty would be able and prepared to fully implement these strategies in their classroom, required district and campus administrators understanding the effective instructional strategies as well.  Through federal funds for professional development, author of Classroom Instruction That Works, 2nd Edition, Elizabeth Hubbell was able to visit our district.  In this two day training, she provided administrators with all inclusive training in knowing what these strategies looked like in the classroom, along with theory and research supporting the strategies.  An additional day of training was provided to gain an understanding and knowledge of collecting data on these strategies in the classroom through the McRel Power Walkthrough data collection tool.  This tool allows each campus and district administrator to collect data in the same manner with the same tool, rather than multiple collection tools across the district.  Later on this data is disaggregated in order to compare to our benchmark data shared earlier in our Needs Assessment.  Upon completion of the CITW training, campus administrators were offered the opportunity to meet with their campus instructional coach to arrange professional development for each of their campuses, conducted by the district instructional coaches.  For the 2012-2013 school year, a workshop series of nine sessions would be offered targeting the need of effective instructional strategies in the classroom.  Throughout that school year, instructional coaches meet together to review the literature and research, gather resources and ideas, and plan the workshop series topic for the month.  Campuses allotted time at least once a month to have coaches on the campuses to present this staff development session.  Timing and offerings varied campus by campus.  Sessions were offered in one of multiple ways:
·         Grade level planning times
·         During faculty meetings
·         During common collaboration time
·         After school on voluntary basis
The managing of the staff was determined by how the session was offered.  In common grade level planning times, the sessions were small and at most had 30 minutes to present a strategy.  The downfall to presenting during grade level planning times was the session was taking time away from the teachers planning period and had to be repeated 5-8 times a day.  When sessions were presented during faculty meetings, the groups were larger, sometimes 40-50 participants, with staff members slowly arriving after completing after school duties.  Finding time during collaboration time always proved difficult because campuses have this scheduled in advance.  Another negative to collaboration time was the large groups with only 20-30 minutes.  The least effective way to present the workshop series was when offered after school on a voluntary basis.  The district initiative and goal was to implement CITW on all campuses with 100% of teachers being trained.  Voluntary sessions did not align with district goals.  Ultimately, ongoing support was provided to teachers, through needs-based professional development and through monitoring by administrators.  This was done in the form of developing a district staff development plan and implementing the McRel Power Walk Through form. 
Manage Operations
Once training had taken place, campuses and district administrators began collecting classroom data.  Data collected included grade level, content area, and the effective instructional strategies evident in the two – four minute walk through.  Also included in the power walk throughs is the level of Bloom’s taxonomy, student grouping, and use of technology by teachers and students.  Indicators of learning were recorded along with the results of a short student interview, “Can you tell me what you are learning, today?”  Two areas of conflict were involved with the implementation of Classroom Instruction That Works.  First, teachers wanted immediate feedback on the results of their classroom visit.  However, with the McRel power walk throughs teachers do not receive feedback individually.  All data is compiled either by district, campus, grade level, or content areas.  Through reflective sessions teachers are able to review data to set goals to address the needs determined by the patterns in the data. In addition, content leaders at the campus level were invited to shadow administrators conducting classroom walk throughs to see the process of data collection.  In return, these leaders were able to communicate to peers that the walk throughs were informal and not part of formal evaluations.  The second conflict came during training of this district initiative.  Teachers shared their concerns about limited amounts of planning time to plan and prepare lessons that incorporate CITW strategies.  Instructional coaches stressed time and time again that teachers are most likely already incorporating these strategies into daily lessons, just not at the appropriate level or rigor required by state standards.  Through CITW training, these fears and concerns were eased as teachers began to receive resources and ideas to fully implement effective instructional strategies into their classrooms.  After understanding and clarification of strategies, teachers knew the possible impact effective instructional strategies could have on the success of their students.
Respond to Community Interest and Needs
Included in the curriculum audit findings was a need to include strategies for differentiated instruction to meet the needs of English language learners, special education students, and gifted and talented students.  The office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment determined that 100% of teachers would be training in CITW to address this finding.  Evidence of these strategies were collected and analyzed separately from the regular education classroom to show increased rigor and use of these strategies in these classrooms.  This data can be seen in Figure 3.
<INSET FIGURE 3 HERE WHEN COMPLETE>

Findings (Section Four)
To be completed at a later date…

Conclusions and Recommendations (Section Five)
To be completed at a later date… 

References (Final Section)
Birmingham, J., Lutkemeier, D., Spence, D., & Zinn, L. (2012). A Curriculum Audit of the Brazosport Independent School District, Standard 3 (pp. 105 – 144). Johnston, IA: Curriculum Management Systems, Inc.

Dean, C.B., Hubbell, E., Pitler, H., & Stone, B.J. (2012). Classroom instruction that works: Research based strategies for increasing student achievement (6th ed.) Denver, CO.




Thursday, January 17, 2013

Workshop Series Part 4 - Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers


Classroom Instruction That Work
Workshop Series – Part 4 Cues, Questioning, & Advance Organizers
January 2013


Tasks
Notes
Engage



Thinking Caps




Explore


Skimming
(Advance Organizer)



Explain

  • Inferential Questioning
  • Analytic Questioning
  • Essential/Guiding Questions
  • Explicit Cues
  • Advance Organizers



Elaborate



Graphic Organizers - Quick Write




Evaluate



Writing Essential Questions





* Additional Resources located through B-Connect, select Instructional Resources, click on the Brazosport Instructional Coaching Google site, and finally select the tab “CITW – Classroom Instruction That Works”.
ENGAGE: - Thinking Caps  – ask for volunteers to put on the “thinking cap”.  The person wearing the cap is the spokes person.  They must discuss CITW with their group and be prepared to respond to the question based on their hat choice.

Explore – Groups will “skim” the notes Tips page given to them.  Thinking Caps have been rearranged and now a new discussion will take place based on what they read and their new hat.

Explain – Refer to chart showing examples of each type of questioning and where they can find the essential questioning.  Discuss giving explicit cues to tell students what they are learning.  Demo, video clips, drawings, graphics, etc…Not to be used as extras at the end of the unit, but more powerful if used at the beginning – just like the short stories and picture books have traditionally been used to introduce topics.  During workshop series sessions, many teachers are concerned with the amount of time to prep for these strategies.  I try to stress the fact that these are strategies they are probably doing, we just want to bring it to their attention and emphasis them.  They require little to no additional planning, other than normal planning.  However, with this strategy it is the one that requires the most advanced planning because you have to think out the questions prior to teaching.

ELABORATE – Circle Map with “Organizers” in the middle.  Teachers do a quick write for 2 minutes to write as many organizers as they can.  Discuss briefly Thinking Maps and remind teachers of google site where additional resources are.  Graphic Organizers are revisited again in NLR.

EVALUATE -  Teachers write at least one essential question for a lesson that they have coming up.


THINKING CAPS:
Each color hat represents a different point of view. The six color hats used are red, blue, black, white, green, yellow.  See included attachment.


Thursday, January 10, 2013

Workshop Series Part 3 - Cooperative Learning


Classroom Instruction That Work
Workshop Series – Part 3 Cooperative Learning
January 2013


Engage “The Hand Game”/ “The Trust Walk” /Cooperative Learning Hand Wrestling

Explore * Anchor Chart
              * Cooperative Learning Expectations
             * Small group vs Cooperative Learning

Explain Tips for teaching from CITW ed 2 pg 46

Elaborate T.E.A.M. or other groupings Coaching Site Resources*

Evaluate How to monitor and evaluate groups


* Additional Resources located through B-Connect, select Instructional Resources, click on the District Instructional Coaching Google site, and finally select the tab “CITW – Classroom Instruction That Works”.

Working Agenda / Presenter Notes
Hand Game – came from wall wisher on CITW Google site.  Cross over hands with each other.  One tap starts the rotation around the semi circle, double tap reverses rotation.  Hands are crossed so everyone has to rely on the person before them and after and pay close attention.  If you tap out of turn, that hand is out. 
Trust Walk requires partners to work together to get through the obstacles.  The blindfolded partner can't see, but the seeing partner can't touch to blindfolded one.  They must safely walk their blind partner around the hole (paper circle on the ground) and over the stump (a cone in the path) and safely into the chair at the end.  
The Hand Wrestling has partners wrestling.  The goal is that which ever team gets the most hands down on table wins.  (Adults quickly figure this out, but kids start to fight against each other until they realize they should be a team)

The purpose of these activities - what do you have to do to complete the task? Can you complete the goal/task without the help of other team members?

Explore – groups will create a Teamwork anchor chart – one that they would want to use in their class.  What do you want cooperative learning to look like, what do you want it to sound like, what are you expectations?

Explain – Review the TIPS for Teaching on pg 46. 
  1. discuss how team building activities at beginning of the year allow students to grow together and work together, get to know one another.
  2. set expectations with an anchor chart, model and practice expectations
  3.  
  4.   Cooperative learning should be used to master or practice a skill
  5. clearly defined goals, roles and responsibilities for each member while maintaining individual accountability.
  6.  

TEAM(S) poster and grouping, grouping cards, when to use grouping.  Questions to ask if Cooperative learning is a good strategy:
* is negotiation, debating, problem solving, or team skills being taught, practices, or assessed?
* will the children learn the material more effectively with peer support than with out?
* do the students need a break from independent work or teacher directed activities?

Partner learning is another form of Cooperative Learning

Reference www.lauracandler.com for many free Cooperative Learning resources

Discuss managing groups – STOP signs to remind groups to have a moment of silence to reflect on what they are learning or to make sure they are on track.  (Gave copies to participants of http://www.lauracandler.com/strategies/CL/CooperativeLearningSOS.pdf and http://www.lauracandler.com/strategies/CL/TeamStopSigns.pdf

Elaborate – RESOURCES!!! on Coaches google site

Evaluate – discussed ways to have students self reflect on group work.  Shared an example of an evaluation.  TEAM evaluation if using TEAM – maintains accountability of all group members and self reflection. How do you grade cooperative learning assignments? Individually or as a team?