MST PORTAL - Promoting Open, Reflective Teaching & Learning

My attendance at NECC in San Antonio was made possible through the HP Technology for Teaching Leadership grant award. Last year a team of five teachers from our school were awarded the Technology for Teaching grant and because of our success with implementing our Pond Partners project we were awarded the additional funding as part of the Leadership grant for year two. We now have 15 teachers on the project with 13 k-5 classrooms participating. Saturday and Sunday at San Antonio were spent in meetings with14 other schools awarded the Leadership grant to discuss and plan for the coming year.

Debra Reed, our district’s K-12 Science Curriculum Supervisor, and I mapped our course for next year. The biggest shift in year two of the grant is moving from project-based planning to an initiative based on systemic change for our elementary building. Here’s our draft from our initial planning sessions.

Focus of Team Initiative

Goal #1: Our most important initiative is to shift instructional practices in our school to become constructivist in nature using inquiry-based methods. Both problem and project-based experiences will be the foundation for long-term student-driven investigations centered on living environment concepts. All teachers and students should be involved in real issues that require creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving to generate possible solutions and share findings and learning experiences with stakeholders.

Goal #2: Our second initiative is to increase the use of technology to facilitate learning for both teachers and students. We believe that technology (goal #2) must serve pedagogy (goal #1). We believe the infusion of technology must enable teachers and students to research, create, communicate, and collaborate. This initiative will create the transformative process we are seeking in technology infusion for our teachers and students.

Initiative Objectives

As a result of our initiative, teachers will:

• Understand constructivist theory
• Implement inquiry-based lessons (5E) and experiences (including PBL)
• Integrate technology into lessons
• Involve students in real-world issues that require creativity and innovation
• Establish their own personal learning network
• Design pre/post and formative/summative assessments tied to NYS/National standards
• Use data to inform instructional practices
• Work in collaborative teams focused on student learning

What will change?

Our current state of practice reveals many teachers using traditional, teacher-centered (didactic) direct instruction, where students are passive receptors of knowledge. The change will be the systemic impact on instructional practices and student learning.

As a result of our initiative, students will:

• Develop and implement their own scientific inquiry investigations
• Collect, organize, display, and analyze data from investigations to make decisions and develop solutions
• Increase content understandings related to the living environment
• Use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively
• Create and share multi-media presentations to reflect information learned through the project
• Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology

What will change?

The change will be the shift towards a student-centered environment where they take the lead and responsibility for their learning and are supported and guided by classroom teachers.

As a result of our initiative, systems of technology support, leadership and administration will:

• Facilitate and support collaborative technology-enriched learning environments conducive to innovation for improved learning.
• Support hardware/software/networking

Plan for Measuring Impact on Teaching and Learning

Guiding Action Research Questions

1. What is the effect of implementing inquiry-based instruction on student learning?
2. How does technology support learning?

Multiple Measures of Data

1. Student Learning
   1. How do the post test measures of participating classes compare to the control classes?
2. Perceptions
   1. How do students, parents, and teachers gauge the importance/value of learning through inquiry?
   2. How do students, parents, and teachers gauge the importance/value of using technology?
3. Demographics
   1. How is student learning affected within various demographic groups? (special ed., gender)
4. School Processes
   1. How does the collaborative nature of this initiative support the shift in instructional practice and school/district goals?
   2. How does this initiative support collaborative technology-enriched learning environments that are conducive to innovation for improved learning?

Student Measures

• pre/post content assessment
• open ended task (post)
• journals/learning logs
• inquiry investigations
• graphing & analysis of data collection
• multi-media presentations
• surveys
• post reflections

Teacher Measures

• survey on student learning
• reflections
• pre/post HP technology survey
• pre/post Klem South pedagogy & technology use survey
• peer classroom observations

Leadership, Technology Support, & Administration

• survey
• reflections
• classroom observations

What’s important to note about this initiative is that it is TEACHER DRIVEN with administrative support. Planning for this systemic change for our school is incredibly exciting, yet brought about some personal stress and uncertainty. Last year it was a tremendous amount of work to be the Lead Teacher on the grant with just 4 other teachers and three classrooms working on the year-long project. Now that I’ll be working with 14 other teachers and 13 classrooms, how will we not only implement the environmental science year-long project with k-5 students, but also attain the pedagogical changes in instruction? In my next blog post, I’ll share what happened when our team of teachers in San Antonio met to tackle the obstacles and create a workable plan to create cohesion, excitement, and success for all teachers on the grant.

Questions and feedback on our plan are welcomed as well as other examples of systemic changes driven from the classroom.

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Students involved with the creation of the Save the River video received quite a few positive comments from viewers. (Making Connections for Kids and Students Work to Save the River)

Here’s an excerpt of an email sent to me from Bud Andress, Sr. Park Warden – Special Projects PARKS CANADA.

“Every once and awhile one will come across an initiative taken on by young students with the aid of their teacher and others that simply leaves you awe struck. Such is the case with your video about early ship navigation in ice in the St. Lawrence River. Please know, and tell your class that I think they have made a fantastic video…Young people, on both the U.S. and Canadian sides of the River, like your grade 4 class, are the future of our communities here in the 1000 Islands. It is important that a healthy river ecosystem be there for them as they become adults and raise their own children. It is ever refreshing to see such an environmentally sound message delivered so well.”

Pete Grannis, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation also sent a letter to the students.

“I wanted to let you know how delighted I was to view your video production Save the River on the web. It is one of the most impressive presentations of an important issue that I can recall from my days as a legislator and now as Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. I commend you all for both the creativity and quality of your work along with your strong commitment to protecting New York’s environment and the great St. Lawrence River.

I strongly believe your use of new, multi-media techniques and the internet places you at the forefront of environmental advocacy. When a sincere and professional piece like yours is made available on the web, your message can reach a huge audience and have a real impact. Together, your ability to harness this technology in the early years of education suggests great possibilities for future efforts to reach out to people and build awareness of environmental issues. …”

Then the letter arrived from Collister Johnson, Jr., the Administrator of the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, an agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation. While acknowledging the students’ environmental interests, Mr. Johnson is obviously not pleased with the video. He writes,

“But I am concerned, and frankly surprised, that your teachers and school would allow you to be used and exploited by an organization to advance its own political agenda. Unfortunately, your video, which follows the script supplied by Save the River, contains allegations and assertions that are simply not accurate, nor based on science. In a word, it is propaganda. You may not be familiar with that word, but I hope your teachers will use this exchange of letters as a learning experience and explain the meaning of it to you.

…If you are ever in Washington, D.C., please let me know so that my staff and I can further explain to you the important work that is supported by the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.”

So what were the students’ reactions to the letter? First, they wondered why he had to use “such big words.” Once they discovered what word propaganda meant, they became defensive about their work and the message they were trying to convey. I asked if they wanted to continue the conversation with Mr. Johnson and they wholeheartedly said yes.

Here’s what they wrote.

Administer Collister Johnson, Jr.
Policy Headquarters - St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Suite W32-300
Washington, D.C. USA 20590

Dear Mr. Johnson,

Thank you for writing us a letter and commenting on our Save the River video. We would like you to elaborate on your thoughts about the problems with our video. Since we did quite a bit of research, we are wondering what you think is not accurate. Would you be willing to videoconference with us so we may have a discussion with you? If this is not possible, would one of your staff members be able to chat with us about our environmental concerns with winter shipping on the river?

Thank you and we look forward to hearing back from you.

Sincerely,

4^th Grade Students at Klem Road South Elementary School

The letter was sent out on Monday, April 21^st. So far we haven’t heard back yet. Hopefully Mr. Johnson will reply before our last day of school on June 23^rd. His letter was actually a great eye-opener for the students, parents, and me. The follow up discussion I had with this group of students was fantastic and truly extended upon their work. Students learned that not everyone will agree on important environmental issues, to make sure you have reputable sources of information (like the Dept. of Environmental Services), take the good with the bad, don’t be afraid to ask clarifying questions, stick with your beliefs, and persevere. Let’s hope Mr. Johnson will agree to continue the conversation with these kids.

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The team of teachers involved with the HP TfT Pond Partners grant recently reflected on both student and personal learning throughout the experience as we wrote our final report.

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Data Supporting Impact on Student Learning
When examining the data it is important to note that the three participating classrooms have high populations of students receiving special services. Taking this into account, the gains made through the hands-on, technology rich classroom environments are noteworthy.

2^nd graders in Eva Burns’ class and a control class were given two different assessments; a ten question multiple choice test and a scientific process design task. Results reveal that students in Eva’s class scored higher on several of the multiple choice questions, in particular the questions about seasonal changes, making observations, and identifying correct units of measure.The scientific design task revealed significant differences in the depth of student responses from Eva’s class. We feel the hands-on inquiry-based focus of this project was the factor resulting in students in her class demonstrating a deeper understanding of the scientific method.

3^rd graders in Martha Erbland’s class and a control class were also given two different assessments; a 15 question multiple choice test and a scientific process design task. While the results of the test did not show significant gains, responses on the scientific design task from Martha’s students showed a much deeper understanding and application of the scientific method. Martha also stated that beyond these scores she has seen a marked improvement in her students’ questioning skills, ability to make connections across subject areas, and their understanding and interpretation of data.

4^th graders in Donna Hoffend’s class and a control class were given a fifteen question objective test. Results reveal no differences in student results between the classes. It is also interesting to note that 75% of current 4^th graders had the opportunity to work on a similar year-long project while in 3^rd grade. After lengthy discussions of the data, the team feels as though outside factors may have affected the results. Donna has students with multiple needs including students who receive weekly psychology and talk mentoring sessions. Coupled with the extreme academic needs and special education services, we were very pleased with the test results.

Impact on Instruction
One of our main objectives was to infuse technology into project lesson plans to engage learners, promote higher-order thinking skills, and provide authentic experiences. Through our individual professional development plans and our face-to-face meetings, each member was able to redesign lessons to become more constructivist in nature. Eva stated, “In the past, I gave my students all the information they needed to know. I told them what they would be learning. This year, I am able to give them the technology tools they need in order to find out what they want to know about. We used inquiry throughout the project and students were more motivated to learn because they had an invested interest in what we were learning about.”

The level of personal confidence with technology integration has soared for all participants. Donna noted, “Many of these new technological skills allowed me to create new and interactive lessons for my students.” Just looking at the pre and post data from our technology surveys reveals an incredible amount of growth in regards to the use of technology to support learning.

Another objective was to participate in a Professional Learning Community to reflect on improving student performance throughout the project. Chris reflected, “Perhaps the most important improvement to my teaching repertoire was the collaboration I had with team members. I learned how to redirect our focus based on the questions and interests of our students and the data collected from formative assessments.” This focus has afforded us opportunities to open our practice and learn from each other in ways we have never experienced before.

What’s Next?
Now we wait to see if we will be awarded a continuation and expansion of the grant for our school next year. If awarded, ten additional teachers will join and we’ll expand our focus to “Environmental Stewardship” K-5. If not, I’m sure this team of teachers will work on other problem and project-based learning experiences with their kids next year and encourage other grade level team members to join in.

While this was the most intensive project I have worked on in years, it was by far the most rewarding working as a collaborative team and seeing the kids present their findings, reflect using VoiceThread (in progress), and seek out new learning opportunities. Isabelle wrote on the Pond Partners wiki, “Fourth grade learned about potable water and how we waste it. I think we should also take into consideration how much garbage we throw out. Do you think we could all team up to try and recycle more? Are garbage dumps are getting full of things that we can recycle? Anything that has a 1 or a 2 on the bottom you can recycle. Lets all recycle!” I see a possible PBL topic for next year!

I’d love to learn more from other classroom teachers who are collecting and analyzing data to identify the impact of technology and/or PBL on learning for both students and teachers. Please share your ideas and suggestions. Thanks!

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Students recently shared their learning from our Pond Partners project made possible through a HP Technology for Teaching grant.

Project Summary
Students in grades 2, 3, and 4 worked as environmental scientists as they discovered the hidden world of macro-invertebrates in our local ponds and stream and from this investigation developed an understanding of the importance of clean, fresh water on our entire ecosystem. On-site field observations and water quality sampling occurred throughout the year and classrooms developed their own inquiry-based investigations to further deepen their content understandings and enhance their scientific process skills. Students explored life cycles of macro-invertebrates, invasive species of Lake Ontario, and issues regarding potable water.

Presentation Skills
Besides the incredible amount of science concepts and technology skills these students learned, the presentation skills of the representative group of students from the three classes were outstanding. A multi-media presentation was shared with the Monroe County Water Coalition at their board meeting at the BrightonTown Hall (and we were able to videoconference with the rest of the students back at school so they could also participate in the Q&A session), at our Webster Board of Education televised meeting in April, and with classmates and community members at an assembly at our school. Here’s the Ustream of our school assembly.
What was awesome about these presentations was the professionalism, poise, and confidence these students, ages 7-10, demonstrated in front of both peers and adults. Way to go!

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Yes, it is April 1st, but these two blog recommendations are no joke!

This year several grade levels have worked in the MST PORTAL room using GPS & Geocaching as part of their science lessons (2nd grade for butterfly migration, 5th grade for latitude/longitude and science process skills, and our HP group for marking data collection locations). Also an afterschool program is currently underway led by a senior at Schroeder H.S. who is teaching a handful of kids about geocaching out on the Hojack Trail.  If you are interested in learning more about this technology, my first recommendation this week is to check out Anna Baralt’s blog, GPS and Geocaching with Elementary Students.  She has written about everything you could ever want to know about GPS, Geocaching, and GIS all related to elementary age students.

My second recommendation for reading this week comes from Sylvia Martinez.  Have you ever found yourself frustrated and confused by the use of technology in your classroom?  Have you ever thought about asking one of your students for help?  Read this post about the talents of an 11 year old.  I can think of a few tech-savy kids right at Klem South who would love the opportunity to help other students AND teachers learn more about using technology in the classroom. 

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