EETT AR Mentors:
Getting Started
August 2008
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
2
AR Process
•
•
•
•
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Identify the AR Inquiry
AR Context
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Implications & Actions
3
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
6
Data Collection
• Possible strategies; use multiple when
possible
-Test scores
-Student artifacts
-Anecdotal records
-Focus groups
-Fieldnotes
-Rubrics
-Journals
-Informal interviews
-Reflective journals
-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 Р Simple Machines
15
70
55
#2 - Weather
20
73
53
#1 РSimple Machines
Pre-Tests (No
technology)
40
Post-Tests
(Technolgoy)
79
39
#2 - Weather
50
90
40
STUDENT #2
Difference
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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 Р5
Low - High
Willingness to
take the test
Pre Р Test
#1
1
Pre Р Test
#2
1
Post Р Test
#1
5
Post Р Test
#2
5
Focus on the
test
Avoidance
behaviors
during the test
3 Р staring off
3 Р staring off
3 Рrepeated
attempts to
use the
restroom,
sharpen
pencils
5 Р repeated
requests to
read questions
to student
4 Р left the
extended
response
questions
(ones t hat
require more
reading) blank
3 Р repeated
attempts to
use the
restroom,
sharpen
pencils
5 Р repeated
requests to
read questions
to student
4 Р left the
extended
response
questions
(ones t hat
require more
reading) blank
5 Р very
focused
5 Р no
avoidance
behaviors
5 Р very
focused
5 Р no
avoidance
behaviors
1 Р asked no
questions
1 Р asked no
questions
5 Р completed
the whole test
5 Р completed
the whole test
Questions
asked during
test
Completeness
of the test
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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
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