RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION DESIGN 2012

www.PosterPresentations.com
In light of the adoption of the Common Core State Standards of
Mathematics, schools are in a state of great changes. The new standards
require a transformation not only of what is taught to students but in how
they are taught. This is a necessary change most directly caused by the
increase of technology over the last two decades. As access to technology
increased, the amount of new technology increased. This has led to a
complete overhaul of how many jobs are done; both in creating new jobs
that have never before existed as well as elimination of jobs as technology
replaced the need for human workers.
If this nations workforce, economy, and infrastructure is greatly changing,
the school system must change to meet the needs of modern US society.
This includes preparing students to be successful upon leaving high school,
whether that is career or college ready. With the educational institutions
lagging behind these rapid changes, there has been an increasing amount
of students passing school yet being unable to succeed in post-secondary
life. This is a direct result of previous standards merely scratching the
surface of topics and not providing students the opportunity to deeply
understand important skills.
Introduction
With this in mind, a new math classroom structure is in order. The purpose
of this project was to create a guide for how to set up a mastery-driven,
differentiated classroom through the use of technology. The guide, a
website, discusses in great detail how to begin setting up a yearly plan,
grading, and a workflow of how students will progress through various
activities to achieve greater depth of mathematical understanding while
developing self-directed, confident learners.
Purpose of the Project
The highlighted items below are when students will be using their 1:1 technology to further their learning. It is interesting to note that the opportunities for
using technology increases as the students deepen their knowledge.
Classroom Flow for Students
The website can be found here: http://goo.gl/OHfje0 or http://tinyurl.com/TUCarnes.
This site will guide you through creating a student-centered math classroom that leverages the gift of having 1:1 technology. Under the "Introduction" tab you
will find all the instructions you will need for getting started in your own room.
Website Guide
Overview of the Attributes
Mastery Learning:
Originally coined by Benjamin Bloom in 1968 and later refined by James H.
Block in 1971, mastery learning is an optimistic theory that promotes the
notion that all students can learn and learn excellently given the right
environment (Bloom, 1968). While there is no defined prescription for how
to implement mastery learning in the classroom, the main components
include a mix of learning arrangements including teacher-paced group
instruction, one-to-one tutoring, and self-paced learning with programmed
materials. Students are given explicit learning goals for which they must
demonstrate mastery; students are able to learn in whatever fashion best
suits them and can show their mastery in a variety of formats.
Student Ownership:
This is the notion that in order to increase student ownership, retention of
concepts, and deeper understanding, the students must have some amount
of control of what they are learning and how they access that learning.
One crucial 21
st
century skill students need to learn is how to set and
balance their own goals, taking this task away from the teacher, to initiate
and self-direct their own activities, again taking responsibility away from
instructors, and to work independently (Wolters, 2010). This ownership of
learning manifests as students that are routinely described as self-starters
who can work independently to achieve their goals--a huge step in the
right direction for schools helping create students prepared for college and
career success.
Standards-based Grading:
If the way we teach is to change we must also change the way we grade.
In short, SBG requires teachers to assign grades based on explicit learning
criteria derived from learning standards and they compel teachers to
distinguish between process, product, and progress (Guskey, Swan, &
Young, 2011). Grading in these three distinct categories allows student
achievement to be clear as the grade for achievement (product) is only
representative of a students understanding and not some confusing
amalgamation that's impossible to interpret and that rarely presents a true
picture of students' proficiency (Guskey, 2011).SBG is akin to how
evaluations are done in the workplace as it requires emphasis on quality
and the ability to improve in areas that are not up to par (Sciffney, 2008).
Differentiation:
For decades teachers have struggled with growing classroom sizes and a
diverse range of student abilities. Through the use of emerging
educational technologies and SBG, todays teachers are in the position to
make meaningful, daily differentiation a reality. With SBG, students
cannot hide behind completing assignments in place of learning content.
SBG provides information of what students know or dont know and allows
for students to retest and use alternate assessments until they show
proficiency.
References
Id like to thank many people for their help in the completion of this
project. Namely Mary Allen and SHUSD for allowing me to pursue higher
education during the school year, Sergio Villegas, Roger Pence, Steve
Gibbs, and Dr. Pamela Redmond for their guidance at Touro, Bobby Ruth
for keeping my phone charged, Patty Wyman for getting me to class safely,
Brad Fisher for delightful car conversations, Karin Hatton for keeping us
focused in class, Brady Mitchell for giving me something to aspire to,
Kendal Shomura for #stresseats, and last, but certainly not least, my
wonderful and supportive husband Joel Carnes for endless support and
encouragement throughout this program.
For further information
For further information please contact dcarnesrls@gmail.com. Additionally
you may find the entire workflow online at http://tinyurl.com/TUCarnes
The PDF version of this poster is available here:
Debra Carnes
Graduate School of Education, Touro UniversityCalifornia
Leveraging Technology for Teaching Common Core Math in a 1:1 Environment
Acknowledgements
Bloom, B. S. (1968). Learning for mastery. Durham, NC: Regional Education
Laboratory for the Carolinas and Virginia.
Guskey, T. R., Swan, G. M., & Jung, L. A. (2011). Grades that mean something:
Kentucky develops standards-based report cards. Phi Delta Kappan, 93(2), 52-57.
Guskey, T. (2011). Five obstacles to grading reform. Educational Leadership, 69(3),
16-21.
Scriffny, P. (2008). Seven reasons for standards-based grading. Educational
leadership, 66 (2), pp. 70-74.
Wolter, C. A. (2010). Self-regulated learning and the 21st century competencies.
Retrieved 27 March 2014 from
http://www.hewlett.org/uploads/Self_Regulated_Learning__21st_Century_Compt
etencies.pdf