1. Summary
This week, our team discussed a variety of instructional strategies including:
-Tiering assignments
-Independent learning for G/T students
-Creating opportunities for rigor
-Think Pair Share
-E-Word Walls
-Graphic Organizers
-KWL
-Jigsaw
The second question discussed brought up some interesting points about situations that where implementing these research-based strategies may fail. Often, as educators, we learn a new strategy in professional development and are eager to try it out on our students. As wonderful as they sound in an adult learning environment, they don’t always translate to the classroom, because not every classroom is identical.
2. Research
These thoughts led me to research why instructional strategies may sometimes fail.
1. In this report on failing schools, the author completed a comprehensive study of many different types of schools and the interventions they were trying to implement. He discovered “among the 17 intervention types reviewed, there was no specific strategy that resulted in compelling evidence that it is superior to other interventions in terms of effectiveness” (Brady 2003).
Brady, R. The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, (2003). Can failing schools be fixed?. Retrieved from website: http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED498798
2. This article examines “scientifically-based” reading intervention programs and recommends how to spot ineffective ones. She outlines the difference between ineffective reading strategies (such as use of memorization, picture cues, and contextual guessing for teaching word recognition), and the types of methods that mark a successful reading program, such as “support reading comprehension by focusing on a deep understanding of topic and theme rather than just a set of strategies and gimmicks” (Moats, 2007).
Moats, L. (2007). Whole-language high jinks: How to tell when "scientifically-based reading instruction" isn't . Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED498005
3. This article examines Chicago public schools and how strategies that exhibit coherence produce the best and most consistent results. With so many different school improvement strategies in place, educators and decisionmakers want to know what the best methods are. Unfortunately, as we have discovered, there is no magic formula. If there was, there would not be an education crisis in America.
Newmann, F., Smith, B., Allensworth, E., & Bryk, A. Consortium on Chicago School Research, (2001). School instructional program coherence: Benefits and challenges. improving chicago's schools. Retrieved from website: http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED451305
3. Recommendation
I recommend scanning the first report, available at http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED498798
The report refers to No Child Left Behind often and the implications of this research on failing schools and interventions. When this report was published, over 4 million children were attending over 8,000 failing public schools in America.
4. Questions to consider
What interventions have you seen work first-hand? Which ones have failed?
What do you think about the importance of consistency in implementation?
All documented interventions in my district are computer based. Teachers report success for students with several of the programs including My Reading Coach, Fasttmath, Earobics, MindPlay and Destination Math. I think that the biggest gains are seen for students that are seen by the interventionist on a regular basis for a combination of computer based instruction with careful monitoring. How useful is it to document that a student attempted a task 27 times with 34% accuracy? A teacher that is carefully monitoring the student can intervene after the 3rd attempt and pull the student to the side for some one-on-one instruction so that they can be more successful on the computer. I also thought it interesting that the report (Brady 2003) found “School leadership is a common thread in most successful turnarounds.” I think that by fostering a climate with high expectations for all students interventions are more likely to be successful.
ReplyDeleteReference
Brady, R. (2003). Can failing schools be fixed? Washington, DC: Thomas B.
Fordham Foundation. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED498798
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, "School leadership is a common thread in most successful turnarounds."
ReplyDeleteThe principal’s (school leadership) ability to select right work is crucial for effective leadership and improving student achievement. Many schools work “hard” but not “smart” in that they select interventions that have little chance of improving student achievement (Marzano, 2003). I think it goes without saying that those factors that can impact student achievement and learning ought to be the focus of our improvement efforts. The key is to select factors that research and experience tells us can be altered to improve student achievement and learning and that we can afford.
Marzano, R.J. (2003). What Works in Schools: Translating Research into Action. Alexandria, Va. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
The school I work at is actually exempted from NCLB. It is a Title I school with over 90% of the population qualifying for free breakfast. The state has established that the school is a poor performing school, but I feel that they have failed in establishing an improvement plan (step 3). According to Brady, one way to establish an improvement plan is to "implement a 'comprehensive
ReplyDeleteschool reform' model in the school—a thorough program designed to change multiple key curricular, planning, communications, and other processes in schools in coordinated fashion around a coherent school design or philosophy" (Brady 2003). I feel that the school I teach at needs to look at other schools to see what is working. For one thing, I do not see where the Title I money goes. There is a serious lack of technology at the school. There are only one computer per classroom. Other schools that I have observed have student computers in every classroom, or have access to computers. Also, instead of focusing on teacher professional development, I feel that teachers should raise student standards. Other teachers hardly ever assign homework, which is an important key to student success. It is only so much a teacher can do if the students do not feel like they are being challenged. They will think that it's okay to do sub-standard work.
Reference:
Brady, R. (2003). Can failing schools be fixed? Washington, DC: Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED498798