Hewitt Elementary
Using Activities and Timed Practice for Math Facts Fluency
Primary Researchers
Joyce Chang, Intern, Baylor University
Christine Smith, BS Ed, Mentor Teacher, Hewitt Elementary, Midway ISD
Jill Underwood, EdD, Professor, Baylor University
Rationale/Introduction
The third-grade TEKS states that the students need to master multiples of 0 through 10. Throughout the school year, I have noticed that many of my students struggle in automaticity with math facts. This is holding my students back from demonstrating their knowledge in class. In my action research, I decided to focus on lower tier one students because mastering multiplication will allow them to fully demonstrate. My instruction will focus on patterns in multiplication and using repeated addition. Then, we will also use timed practice to build automaticity and assess speed and accuracy.
Question/Wondering
How can including timed math fact practice and multiplication activities, with a small group of mixed gender, tier one, and two students, increase automaticity in math fact multiplication?
Methodology/Results
My research was conducted during stations in my math block. After the whole group mini lesson, I pull a group of five participants for 15 minutes every day, four days a week, and for four weeks. These participants are mixed gender, tier one, and two students.
Participant Characteristics:
- Participant 1: 8 years old, third grade, male, White, and middle class.
- Participant 2: 9 years old, third grade, female, Hispanic, and middle class.
- Participant 3: 8 years old, third grade, male, Hispanic, and middle class.
- Participant 4: 9 years old, third grade, female, White, and middle class.
- Participant 5: 9 years old, third grade, female, Hispanic, and middle class.
The strategy instruction will include modified methods used in 6 easy steps on how to teach multiplication in fun ways for students by Prodigy Game (Prieur, 2023). During the first week, I will use a ten-by-ten multiplication chart to identify easy patterns with multiplication. Some of these patterns include 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10. Helping the students understand the patterns will make memorizing multiplication facts feel approachable to the students. We will also review repeated addition as a strategy. The students learned multiplication during the fall, so they will have some mastery or automaticity with multiplication. Then, throughout the weeks, we will cover multiples of 0 through 10.
I use various activities in my instruction to meet the different learning styles of my students (Liggett, 2017). At the beginning of our station, I will use note cards of the multiple of the week to review the pattern. This sets the focus of the week, and is an activity that I use every day. Then, the students have the choice to play a multiplication spin the wheel game or multiplication math wars. These activities will include multiples that the students are familiar with so that they can practice the skill as a game. On Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays of each week, I use exit tickets with the multiple of the week as a formative assessment to evaluate my students' knowledge on a specific multiple. This is not timed, and the students can use as much time as they need. On Wednesday, we have a timed formative assessment. The students are given intervals of 35, 30, and 25 seconds to answer 10 multiplication questions of the same multiple. This assessment measures how the students perform in a timed assessment, with the multiple as an isolated skill. Lastly, every Thursday, at the end of our station, the students complete a 2-minute timed assessment. Timed practices will give the students the opportunity to apply the knowledge that they learned. These assessments have one hundred questions with multiples of 1-10, and the data is used as the summative assessment.
Midway ISD conducts beginning (BOY), middle MOY), and end of the year (EOY) assessments on multiplication throughout the semester. These are 2-minute timed assessments with forty questions (including multiples of 0 through 10). The students are evaluated through the number of digits answered correctly. (If the question is 2x9 and a student answers 18, they will get two points. If they answered 28, they would receive one point.) Then, the students are evaluated through a set of goals set by the school district. The third grade BOY goal is 0-8, MOY is 9-17, and EOY is 20-39. This assessment has a maximum score of 69 points, so I will include the fourth grade EOY goal of 40 to 79 to measure students who perform above third grade goals. For my research, I used the MOY data as my pre-assessment. Then, at the end of my research, I used the same assessment as a post assessment. The whole class completed the pre and post assessment on the same day.
During the pre-assessment, two participants met the third grade MOY goal, and three met the third grade EOY goal. Their scores were slightly below average; the class answered 26 questions correctly on average while the participants answered 23. At the end of my research, all my participants had a significant amount of growth compared to the nonparticipants. Four participants met the fourth grade EOY goal, and one met the third grade EOY goal. The class answered 32 questions correctly on average, and the participants answered 57. The participants on average answered 18.6 more questions accurately and scored 34.4 more points than before. They attempted almost all the questions on the assessment, demonstrating automaticity in multiplication math facts.
Implications/Recommendations
Overall, this was a successful study. The varied activities kept the students engaged and their needs met. The small group of participants showed noticeable growth compared to their peers. This study also showed how great of an impact 15 minutes every day for four weeks has made. Incorporating multiple activities and methods of assessment showed the students’ mastery in math facts. However, incorporating this in an average classroom may be difficult. My mentor teacher taught a unit on multiplication earlier in the school year and uses a website for math practice every day. The class, on average, meets the district fluency expectation. Additional instruction is not necessary. During stations, she meets with small groups to extend on the current unit. Without an intern, she will lose quality instructional time.
I would recommend teachers to implement two strategies. First, teachers can use a short mini lesson focusing on a multiple each week. These activities can include skip counting as a class, reciting multiplication chants, songs, or flash cards. This would take a few minutes and can be used as math fact practice or warm up. Second, teachers can include math fact practice games in their stations. Examples include, math wars, I have who has, multiplication spinners, etc. These activities can take up to 15 minutes and be used one to two times a week.
This study showed that timed math fact practice and multiplication activities does increase automaticity in a small group of mixed gender, tier one, and tier two students. While this does not show the effect on other students, it does leave the question of how effective this would be for the whole class. I also wonder how much my class would improve using this method. Does developing math fact automaticity make my students feel more confident in math?
Reference(s)
Liggett, R. S. (2017). The impact of use of manipulatives on the math scores of Grade 2 students. Brock Education Journal, 26(2). https://doi.org/10.26522/brocked.v26i2.607
Prieur , J. (Ed.). (2023, July 31). 6 easy steps on how to teach multiplication in fun ways for students. Prodigygame.com. https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/how-to-teach-multiplication/
Please Don’t Stop the Music!: A Study on Musical Transitions
Primary Researchers
Halle Harrison, Intern, Baylor University
Abigail Traylor, B.S. Ed., Mentor Teacher, Hewitt Elementary, Midway ISD
Dr. Jill Underwood, Ed.D., Intern Supervisor, Baylor University
Rationale/Introduction
As an intern in a 1st grade classroom, I noticed that my students struggle to line-up quickly and quietly. Their voice levels and efficiency were not where they should be. I have seen non-verbal, musical transitions used very effectively in routines in other areas of the classroom. According to Register and Humpall (2007), music improves “communication, academic, motor, sensory, social, and emotional skills.” My objective was to implement a musical transition, like they are used to, using a line-up song. When the song plays, they know what is expected of them, and they can sing along to minimize talking. The line-up song was utilized daily, and data was collected through timing, observation questions, and student surveys.
Question/Wondering
How does implementing a song to line-up procedures create a non-verbal transition that improves students’ abilities to line up quickly and quietly?
Methodology/Results
During my internship in first grade, I have learned the importance of consistent routines. My classroom consists of 7 boys and 10 girls, and there is a range of socio-economic status. The students are only 6 or 7 years old, so they are still learning how to interact with one another, how to participate in school, and how to regulate their emotions. When a routine is put in place, they know exactly what is expected of them every day. In our classroom, we follow the same schedule every day, and we also have transitions implemented that remain consistent. The only inconsistent procedure has been lining up. In the morning, when the students are lining up for specials, it often takes a long time for the students to get in line and stop talking. They often talk all the way to the line, walk as slowly as possible, and fight about who is supposed to stand in each spot. Frequently, they are sent back to their desks to try again. I had seen the effectiveness of all of the other non-verbal transition procedures, so I decided to implement the same procedure for lining up. I first collected baseline data, timing how long it took them to get in line and taking observational notes over the number of times they talked, had to start over, fought, etc. After my baseline data was complete, I began collecting the same data while implementing the line-up song. Once the implementation data was complete, I had a post-conference with each student, filling out a student survey with their responses about the procedure.
To analyze the data, I began by creating a chart with the timing data. I created a column chart in order to see the decline in the time it took to line up after implementing the procedure. I also calculated the percentage of how often the students had to start over, how often they talked, and how often they fought. Lastly, I took all of the data from the student surveys and calculated the percentage of students that liked the song, felt like it helped them line up faster, and felt like it helped them talk less. Overall, the data shows that our line-up time decreased by up to 62%. 100% of the students said that they liked the line up song. 92% said that the song helped them to line-up quickly, and 100% said that it helped them to line-up quietly. This data definitely shows a success!
Implications/Recommendations
Throughout my inquiry, I was able to examine the effect that utilizing music has on transitions. I think that, overall, my study was conducted well. My time of gathering research was done well, and my results were clear. If I conducted the same study again, I would possibly study the students more independently, instead of only taking data for the whole group. I would try to figure out which students were consistently having a hard time getting in line, instead of seeing how long it took the group. For this study, my findings support a strongly positive impact of non-verbal, musical transitions. The students also showed tremendous growth in the number of times they talked in line, fought about who was in front, and had to start over because they were too crazy. This data all points to the idea that a non-verbal, musical routine transition truly helps students to follow directions more easily. In my own classroom, I will continue to add non-verbal, musical transitions to more and more routines.
Reference(s)
Register, D., & Humpal, M. (2007, January 1). Using Musical Transitions in Early Childhood Classrooms: Three Case Examples. OUP Academic. https://doi.org/10.1093/mtp/25.1.25
Fourth Grade Handwriting Intervention: Back to the Basics
Primary Researchers
Lea Hull, Intern, Baylor University
Valerie Taylor & Ginger Rhodes, Mentor Teachers, Hewitt Elementary, Midway ISD
Jill Underwood, PhD, Professor, Baylor University
Rationale/Introduction
On the first day in my fourth grade classroom at Hewitt Elementary as a first-semester intern, I immediately noticed a unanimous struggle with letter-formation. During the first week of school, students were assigned a forty-five minute timed writing assignment. While observing, I noticed students beginning in the middle of the lined paper, writing a single sentence across three lines, and forming their letters in an incorrect manner. As the semester progressed, the students began to learn how to write entire essays. They struggled with this due to what I believe to be a foundational handwriting problem. Their confidence in writing is severely diminished because they lack the ability to form letters correctly. This led to an unwillingness to write altogether.
Upon observing the class’s progress in writing for an entire semester, I noticed multiple things. I saw slight improvement in certain students’ writing, but many still lacked the foundational handwriting skills necessary to complete the task properly. This makes peer-editing extremely difficult, because certain students’ essays are illegible. The students who are assigned to read their peers’ illegible essays struggle to complete the task at no fault of their own. The students with poor handwriting also dread peer-editing days because they know their handwriting affects the quality and legibility of their work negatively. Thus, I decided to implement a program that improves students’ handwriting, fostering future success in the classroom.
I believe that the elementary students I educate lack fine motor skills, potentially caused by a recent increase in technological advances. These advances have led to fewer pencil and paper activities, cutting, gluing, and crafts. Instead, iPads and television are the new normal for children. COVID-19 also negatively affected fine motor skills, forcing students to learn spiraling writing skills online during the pandemic. The students I have elected to include in my intervention group are a part of this population. In addition to these factors, there is not a true handwriting program at this particular school. These potential challenges prompted my decision to implement biweekly handwriting intervention in a small group setting for five fourth grade students.
Question/Wondering
How would direct intervention in handwriting affect five male students’ legibility, confidence in writing, and writing speed?
Methodology/Results
This research involved one high-level student, one on-level student, and three below-level students, ages ten and eleven. I began implementing handwriting intervention in a small group setting. I focused on five male students, including one high-level student, one on-grade-level student, and three below-level students between the ages of nine and ten. This group of students met twice a week for fifteen minutes.
As my pre-assessment, I administered a handwriting screener created by the Handwriting Without Tears program. This decisively placed all five students at a second-grade handwriting level. As students wrote, I watched closely and noted their letter composition. The results from this screener showed that students knew basic capital letter formation, but the opposite was true for lowercase letters. When the same assessment was administered later, students’ handwriting was much neater and they possessed the ability to form letters correctly.
Secondly, I administered a timed writing session. During this session, students wrote about a topic for five minutes while I analyzed the quality and quantity of their work. Before writing, I eliminated discrepancies by giving all students the same prompt and allowing them to think about what they would write beforehand. Most students wrote quickly, but did not show proper letter formation. They were also unable to write within the provided lines. When the same timed write was administered again after intervention, students wrote fewer words but were able to write within the lines carefully and neatly.
Third, I asked students to rate themselves on a scale of one to ten regarding their confidence in writing. Before intervention, students rated themselves very low on the scale. After meeting in small groups, students communicated that they were much more confident in their own writing because of their improved ability to write neatly.
Implications/Recommendations
Upon data analysis, I noticed a significant improvement in four out of five students who participated in my handwriting intervention. These students applied their new knowledge during assignments outside of the small group. All students also noted that their confidence in writing increased, rating themselves much higher on a scale of one to ten. The speed of their writing did not increase; rather it slowed down because the students focused more on the formation of their letters than they did before. I do not view this as a negative result but instead believe that once students have practiced the correct formation of letters for a longer period of time their speed will increase.
One weakness of the study is the period of time over which it was conducted. If given the opportunity to continue this small group intervention or implement the lessons into whole group instruction over the course of the entire school year, I believe that students’ legibility would drastically improve. My data proves that fourth graders have the ability to improve their handwriting significantly with proper instruction.
Reference(s)
Hoy, M. M. P., Egan, M., & Feder, K. P. (2011, February). A systematic review of interventions to improve handwriting | request ... A Systematic Review of Interventions to Improve Handwriting. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/50373430_A_Systematic_Review_of_Interventions_to_Improve_Handwriting
Schwellnus, H., Carnahan, H., Kushki, A., Polatajko, H., Missiuna, C., & Chau, T. (2013, March). Writing forces associated with four pencil grasp patterns in grade 4 children. The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3722657/#:~:text=CONCLUSION.,formation%20than%20on%20grasp%20pattern.
JA;, R. G. J. (2010a). Effects of a kinesthetic cursive handwriting intervention for grade 4-6 students. The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21073105/
Meaningful Seating: Research on Circular Seating and Talking Tools in Promoting Classroom Management and Discussion
Primary Researchers
Ella Kassing, Intern, Baylor University
Annie Jones, BS Ed, Mentor Teacher, Hewitt Elementary, Midway ISD
Jill Underwood, EdD Intern Supervisor, Baylor University
Rationale/Introduction
When thinking about my classroom placement and a problem I wanted to solve, I thought about the class seating arrangement during a whole group read-aloud/ carpet time specifically regarding behavior, engagement, and discussion. I wanted to devise a solution limiting student blurt-outs, promoting engagement, and encouraging discussion. When thinking about these three factors, I decided to arrange the students in a circular seating arrangement so they are facing each other during a lesson, hopefully helping their discussion, focus, comprehension, and management as they have no choice but to be watched by their classmates and encouraged to set a good example. To help with blurt-outs and behavior, I think the talking stick might help the students understand tangibly that they are not to talk without being called on. Hopefully, the stick will tangibly help them see the importance of this. The goal of my action research is to improve carpet time by limiting side conversations, distractions, and blurt-outs by implementing circular seating and a talking stick.
Question/Wondering
How does a circular seating arrangement on the carpet paired with the implementation of a talking stick help discussion, engagement, and behavior during a whole group informal read-aloud lesson in a first-grade classroom among male and female students?
Methodology/Results
To gauge the success of a circular seating arrangement on the carpet during an Informal read-aloud in a whole group (18 boy and girl students) in a first-grade classroom engagement forms will be used to collect data both before and after implementation. This will be done several times, as the facts will not be reliable only one time around. Before implementing the circular seating arrangement, the students will engage in a read-aloud like normal, my mentor teacher will be tasked with filling out an engagement form during the lesson. I will repeat the lesson with a similar book the very next day and have her fill out the same engagement form. After this process is repeated 2-3 times, I will compare the data and the overall engagement of my students to see if the circular seating arrangement was successful in improving discussion, engagement, and behavior. Furthermore, during reading both before and after implementation, I will informally collect data on the student's ability to answer the question accurately, and comprehensively. This data collection method will be beneficial to see if the circular seating has increased overall learning because the discussion is more robust. I will also do a questioning form on the students before and after implementation to see if their overall questioning improves as they ask their questions and answer mine. I will also do student interviews on the talking stick to see their thoughts on it and how it makes them feel during a discussion. Comparison between observations, questioning forms, and student interviews are the primary means of collecting data that I will display in charts and data tables.
The results show success and prove that the talking stick as well as circular seating effectively improves focus/engagement, discussion, and blurt-outs during IRAs. When analyzing data pre and post-implementation- there is clear data to support the success of my research. Looking first at my data report on the engagement forms, there was an average of 49.5 blurt outs, 44.5 hand raises, and 11 out of 18 students following seating expectations prior to implementation. After implementation, there was an average of 34.8 blurt outs, 71.5 hand raises, and 13 out of 18 students following seating expectations. Based on these results- the students were way less likely to blurt out during a read-aloud and much more likely to raise their hand to participate in discussion. Furthermore, the students were also more likely to sit correctly and follow expectations. Based on this data alone, the talking stick and circular seating remedied the student's management and blurt-outs, and discussion was significantly increased by the number of students who raised their hands. Continuing to analyze the success of the research, I conducted interviews with each student on the talking stick and the circular seating asking them 4 questions: do you think the talking stick and sitting crisscross in a circle helps you participate in discussion? (y/n), do you think the circular seating helps you focus? (y/n), does the talking stick incentivize you to sit crisscross and follow expectations? (y/n), does the circular seating incentivize you to sit crisscross and follow expectations because you can see all your classmates and they can see you? (y/n), and do you feel less inclined to yell out when we use the talking stick? (y/n). I asked them these questions concerning whether or not they thought the talking stick and circular seating helped them focus, follow expectations, and raise their hand compared to the traditional IRA structure of learning lines and free talk/ hand raising without the talking stick. For the first question, 77% of the class thought sitting crisscross applesauce in a circle and using a talking stick helped them participate in the discussion when compared to traditional IRAs. 83% thought sitting in a circle helped focus, 88% thought the talking stick helped them follow expectations, and 77% thought the circular seating and their classmates watching them helped them to follow expectations. Lastly, 94% of the class thought the talking stick made them less likely to blurt out during a read-aloud when compared to a traditional IRA structure. This data alone highlights that the students think the stick and circular seating helped their learning, focus, engagement, and management when compared to our traditional IRA structure.. The implementation of my research had the largest effect on blurt-outs. For my last form of data collection, I did a question chart comparing the number of questions answered to the number of correct answers to target engagement and focus via comprehension. Before implementation, out of the 45 questions answered, only 36 were accurate in keeping with the book read, highlighting a gap in comprehension and engagement during reading. Post implementation, ______. In my opinion, the talking stick and circular seating were effective and helped the overall structure of an IRA. Watching my students engage in the story and remember the expectations of the talking stick is evidence that it was effective in helping their management. They were more likely to want to engage and raise their hand and grew in confidence to share their thoughts in opinions during a story. I observed many students grow to become more engaged and focused as I read. According to the results of my data, the talking stick and a circular seating arrangement on the carpet during an IRA effectively target engagement, discussion, management, and blurt-outs. I did not find much research to support the implementation of a talking stick and circular seating before my research. That which I found encompassed one or the other and my data is consistent with the prior research of each.
Data links to see results more clearly:
Talking stick interview talking stick interview questions
Engagement form-Engagement before implementation data chart #1
Engagement form- engagement before implementation data chart #2
Question form-before implementation questioning form #1
Question form- before implementation questioning form #2
Engagement form- Engagement after implementation data chart #1
Engagement form- Engagement after implementation data chart #2
Question form- after implementation questioning form #1
Pictures of my implementation in action
<<<pictures removed>>>
Implications/Recommendations
The implications of my research show that a talking stick and arranging the student in a circle during a read-aloud effectively target engagement, discussion, management, and blurt-outs. When I have a classroom of my own, I will use the data I have collected in this research and implement the same read-aloud structure that has proven to be so successful in this project. The strength of my study was targeting blurtouts on the carpet while reading. Remedying this huge struggle during a read-aloud has allowed for quality discussions, an increased praise/ correction ratio, improved management, and increased comprehension. The weakness of my study is the distraction of the talking stick during the story. During discussion and questioning the talking stick is effective in doing what I have stated, but while I am reading the story, the students are distracted by wanting to play with the stick and often fight to hold it while I am reading in between questions. Figuring out how to use the talking stick for its intended purpose and cutting out the distraction of the stick during reading is something I want to look at fixing and improving to make the study that much more effective. I may have a glass jar in the middle that holds the stick during the story and at the end of each discussion, the stick must return home. I wonder how integrating more turns and talks using the circular seating and talking stick method might improve discussion and continue to help comprehension and accurate questioning.
Background Noise and Reading Comprehension
Primary Researchers
Isabel McAteer, Intern, Baylor University
Christine Smith, Mentor Teacher, Hewitt Elementary, Midway ISD
Jill Underwood, EdD, Professor, Baylor University
Rationale/Introduction
The context of my wondering is a third-grade classroom including male and female students, during their reading block and independent reading time. The assessments used were comprehension questions on Nearpod, using Read Works reading passages. My wondering is significant to the fact that throughout my first semester, my third graders’ reading behaviors and low comprehension skills caught my attention. I pondered different ideas that could help the students stay on task to promote understanding. I wondered if any background noise, such as music or silence, had a positive or negative effect on their comprehension. Furthermore, if instrumental music versus lyrical music affected comprehension.
Question/Wondering
How do different types of background noise affect the reading comprehension of boys and girls in a third-grade class during independent reading?
Methodology/Results
Participant Characteristics:
- Number of children: 20
- Grade level: third
- Gender: male and female
- Ethnicity: White, Black, Hispanic
- Income Level: low/middle class
The aim of my research was to see the effects of silence, instrumental music, and lyrical music on my third graders’ reading comprehension. I used fictional passages at a Lexile level ranging from 560-600, or the class average, to assess reading comprehension. In order to do this, I used passages from Read Works, placed them into a Nearpod, and added a 5-question comprehension quiz at the end. Every Tuesday and Thursday the students would log into Nearpod, read the text, and answer the questions. The first Tuesday began with students reading silently, and that Thursday students read with instrumental music in the background. The next Tuesday students read with lyrical music and then the three background noises repeated. So, each type of background noise got two opportunities. I analyzed their data using the “Results” tab on Nearpod that showed the students’ grades on the comprehension quiz and their responses. Then I transferred those numbers onto a Google Sheet that listed the student’s name, the reading passage, and then the average of the class. After reflecting on the results, I had three main findings. When students read with silence in the background, the class average was a 51.99%. When students read with instrumental music in the background, the class average was 73.25%. When students read with lyrical music in the background the class average was 76.65%. Some observable behavior I noticed as students read with the lyrical music was of course they’re tendency to sing out the lyrics at times. However, this did not affect their comprehension in a negative way, but instead created the best comprehension score average. Originally, I thought the instrumental music would provide the best percentages or results because it might block out distractions, improve concentration, and maintain attention (Lehmann & Seufert, 2017). So, I was surprised by this data. Doing this research strengthened both my mentor and I’s understanding of how students might concentrate nowadays. With an increase in social media and technology usage, their attention spans may benefit from having reading and listening skills working at once. Another finding I observed was students became more impatient with the instrumental music in the background. I wonder if it may have reminded them of a “timer” sound and that they disliked reading with it on in the background. The results of my study supported the research finding that auditory distractions that are semantically unrelated to visual materials may not have a negative effect on content learning (Mustafa & Cetinkaya 2017).
Implications/Recommendations
This study will affect my instructional practices when I become a teacher with my own classroom. At the beginning of the school year, I would love for students to take a poll and answer whether or not they think they read best with silence, instrumental music, or lyrical music. Depending on their answers I may have independent reading time where they may have a certain background noise. Some strengths of my study were increasing time spent on reading and reading comprehension in class. Since our students’ reading levels were low from the beginning of the year, any time they get to practice it, it benefits them. Another strength was I added a visit to my treasure box for students’ who got 100% on their quizzes to increase motivation to do well. The students really enjoyed that bonus. A weakness of the study might have been the reading levels. Since I varied levels from 560-600, that might have impacted the comprehension scores versus the music at times. If I were to change my study, I would only have reading passages at one specific reading level. An additional wondering, I might have would be how these three different background noises affect nonfiction text, instead of fiction text that I researched.
Get Moving with Comprehension
Primary Researchers
Tahlia Dishmon, Intern, Baylor University
Angela Brown, BS Ed, Mentor Teacher, Hewitt Elementary, Midway ISD
Jill Underwood, Ed. D, Professor, Baylor University
Rationale/Introduction
This project aims to investigate the potential impact of movement on levels of comprehension. This research will focus on three students. The study will be conducted in a classroom setting, incorporating both whole-group and one-on-one interactions. The primary emphasis of this project is on English Language Arts, specifically the IRA segment within the curriculum. This study is significant as existing literature suggests a link between physical activity and cognitive function in the brain.
Carla Hannaford's findings from a study involving 500 Canadian children indicate that those who engaged in higher levels of physical activity performed better on exams compared to their less active peers (Hannaford, 1995; pg. 101). Numerous studies have demonstrated the positive effect of exercise on brain development (Hannaford, 1995; pg. 102). Furthermore, a study involving fifth-grade special education students showed substantial improvements in reading, comprehension, and math scores after implementing brain gym exercises (Hannaford, pg. 114).
Research has shown that different types of exercises, particularly those involving specialized motor movements, can enhance working memory (Koutsandréou, 2016). Studies have shown that physical activity promotes the generation of new cells in the hippocampus, leading to improved cognitive function (Chieffi, 2017). Individuals who engage in regular exercise tend to have larger hippocampal volumes (Chieffi, 2017).
It is crucial to acknowledge that comprehension is influenced by various factors, and this project seeks to explore the potential relationship between movement and comprehension rather than establish a direct causal connection.
Question/Wondering
How does adding a 3-minute movement break into a lesson before an interactive read-aloud affect the engagement and comprehension of 1 male student and 2 female ESL students?
Methodology/Results
Three elementary students, aged 5-7, were selected based on their challenges in understanding read-aloud books, despite demonstrating consistent effort. Student #1 is a female student of Asian descent who is an English as a Second Language (ESL) learner. Student #2 is a male student of Hispanic descent. Student #3 is a female student of Hispanic descent who is also an ESL learner.
The research spanned 4 weeks and involved collecting three types of data: movement data, engagement data, and comprehension data. Movement data was assessed by reviewing daily recordings of movement breaks and assigning a score based on the level of participation (0-3). Engagement data was determined by reviewing daily recordings to measure on-task versus off-task behavior. Comprehension data was gathered through designed questions and a scoring system to evaluate comprehension levels as unsatisfactory, limited, satisfactory, or excellent. All data were averaged weekly for analysis. All data results were calculated and based on a weekly average. These methods are very reliable because they were formed from methods that are already used when observing and questioning students. These assessments are also reliable because all parts of the research were recorded and reviewed intensely to display accurate data.
During the initial week, students partook in a read-aloud session without a preceding movement break, following which they were individually interviewed for assessment. As a result of the absence of a movement break, all students scored a zero in the movement category. The first student attained an engagement rate of 80% along with a comprehension rating of 3 out of 18 denoting unsatisfactory understanding. The second student achieved a mere 45% engagement rate and a comprehension score of 4 out of 18, also indicating unsatisfactory comprehension. The third student exhibited an average engagement rate of 65% and garnered a comprehension rating of 6 out of 18, reflecting a limited understanding.
In the succeeding week, the first student obtained a movement score of 2.3 alongside an average engagement rate of 85%, leading to a comprehension level categorized as limited. The second student achieved a movement score of 2.3, an average engagement rate of 76.6%, and acquired a comprehension level described as limited. The third student attained a movement score of 3, maintained an average engagement rate of 80%, and accomplished a satisfactory level of comprehension.
Upon entering the third week, the first student was awarded a movement score of 3, a notably high engagement percentage of 95%, but still achieved a comprehension level marked as limited. The second student secured a movement score of 2.6, an engagement percentage of 78.3%, and a satisfactory comprehension level. The third student received a movement score of 2.6, an engagement percentage of 86.6%, and attained a satisfactory comprehension level.
As participants transitioned into the fourth week, the first student garnered a movement score of 2.75, an engagement percentage of 90%, and maintained a comprehension level that was described as limited. The second student acquired a movement score of 2.75, an engagement percentage of 80%, and reached a level of satisfactory comprehension. The third student achieved a movement score of 3, an engagement percentage of 85%, and excelled in comprehension, with a rating of excellent.
Following the data collection period of four weeks, I analyzed by comparing the weekly averages in movement, engagement, and comprehension. The findings revealed correlations between movement and comprehension, movement and engagement, as well as engagement and comprehension. Notably, the introduction of a movement break before a read-aloud session resulted in a notable increase in comprehension among 100% of students. These outcomes are directly relevant to the research questions as they specifically gauged the comprehension levels of three students following the incorporation of a movement break. Furthermore, these results align with previous research by Hannaford, Koutsandreou, and Chieffi.
Implications/Recommendations
Upon the conclusion of the research study, it became evident that the inclusion of a 3-minute movement break before a read-aloud had a positive impact on student comprehension. All students displayed an improvement of at least one level of comprehension during the weeks in which a movement break was implemented. For example, Student 1 transitioned from unsatisfactory to limited comprehension following the introduction of the movement break, while Student 2 progressed from unsatisfactory to limited and satisfactory comprehension. Similarly, Student 3 advanced from limited to satisfactory and excellent comprehension with the incorporation of a movement break.
These findings suggest a possible connection between movement and comprehension. Hence, it is suggested that educators incorporate movement activities before read-aloud sessions to enhance students' cognitive processes. Moving forward, I plan to continue integrating movement breaks to heighten student engagement and comprehension levels. One notable strength of the study was the meticulous data collection process, which involved video recording lessons and conducting comprehensive reviews. However, a limitation of the study was the time-consuming nature of individually evaluating students' comprehension using six questions, given the constraints of the daily schedule.
If I were to replicate this study, I would explore more efficient methods such as utilizing technology like Seesaw to allow students to independently respond to comprehension questions. Furthermore, I am interested in investigating the potential impact of integrating movement activities before other subjects, such as science lessons, on student retention.
Reference(s)
Hannaford, C. (1995). Why learning is not all in your head. Great Ocean Publ.
Chieffi, S., Messina, G., Villano, I., Messina, A., Esposito, M., Monda, V., Valenzano, A., Moscatelli, F., Esposito, T., Carotenuto, M., Viggiano, A., Cibelli, G., & Monda, M. (2017, February 14). Exercise influence on hippocampal function: Possible involvement of orexin-A. Frontiers in physiology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5306252/#B10
Koutsandréou F, Wegner M, Niemann C, Budde H. Effects of Motor versus Cardiovascular Exercise Training on Children's Working Memory. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016 Jun;48(6):1144-52. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000869. PMID: 26765631.
Project Based Learning for Gifted and Talented Students
Primary Researchers
Ashlee Sweet, Intern, Baylor University
Carrie Losak and Terron Rivas, MS Ed, Mentor Teachers, Hewitt Elementary, Midway ISD
Jill Underwood, Ed. D, Professor, Baylor University
Rationale/Introduction
“Given that students are more familiar with problem-solving activities than problem-posing, it is most likely that gifted students are able to think more creatively and produce more creative solutions when they encounter different types of activities than their non-gifted peers do,” (Duygu Arabacı, & Adnan Baki). My fourth-grade classroom is diverse in learning styles, accommodations needed, and levels of academic understanding. After seeing a significant need in the classroom to extend GT students’ learning and challenge their thinking, I began to research and create extensions for students to complete when their math work was done. Previously, there were behavior issues seen repeatedly during whole group math instruction due to boredom and early mastery of the content. My students had been quickly understanding our fourth-grade content, and often were left without any assignments to work on upon finishing earlier than their peers. Research suggests that Challenge Based Learning provides an efficient and effective framework for learning and solving real-world challenges (Ardiansyah, & Asikin, M.). This frame of learning discusses the impacts on student creativity, showing that there is a great improvement seen in creativity when students are taught using the Challenged Based model. Each extension assignment that I created was made through the lens of my research. The assignments target different skill sets that I have seen our GT students demonstrating in the classroom and focus on varying topics: science, creative writing, logic puzzles, etc. Students’ engagement in the classroom was monitored for a total of four weeks.
Question/Wondering
Does creating challenge-based learning extensions for gifted students improve engagement in the classroom while also extending their learning?
Methodology/Results
In my 4th grade classroom, with ages ranging from 9-10 years old, there are six students who are a part of the Gifted and Talented (GT) program. Five of the students are female and one is male; five students are Caucasian, and one is African American. They are pulled out every Wednesday to be served with the GT teacher but remain in the classroom for the duration of the week.
For one week, engagement data was taken on six GT students in the classroom using a tracking sheet; each student was tracked for fifteen minutes on what task they chose to do after finishing their whole group math lesson. Throughout taking the baseline data students were sleeping, talking, using the bathroom, or drawing. They did not have an alternative assignment to work on after finishing the content given to the whole class.
After baseline data was taken, students were given instructions about what the challenge packets would entail. There were seven different assignments to choose from: create a math test, logic puzzles, sudoku, creative writing, write a letter to an author, create a newspaper, and a space study with presentation. Each two-week period, students would start a new challenge packet; they were allowed to work on these assignments as soon as they were done with the whole group math instruction as long as they had mastered the current topic. As before, engagement data was tracked for a fifteen-minute period.
Over the span of four weeks, it was clear that giving students challenge packets significantly increased their engagement in class time. Of the six GT students, five of them showed a significant growth in engaging in academic content during class time.
When analyzing the baseline data, students on task behavior (working on a math related assignment) ranged from 10% of the time to 52% of the time. Therefore, students were off task 48-90% of class time after finishing their whole group math lesson. These off-task behaviors included reading, drawing, sleeping, or distracting other students.
After compiling the extension data, on task behavior (working on challenge packet or math related assignment) ranged from 70-97% of the time. Meaning that students were engaged in academic learning for 70-97% of our math instruction time; this was a significant growth from the baseline data.
However, there was one student outlier (male) who was on task for 15% of the time even when provided the challenge packet. He decided to read instead of do math work, even after multiple promptings to begin math assignments. He read 83% of the time upon completing whole group math instruction.
Overall, there was a significant growth in students’ engagement in academic content when given assignments which challenged their thinking and allowed them to be creative. They were excited to write, study, and design projects which were interesting to them. Students have been able to solve hard logic problems, create math questions which we have used during stations, and sent multiple letters to authors’ who inspire them. These challenge-based projects have given an outlet for GT students to engage in high order thinking which has resulted in a great amount of focus during class time.
Implications/Recommendations
After conducting my research study, I saw the positive effects on engagement in the classroom when providing GT students with challenge packets. Moving forward, I will continue to implement this practice in our classroom time. In my own classroom, I would make this a consistent routine for high achieving students. I found that introducing this in February and without being at school on Friday’s, the consistency was hard to enforce, making the extensions not as effective as possible. I would also create a system for students to turn in their work so that it can be “graded” and “checked” regularly. Without accountability, I found that some students completed roughly 70% of projects but did not have time to execute them completely. Additionally, I would have a place to display students’ work and give them time to share with the class; the work they have done is wonderful and I would love to give them time to share with their peers. With these small changes, I believe this is a wonderful way to push GT students to a higher level of thinking and creating, while also keeping them engaged in academic learning. Out of this research, I wonder how challenged based learning would affect or support students who are not a part of the gifted and talented program. Should this be a practice that is used amongst all students in the classroom?
References
Ardiansyah, & Asikin, M. (2020). Challenging students to improve their mathematical creativity in solving multiple solution task on challenge-based learning class. Journal of Physics. Conference Series, 1567(2), 22088–. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1567/2/022088
Duygu Arabacı, & Adnan Baki. (2023). An analysis of the gifted and non-gifted students’ creativity within the context of problem-posing activity quillbot-extension-portal /quillbot-extension-portal. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 7(1), 25–52. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPR.202317633