Hillcrest Professional Development School
Goal Setting During Math Work
Primary Researchers
Sarah Bertelson, Intern, Baylor University
Kelly Miah, MEd, Mentor Teacher, Hillcrest PDS, Waco ISD
Darlene Bolfing, MSEd, Intern Supervisor, Baylor University
Rationale/Introduction
When assessing the math skills and abilities of two male third-grade students, I noticed early in the school year that these students struggle to focus when completing independent work, despite showing understanding of concepts during whole-group instruction. I decided that engaging them in goal setting would be a great way to help them become more conscious of their focus and progress during math, as according to Walden University, “aiming for progress—rather than perfection—will allow students to maintain perspective, celebrate achievements, and continue persevering toward their goals” (Walden University, n.d.). Aiming for perfection would only frustrate students more, so engaging them in setting their own goals will help ensure that they are able to keep track of their progress. One factor in these students’ struggle with completing assignments is likely their low confidence, due to their decreased ability to focus. It is important to consider that “challenging students to regularly visualize and communicate what they care about and want to work toward builds motivation and confidence,” (Edutopia, 2022) which will therefore help to build their stamina and concentration during independent activities.
Question/Wondering
In what ways would goal setting and weekly monitoring improve the ability of two male third grade students to remain on-task during independent math work?
Methodology/Results
I conducted my research based on the two students’ math scores, behaviors and level of focus that my mentor and I had observed from them over the first semester and the first few weeks of this semester. Both students are 9 years old and have shown significant struggles in their focus all school year. One of them is an emergent bilingual student, but his English appears to be proficient.
Before conducting this research, I sat down with each student individually and discussed their goals in regards to their math work, as math is the subject in which they struggled the most. Both of their initial goals involved simply getting the assignments done within a certain amount of time and did not mention anything about the accuracy or quality of their work. I also administered a pre-assessment including how long each student spent on an activity, their accuracy, and their engagement while completing it. Over the course of three weeks, after each math lesson, I gave each student a personal timer and timed them on all of their independent math work. They were instructed to stop the timer and raise their hand as soon as they finished so that I would be able to record the data and talk to them about their work. The content during my data collection period was primarily fractions, and during my post-assessment week, we started teaching two-dimensional shapes and polygons. On Thursday of each week, I pulled them to my desk individually to discuss their goals for the following week.
Because their initial goals only included the amount of time they would spend on an assignment, that is all they focused on while completing their work. Therefore, after the first day of data collection, I started using the formula, “I will + what + when,” because “Goals usually start with the words ‘I will’ and have two parts: a ‘what’ and a ‘when.’ The ‘what’ explains what you want to accomplish. The ‘when’ tells when you intend to accomplish it” (Drake University, 2017). After implementing this, they became more conscious of the accuracy of their work and their scores became higher. On day one, student 1 scored 50% and spent 3 minutes and 27 seconds, while student 2 scored 30% and spent 4 minutes and 15 seconds. During the post-assessment week, student 1 had an average score of 86.67% and spent between 11 and 16 minutes per assignment. Student 2 had an average score of 70% and spent between 9 and 17 minutes per assignment.
Implications/Recommendations
After conducting this research, I saw multiple positive effects of setting goals with students and helping them keep track of their timing. One student in particular would ask me at least once a week, “How am I doing in math?” which showed me that he had grown much more conscious of his ability to focus, as well as the fact that he genuinely wanted to succeed. He even asked me if he could continue to use the timer on his assignments, as it helped him focus. He also stated that he feels he has improved at keeping track of time, not worrying about what is going on around him, and that he thinks the timer will help to grow his math stamina. The other student felt that he had improved as well, and stated that he has improved at keeping track of time while not rushing through his work. He also said that the timer has helped him to know how much time has passed so that he is aware of whether he has spent too much time or not enough time on his work. Overall, the students have become much more self-aware of their focus and have grown more accountable for their work during this time.
Reference(s)
Borba, M. (n.d.) 7 Steps to Teach Kids Goal-Setting. Drake University. https://raycenter.wp.drake.edu/2017/03/01/helping-kids-be-goal-setters/
Tutt, P. (2022, March 25). 6 Activities That Inspire a Goal-Setting Mindset in Students. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/6-activities-inspire-goal-setting-mindset-students/
(n.d.). What Teachers Should Know About Student Goal Setting. Walden University. https://www.waldenu.edu/online-masters-programs/ms-in-education/resource/what-teachers-should-know-about-student-goal-setting
Pause! Let’s Check In On Our Emotions
Primary Researchers
Bailey Burgess, Intern, Baylor University
Sue Garth, MSEd, Mentor Teacher, Hillcrest PDS, Waco ISD
Darlene Bolfing, MSEd, Intern Supervisor, Baylor University
Rationale/Introduction
In my first grade classroom, I noticed a student getting upset and frustrated which led to him not doing his work. I decided to implement an emotion wheel along with calming techniques to help him evaluate his emotions. Overall, this will help his productivity and performance, while also helping him develop social emotional skills to self-regulate. The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments has stated that emotions “influence our ability to process information and to accurately understand what we encounter” (NCSSLE). My plan is to use techniques that we decide together to help him think about the emotions he is feeling, use tools to calm them, and return to work. Additionally, research shows that implementing this emotional evaluation technique teaches “students to focus on their good emotions and manage their bad emotions” (Helean, 2021). I wanted this student to recognize when he is focused or excited and how these feelings affect his classroom performance. To do this, I gave him tools to help when he is sad, angry, or frustrated. This will lead to the student being productive in the classroom and self-regulating his emotions.
Question/Wondering
In what ways would providing an emotion wheel and calming tools within the classroom allow for a first-grade male student to self-monitor and problem solve his emotions before returning to his work?
Methodology/Results
I conducted research on a 7-year-old white male student from a middle socioeconomic background. This student receives Gifted and Talented services and excels in reading and math. This student can become frustrated and resistant to his work when something causes him to become upset.
Over the course of three weeks, I gave this student an emotion wheel that he could turn to show which emotion he was feeling. This wheel was always on his desk, and I looked at what emotion he had turned to thirteen times during the day. The emotions on the wheel were green – focused, yellow – excited, red – angry, and blue – sad. Each time I noticed he was on angry, I wrote down what was happening that made him angry along with how we worked through that emotion. As the weeks progressed, we discovered new techniques to use when his frustration took over. At the end of each week, on Day 4, I called him over to my desk and we graphed how many times he felt each emotion. We talked about each one as he colored in the graph. The student also developed a strong relationship with me, which was crucial to the study.
Before week one, I collected engagement data. The results were 55% on task and 45% off task. The first week, I explained and introduced his wheel of emotions with him. It was decided that when he was on red, or angry, he needed to make sure I knew so I could come problem solve with him. This week he got extremely frustrated with a spelling practice paper that consisted of small pieces to fill up with spelling words and words around the room. I saw that he was angry, so I went over to him and asked him what he was feeling. Together we figured out that he was frustrated with how long it was taking because every time he thought he was done, there was another space to fill. I asked if maybe chunking the work into little sections might work, he agreed so we tried it. Using another piece of paper, I blocked out some of the pieces so he could focus on one section at a time. This chunking technique worked very well for him, and he used it other times during week one. He graphed his emotions at the end of week one, there were 5 focused, 3 excited, 4 angry, and 1 sad check in.
On week two, he continued to use the chunking technique when it was applicable. I saw progress in his recognition of when his work became overwhelming. This week the technique focus was to pause, take a breath, figure out the first step, and return to work. When he became angry during a math lesson, he got my attention and said he needed to take a break. I went over to him, asked him what part of the workbook was making him feel this way. We were working on greater than or less than, deciding and writing the symbol. The workbook had lines for students to write out the words as well as the symbol. The lines were too small, and he got frustrated with trying to fit the words in the space. After we discussed the problem, I asked if he was willing to take a deep breath and figure out what step one would be. He agreed, we took a deep breath together and decided the first step on the page was to write the symbol for the problem. After this, he could write the words under the line since there was not enough room on the line provided. We took another breath, and he returned to work calmly. This pausing technique worked very well for him, and he used it other times during week two. He graphed his emotions at the end of week two, there were 6 focused, 3 excited, 3 angry, and 1 sad check in. By the end of this week, I noticed more focused time and less frustration outbursts.
During week three, the student continued to use both techniques learned from week one and two. The technique introduced during this week was counting to ten and talking it out. He became angry during a group activity in math and turned his wheel right away. After going over to the group, asking him to count to ten and discussing what the issue was, I quickly discovered this technique was not working as well for him. I asked what else we could do to problem solve working with his group. He was able to communicate with me that they needed more coins to complete the activity and to have cooperation throughout the whole group. He then communicated to his team that he was feeling like they were not working as a team, and they returned to work aware of their group responsibilities. He finished the activity calmly and focused. At the end of week three, there were 7 focused, 3 excited, 2 angry, and 1 sad check in. I was very pleased with his progress in using the emotion wheel and techniques.
The results of the research study showed the effectiveness of a visual for emotions along with providing techniques for this student to self-regulate. Each week, the student’s frustration surges decreased from 4 to 2 during a week. The final engagement results were 75% on task and 25% off task. There was a 36.3% increase in engagement after working on regulating his emotional surges for three weeks.
Implications/Recommendations
After this research study, I strongly recommend giving students that struggle with certain emotions a visual to help them express and problem solve their emotions. Using a visual, a wheel or chart, to help students communicate their emotions instead of letting them hinder their work can be very beneficial. Having students recognize how they feel and why they feel that way can increase engagement and student involvement in the classroom. Students need to express how they are feeling because students at a young age are not fully capable of regulating new extreme emotions on their own. In the future, I wonder if having a check in for all students would benefit the relationship between the students and their teacher while also improving their overall engagement.
Reference(s)
Cave, M. (2022, October 11). Slow the Climb: 4 de-Escalation Strategies to Keep Behavior from Going Downhill. PBISApps. www.pbisapps.org/articles/slow-the-climb-4-de-escalation-strategies-to-keep-behavior-from-going-downhill.
Cave, M. (2022, September 13). Creating Calm: 5 Ways to Prevent Big Behaviors. PBISApps. www.pbisapps.org/articles/creating-calm-5-ways-to-prevent-big-behaviors.
Emotional Safety. (n.d.). National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE). Retrieved November 8, 2023, from safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/topic-research/safety/emotional-safety.
Helean, T. (2021, December 1). Safe Space. Classroom Management Toolbox. inside.ewu.edu/managementtoolbox/safe-space/#:~:text=Safe%20space%20in%20a%20 classroom,and%20manage%20their%20 bad%20 emotions.
Kiedaisch, J. (2018, June 18). Why Safe Spaces Are Critical in Today’s Classrooms. We Are Teachers. www.weareteachers.com/safe-spaces-in-classrooms/
Reversing the Gradual Release Model to Increase Student Engagement During Whole Group Math Instruction
Primary Researchers
Emily Engen, Intern, Baylor University
Emily Holt, BBA, Mentor Teacher, Hillcrest PDS, Waco ISD
Darlene Bolfing, MSEd, Intern Supervisor, Baylor University
Rationale/Introduction
When providing instruction to my second-grade students, my concluding goal is their understanding and mastery of the concept at hand. In order for mastery to be achieved, there must be engagement during the instructional period. Encouraging engagement must start with the fostering of motivational learning within students. According to Nina Parrish in To Increase Student Engagement, Focus on Motivation, “Motivation is necessary for engagement, but successful engagement could also help students to feel motivated in the future” (Parrish, 2022). After noticing decreased engagement when beginning a math lesson with the traditional model of gradual release, I began to wonder how motivation could be fostered – even if it meant changing reversed method of the traditional gradual release model to encourage motivation and engagement during whole group instruction.
Question/Wondering
How does reversing the gradual release model increase the engagement of six second-grade students during whole group math instruction?
Methodology/Results
While the traditional gradual release model might prove effective for specific mathematical concepts, there are downsides to the practice that need to be considered when measuring student engagement, motivation, and success. According to Hege in Why “I do, We do, You do” is not always best practice for teaching math, “conceptual understanding cannot by modeled. It needs to be developed” (Hege, 2022). Modeling proper mathematical concepts may come after students have taken charge of their own learning and experimented with a certain task. Students feel empowered and confident to attempt new concepts with tools they already have in their tool chest. An article from The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics convinces us to rethink the gradual release model because once the students have fostered motivation through experimentation, “your students are ready to listen to you. You have given them a need for your direct instruction” (McCaffrey, 2016).
My research was conducted on a group of 6 second-grade students. The participants are all 7-8 years old, ranging in abilities from Gifted and Talented, to Tier 3 math levels. Data was collected over three weeks in February, focusing on the engagement levels during whole group instruction and how it translates to pre- and post-assessment data. The data collected at the end of the period was compared to the data taken at the beginning of the period. The three types of data collected on my students were engagement forms, a math fact fluency report, and scores from three different activities practicing two- and three-digit addition. The engagement levels of these six students throughout the three weeks was compared to their math fact fluency score and progress on the three different activities.
First, an engagement form was taken at the end of January to have baseline data of how engaged these six students are during a whole group math lesson. After having Mrs. Holt record the baseline engagement form, I conducted my first lesson reversing the gradual release model – having students independently experiment before we begin. Each day for the next three weeks, we began each math lesson with two minutes of independent experiment before doing a whole group lesson. Each students’ progress was monitored through an assignment that was given the first week of February, one that was given the second week, and a math fact fluency test that was given the third week. Having Mrs. Holt record an engagement form the last week of February was the final step to seeing if reversing the model is effective for increasing student engagement.
When comparing the engagement form that was taken the last week of January to the one that was taken the last week of February, it was evident that the total engagement of the same six students had dropped in percentage of time on task. While these weren’t the exact results I was expecting when starting this journey, that’s what researching is about. Total engagement of the six students with differing academic abilities started at 75% on task on January 25th and dropped to only 63% on task on February 27th. The drop in total engagement could be related to other things as well as having a few minutes to experiment. Between behavioral distractions, timing of the lesson, and content, there are many things that contribute to engagement during a whole group lesson.
Implications/Recommendations
After conducting my research, I have found that reversing the gradual release model during mathematical instruction does not always increase student engagement during a whole group lesson. Despite the quantitative data that represents overall improvement of these six students (math fact fluency chart, assignments), the quantitative data specifically referring to engagement on the carpet showed the opposite effect. A few things to consider when trying to reverse the gradual release model is the mathematical concept that’s being taught, the personalities of students, and the time-of-day math is conducted. These factors seem inconsequential but can make or break the success of the gradual release model being reversed.
Reference(s)
Parrish, N. (2022, November 17). To increase student engagement, focus on motivation. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/to-increase-student-engagement-focus-on-motivation/
Hege, B. (2022, April 4). Why “I do, we do, you do” is not always best practice for teaching math. Mix and Math. https://www.mixandmath.com/blog/gradual-release-model-teaching-math#:~:text=With%20the%20gradual%20release%20model,makes%20some%20sort%20of%20sense!
McCaffrey, T. (2016, June 6). Rethinking the Gradual Release of Responsibility model - National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (n.d.). https://www.nctm.org/Publications/MTMS-Blog/Blog/Rethinking-the-Gradual-Release-of-Responsibility-Model/
Behavior Results Based off a Positive Incentive System
Primary Researchers
Olivia Focarile, Intern, Baylor University
Karen Reeves, MEd, Mentor Teacher, Hillcrest PDS, Waco ISD
Darlene Bolfing, MSEd, Intern Supervisor, Baylor University
Rationale/Introduction
Securing that students are able to independently strengthen their skills based off an objective a is highly important skill in fourth grade for growth as an individual. After recognizing the negative engagement of my students during grouped reading stations, I decided to base my research topic on whether implementing a positive behavior incentive system will create a better learning atmosphere for the students based off of VeryWell Family’s (2022) finding that “like adults, kids who receive positive reinforcement for their good work are motivated to keep working hard.” This policy will see if students will be encouraged enough to try their best on their assignments and expand their knowledge over reading units with extended exercises. By experimenting on this topic, I will be able to find out how behavior is influenced as well as how students respond to certain systems in 4th grade. Additionally, this research will display how an encouraging incentive system may provide different results than a negative behavior system would. This research will be able to support the idea behind how one behavior system can alter students’ results on their assignments as well as one’s individual skills.
Question/Wondering
In what ways can a positive incentive system affect behavior during reading stations in a 4th grade classroom?
Methodology/Results
For this study, I conducted it in a classroom of twenty-two fourth grade students. However, in order to portray the study on the whole classroom, I chose six students to focus on that equally represented the diverse abilities in the classroom. These students were between the ages of 9 and 10 with ethnicities ranging from Hispanic to African American.
To start my study, I introduced how my students would be using the chart I had created for them in reading stations. They would do two reading stations per day for the four days I was with them each week. This would mean that they would go to eight total stations a week with 30 minutes as each station. The chart the students received had four rows to represent four stations, meaning each student got two of these charts each week. The chart also had three columns that represented different questions the students needed to ask themselves after they completed a station. Those included, “Are you finished?,” “Did you try your hardest on it?,” and “Describe one idea you learned from this station.” These questions were created in order to have students self-reflect on their learning at each station and understand how they were growing. One last part, the students must have filled in on the charts in order to be considered completed was when they started the station and when they finished it. Once the students completed a total of eight stations per week, they would turn in their work from the stations and their two charts in a blue reading station folder. These blue reading station folders were provided by me so they would help students organize their reading station work from their regular reading whole group work and notes. The students were also provided with an instruction sheet at each station so they would be able to individually know what to do at that station without having to go up to the teachers to ask what to do next. After explaining the chart and instruction pages to the students and how they worked, they were told they would be rewarded a prize at the end of each week if they completed their charts from the week and their station work.
The results from these strategies showed significant improvement of the students’ focus, engagement, as well as completion of rigorous independent/small group work. During the process, I was able to see my relationships with my students grow just as much as their academic knowledge. By seeing this result, I was able to “develop a more collaborative relationship with students by working together to understand when and under what circumstances a behavior occurs” (Morin). Before I gave out these charts, folders, and incentive system, I used an engagement chart to see where the engagement levels were in the classroom during reading stations. Needless to say, some students needed more assistance to stay focused than others. After using the charts, I was able to conduct a post-engagement session on the 3rd week of this study to see how 6 students were doing with their reading station work with the chart. Compared to before the charts were introduced, the 6 students had grown 15% in engagement than before during reading stations. The charts and instruction sheets showed an increase in how much students were participating in the group work at each station. Additionally, after looking at their work from their reading station folder, most station work was completed. There were few questions unanswered indicating growth in their rigorous learning by focusing longer. By looking at these results, it is safe to say that a positive incentive system during reading stations can improve growth and focus during ongoing reading stations.
Implications/Recommendations
After conducting this study, I was able to see positive results come back from my students. They were working harder by focusing more to get their work done as well as showing their rigorous growth on their worksheets. With these results, I would recommend using self-assessing types of worksheets in stations. The worksheets were able to assist students independently and help them keep themselves in check while actively participating with others completing station work. I would also recommend using a positive incentive for kids to work towards as that motivated my students very well. Something I would have changed would have been to simplify the chart that I usedx. Even though it did help students in the long run, it did take some time for them to get used to it and fully understand it since it was new and something they had never done before.
Reference(s)
Amy Morin, L. (2022, September 2). Improve your child’s behavior problems with positive reinforcement. Verywell Family. https://www.verywellfamily.com/positive-reinforcement-child-behavior-1094889
Heick, T. (2022, January 22). 20 strategies to get the best work from your students. TeachThought. https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/getting-the-best-work/
Positive behavior strategies: A guide for teachers. Understood. (n.d.). https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-are-positive-behavior-strategies
Write From the Start: Nurturing Neatness in First Grade Handwriting!
Primary Researchers
Carly French, Intern, Baylor University
Tamara Holey, BSEd, Mentor Teacher, Hillcrest PDS, Waco ISD
Darlene Bolfing, MSEd, Intern Supervisor, Baylor University
Rationale/Introduction
While observing and assessing the handwriting of my first-grade students, I noticed a crucial need for handwriting skills to be implemented into their daily activities, such as journals, math homework, and station work. It has been discovered that “Poor handwriting can negatively influence student performance in academic subjects. Handwriting is the most common reason children are referred for occupational therapy in public schools” (Hope McCarroll, Tina Fletcher, 2017). This study focused on the relationship between handwriting quality and academic success in elementary-aged students. Recognizing the importance of addressing handwriting issues early in their education, I intend to work with a select group of four students to monitor and enhance their progress through handwriting intervention. I plan to conduct a teacher-led handwriting station to gauge and refine my students’ handwriting skills.
Question/Wondering
In what ways can a teacher-led handwriting station improve handwriting skills in four first-grade students?
Methodology/Results
I conducted research on four students in my first-grade class. I chose two Caucasian students: one boy and one girl, and two Hispanic students: one boy and one girl. These students are 6-7 years old. These four students struggled with the basic functions of handwriting: memory recall, mental attention, visual focusing, concentration with awareness, and hand-eye coordination. Specifically, these students needed help with shape, size, spacing, and slant of their alphabet.
Over three weeks, I engaged in targeted intervention with these students through a teacher-led handwriting station to enhance their handwriting proficiency. I collected pre-assessment data on how the students hold their pencils, and how they form each letter on lined manuscript paper. I began by giving the students a pre-assessment of how they write both their upper- and lower-case letters. I had each student write their upper- and lower-case letters, noticing the shape, size, spacing, and slant of their letters. Once the pre-assessment data was collected, I began working with the students throughout the weeks.
In the initial week, the emphasis was on cultivating a proper pencil grip. Each student received a pencil grip attachment to optimize their grip. I emphasized the importance of correct pencil grip, and how it helps us write more effectively when forming our letters. We also looked at the spacing of our letters, as well as the slant to refine their overall writing mechanics.
For the second week, we focused on alphabet letter recognition and correct letter formation through textured touch and trace cards. Focusing on upper-case letters on the first day, students participated in a tactile learning process by visually identifying, vocalizing, touching, and tracing each letter. I split the pile of upper-case letters and gave each student about six letters. They practiced tracing with both fingers and pencils, utilizing the grip attachment. Once they finished their pile, they passed it to the next person so that they were able to work on all 26 letters. This activity allowed the students to focus on the shape and size of their letters. On the second day of the week, we did the same thing but with lower-case letters.
In the final week, the students refined their letter formation using rice trays. Each student was given a rice tray and they traced both their upper-case and lower-case letters. This allowed the students to practice their fine motor skills, practice their letters, write more fluently, and improve their hand-eye coordination.
Concluding the intervention, I conducted a post-assessment. Students wrote both upper-case and lower-case letters on manuscript paper, focusing on the shape, size, spacing, and slant of their letters- a comprehensive evaluation of their overall progress.
The results of this study showed the importance of correct hand placement and personalized instructional time with students to refine their handwriting skills. A study from The National Library of Medicine on handwriting fluency for elementary students has found that handwriting instruction is an effective method to improve writing fluency, specifically when students are receiving explicit instruction in writing letters, words, and sentences fluently and accurately (López-Escribano, 2022). This study and research were clear after analyzing my students’ results. Throughout the three weeks, I continuously used a range of formative assessments to monitor my students’ progress. Through observations, note-taking, and the post-assessment, I was able to see my students had high gain results. I recorded 4.2% gain, 8.6% gain, 9.3% gain, and 26% gain from the four students when comparing their pre-test results to their post-test results. From these results, it is evident how valuable explicit targeted instruction can be when focusing on handwriting.
Implications/Recommendations
After conducting this research study, I saw the positive effects of explicit targeted handwriting instruction to refine students’ handwriting skills. All four of the students were able to show growth in the four main areas: shape, size, spacing, and slant of their letters as shown in their post-assessment. Incorporating this small-group instruction time was beneficial, but I wonder how the results could look different if I met with students individually, for a shorter amount of time. If I were to do this study again, I would consider working with students individually, and with a larger group of students to see how the results would vary, if they would.
Reference(s)
Hope McCarroll & Tina Fletcher | Wayne Usher (Reviewing Editor) (2017) Does handwriting instruction have a place in the instructional day? The relationship between handwriting quality and academic success, Cogent Education, 4:1, DOI: 10.1080/2331186X.2017.1386427
R;, López-Escribano C;Martín-Babarro J;Pérez-López. “Promoting Handwriting Fluency for Preschool and Elementary-Age Students: Meta-Analysis and Meta-Synthesis of Research from 2000 to 2020.” Frontiers in Psychology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 26 May 2022, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35719569/.
Enhancing Handwriting Skills Through Action Research: Strategies for Classroom Implementation
Primary Researchers
Tong Shen, Intern, Baylor University
Lexi Deanda, MSED, Mentor Teacher, Hillcrest PDS, Waco ISD
Darlene Bolfing, MSED, Intern Supervisor, Baylor University
Rationale/Introduction
Nowadays, almost most fourth-grade students use laptops to write homework or complete teacher requirements, and less content is written by hand. Whenever my mentor teacher and I read and check the handwritten assignments of our fourth-grade students, we have a hard time understanding them. In addition, while observing students' usual handwriting, I noticed that some of them would intersperse uppercase and lowercase letters in a single word, such as "HanDwRitING", write the number 6 in the opposite direction, or write it in a blurry manner.Sometimes when I ask students what they have written, they have trouble reading it themselves. A researcher has found that poor handwriting causes students to view writing negatively and try to avoid it (Selness, 2022). Another researcher mentioned that "legibility involves the readability of letters, as well as spacing within and between words" (Spear-Swerling, 2024). Based on this sentence and the observation of students' handwriting, some of their handwriting was not legible. Therefore, my mentor teacher and I plan to teach and intervene with our 21 students, focusing on whole-class learning to improve their handwriting level and quality.
Question/Wondering
In what ways can teacher-led handwriting lessons improve skills in a fourth-grade classroom?
Methodology/Results
In this action research, I instructed and provided intervention with a class of 21 fourth-grade students. Before handwriting instructions, I provided them with a sentence and asked them to write it on paper with lines for pre-assessment. Each student received a handwriting kit containing uppercase and lowercase letters A-Z and numbers 0-9, along with a handwriting practice paper. I taught handwriting after reading class, two to three times a week, gradually introducing four letters and two numbers at a time until all were covered. During the first practice of letters and numbers, I demonstrated the stroke sequence for each on the whiteboard. If students had not looked closely at the stroke order that I wrote, they could refer to the letter and number stroke order provided in the practice paper to correct their handwriting. Students were asked to practice writing on a handwriting practice paper, repeating each letter and number four times. While students wrote, I moved around the classroom, monitoring their progress and using different colored pens to correct any incorrect letters or numbers.
During instruction, I emphasized the stroke order of each letter and number, as well as how to write uppercase and lowercase letters on practice paper, focusing especially on letters like Pp, Uu, Ww, Tt, Mm, Ss, Cc, Xx, Zz, Vv, and Oo. Since the uppercase and lowercase forms of these letters are quite similar, if we do not deliberately make the letters larger or smaller when writing, it will be difficult for us to distinguish them. Therefore, I paid more attention to these letters during students’ practice.
In the first week, the students hurried to write all the letters and numbers, and it was obvious that they lacked practice in handwriting habits and showed impatience. I began teaching them that after practicing each letter, they should check for any letters that are not the same size as the template, and if so, correct them. In most cases, students unanimously believe that they wrote well with no difference. However, when I checked their practice, many uppercase and lowercase letters were in the wrong position on the handwriting practice paper. Consequently, I used a different colored pen to write the correct letter next to the incorrect one and had the student rewrite the incorrect letter in the practice paper blank section.
Compared to the handwriting learning and practice in the first week, students showed more patience and attention in the following days. They were not in a hurry to finish the handwriting but rather took the initiative to ask my feedback and ask about corrections after completing their writing. After praising their handwriting progress, they were happy and gradually became comfortable with handwriting practice. In addition, I also checked students' handwriting in other subjects, such as mathematics. In this way, I can visually see whether the students' handwriting improved. I mentioned above that a student wrote 6 with directions reversed. Even though we practiced numbers many times, he still wrote 6 in the opposite direction in many mathematic assignments. Recognizing the importance of timely correction for the student, I consistently guided him to identify and correct his mistakes. After several interventions, he finally corrected the reversed 6, a satisfying achievement for both him and myself.
After a month of handwriting practice and intervention, I conducted a post-assessment. Students wrote the same sentence as on the pre-assessment and included twenty-six uppercase and lowercase letters, and numbers on handwriting paper to assess their progress. The results of the action research showed that. despite only practicing for a short month, students had made progress in handwriting skills. Although class-wide practice did not allow for extensive time to improve individual students' handwriting skills, I will still assess and monitor students' handwriting in each subject to correct them in the further days.
Implications/Recommendations
I helped students correct their handwriting habits and techniques by demonstrating correct writing postures and stroke sequences on the whiteboard and encouraging students to imitate. Fifteen minutes of handwriting practice three times a week helped to ensure students had opportunities to practice their handwriting skills. While students practiced independently, I assessed each student's handwriting and provided corrections and encouragement and will continue until the end of my internship this semester. I will monitor and assess students' handwriting every day and provide timely feedback.
Reference(s)
Selness, Caroline. “Why We Need to Save Handwriting.” ASCD, 17 June 2022, www.ascd.org/blogs/why-we-need-to-save-handwriting.
Louise Spear-Swerling. “The Importance of Teaching Handwriting | Reading Rockets.” Reading Rockets, 2024 WETA Washington, D.C. www.readingrockets.org/topics/writing/articles/importance-teaching-handwriting.