TavaresCapstone

Phase 2

Objectives and Assessments

            This study proposes to investigate the idea that implementing a technology-based intervention plan with students who have moderate to severe learning disabilities can increase their mathematics comprehension. This technology based solution allows for students to identify their own strengths and weaknesses with multiplication and provides independent practice opportunities for students who entered fourth grade not having a solid understanding of basic multiplication concepts and facts.

Rationale

            Mathematics is sequential in that one skill builds upon the previously learned skill. Students entering fourth grade need to have a solid understanding of basic multiplication facts in order to have greater success acquiring additional skills in mathematics. Being able to automatically recite basic multiplication facts is a prerequisite skill for fourth graders. The Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum (2012) outlines, under Standard 6.0 Knowledge of Number Relationships and Computation/Arithmetic for grade 3 objective, students should “Represent multiplication and division basic facts using number sentences, pictures, and drawings” with an assessment limit of using basic facts of no more than 9 x 9 = 81 (mdk12.org). This indicates students are asked to learn basic facts by the end of third grade. The State Curriculum indicates under Standard 6.0 for fourth graders that they will be asked to multiply whole numbers using one 1-digit factor by up to a 3-digit factor (mdk12.org). This indicator stipulates that students are now expected to use their knowledge of basic multiplication facts to understand more complex mathematics such as multiplying 1-digit by 3-digit numbers. As authors M.D. Roblyer and Aaron Doering (2013) point out in their publication Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching “When the absence of prerequisite skills presents a barrier to higher level learning or to passing tests, directed instruction usually is the most efficient way of providing these skills” (Doering & Roblyer, p.48).

            This technology-based intervention plan is based on a direct instruction approach to teaching and learning. Direct instruction refers to a more traditional way for students to learn as explained in the text Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (2013), “Directed models stress individual work using traditional teaching and learning methods because they are designed to address problems of accountability and quality assurance in our educational system” (Doering & Roblyer, p. 46). Since the learning issue I have identified deals with students' abilities to remember basic multiplication facts the resources which will be used in my intervention project will be organized using a direct model of instruction.

             According to authors M.D. Roblyer and Aaron Doering (2013), technology integration based on directed methods of instruction can remedy identified weaknesses or skill deficits, promote skill fluency or automaticity, support efficient, self-paced learning, and support self-paced review of concepts (Doering & Roblyer, pp. 48 - 49).  Integrating a technology-based method of intervention helps teachers address specific instructional needs and pin-point resources which closely match the student’s learning problems.

            This technology intervention plan offers an advantage to students because the resources used gives them access to the following during their independent practice time: interaction with lesson activities, lesson review, repeated instruction, and instant feedback.

Audience

            The learners who will be taking part in the intervention program are the fourth grade math students in my class who scored in the bottom 27% on a multiplication pre-test at the website Multiplication.com  (basically the lowest six students out of a class of 22 students). 

Objectives and Assessments

            In order to determine whether or not the technology-based solution was a success the following behavioral learning objectives and assessment instruments were used:

Assessments

In the research article Remedying Math-Fact Deficits with DPR, authors Philip Axtell, Brian Poncy, and Christopher Skinner (2010) explain that DPR stands for Detect, Practice, and Repair when it comes to strategies for learning and assessing multiplication facts. They explain DPR is used to “enhance basic fact automaticity and learning rates by having students practice only those facts in need of remediation” (Axtell et al., p. 343). While students are working through my intervention program, they will detect their strengths and weaknesses with multiplication facts. They will be able to recognize which facts they must focus on through the use of a pre-assessment and through on-going formative quizzes. They will use various forms of online resources to practice and strengthen their weaknesses. These resources include online lesson presentations and activities on websites and with Power Point Presentations, and identify the basic facts they need to focus on and improve through the use of weekly quizzes. We will gauge their progress toward mastery by examining the results on a final assessment.

            The multiplication pre-test and final exam will come from Multiplication.com (see image below). The pre-assessment and the summative assessment will be a timed 40 question online test in which the students will correctly answer as many questions as possible in a four minute time period. 

                                                                                                                                      http://multipliction.com

Quiz

            Weekly formative assessments will be administered in the form of a 25 question quiz timed for two minutes. These quizzes were designed to periodically evaluate the effectiveness of on-going practice through the use of technology. 

Graphing and Predicting

            Accompanying the quizzes will be a multiplication sheet entitled “My Fact Check Progress Graph” (shown below). The students will create a graph to chart their results and to make predictions about the next quiz they will take. In the article Minute Math: An Action Research Study of Student Self-Assessment, authors Brookhart et al. (2004) research the topic of self assessment and its role in student motivation. They explain: “Motivation theorists suggest that student self-assessment will contribute to feelings of control over one’s own learning, of choice and of agency, and of self-worth” (p. 214). Students who are engaged in examining their quiz results and making predictions on future performance may make greater efforts during the practice phase. As authors Brookhart et al. (2004) stated “Theorists who focus on the formative feedback loop emphasize that the learning task requires students to compare their performance with desired performance and take steps to close that gap” (p 214). Therefore the students in this technology-based intervention will be appraising their own performance by recording their progress on a graph with their actual score next to their predicted score each week after their quiz is graded and predicting their performance on the following quiz. Using the multiplication graph to chart their progress allows students to continually collect data on their own progress and will increase the likelihood of being self-motivated to learn their multiplication facts.

Technology Based Solution

The image below is a link to the Pearltree I have created to serve as a technology hub where my students can find lessons and activities to support their learning as related to the objectives in this technology based intervention program. Click on image to view.

Pearltree

Multiplication Lesson Video

Here is an example of a lesson video students will watch to help them understand basic multiplication concepts (from Khanacademy.org):

Multiplication Power Point Presentation

Here is an example of one of the lesson presentations my students will use to practice learning their multiplication facts: