REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL LAB ~ APPALACHIA The Effects of Kentucky Virtual High School’s Hybrid Course in Algebra I on Teaching Practices, Classroom Quality, and Adolescent Learning On-Line Collaboration March 2009 Series Challenges to Teaching Hybrid Algebra I

GOALS FOR ON-LINE COLLABORATION On-line Collaboration using Horizon Wimba: Share teaching strategies/resources, Discuss planning instruction, Analyze student work, Share formative and summative assessment instruments/strategies that move learning forward, Provide instructional structures where “feedback is focused on how students can improve related to learning goals,” Others as defined by teachers and as need to address issues in the field – including new learning that promotes student achievement.

NUTS & BOLTS  Technology Issues  Update regarding changes to the Lessons  See Spot Light on Algebra – Course Documents, Teacher’s Instructor Guide  Control Panel Hints  February Results

SHARING STRATEGIES, PROCESSES, & STRUCTURES  Mathematical Literacy Strategies - Vocabulary Development - Writing to Learn - Reading to Learn - Academic Dialogue - Technology - Manipulatives - Modeling

SHARING STRATEGIES, PROCESSES, & STRUCTURES (continued)  Formative or Summative Assessments Created and Used  Instructional Issues or Barriers You Are Facing or Encountering  Shared Experiences and/or Suggestions from Colleagues (Community of Learners)  Processes, Structures, and/or Lessons that Promote Student Achievement  Others

REQUESTED TOPICS Storing key concepts in long-term memory. Keeping students focused during the KVHS Lesson. Gauging student learning progress and determining next steps what is the best time for the formal assessment. Interacting with students during the KVHS Lesson in order to draw attention to key concepts. Recognizing key components to graphing linear equations – especially slope-intercept of a line.

INTERACTING WITH STUDENTS DURING THE KVHS LESSON IN ORDER TO DRAW ATTENTION TO KEY CONCEPTS Plan an applet that reinforces the concept being studied Ask specific questions that they may be able to answer as a result of this lesson Have a set of questions that students answer in small groups Allow students to post/respond to questions on a wiki or blog that furthers their experience in the virtual environment

INTERACTING WITH STUDENTS DURING THE KVHS LESSON IN ORDER TO DRAW ATTENTION TO KEY CONCEPTS What mathematical thinking is occurring with our students during the lesson? How do I inform myself about their thinking? What mathematical thinking am I expecting of my students in the virtual environment? How do I support that expectation?

“… developing connections is rooted in the basic functioning of the brain itself... Every time a person experiences something that “connects” with a previous experience and generates a charge, that experience tends to “stick” and something is learned (Parnell 1996). In the classroom, this means that teachers should help students to actively make connections.” (Protheroe, 2007) “Hart pushes this analogy even further in order to drive home his primary point: if classrooms are to be places of learning, then "the organ of learning," the brain, must be understood and accommodated.” (Leslie Hart, 1983)

From: Brain Research and Effective Teaching by David Ruenzel “… that the single most effective strategy is to have students compare, contrast, classify, and make analogies and metaphors.” “This was followed by eight other effective teaching strategies, including: –having kids summarize and take notes on what they're learning, –reinforcing effort and giving appropriate praise, –assigning homework that encourages practice, and –having students use non-linguistic representations- e.g., using a symbol or diagram to represent something they're learning.”

Classroom Instruction That Works Category Ave. ES% Gain Identifying similarities and differences Summarizing and note taking Reinforcing effort and providing recognition.8029 Homework and practice.7728 Nonlinguistic representations.7527 Cooperative learning.7327 Setting objectives and providing feedback.6123 Generating and testing hypotheses.6123 Questions, cues and organizers.5922

Summarizing and Note-taking Requires that students distill information into a concise, synthesized form and focus on important points. Research emphasizes the importance of breaking down the process of summarizing into a structure that can be easily understood by students. Students should be encouraged to revisit and revise their notes after initial recording them. They should use different formats and make notes as complete as possible. Verbatim note taking is the least effective note- taking technique

(Striving Readers, 2008)

Formative Assessment “Formative assessment helps students interpret feedback as a means of learning rather than as punishment or reward. Although we acknowledge the importance of performance, especially on standardized tests, student motivation for learning is more closely tied to formative assessment.” (Tunstall, 1996; Kafton, Buck, & Haack, 2006)

Formative Assessment (Continued) “Formative assessment serves the dual purpose of giving the teacher information on the effectiveness of the lesson and giving students information on the current state of their learning.” “Through this dialogue, or conversation, relationships form. Students begin to trust that they do not need to copy from the book to match what the teacher wants to hear. They can write down their thoughts, however ill-fashioned, and know future comments will direct the focus of learning.” (Kafton, Buck, & Haack, 2006)

Strategies for Enhancing Lesson Closure Use questioning and classroom discussion as an opportunity to increase their students' knowledge and improve understanding. Make sure to ask thoughtful, reflective questions rather than simple, factual questions Give students adequate time to respond Suggested strategies: –Invite students to discuss their thinking about a question or topic in pairs or small groups, then ask a representative to share the thinking with the larger group (sometimes called think-pair- share). –Present several possible answers to a question, then ask students to vote on them. –Ask all students to write down an answer, then read a selected few out loud.

Synthesis of Today’s Discussion

RECOGNIZING KEY COMPONENTS TO GRAPHING LINEAR EQUATIONS – ESP SLOPE-INTERCEPT OF A LINE Three way tie method each time you are discussing or modeling linear functions Use of Number/Table, Algebraic Symbols/Equation, Graphic Model, Sentence or Oral Description of what story the Models are telling

REMINDERS Office Hours (Monday 9 – 10 EST & Tuesday 1 -2 EST) Help Line: - Bb: KDE, Paula White: (#4512) - KDE, Kari Welch: (#4546) - for STUDENT & TEACHER ENROLLMENTS - KDE, Grace Yeh: (#4537) – for TECHNICAL SUPPORT - Identify yourself as HYBRID ALGEBRA I TEACHER, COHORT II April 20 (4:30 EST), 22 ND & 23 RD (3:30 EST) On-Line Collaboration