09/15/07

Connected Classroom Technology in Physical Science Classrooms: Preliminary FindingsKaren E. Irving, Vehbi A. Sanalan,

Melissa L. Shirley Ohio State University

Mid Atlantic ASTE Conference, Hawk’s Nest, West Virginia. September 13-15, 2007

09/15/07

Project team

• Principal Investigators– Douglas T. Owens– Stephen L. Pape– Karen E. Irving– Louis Abrahamson– Frank Demana

• Post doctoral researchers– Vehbi Sanalan

• Consultants– Christie Kim Boscardin– Joan Herman– Jeremy Roschelle

• Project Coordinator– Mike Kositzke

• GRAs– Sedat Ucar; Sukru Kaya;

Melissa Shirley; Clare Bell; Ugur Baslanti; Sharilyn Owens; Hyesook Shin; Gonul Sakiz

09/15/07

Background• Economic performance depends on

mathematics and science education, but students exhibit little motivation to learn these subjects (Cote & Levine, 2000)

• International comparisons: U.S. high school students compare poorly, but U.S. elementary students perform comparably or better (NCES, 2003)

09/15/07

Changing views of mathematics & science education• Conceptual understanding• Learning through problem solving and

inquiry• Self-regulated learning• Oral and written communication• Connections• Representation• Reasoning and Proof

09/15/07

The potential of the connected classroom includes…• Multiple interconnected representations • Conceptual development supported

through activity-based learning experiences

• Immediate, anonymous formative assessment

• Public displays of class knowledge• Teacher identified critical junctures

09/15/07

CCMS project overview• Interdisciplinary professional development

and research project

• Algebra I and Physical Science

• First year algebra data

• Classroom connectivity technology

• Summer Institute – training

• T3 conference follow-up

09/15/07

Purpose & research questions• Purpose

• To report preliminary findings on science teacher experiences in connected classrooms

• Research Questions• How do physical science teachers implement

connected classroom technology in their teaching?

• Does connected classroom technology facilitate formative assessment?

09/15/07

Formative assessment

• The process used by teachers and students to recognize and respond to students’ learning in order to enhance that learning, during the learning. (Cowie & Bell,1999)

• The gathering of assessment data & teacher use of assessment information to modify their work to improve their teaching effectiveness. (Black, 1995; Black & Wiliam, 1998).

09/15/07

Formative assessment

• Formative assessment correlates with increased student achievement– Analyzed over 40 studies on formative

assessment– All of the studies reported significant and

often substantial achievement gains with positive effect sizes ranging from 0.4 to 0.7

(Black, Harrison, Lee, Marshall, & Wiliam, 2003)

09/15/07

Difficulties implementing formative assessment

• Studies show formative assessment use by classroom teachers is one of the weakest aspects of teacher practice.

(Daws & Singh, 1996; Assessment Reform Group, 1999)

09/15/07

Participants

• First physical science cohort: 9 teachers

• Purposively selected 3 teachers for preliminary analysis

• Criteria for selection– Success in implementation– Diversity of classroom situations

09/15/07

School demographicsTeacher* State # students School Diversity % low SES

Ms. Jaffe OH 897 Grades 9-12

98% White 8%

Ms. Brown OH 662Grades 6-8

51% White36 % Black11% Multiracial2% Unspecified

72%

Ms. Dale TX 856Grades 7-8

57% Hispanic35% Black 5% White3% Asian/Pac.Islander<1% Native American

82%

*pseudonyms

www.Greatschools.net

09/15/07

Students

*pseudonyms

Teacher* Class Student Characteristics

Student gender

Ms. Jaffe 9th grade physical science

Regular classes coed

Ms. Brown 8th grade science

Lowest achieving in the 8th grade; many inclusion & special ed

coed

Ms. Dale 7th grade science

Regular classes boys

09/15/07

Participants - Tech skills & support

*pseudonyms

Teacher* Tech Skills Tech support Classroom technology

Ms. Jaffe Prior use of Probe ware

T3 mentor in bldg

Math teachers & 1 science teacher using Navigator

Navigator

SmartBoard

Projector

Ms. Brown Scared of technology

No calculator skills initially

T3 mentor in bldg

Math teachers using Navigator

Navigator

SmartBoard

Projector

Ms. Dale Strong; experienced computer user

T3 mentor offsite

Only T in school using Navigator

Navigator

SmartBoard

Projector

09/15/07

Data sources

• Telephone interviews (audio & notes) – Autumn – Spring

• Classroom observations (video & notes)– 2 days– 2 class periods

• Post observation teacher interviews

• Surveys and measures

09/15/07

Data sources

• Surveys & Measures– Demographic survey– Technology Use and Professional

Development Survey– Still being analyzed

• Student pre and post achievement data • Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire• Student Views of Science• Student Perceptions of Instruction

09/15/07

Formative assessment typology• Communicate task criteria

– What has to be done– Quality criteria

• Gather data– Questions– Observes

• Interpret data– Critiques

• Change instructional practice– Suggestions for improved practice– Supplies information/ corrects/makes counter-

suggestion(Torrance and Pryor, 2001)

09/15/07

Communicates task

• Task description– Variety of inquiry related lessons– Assessment tasks

• Example: Earth materials activity (Ms. Brown)– FOSS kit – Sand, soil, water– Take temperature readings every 3 minutes– Create & interpret graphs

09/15/07

Gathering data – Earth materials activity• Data on student learning

– Class review of aggregated data – Easily identify individual student data– Teacher prompted student to articulate what

was wrong with her data– Class discussion of data

09/15/07

Ms. Brown’s words…

They were really analyzing what they were seeing, even comparing the soil to the sand. In the past that has been really hard for me to explain…why the soil can hang onto the heat a little bit longer because of the water element. (Ms. Brown, 3050.AuTI.2006)

09/15/07

Data interpretation – student learning

Connected classroom technology serves as a platform for science data collection and interpretation as well as pedagogical data collection and interpretation.

09/15/07

Gathering data – questioning in the CCWe were doing earth and sun relationships, and that dreaded revolution versus rotation….We did a learn check and … I didn’t put it up on the screen. But I was able to look on [my screen] and see who was making those mistakes still…. So it helped me because I could pinpoint, without embarrassing them, … who was still mixing those concepts up. (Ms. Brown, 3050.AuTI.2006).

09/15/07

Formative assessment – knowing more about student learning I am much more aware … of who knows what’s going on and who doesn’t…. Where I think in the past, maybe I taught things and I thought they got it, so I just went on. I think when ...I had kids getting a D or an F, it was... what they could do. Now I think I am catching [on] a lot sooner, so I am definitely doing a lot of reteaching. (Ms. Brown. 3050.AuTI.2006)

09/15/07

Formative assessment – knowing more about student learningIt’s more communication between the teacher and the student, and you…can get to know the kids better. You get to know how their mind works better, so I think it increases [teacher-student interaction] because we are both working through problems together. (Ms. Dales.3026.STI)

09/15/07

They didn’t know they didn’t know. You know I have taught for 18 years, and I have been in 7th grade science for about 15 of the 18…and there are things that I have always been really sure that I think kids have understood completely. Now I see what they are thinking, and I am like, whoa…I am just amazed. (Ms. Brown, 3050.STI.2007)

I am surprised. I will give a quiz which I think, okay, they should know this. This is pretty basic stuff. And it comes back and some kids on one question, half of them got it wrong. And I am like, whoa. (Ms. Dales.3026.STI)

09/15/07

Rapid feedback – knowing when you need to knowIt really opens my eyes and tells me that ok, they didn’t understand this. It really helps me quickly learn that I need to go back over a few things rather than move on. Cause usually when you give a paper and pencil quiz, and you get it back, and you grade it, it’s like a day before you realize they didn’t understand this question at all. It’s timelier on the feedback. (Ms. Dales. 3026. STI)

09/15/07

They can get that instant feedback…From the student perspective, I feel like if they can get that instant feedback, instead of a couple of days later, when they don’t remember what they chose anyway, I feel like this way they really understand it a lot better and they can ask questions right away instead of that time lapse where they forget everything. (Ms. Jaffe 3064.POI.2007)

09/15/07

CC Assisted Formative Assessment – preliminary findings

• Assertion 1: Connected classroom technology supports scientific inquiry by facilitating data collection, aggregation and display.

• Assertion 2: Connected classroom technology supports formative assessment by facilitating collection, aggregation and display of data related to student learning.

• Assertion 3: FA allows teachers to make informed teaching decisions to facilitate student learning.

09/15/07

Next steps…

• Analysis of classroom video

• Student achievement data

• Additional surveys and measures

• Year 2 data collection

• Second cohort of science teachers

• Review of data for other teachers

09/15/07

Contact information

• Karen Irving: irving.8@osu.edu

• Vehbi Sanalan: Sanalan.1@osu.edu

• Melissa Shirley: Shirley.37@osu.edu

09/15/07

ASTE – workshop on CC technology • St. Louis ASTE meeting

• Look for it on the program

09/15/07

Connected Classroom Technology in Physical Science Classrooms: Preliminary FindingsKaren E. Irving, Vehbi A. Sanalan,

Melissa L. Shirley Ohio State University