Group items tagged

Group 3: Erika Eason, Margarita Lugo, Frances Parker Week 8: This journal article is accessible through the link given above by accessing the UMUC library. Description: Students with learning disabilities commonly either avoided or have been discouraged from taking World Language classes. This article describes "multi-sensory approaches" and the kind of instructional strategies, informed by brain-based research, that can help students with learning disabilities succeed in learning Spanish or another second language. The article focuses on how to create meaningful inclusion and skill building in Spanish courses through general accommodations, existing resources, and learning strategies. The article also references the relative lack of scholarly research on this topic and how that negatively impacts wider knowledge of ways to help students with learning disabilities learn a foreign language. This article was of interest to our group because the SMART goal is directly tied to improving the performance of special education students in Spanish class. The goal of the world languages department is for every student to learn one of the languages taught, yet that is not always possible since special education students who are not meeting the reading goals are frequently pulled from language classes to get reading support. Implementing strategies and other instructional moves that might keep the students in language class, are of interest to the teachers. While several of the multisensory strategies discussed were already known, there were a couple that reinforced practices that have already been implemented as a result of our group's data action plan and at least one new idea that our practicing teacher would like to try. This article would be particularly useful for Spanish teachers who are learning to differentiate their instruction and assessment for the first time and who need ideas about how to involve more Citation: Tolbert, J. B.,

This study identifies the difficulties that urban students face in the high stake testing environment that they are currently in. The learning gap was attributed to the lack of study skills and strategies along with having difficulty managing distractions.

This article identifies the Culturally Responsive Instruction Observation Protocol (CRIOP). It highlights the gap that middle class white students have with black, poor, or Hispanic students and introduces teaching strategies to incorporate cultural knowledge.

This is an interview of Michael Horn who is an advocate of Blended Learning. In his interview he deals with the topics of student motivation and the use of blended learning to close student learning gaps.

Compile your annotations from multiple articles into a simple summary or robust report.

I selected a source from ERIC that focused somewhat upon the novelty and implementation on PARCC assessments in place of other testing batteries in school systems. This article may help us to a degree in honing our focus of our EQ as to why students grades declined significantly in the third quarter. Discussing issues with the ELA and the Common Core in Massachusetts, the very novelty of the testing led one overwrought educator to even remark, "...I'm not really thinking about PARCC yet. I have too much else to do" (Barrett, 2014, p. 25). Herein, Barrett mentions that field testing was just implemented into 18 states, just last year, and income and resource availability may play a significant role in Massachusetts' national performance leadership on former testing assessments and the Common Core (p. 24). Interesting to note is that the two parts of the PARCC testing, the PBA and the end of year examinations are only one month apart, spanning from March-April, and May-June (p. 25). Barrett, L. (2014). Common core 'A really big reset'. Education Digest, 79(8), 22.

This citation caught my eye because I am a Massachusetts educator and it is still undetermined whether or not the PARCC tests will be implemented in my district again this year. In general I felt that, last year, the assessment took too much time away from instruction. Now the teachers and parents I know seem more uncertain than ever that all our preparation efforts are worth it. I think if we weren't in such an all-fired hurry to raise our scores PARCC could actually develop into a meaningful exercise. Everybody relax!

Implementation Week 2 - Chris, Elijah, Noelle, Angela "Analyzing Differentiation in the Classroom: Using the COS-R" (available via UMUC Library): Citation: VanTassel-Baska, J. (2012). Analyzing Differentiation in the Classroom: Using the COS-R. Gifted Child Today, 35(1), 42-48. doi:10.1177/1076217511427431 This article discusses the use of the "Classroom Observation Scale-Revised" or COS-R. The COS-R is a tool intended for the use of observing and evaluating teachers in a more meaningful way. The COS-R assesses the teacher in a performance-based manner similar to performance-based assessments used for students. The goal of using this tool is to highlight "...the use of strategies that promote student learning and growth, especially in the area of higher order thinking, problem solving, and metacognition." This article was useful as one of our practicing teachers is an AP teacher and often needs to differentiate lesson planning for students of various high achievement levels. Other practicing teachers within our group expressed, much in the same manner as teachers referenced in the article, that many pedagogical tactics are not covered during teacher preparation programs, and there is a lack of strong feedback / recommendation of strategies that help increase teacher knowledge of differentiating instruction for various student populations.

Implementation Meeting 3 - Chris, Noelle, Elijah, and Angela Citation: Wilson, D. & Conyers, M. (2015, February 12). Put Working Memory to Work in Learning | Edutopia. Retrieved March 21, 2018, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/put-working-memory-to-work-donna-wilson-marcus-conyers This article focuses on activating and using the "working memory" of learners. Working Memory, as defined in this context, "...is what you can do with what you know." The authors provide several instructional strategies that encourage teachers to move away rote memorization instruction and move toward active use of knowledge. The strategies range in simplicity from repeating information to researching and peer-teaching. All of the working teachers within our group are seeking to improve student performance on testing, which in general, is more problem-solving based. In some of our data discussions, we have talked about students knowing material, not being able to identify and apply the information to complete certain tasks.

Week 9: Margarita Lugo, Erika Eason, Frances Parker This journal article is accessible through the link given above by accessing the UMUC library Description: This article takes a closer look the the kinds of accommodations in place for students with learning disabilities in math, science and world language class. Even though these accommodations are created and determined by learning and special education specialists, there is little research existing about which accommodations are recommended and effective for math, science, and world language courses. The author chose to focus on accommodations in these courses because of the lack of research of the effectiveness of accommodations in these courses as well as the documented struggle for students with learning disabilities in these courses. Smart goal: Our SMART goal is that "By the end of the numbers unit, 60% of students in the Special Education program in MS Spanish 1A - Period 2 will achieve 80% or higher on each formative assessment including listening, speaking and writing assessments". This article can help me achieve this goal by giving me new insight on the documented effectiveness of accommodations in the world language classroom. Framing Question: What kinds of accommodations would be most effective in the world language classroom? Which accommodations have been proved to be the most effective in the world language classroom? Citation: Ofiesh, N. S. (2007). Math, science, and foreign language: evidence-based accommodation decision making at the postsecondary level. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 22(4), 237-245.