Week 1, Day 1
Administer not-graded assessment and facilitate small group, in-class discussion about resources and activities students enjoy and would like to be incorporated into the lesson plans.
With my curriculum research project, I hope to provide a guide of how to successfully incorporate the use of technology and digital resources into the lesson plans to make the process of learning math more fun and interactive for the students, improving this way not just student engagement and motivation, but also academic performance. The lesson plans designed will aid individualized learning and will also be remote-learning friendly.
The participants of my study will be the students taking the Algebra 1 course. Even though I am basing my study on data I previously obtained while I was teaching at HF School, the purpose of my study is to design an interactive curriculum for the Algebra one course that is in compliance with the common core standards, and can be easily implemented at any school. Because of this reason, no school or classroom demographics are included in this section. (For school and district demographics, please refer to pages three and four of the introduction).
Eighth or ninth-grade students (depending on the school) will be taught the Algebra one lessons using a new individualized approach that promotes the use of technology, manipulatives, and other interactive activities to help them stay motivated and engaged during class. Lesson plans will allow students the opportunity to take charge of their learning process by choosing, whenever possible, the tools they would like to use to work on the in-class activities to reduce math anxiety.
The first step is to begin gathering initial data through a not-graded student assessment. I will use this assessment to evaluate the math level of all of my students and know if they have any gaps I need to fill in.
After that, I will use an anonymous student survey to find out what are some tools or technological resources they would enjoy and would like to see included in everyday instruction. This survey will give me ideas about the activities that could help keep students engaged and will also provide me with feedback regarding how they feel about math. The purpose will be to find out if they experience math anxiety when doing homework, during class activities, or during math tests.
Once I get the data from both the initial assessment and the surveys, I will implement the newly designed lesson plans, which would include a variety of interactive activities using technology, internet, and manipulatives, depending on the results I get from each group of students. In order to evaluate if student engagement during math class is increasing and to know how the students are responding to these new lesson plans, I will conduct a participant observation and will record myself when teaching. I will later watch the videos from the participant observation, write reflections, and take note of what needs to improve for the next round.
I will also consider the results from the test scores, so once we have our first exam, I will be able to evaluate student progress and see if the academic performance is also improving. Doing this will allow me to make the adjustments needed and start re-evaluating progress through a second student survey and more participant observation videos.
Since student surveys will be anonymous, I do not think it is necessary to obtain consent from participants. If there is a need for me to use any of my data on written reports, I will make sure to hide all students’ names or will use pseudonyms. The not-graded initial assessments and tests are part of the normal process of my teaching, so no further informed consent forms are required.
My main worry when implementing this research would be students misusing the technological resources that are brought to the classroom. As stated by The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), technology can help increase student engagement and improve academic performance only when it is used adequately in the classroom (as cited in Watson, 2015). To avoid the misuse of the resources, I will make sure students know very clearly what the classroom rules are in regards to the abuse of tablets, laptops, and internet access. I will rely on the school’s firewall to prevent unauthorized access to websites.
Something else that could interfere with the research would be students not wanting to complete the surveys. If that is the case, I will approach them individually. I would gently ask them if there is something else they feel comfortable doing that would also allow me to collect the data I need to improve my instruction and make the necessary adjustments.
Administer not-graded assessment and facilitate small group, in-class discussion about resources and activities students enjoy and would like to be incorporated into the lesson plans.
Administer an anonymous student survey. Start teaching the unit. Later, after classes are done, sit down, and analyze the results. Plan the lessons according to the feedback students provide.
Start implementing changes in the classroom and continue to teach the unit for the following week and a half.
Continue with the first unit—record classes. Watch the videos from participant observation after class, take notes, and write a reflection.
Review the first unit and prepare students for first test.
Administer the first test. After class is over, grade the exams and analyze the results. Compare to previous findings (if available) or the initial not-graded assessment.
Implement changes and adjustments if needed. Start the cycle again.