Evaluation.
The main changes that I would like to see in my students would be that they begin to work together more collaboratively; seek out answers from their peers (instead of always me); move at their own pace for learning; create and reach their goals; and learn how to be metacognitively aware.
There are a few different ways that I can begin to measure the changes within my classroom. First and foremost, observations will be my biggest asset. I will continually monitor the classroom and write observational notes from the behaviors that I see within each class. Looking at these notes over the course of a year will allow me to pinpoint the changes that have occurred within the classroom. I will be looking specifically at how students are forming groups, and how many students ask their peers questions before asking me.
I will also be meeting with students on a weekly basis to determine their goals for each week. Observational notes will be crucial here to recognize and assist students in creating goals that are attainable, manageable, but have a high-level of expectation. Over the course of the year I should expect to have fewer and fewer conversations where students have not met their goals and more conversations about how they can further push themselves.
Through goal-setting each week students should also gain the skills of metacognition. I will use surveys and/or to ask students to critique themselves on how well they think they know what they know and don’t know. We will have discussions throughout the year on how they are recognizing the items that they need more practice on, and which items they are ready to test out of. These discussions and surveys will allow me to see the change that has occurred throughout the year.
In order to see the changes in student achievement, I will use data from the past few years of flipping my classroom and teaching at an IB school. I will use test scores to see if students are grasping the material better this year with the new format and structure. Using the LMS (Learning Management System) Schoology will allow me to compare summative assessments from each chapter. Obviously there will be changes made throughout each year, but looking at the level of mastery for each quiz/test will allow me to see if students are grasping the material with a higher level of understanding in comparison to last year’s data. I will also use my IB rubrics that grade based on investigating patterns, communication, and applying math in real-life contexts. These rubrics will give me a baseline to compare how students have changed these skills from year to year. I am expecting that students will be able to achieve a higher level on these rubrics due to their constant feedback and collaboration with peers.
There are a few different ways that I can begin to measure the changes within my classroom. First and foremost, observations will be my biggest asset. I will continually monitor the classroom and write observational notes from the behaviors that I see within each class. Looking at these notes over the course of a year will allow me to pinpoint the changes that have occurred within the classroom. I will be looking specifically at how students are forming groups, and how many students ask their peers questions before asking me.
I will also be meeting with students on a weekly basis to determine their goals for each week. Observational notes will be crucial here to recognize and assist students in creating goals that are attainable, manageable, but have a high-level of expectation. Over the course of the year I should expect to have fewer and fewer conversations where students have not met their goals and more conversations about how they can further push themselves.
Through goal-setting each week students should also gain the skills of metacognition. I will use surveys and/or to ask students to critique themselves on how well they think they know what they know and don’t know. We will have discussions throughout the year on how they are recognizing the items that they need more practice on, and which items they are ready to test out of. These discussions and surveys will allow me to see the change that has occurred throughout the year.
In order to see the changes in student achievement, I will use data from the past few years of flipping my classroom and teaching at an IB school. I will use test scores to see if students are grasping the material better this year with the new format and structure. Using the LMS (Learning Management System) Schoology will allow me to compare summative assessments from each chapter. Obviously there will be changes made throughout each year, but looking at the level of mastery for each quiz/test will allow me to see if students are grasping the material with a higher level of understanding in comparison to last year’s data. I will also use my IB rubrics that grade based on investigating patterns, communication, and applying math in real-life contexts. These rubrics will give me a baseline to compare how students have changed these skills from year to year. I am expecting that students will be able to achieve a higher level on these rubrics due to their constant feedback and collaboration with peers.
Connections.
One of the main areas that this project connects with is design. Design is a topic that has been discussed at length in many of my graduate coursework and the importance of looking at design through an empathetic lens. Designing a classroom with the user (student) at the center of design is really the only way we should be structuring our classrooms. Students have the need to connect, collaborate, and communicate with one another. Using Steelcase technology will allow me to focus on this design perspective for my students.
The structure of my coursework (flipped-mastery-gamification) relates to so many of the ideas that I’ve learned. The biggest connection is in behaviorist theory. The gamificaiton aspect of the classroom gives students rewards and punishments to help motivate them to succeed. Student motivation is a large piece of pushing students to dig deeper into the content and connect them to a real-world structure. This structure also relates to the UDL (Universal Design for Learning). With the affordances of using an LMS with flipped-mastery-gamification, students are given the time that they need to succeed. Students who need more or less time on a specific area can take it without the worry of falling behind of getting ahead. The course is easily differentiated based on each student’s learning needs and approaches.
The structure of my coursework (flipped-mastery-gamification) relates to so many of the ideas that I’ve learned. The biggest connection is in behaviorist theory. The gamificaiton aspect of the classroom gives students rewards and punishments to help motivate them to succeed. Student motivation is a large piece of pushing students to dig deeper into the content and connect them to a real-world structure. This structure also relates to the UDL (Universal Design for Learning). With the affordances of using an LMS with flipped-mastery-gamification, students are given the time that they need to succeed. Students who need more or less time on a specific area can take it without the worry of falling behind of getting ahead. The course is easily differentiated based on each student’s learning needs and approaches.