Transcript No Slide Title

Reasoning Mind, Inc.
www.reasoningmind.org
Using Technology to Close the
Achievement Gap
Leadership for Equity and Excellence Forum
Feb 16th, 2010
Presenters: Betty Baitland and Julie Fry
Framing Question
How do the realities of 21st century
technology affect a teaching model
that was designed for the 19th
century?
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Discussion Question
What challenges do teachers in
urban schools face in
differentiating lessons for students
at various levels of ability and
motivation?
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Technology in the Classroom Today:
•5th graders report using computers just
24 minutes a week in school
•8th graders report using computers just
38 minutes a week in school
“Teachers use computers to supplement and
reinforce the existing teaching model. As such,
computers add cost, while failing to
revolutionize the classroom experience”
– US Dept. of Education Report on Technology
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Theory of Change:
Incorporating Technology into the
Classroom in the 21st Century:
Previously:
Today:
•Computer programs available are
merely on-screen textbooks.
•Animated, interactive programs
that engage student interest.
•Programs do not adapt to student
inputs; all students see the same
thing, regardless of answers given.
•Programs adapt to student inputs
– what each child sees varies,
depending on the inputs given.
•Non-customizable – all students
take the same path through the
program.
•Highly customizable – each
students takes an individual path
through the program, at their own
pace.
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New Role of Teacher:
Traditional Classroom:
1. Teachers give the same
lecture to the whole class.
2. Teachers use planning
time to create one-sizefits-all lessons
3. The majority of a
teacher’s time is spent
creating assignments and
assessments, and then
grading those assignments
and assessments.
With Technology:
1. Teachers use class time to
work one-on-one with
students.
2. Teachers use planning
time to create customized
intervention plans.
3. Teachers can devote their
time to a detailed analysis
of each student’s
performance through
automated reports.
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New Student Experience:
•Students become active
participants in their own
learning.
•Students receive instant
feedback to their answers.
•The program diagnoses
and remedies gaps in
prior knowledge.
•Students enjoy a flexible
and varied path of study.
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Proven Benefits to Students:
Increased Time on Task:
Studies have shown that
time on task in a classroom
where students are engaged
in computer-based learning
is much higher than in a
traditional classroom
Source: Worthen, Van Dusen, & Sailor, 1994
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Proven Benefits to Students:
Improved Student Attitudes
Learning:
Towards
After using Reasoning Mind,
an online mathematics
curriculum, over 70% of the
students indicated they
either liked math a whole lot
more or more than they did
previously before the
program.
Source: Waxman & Houston, 2008
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Proven Benefits to Students:
Increased Face-to-Face Interaction:
80% of a typical teacher’s time
is spent preparing to teach,
teaching, and testing.
Freed from routine tasks,
teachers can create
individualized intervention
plans, increasing the timeliness
and frequency of direct
instruction for the students
who need it most.
Source: Christensen, 2008
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Proven Benefits to Students:
High Quality Curriculum
in Every Classroom:
Administrators using a webbased curriculum can be assured
that a program of study will be
delivered in a consistent manner
across all classrooms, with
appropriate content and
pedagogies.
Source: Christensen, 2008
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Proven Benefits to Students:
A Classroom that Meets
Every Student’s Needs:
Technology that adjusts the
path of learning for each
student and provides multiple
learning modes to practice
skills has been shown to
dramatically boost student
achievement.
Sources: Schacter, 2001; Sivin-Kachala, 1998;
Wenglinsky, 1998
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Case Study
VIDEO:
Reasoning Mind: A tool for closing the
US mathematics achievement gap
Teachers and administrators talk about the dramatic
impact of adopting Reasoning Mind in their schools.
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Reasoning Mind:
Our mission
•Reasoning Mind is a non-profit that is changing the
instructional paradigm in early math education in schools
across the US.
•Reasoning Mind offers a combination of online learning
programs for students and professional development to
teachers.
•Reasoning Mind has emerged as a leader in dramatically
improving the math achievement of students from
disadvantaged communities.
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What Is Reasoning Mind?
• Proven curriculum of the highest
quality
• An effective teacher professional
development program
• A powerful teacher tool
• An engaging student environment
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Reasoning Mind: A Math Class
of the Technology Age
The RM Web-Based Educational Community
Hi, I’m the Genie,
an automated
tutor who guides
students through
the RM system.
Teachers control and
coordinate the
learning process,
interacting with
students, tutors and
the system
Students get help
from online tutors,
who mentor students
and set up virtual
classrooms to aid the
learning process
The Genie selects the path and pace of learning, tailored
to the individual characteristics of each student
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RM Teacher Training and Support
• RM teachers take a 5-day qualification course
in the summer and a 100-hour ongoing course
in their first year teaching RM.
• These courses develop teachers’ math content
and pedagogy knowledge
• Teachers are provided with ongoing support
from qualified intervention specialists who visit
classrooms bi-weekly.
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2008 RM vs. Control TAKS Data
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2008 RM vs. Control TAKS Data
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2008 RM vs. Control TAKS Data
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2008 RM vs. Control TAKS Data
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2008 RM vs. Control TAKS Data
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Students Are Engaged
 Are taught at their pace and level of ability
 Have their weaknesses diagnosed and
remedied automatically
 Collaborate and compete with each other
 Enjoy prizes, math games, and the Genie
As a result, students become engaged in learning math and
develop confidence in their abilities.
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Students Say…
Students Get Excited About Math:
Liked learning math in RM
92%
Like math more than before after using RM
76%
Would consider a job that uses math after RM
81%
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Students Say…
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Teachers Say…
Percentage of teachers who thought RM increased the following:
Reading comprehension
76%
Independence in learning
91%
Reasoning skills
94%
Non-standard thinking abilities
100%
Enjoyment of mathematics
93%
Confidence in mathematical ability
91%
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Teachers Love RM
Percentage of teachers who were
satisfied or extremely satisfied with
their overall RM experience
96%
Percentage of teachers who were
satisfied or extremely satisfied with
the professional development RM provides
95%
Percentage of teachers who were
satisfied or extremely satisfied with
the support RM provided
100%
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RM: The Classroom of the Future
 The student-centric
classroom is the
future of education
 Technology
facilitates transition
to student-centric
teaching
 Future teachers will
need the skills to
work one-on-one
with different types
of learners
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RM Endorsed by NCTQ
• RM was endorsed in a 2008 report
of the National Council on Teacher
Quality.
• RM’s training was one of only three
programs that the report said “show
promise for dramatically increasing
the mathematical competence of
their graduates.”
• According to the report, “sustained
inservice training… is essential to
imbue the practice of [teachers]
with a deeper conceptual
understanding.”
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RM Endorsed by TAMEST
• The Academy of Medicine,
Engineering & Science of Texas –
whose membership includes ten
Nobel laureates – endorsed RM in
its 2008 report.
• RM was in the list of ten “A+
Programs.” It was the only math
curriculum program in the list.
• The report said of RM, “Due to its
student-centric approach, the
program benefits a broad spectrum
of students, from special-need to
gifted and talented.”
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RM Endorsed by
Philanthropy Roundtable
• Reasoning Mind was profiled by
the Philanthropy Roundtable in a
2008 guidebook for donors.
• The guidebook concludes with Ten
Big Ideas in Need of Support.
• RM was the only program featured
under “Idea 10: Maximize
Strategic Use of Technology in the
Classroom.”
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Question and Answer
15 mins
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