Notes From The Field

What is the AlgebraByExample project aiming to do for students in mathematics?

For the past three years, the AlgebraByExample project has been conducted in school districts across the country as part of ongoing work with a SERP Field Site partnership with the Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN). MSAN was created by a set of inner-ring suburban districts that have witnessed widening achievement gaps as their schools have become more diverse.

This project uses two best practices, with abundant support from the field of cognitive science, which are introduced into alternate versions of student assignments: Worked examples (both correct and incorrect) and self-explanation prompts.  More

How has the Complex Instruction program benefitted students and teachers in SFUSD, and what effect has SERP’s media team had?

For the past three years, secondary mathematics teachers in San Francisco Public Schools have been working to increase students’ participation and learning in mathematics. To this end, teachers are learning how to implement an equity pedagogy called, Complex Instruction, which pays close attention to how assumptions of competence – who is considered “smart” and who is not – affect students’ choices about participation and their opportunities to learn. More

What is the 5×8 card, and how was it developed? What effect is it having on the classroom?

What does good instruction look like?

Ask principals what tools they want to help them be better instructional leaders and you will hear…if you listen empathetically…laughter. Reality for a principal presents itself as clamor and urgency, as “too much” and no time. Their relationship with teachers, as often as not, is: protect them so they can do the real work, back them up, and then time runs out. A tool? Sure, show me the tool…I can spare a minute to see if it has any value.
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What effect are you seeing by showing students video of example discussions?

It is my goal to work with researchers and educators in Boston and Toronto over the next couple of years to bring Word Generation to virtual platforms, so our teachers and students can have access and support to teach and learn critical academic and low frequency vocabulary in meaningful ways using any technology devices anytime and anywhere. More

You’ve been piloting the use of iPads as a Word Generation coach. How has the iPad changed or improved your work?

Coaching for Word Generation frequently means serving as the bridge between researchers and practitioners, and the iPad enhances my ability to collect data to support teachers as well as inform researchers so that we can better understand student learning. More

How are the ELL modifications to Word Generation in San Francisco expanding access to the materials?

Nearly 60% of the English Learners in California have been in the U.S. for seven or more years. Many were born in the U.S. and have only attended American schools. These students are typically enrolled in mainstream classes and may sound fluent in Englishwhen overheard in hallways or during informal discussions during class. However, these long-term English Learners (LTELs) are often quiet as discussions become increasingly academic. They may have very sophisticated ideas about the topic of discussion, but frequently lack the language necessary to confidently respond in front of their peers. More

The Word Generation Program that is under development for 4th and 5th grades is in some ways different from the middle school Word Generation program. One difference is that each unit is launched with a video newscast with news anchor “Paige Reider.” Why has Paige Reider been incorporated in the 4th and 5th grade Word Generation curriculums?

 

Paige Reider deepens the Word Generation student’s experience in several ways.  First, she is an engaging newsreader — and we want to convey that watching the news can be a good way of learning about the world.  Second, she introduces the topic of the unit in a dramatic, newsworthy way.  Third, she uses the new vocabulary words for the unit, so that the students have a chance to hear these words before they are expected to read them. More

How is the Paige Reider project helping students in Word Generation?

 

Our school-based coaches report that fourth graders love to listen to newscasts from Paige Reider and her fellow field reporters!  The students are thrilled that the reporters go to playgrounds where fourth graders play and to classrooms where fourth graders learn and talk about issues affecting them directly, as well as hearing about issues that are more grown up. For example, students hear newscasts that address student-centered issues such as fairness and collective responsibility as well as topics that address more political issues such as whether everyone should be required to learn a second language or whether it is ever justifiable to break a rule or to adopt a wild animal. More

Congratulations on your new position! Tell us more about this transition in your professional life. How will you stay connected to SERP?

 

The past three years at the Harvard Graduate School of Education have been tremendously rewarding. My initial work there focused on examining the academic word learning of Boston middle school students, specifically whether participating in the Word Generation program resulted in strong and sustained vocabulary development. More

Congratulations on your new position! Tell us more about this transition in your professional life. How will you stay connected to SERP?

 

The decision to leave SERP as Literacy Director was somewhat heart-wrenching because I am passionate about SERP’s mission, and the work I’ve done thus far with the organization has greatly shaped my identity as an educator and researcher. More