Kerry+Smith

toc

About Me
I teach history at the Atlanta Girls' School. I am passionate about helping students understand historical relationships and I strive to foster their curiosity for life-long learning. I received my Bachelor's degree in Women's History from Oglethorpe University; my Master's degree in Women's Studies from Ohio State University; and am a doctoral candidate in Women's History and African American History at the State University of New York in Binghamton (Binghamton University).

Contact: ksmith@atlantagirlsschool.org

URL link to capstone Prezi presentation: http://prezi.com/jylpscb0bf0s/copy-of-appealing-to-the-brain/?kw=view-jylpscb0bf0s&rc=ref-16985463

Takeaways / Big Ideas
The readings, discussions, and projects completed with my EE Ford cohort members this year led to numerous changes in my classroom practices. Some of these changes were seemingly small (pausing class every 15 - 20 minutes to ask students to stretch, improve blood & oxygen flow, reminding students to drink water/ eat snacks) and others were profound (my action research on student choice). Some changes in classroom practice based on our work included:
 * techniques like chunking information and using mnemonics help students learn and retain understanding more efficiently
 * for every 20 minutes of content students need 15 minutes of process time
 * encouraging hydration to maximize brain function
 * improving students' metacognition by performing exercises that focused on thinking about thinking/ testing for understanding/ reteaching
 * administering unannounced pop-assessments more 36-hours after initial introduction of content to ascertain retention/ retrieval of information from long-term memory
 * using primacy/ recency effect research, I begin class with content- folllowed by a designated time for asking questions/ processing (minimizing the opportunity for misconceptions to take-hold)
 * re-arranging classroom seating to create zones for different types of learning to occur (priming learning by reinforcing intentionality associated with space)

AR Overview
Inspired by the research on motivational psychology presented in David Sousa's //How the Brain Learns//, I began to focus on students' meta-cognitive processes. After reading more about the positive role of choice in reducing student anxiety (reducing the negative cortisol response to stress and instead creating positive adrenaline associated with excitement), I changed the format of assessments by incorporating choices in my 11th and 12th grade classes.

AR Question
How is performance affected when students are given choices in their formative and summative assessments

AR Process
In prior academic years my formative and summative assessments were the same for all students. This year, I created layers of choices for students to allow their own interests to better drive their learning experience. My subsequent action research falls into three categories: weekly reading choices in US history, mid-term and final exam choices in US history, and individually designed projects in World Religions.

1) Weekly reading choices: At the beginning of the year I assigned the same discussion readings to all 14 students in my US history class. Some students struggled to find their voices in the large competitive discussion; some students seemed uninterested; and a few dominated. To create more investment, I began giving girls options between weekly readings and having smaller group discussions. When girls chose their readings and then discussed in groups of 6-8, the quality of contribution and productivity of discussions increased dramatically. This change was most noticeable in girls that were previously quiet/ seemingly disinterested. New leaders emerged and classroom interactions improved.

2) US history mid-term & final exam:

My US history midterm is typically a combination of multiple choice and one long essay, the subject of which is a surprise. This year I developed 3 essay options to evaluate student learning on content prior to the American Revolution. In the spirit of building positive teacher-student relationship, I was completely transparent and gave the essay topics in advance and girls were allowed to prepare for the essay of their choice.

The US history fall final: The course ran this year like a 1st year college course, relying on peer-reviewed journal articles rather than a text for content and weekly Harkness style seminars to evaluate student engagement/ understanding. First quarter assessments focused heavily on active reading and speaking skills; the second quarter focused more heavily on written analysis. Rather than having girls sit for a 2-hour exam, I gave girls the following assignment: write a 3 1/2 to 5 page research paper with footnotes and a separate MLA works cited page. Topic: any aspect of American history between 1585 (first English colonization) and Dec. 1860.

My goal all year with the US history girls was to inspire them to find a personal connection to history and experience it in the manner of professional historians. From the moment I presented the final exam assignment, the excitement in the room was evident. I invited girls to come work with me one-on-one during the research process, and many girls visited to narrow down their topic/ share their excitement. I believe this type of assessment authentically prepares students for college in general, but more specifically assesses their historical thinking skills while encouraging them to "pursue their fancies."

3) World Religions Unit Assessments: as we proceeded through each unit of study, girls were instructed to identify and research a deeper aspect of the religion that they wanted to know more about. In addition to performing research, girls had to design a project to teach their findings to the class. The product could take whatever form the girls chose (creative writing, a traditional Powerpoint or Prezi presentation, dance, sculpture, painting, etc.). To hold girls accountable they also had to create rubrics that would later be used to evaluate their individual work.

AR Data Samples
The quantitative data derived from my action research is quite limited. There are numerous qualifiers that underscore the "soft-science" nature of my classroom experiments. The biggest variable is that my action research hinged on a significant assessment change, which by default meant that the new work generated by students can not be neatly measured/ evaluated against prior assessments. Because the format of the exam changed, I faced the figurative challenge of comparing "apples and oranges." That said, I did compare the final exam results from this years' class to prior years and found a statistically significant improvement in overall test averages. Overall my final exam average increased by 2.5%. If students were taking the exact same exam as prior years it would be unlikely to see this jump in performance.



AR Data Analysis
While my quantitative data is limited, the qualitative data that I collected during my action research is extensive and rich in detail. After each assessment, girls completed a narrative self-reflection. Additionally, I made observations and gave verbal and written feedback to students throughout the research process. Specific questions that students reflected on included:
 * 1) Did having a choice in what to create for this project make a difference to you? If so, was the difference positive or negative?
 * 2) The challenge was to “give your best.” As you created your project, how did you evaluate and plan to achieve and demonstrate your best skills?
 * 3) Brain research suggests that students care more about their work and create better work when they have choices: based on this project, do you agree with this assertion? Answer as if you’re convincing a stranger (this will be part of my brain research evidence for the year J )
 * 4) Final evaluation: Assess your project as exemplary, proficient, sufficient, or insufficient. Describe the skill mastery and creativity demonstrated that justifies your evaluation.

Eight interconnected themes emerged from the students' self evaluations:

1) Individuality: students valued how unique each person's work became and the ability to express themselves fully in their work 2) Personal investment: when students took ownership of creating their own assessments they put more effort into creating the result they desired 3) Less competitive: students felt liberated when they realized they wouldn't be compared to other students 4) Pride: students were able to honestly and accurately evaluate their work and were proud of the work they produced (even when they came short of achieving their initial goals) 5) Motivation: students wanted to do their school work when they designed their own projects, rather than their typical procrastination 6) Choice: having a choice definitely made a positive difference in the students' experience 7) Authentic learning: students valued the opportunity to research and learn more about topics of their own choosing 8) Creativity: the students finished work achieved a level of creative detail that exceeded work submitted in prior years

AR Conclusions
Like my students, I agree with the brain-based research that supports giving students more choices in their day-to-day learning. I was most surprised by how excited students were about their work and how much they valued the individuality they were able to express. Students reflected on how bored they are with their typical assignments compared to the projects that they designed themselves. They also hared how demoralized they feel when they know they'll be compared "apples to apples" against another student (especially if they have internalized a preconception that other students are "smarter"). I was moved by how much I learned about my students when I empowered them to direct the learning process. These were students that I had taught or observed over 5-6 years, but I feel like I began to know them through their work this year. As a result our working relationship improved. An unanticipated outcome of my action research was that as our working relationships improved, students' motivation and investment in content increased even further.

Lit Review & Resources
Ohio Resource Center > AdLIT > In Perspective Magazine > Choice at Finland Middle School." //Ohio Resource Center >// . N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. . Ohio Resource Center > AdLIT > In Perspective Magazine > Crafting Effective Choices to Motivate Students." //Ohio Resource Center > Error on Page//. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. . Ohio Resource Center > AdLIT > In Perspective Magazine > More Resources for "Student Choice and Engagement"." //Ohio Resource Center > Error on Page//. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. . Ohio Resource Center > AdLIT > In Perspective Magazine > When You Give Me a Choice, You Give Me a Chance." //Ohio Resource Center > Error on Page//. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. . Dr. David Sousa ¬´ How the Brain Learns: The Blog." //How the Brain Learns: The Blog//. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. . "Motivating Students ." //Committed to Service, Community, Integrity and Diversity in higher education. | University of Wisconsin-Whitewater// . N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. .  Sousa, David A.. //How the brain learns//. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press, 2006. Print.

Reflections
Working with peers in the EE Ford cohort was the most valuable professional development in which I've ever participated. The collaborate approach to learning was motivating and helped us work through rigorous neuroscience readings. I really valued being able to visit my partner's class, observing differences in school culture, and hosting at my school (Chad Turner rocks his classroom at Best Academy!). Our bi-monthly meeting schedule kept us constantly focused on the connections between our cohort work and its application to our daily practices. The energy for our work was always palpable and I think transferred back into our diverse school communities. The training I received this year led me to pursue more training and assume greater leadership responsibilities as a learning specialist for the 2013-2014 school year!