Module 6 Assignment

Research on Effective Schooling

Throughout the course you have been encouraged to think of yourself as a scholar and as a practitioner and to consider how gaining more competence in these two roles can prepare you to become a more competent educational activist. No matter what your particular level of interest (e.g., early childhood, K-12, higher education, adult education) you have some expertise that can facilitate positive change in the K-12 school system as educators attempt to increase academic learning.

In this assignment, you will imagine that you have been hired as a consultant to an elementary, middle grades, high school, or district to help educators improve the schooling experience for their students in regards to role or level of your choice. Choose a role (a K-12 educator, an early childhood educator, a school principal, a district-level administrator, a teacher educator, or an adult educator) and prepare to use the Module’s resources to address improving student learning in K-12 schools. Having studied your resources, you will make research-based recommendations in your proposal. Include a selection of three variables from Hattie’s (as cited in Huitt et al., 2009) review of 800 meta-analyses as shown in Table 1 below, as well as other research from the Module’s resources and your own library work. You will need to study Huitt et al. (2009) to interpret Table 1.

Part 1: As an introduction, describe the role you are imagining, and the characteristics of the school, families, students, educators, and staff at the school or district in enough detail so that the reader of your recommendations can understand the context. Be sure to include your understanding of the current level of student learning (e.g., poor, average, excellent).

Part 2: Make recommendations regarding how educators can engage in a data-based decision making process for a specific role, using the appropriate set of data presented by Huitt et al. (2009) as shown in Table 1 below. You may also use other meta-analyses as shown in the optional readings or that you locate through your own research. Choose from the following sets of instructions for Part 2 based on the role you have chosen.

If youhave chosen the role of a K-12 teacher, you will use the first set of data presented by Huitt et al. (2009) as shown in Table 1 below. You may also use other meta-analyses as shown in the optional readings or that you locate through your own research.

  • Select three skills, instructional methods, or behaviors(e.g., teacher clarity, direct instruction, time on task) on which to focus in a specific teacher’s classroom; you should select complementary variables that can be worked on simultaneously
  • Justify the selection of these skills, instructional methods, or behaviors.
  • Develop a classroom-based action plan that shows how you would focus on the skills, instructional methods, or behaviors you have selected.
  • Propose how you could track each factor you address in your recommendation over a school year, even if it is done informally.

If you have chosen the role of an early childhood educator, you will use the first set of data in Table 1. You may also use other meta-analyses as shown in the optional readings or that you locate through your own research.

  • Select three skills, instructional methods, or behaviors (e.g., teacher clarity, direct instruction, time on task) on which to focus in a specific teacher’s classroom; you should select complementary variables that can be worked on simultaneously
  • Justify the selection of these skills, instructional methods, or behaviors.
  • Develop a classroom-based action plan that shows how you would focus on the skills, instructional methods, or behaviors to prepare children for the K-12 classroom.
  • Propose how you could track each factor you address in your recommendation over a school year, even if it is done informally.

If you have chosen the role as a building-level administrator, such as a school principal, you will use the second set of data presented by Huitt et al. (2009) as shown in Table 1 below. You may also use other meta-analyses as shown in the optional readings or that you locate through your own research.

  • Select one program or approach (e.g., acceleration, classroom behavioral program) on which to focus in your school.
  • Justify the selection of this program or approach.
  • Develop a school-based action plan that shows how you would focus on the program or approach you have selected.
  • Propose how you could track this program or approachover a school year, even if it is done informally.

If you have chosen the role of as a district-level coordinator or administrator, select one of the elementary level programs to implement in your district over the next three years. If there are multiple elementary schools in your district, you may elect to implement the program in stages. (You might also select a building-level administrator focus if that is more relevant to your present or desired duties).

  • Select one program or approach (e.g. vocabulary programs, phonics instruction) on which to focus in your school district.
  • Justify the selection of this focus.
  • Develop a district-based action plan that shows how you would implement the program or approach you have selected.
  • Propose how you could track the implementation and effectiveness of this program or approach over the three years, even if it is done informally.

If you have chosen the role of a teacher educator, you will use the fourth set of variables in Table 1. Given that Micro Teaching (Metcalf, as cited in Hattie, 2009) has been shown to be a very effective approach for developing teaching skills as shown in Table 1 below, identify exactly what skills or instructional methods should be the focus a Micro Teaching program.

  • Select three skills or methods (e.g., teacher clarity, reciprocal teaching) that you believe are most relevant in the development of preservice teachers at a particular level (e.g., early childhood, kindergarten, elementary, middle grades, or high school.)
  • Justify the selection of these skills.
  • Propose how to develop a micro-teaching approach to teaching those skills or methods.
  • Propose an approach to assessing the development of the proposed skills or methods.

If you choose a role other than K-12positions (higher education, adult education, etc.) think about how you can address issues in K-12 teaching and learning from that perspective, using any of the categories of variables listed in Table 1. For example, you might be a nursing educator and have been asked to help a high school prepare their students for entrance into the medical field. Or you might have a background in student services at a college level and have been asked to help a high school prepare their students for academic success in the technical school or college level. Or you might be an adult educator and have been asked to assist in the professional development of the adults in a school.

  • Select three skills (e.g., teacher clarity, reciprocal teaching) that you believe are most relevant in the development at the high school level for success in your field or the level of education on which you focus.
  • Justify the selection of those skills.
  • Propose an action plan that shows how you would address the issues you have selected.
  • Propose an approach to assessing the development of the proposed skills.

Illustration of Part 2:For example, as a principal you might recommend that a program be developed for high school students in a school with 80% of the students on free lunch (a proxy variable for low SES) that would focus on improving peer influences (d= 0.53) through the use of small group learning (d = 0.49). You would justify your selection based on research, describe how small group learning and positive peer influences could be monitored, describe the desired outcome of this activity (e.g., better student academic learning and increased positive student behavior), and then make suggestions on how this could be done in individual classrooms as well as throughout the school.

Whatever the role, setting, and variables you select, your recommendations should be:

  • Research-based, starting with the Hattie (2009) meta-analysis review.
  • Appropriate for the particular grade level and set of student characteristics.
  • Observable so that they can be documented.
  • Coherent across curriculum, classroom and school activities, and assessment methods.

Do not be concerned about the cost of implementing your suggestions. The school has received a federal grant to cover the costs of putting your ideas into practice.

References

Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. London & New York: Routledge.

Huitt, W., Huitt, M., Monetti, D., & Hummel, J. (2009). A systems-based synthesis of research related to improving students’ academic performance. Paper presented at the 3rd International City Break Conference sponsored by the Athens Institute for Education and Research (ATINER), October 16-19, Athens, Greece. Retrieved from

(Assignment length: 6-10 pages, not including title page, abstract, references, appendices, tables, or figures.)

By Day 3 of Week 12:
Save is assignment as a “.doc” or “.rtf” file with the filename A6+lastname+firstinitial. For example, Sally Ride’s filename for this assignment would be "A6RideS." Submit this assignment via Turnitin in the Course Tools. Use the Turnitin Assignment link, choose the Assignment Turnitin - Module 6 and Submit Paper.

Congratulations! You have completed the course.

Table 1. Improving Student Achievement*
Domain / Revised / Level / Influences / d.
K-12 Teachers / Teacher / Tchg Events / ALL / Teacher clarity / 0.75
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Reciprocal teaching / 0.74
Teaching / Tchg Events / ALL / Feedback / 0.73
Teacher / Cls Proc / ALL / Teacher – student relationships / 0.72
Teaching / Tchg Events / ALL / Spaced vs. mass practice / 0.71
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Meta-cognitive strategies / 0.69
Teaching / Stdt Beh / ALL / Self-verbalization/self-questioning / 0.64
Teacher / Tchg Events / ALL / Not labeling students / 0.61
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Problem-solving teaching / 0.61
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Cooperative vs. individualistic learning / 0.59
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Direct Instruction / 0.59
Teaching / Tchg Strat / MG/HS / Study skills instruction / 0.59
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Mastery learning / 0.58
Teaching / Tchg Events / ALL / Worked examples / 0.57
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Concept mapping / 0.57
Teaching / Cls Input / ALL / Goals / 0.56
Teaching / Cls Proc / MG/HS / Peer tutoring / 0.55
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Interactive video methods / 0.52
Teaching / Tchg Events / ALL / Questioning / 0.46
Teaching / Tchg Events / ALL / Behavioral obj./Advance organizers / 0.41
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Matching style of learning / 0.41
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Cooperative learning / 0.41
Teaching / Stdt Beh / ALL / Time on Task / 0.38
School Principals / School / Schl Proc / ALL / Acceleration / 0.88
School / Schl Proc / ALL / Classroom behavioral program / 0.80
School / Cls Proc / ALL / Classroom cohesion / 0.53
School / Cls Proc / ALL / Peer influences / 0.53
School / Tchg Events / ALL / Classroom management / 0.52
School / Tchg Strat / ALL / Small group learning / 0.49
School / Schl Char / ALL / School size / 0.43

Table 1. Improving Student Achievement (continued)*

District-level coordinators and administrators / Domain / Revised / Level / Influences / d.
Curricula / Curricula / EL / Vocabulary programs / 0.67
Curricula / Curricula / EL / Phonics instruction / 0.60
Curricula / Curricula / EL / Tactile stimulation programs / 0.58
Curricula / Curricula / EL / Visual-perceptual programs / 0.55
Curricula / Curricula / EL / Play programs / 0.50
Curricula / Curricula / EL / 2nd/3rdchance programs (e.g., Reading Recovery) / 0.50
Student / Schl Proc / EL / Early intervention / 0.47
Student / Schl Proc / EL / Preschool programs / 0.45
Teacher Training / Teacher / Tchr Char / HE / Micro teaching / 0.88
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Reciprocal teaching / 0.74
Teaching / Tchg Events / ALL / Feedback / 0.73
Teaching / Tchg Events / ALL / Spaced vs. mass practice / 0.71
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Meta-cognitive strategies / 0.69
Teaching / Stdt Beh / ALL / Self-verbalization/self-questioning / 0.64
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Problem-solving teaching / 0.61
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Cooperative vs. individualistic learning / 0.59
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Direct Instruction / 0.59
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Mastery learning / 0.58
Teaching / Tchg Events / ALL / Worked examples / 0.57
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Concept mapping / 0.57
Teaching / Cls Input / ALL / Goals / 0.56
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Cooperative vs. competitive learning / 0.54
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Interactive video methods / 0.52
Teaching / Tchg Events / ALL / Questioning / 0.46
Teaching / Tchg Events / ALL / Behavioral obj./Advance organizers / 0.41
Teaching / Tchg Strat / ALL / Matching style of learning / 0.41
  • Date selected from Hattie (2009) as reviewed by Huitt et al., 2009