RME at CAMT - June 24-26

Looking for a good conference this summer? Come join us at CAMT - the Conference for the Advancement of Mathematics Teaching in Houston on June 24-26. CAMT is an annual Texas conference for K-12 mathematics teachers. The conference is sponsored jointly by the Texas Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the Texas Association of Supervisors of Mathematics, and the Texas Section of the Mathematical Association of America.

If you have never heard of the CAMT Conference, visit their website to learn more.

We have several members of our team presenting this summer. Come join us at one of the following sessions!

ESTAR and MSTAR: Supporting RtI in Texas, Wednesday, 10:00: This session will inform teachers about ESTAR (Elementary School Students in Texas: Algebra Ready) and MSTAR (Middle School Students in Texas: Algebra Ready), a TEA initiative that is available at no cost to all Texas public school districts. ESTAR and MSTAR support grades 2 to 8 by improving overall mathematics instruction and impacting student achievement.

Interpreting MSTAR Universal Screener Reports, Wednesday, 1:00: Universal screening is a step in the RtI process to identify students who may be at risk for success in mathematics. This session will provide a brief overview of the MSTAR (Middle School Students in Texas: Algebra Ready) Universal Screener and describe how to interpret the results.

Interpreting ESTAR Universal Screener Reports, Thursday, 10:00: Universal screening is a step in the RtI process to identify students who may be at risk for success in mathematics. This session will provide a brief overview of the ESTAR (Elementary School Students in Texas: Algebra Ready) Universal Screener and describe how to interpret the results.

The Anatomy of High-Quality Multiple Choice Assessment Items, Thursday at 1:00 and Friday at 8:30: In this session, participants will learn the different purposes for giving students assessment items, how to develop high-quality items that adhere to best practices in assessment development, how items can be crafted to target increasingly sophisticated levels of understanding, and how to use data obtained from multiple-choice items to inform instruction.

Interpreting MSTAR Diagnostic Assessment Reports, Friday, 8:30: In the RtI process, diagnostic assessments are given to students in order to determine what areas and specific misconceptions a student might hold. This session will provide a brief overview of the MSTAR (Middle School Students in Texas: Algebra Ready) Diagnostic Assessment and describe how to interpret the results.

Interpreting ESTAR Diagnostic Assessment Reports, Friday, 10:00: In the RtI process, diagnostic assessments are given to students in order to determine what areas and specific misconceptions a student might hold. This session will provide a brief overview of the ESTAR (Elementary School Students in Texas: Algebra Ready) Diagnostic Assessment and describe how to interpret the results.

RtI Guidance at Your Fingertips, Friday, 10:00:This session will inform teachers and administrators about an ongoing initiative by the Texas Education Agency to support educators’ understanding of Response to Intervention (RtI). The RtI iOS project delivers best practices in RtI through a mobile application and complementary website.

Combining Cognition and Metacognition During the Problem Solving Process

By Dawn Woods, RME Elementary Mathematics Coordinator

Mathematical problem solving extends beyond the application of mathematics skills and concepts to include the semantics and syntax of language and the situations that the language represents within social-cultural contexts. Sometimes when students consider word problems, they rely on coping strategies such as using key words or apply general strategies such as “draw a picture”, which can limit the student’s problem solving abilities (Clements & Sarama, 2009). However research is showing that when students are engaged in metacognition, or thinking about their thinking, that their problem solving competency increases through the awareness of their reasoning (Cambell & White, 1997; Goos, Galbraith & Renshaw, 2002; Caswell & Nisbet, 2005).

Intervention Central, an online RtI resource, outlines a research-based strategy designed to engage struggling students in the problem solving process. Based on Montague’s work, students apply a “Say-Ask-Check” routine to stimulate metacognition as they work through the cognitive steps of the problem solving process (1992). During each step of the problem solving process, students are taught to “say” or self-instruct by stating the purpose of the step; “ask” or self-question what he or she plans to do to complete the step; and “checks” by self-monitoring the successful completion of the step. This “Say-Ask-Check” routine with close teacher support during instruction can increase the likelihood of student success.

Following is an example of what the “Say-Ask-Check” routine could look like when applied to George Polya’s four-step mathematical problem solving techniques (1945; Wright, 2011).

Problem Solving Steps	"Say-Ask-Check" Routine
Understanding the Problem	Say (Self-Instruction):  “I will read the problem until I can restate the problem in my own words.” Ask (Self-Question):  “Do I understand the problem?” Check (Self-Monitor):  “I understand the problem.”
Devise a Plan	Say (Self-Instruction):   “I will create a plan to solve the problem.” Ask (Self-Question):  “What is my first step? What is the next step, etc.?” Check (Self-Monitor):  “My plan has the right steps to solve the problem.”
Carrying Out the Plan	Say (Self-Instruction):  “I will solve the problem” Ask (Self-Question):  “Is my answer reasonable?” Check (Self-Monitor):  “I carried out my plan to solve the problem.”
Looking Back	Say (Self-Instruction):  “I will check my work.” Ask (Self-Question):  “Did I check each step in my calculation?” Check (Self-Monitor):  “The problem appears to be correct.”

Combining cognition and metacognition through using the problem solving process and the Say-Ask-Check routine increases a students’ awareness in his/her reasoning thereby increasing the likelihood of his/her academic success.

References

Campbell, P., & White, D. (1997). Project IMPACT: Influencing ad supporting teacher change in predominately minority schools. In E. Fennema & B.Nelson (Eds.), Mathematics teachers in transition (pp 309-355). Mahway, NJ: Erlbaum.

Caswell, R., Nisbet, S. (2005). Enhancing mathematical understanding through self-assessment and self-regulation of learning: he value of meta-awareness. Building Connections: Research, Theory and Practice. Retrieved from http://www98.griffith.edu.au/dspace/handle/10072/2482 .

Clements, D. & Sarama, J. (2009). Learning and teaching early math: the learning trajectories approach. New York: Routlege.

Goos, M., Galbraith, P., & Renshaw, P. (2002). Socially mediated metacognition: Creating collaborative zones of proximal development in small group problem solving. Education Studies in Mathematics, 49 (2), 193-223.

Montague, M. (1992). The effects of cognitive and metacognitive strategy instruction on the mathematical problem solving of middle school students with learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 25, 230-248.

Polya, G. (1945). How to solve it. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press

Wright, J. (2011). Math problem solving: Combining cognitive and metacognitive strategies. Retrieved from http://www.interventioncentral.org/academic-interventions/math/math-problem-solving-combining-cognitive-metacognitive-strategies.

Technology as a Tool for Teaching Content

By Sharri Zachary, RME Mathematics Coordinator

Technology can assume many roles in education. It is often utilized as a resource, delivery system, or means of production (Yuan-Hsuan,Waxman, Jiun-Yu, Michko, & Lin, 2013). Previous research studies found that computer programs were particularly useful in instruction when they are purposeful in supporting the needs of all students, are factual, and provide students with new learning experiences. In addition, the research also revealed higher gains in academic performance when students were allowed to use computers in small groups rather than individually.

In a recent study by the authors for grades K-12, the effects of teaching and learning with technology on student cognitive outcomes and affective outcomes were revisited to inform current instructional practice. Outlined are some key things teachers can do to integrate technology in their instruction, such that there is improvement in student outcomes:

Cognitive

• Allow students to collaborate in pairs or small groups with technological devices 
• Develop instructional material that makes sense contextually 
• Incorporate project-based learning that allows students to bridge skills and subject matter

Affective

• Include challenging activities in your instructional materials 
• Ask higher-order questions 
• Work together with your students to produce a result via technological device 
• Emphasize collaboration in your teaching and their learning utilizing technology

Yuan-Hsuan, L., Waxman, H., Jiun-Yu Wu, Michko, G. & Lin, G. (2013). Revisit the effect of teaching and learning with technology. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 16(1), 133-n/a.

RTI in a Middle School Mathematics Classroom

By Lindsey Perry, RME Research Assistant

Are you looking for tools and resources to help you reach all students, including those who are struggling in mathematics? Are you seeking out professional development to help you grow in your teaching? The Middle-school Students in Texas: Algebra Ready (MSTAR) initiative can help you learn instructional strategies to assist students struggling with mathematics, assess student understanding, and meet the needs of all learners.

The MSTAR initiative, funded by the Texas Legislature and developed by the Texas Education Agency, is a comprehensive project that provides teachers and administrators with assessments, professional development, and intervention lessons to improve grades 5–8 mathematics achievement in Texas and to sustain the implementation of Response to Intervention (RTI).

An important step in the RTI process is assessing student understanding. To do just that, the MSTAR initiative provides teachers with screening and diagnostic instruments, the MSTAR Universal Screener and the MSTAR Diagnostic. The MSTAR Universal Screener assists teachers in determining if a student is at-risk or on-track for meeting grade level algebra-readiness expectations and the level of support the student may need in order to be successful. The MSTAR Universal Screener is administered three times per year in order to monitor student progress and is administered online at mstar.epsilen.com. The spring administration window is April 8 – May 10, 2013. To find out more, visit http://www.txar.org/assessment/mstar_screener.htm or email universalscreener@region10.org.

The MSTAR Diagnostic Assessment is currently in development. The MSTAR Diagnostic should be administered to students who have been identified by the MSTAR Universal Screener as at-risk for meeting algebra-readiness expectations. This instrument provides teachers with information about why students are struggling and the misconceptions students may have. We are currently seeking a small set of classrooms to participate in the MSTAR Diagnostic Beta test. These classes must have already taken MSTAR Universal Screener at least once this year. While this is a beta test, teachers will receive data on how their students performed. If you are interested, please email us at rme@smu.edu.

The MSTAR Initiative also includes numerous online and face-to-face professional development opportunities. Trainings are available that focus on providing all students with quality Tier I instruction (MSTAR Academy I), strategies for Tier II instruction (Academy II), and data-driven decision making (Implementation Tools). Trainings on topics such as addressing the needs of English language learners, addressing the College and Career Readiness Standards, and teaching fraction/decimal relationships are also available, among many others. Many of the trainings are now available online at www.projectsharetexas.org. For more information, contact your Education Service Center or search the Project Share course catalog at http://projectsharetexas.org/about.

The MSTAR Initiative can help you improve your teaching and help you better understand your students’ needs and how to meet those needs. We encourage you to check out the MSTAR assessments and professional development offerings!

For detailed information about the initiative and the Response to Intervention framework, we invite you to click the link for a copy of “Supporting Students’ Algebra Readiness: A Response to Intervention Approach” in Texas Mathematics Teacher.