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BRAIN EXERCISE: A RESEARCH ANALYSIS OF PRACTICE IN THE CLASSROOM AFFECTING
LEARNERS’ BRAINS AND THEIR KNOWLEDGE RETENTION
Prepared for:Shelly DeJean, Principal
Douglas Intermediate School615 Hamilton St.
Douglas, WY 82633
and
Meg Wood, InstructorEnglish 4010, Technical Writing in the Professions
University of Wyoming
Prepared by:Jessica Hollon
English 4010, Technical Writing in the ProfessionsUniversity of Wyoming
November 22, 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF FIGURES.......................................................................................................iii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................iv
INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................1
Background and Problem.........................................................................................1
Subject and Purpose.................................................................................................1
Limitations...............................................................................................................2
Scope and Criteria: Research Objectives................................................................2
METHODS..........................................................................................................................3
RESULTS............................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION....................................................................................................................7
RECOMMENDATIONS.....................................................................................................8
WORKS CITED..................................................................................................................9
APPENDIX 1: Survey.......................................................................................................10
ii
TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Average Daily Practice Time in Reading and Math.............................................6
iii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In recent years brain based learning has become a research topic in the area of education. As this topic came to the forefront of educational research, the issue of practice time given within the work day in classrooms has been continuously discussed as possibly improving students’ learning and knowledge retention. At Douglas Intermediate School, scheduling time for students to simply have guided practice of reading and math skills has been hard to do. With so many topics to cover, some teachers feel as though there is no time for students to explore and practice concepts without being immediately graded on these topics. This research set out to find a way for teachers to feel less trepidation about scheduling this time into their day. The research addressed four questions:
1. How does practice affect the brain? 2. On average, how much practice time do teachers in the levels of third through
fifth grade at Douglas Intermediate School give for daily practice (that is ungraded) in reading and math?
3. What programs and/or curriculums are available at Douglas Intermediate School to aid in students’ guided practice?
4. How might this new information affect how teachers structure their students’ day?
Both primary and secondary research was used to answer the above questions. A survey, a form of primary research, was given to all teachers at Douglas Intermediate School to access how they use guided practice in their classrooms. Secondary research included statistics on student knowledge retention at these grade levels, current research on brain based learning, as well as research on classroom best practices.
This research study shows less than half of the teachers at Douglas Intermediate School use ungraded practice to help student grasp concepts. Also present in the research is the information that this type of practice helps the brain be more successful in learning, especially in the areas of reading and math. Based on these findings, I recommend that Douglas Intermediate School do the follow:
Recognize the positive aspect ungraded practice of concepts can bring to the classroom
Utilize the curriculums and programs that the school already has in order to facilitate student practice of concepts
Involve teachers in workshops and trainings for the use of these curriculums Follow up on teachers’ daily use of such programs
iv
BRAIN EXERCISE: A RESEARCH ANALYSIS OF PRACTICE IN THE CLASSROOM AFFECTING
LEARNERS’ BRAINS AND THEIR KNOWLEDGE RETENTION
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM
In recent years, what has come to be called brain based learning has been a major
topic of discussion in education. The study of brain based learning is essentially how
different classroom and teaching techniques can affect students’ brains. Much research
on the effects of different techniques on students’ brains has lead to a lot of discussion on
implementing different types of guided practice within classrooms. Research has already
shown that, “Practice builds neurological connections and thickens the insulating myelin
sheath necessary for fluency, chunking of information, brain efficiency, and deep
learning” (Hill, 2006). However, teachers at Douglas Intermediate School, as well as
other schools, find it hard to justify giving time for students to practice skills when there
is pressure to cover so many topics in a short amount of time.
SUBJECT AND PURPOSE
My research shows how practice within a classroom can affect a student’s brain,
and also shows how teachers at Douglas Intermediate School are already using practice
as well as what curriculums are available for the teachers to facilitate this practice within
their own classrooms. All research was done in the area of reading where, “In all grades,
1-12, research shows independent reading practice is important to build vocabulary,
fluency, comprehension, writing, and higher-order thinking skills” (Anderson, 1988) and
1
in the area of math because, “Research shows that to be effective in building a math skill,
practice must be coupled with instruction to assure students are successful at a high level”
(Topping, 2000).
LIMITATIONS
Due to the feasible scope of this research, other schools outside of Douglas
Intermediate School in Douglas, Wyoming have not been part of this research. In
limiting the research to only Douglas Intermediate School, the only age group focused on
in this research is grades three through five.
SCOPE AND RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Through this research there is an understanding of how practice affects students’
learning and knowledge retention in the areas of reading and math. There is also
documentation of how teachers at Douglas Intermediate School already are and can in the
future effectively use practice within their own classrooms. Through this research the
following questions are answered.
How can practice of concepts affect a person’s brain?
How much time do teachers, on average, at Douglas Intermediate School
currently given for ungraded student practice of reading and math concepts?
What available curriculums and/or programs are there for use in guided practice?
How might teachers restructure their days to allow for guided practice within their
classrooms?
2
METHODS
Researching what effects practice has on a human’s brain and what available
curriculums there are to support this was a form of secondary research. This research
consisted of consulting past and recent research on the topic of brain based teaching, the
formation of the human brain, and best teaching practices within a classroom setting. It
also included researching curriculums produced by educational material production
companies.
By surveying teachers at Douglas Intermediate School in a form of primary
research I found how they currently use practice. This survey also addressed what
curriculum and programs they use as aids during this time and how this time is structured
within their specific classrooms. The type of survey used was an open-ended survey so
that teachers could respond to and add their own feelings, thoughts, and personal
information about their classrooms.
PRIMARY RESEARCH
By using the opened ended survey (see Appendix A) I was able to gage the
amount of time each teacher gave for ungraded practice. My findings were that less than
half of the teachers at Douglas Intermediate School used time such as this within their
classrooms.
I also learned that there is a large amount of available tools for the teachers at
Douglas Intermediate School to use that claim to aid in this brain based practice in the
third through fifth grade age group. I found the following programs were available for
teacher use:
3
Accelerated Reader
Read Naturally
Reading Plus
Tune in to Reading
SSR time
Mountain Language
Accelerated Math
Fast Math
Mountain Math
SECONDARY RESEARCH
By researching the above programs I found that most are computer based, and
each claims to aid in the knowledge retention of some aspect of reading or math. The
programs Read Naturally, Reading Plus, and Tune Into Reading all work on fluency
within a students’ reading. Accelerated Reading is a way to track student reading
progress as well as work on stumdets’ comprehension. Some teachers also reported
giving a block of SSR (individual student reading time) each day that they do not grade
where students can read, and practice by repetition of reading and getting into a reading
habit.
Both the Mountain Language and Mountain Math are used differently by some
teachers at Douglas Intermediate School. In some classrooms it is paired with instruction
and done individually and not graded, but used as reinforcement, review, and preview of
concepts taught in class. These programs are not computer based, but both paper pencil
4
tasks. Fast Math is a computerized math program that claims to teach math facts for
memorization in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
RESULTS
Objective 1: How can practice of concepts affect a person’s brain?
The human brain is a complex organ. It has many functions in each person’s
everyday life. Research shows that by exercising the brain, the functionality of the brain
can be increased. The myelin sheath in the brain can be thickened and much like a
weight lifter can bulk up by lifting more weight, students can also bulk up their brain
power by practicing concepts. Specific concepts practiced in a no pressure time in the
classroom can result in better retention of these concepts.
Objective 2: How much average daily time do teachers at Douglas Intermediate
School currently given for ungraded student practice of reading and math concepts?
After analyzing the survey given to teachers at Douglas Intermediate School, it
was found that teachers give differing amounts of this daily practice time. Interestingly,
for each teacher, math practice time was always less then reading practice time. (See
graph below)
5
3rd te
acher
1
3rd te
acher
2
3rd te
acher
3
3rd te
acher
4
3rd te
acher
5
3rd te
acher
6
3rd te
acher
7
4th teach
er 1
4th teach
er 2
4th teach
er 3
4th teach
er 4
4th teach
er 5
4th teach
er 6
5th teach
er 1
5th teach
er 2
5th teach
er 3
5th teach
er 4
5th teach
er 5
5th teach
er 6
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Average Daily Reading Practice Time (in minutes)Average Daily Math Practice Time (in minutes)
Objective 3: What available curriculums and/or programs are there for use in
guided practice?
According to staff at Douglas Intermediate School the follow programs are
available for their use:
Accelerated Reader
Read Naturally
Reading Plus
Tune in to Reading
SSR time
Mountain Language
Accelerated Math
Fast Math
Mountain Math
6
Objective 4: How might teachers restructure their days to allow for guided practice
within their classrooms?
Teachers who utilize this practice time reported that they use student groupings,
and rotate through groups one group doing some type of practice. Other teachers report
using a center like time within their classroom that rotated once each day, so everyone is
at each center of practice once a week and the teachers floats between the centers. Also
reported was that some teachers use before and after school time for student to use the
computerized practice programs, because students can independently use these programs.
CONCLUSION
By taking a critical look at structuring of time at Douglas Intermediate
School it has become clear, that only a handful of teachers use this time to its full
advantage. Some teachers are thinking outside of the box in order to find time for
students to use these programs.
The amount of programs already available at Douglas Intermediate School
that have previously been purchased for student use, are not being used by many
teachers and students. Since research shows that this time is important to students
and student learning, the use of these programs or lack of use of these programs is
concerning.
7
RECOMMENDATIONS
In light of this research I recommend that the principal and staff at
Douglas Intermediate School do the following:
Recognize the positive aspect ungraded practice of concepts can bring to the
classroom
Utilize the curriculums and programs that the school already has in order to
facilitate student practice of concepts
Involve teachers in workshops and training for the use of these curriculums
Follow up on teachers’ daily use of such programs
Once these steps are followed, hopefully the use of available programs will
increase students’ retention of facts and students’ success at Douglas Intermediate
School.
8
WORKS CITED
Anderson, R. C. “Growth in Reading and How Children Spend Their Time Outside of
School.” Reading Research Quarterly, 23.3 (1988): 285-303.
Hill, N. M. Brain Changes in the Development of Expertise. New York: Cambridge
University Press, 2006.
Hollon, J. L. Survey of How Guided Practice is Currently Used in The Areas of Reading
and Math. 26 October 2009.
Topping, K. J. “Teacher Effectiveness and Computer Assessment of Reading and Math:
Relating Value-Added Learning Information Systems Data.” School
Effectiveness
and School Improvement, 11.3 (2000): 305-337.
9
APPENDIX A
Survey of How Guided Practice is Currently Used In the Areas of Reading and Math
Prepared by Jessica Hollon
This survey’s purpose is to gather data that will help determine how teachers at Douglas Intermediate School are currently using practice time that is ungraded for reading and math. It is also gathering data on and what curriculums and programs are currently being utilized.
What reading curriculum(s) are you currently using in your classroom?
What is the average block of time you teach reading each day?
What amount of this time (on average) is used for students to explore and practice their reading skills?
Is this reading practice independent or guided?
Describe how this reading practice time is structured in your classroom.
Is this reading practice graded?
What Math curriculum(s) are you currently using within your classroom?
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How much time on average do you spend teaching math each day?
What amount of this time (on average) is used for students to explore and practice their math skills?
Is this math practice independent or guided?
Describe how this math practice time is structured in your classroom.
Is this practice graded?
If you could use other types of programs or curriculums for reading and math what would you use and why?
11